This year’s Emmy nominations highlights an encouraging mix of established hits like Severance and fresh new comedies like The Studio. But major snubs and uneven representation show the Academy still struggles with diversity and fully reflecting today’s TV landscape.
Squid Games has stood out on Netflix as a fan favorite. The show has been ranked as the third biggest show on Netflix’s all-time as of July, with season one being the most watched season ever on Netflix. This begs the question of why the smash hit received no nominations this year.
The first season made history at the 2022 Emmy awards, being the first non-English-language show to be nominated and win. With fourteen nominations and six wins, the show exceeded everyone’s expectations. Season three was another global hit- yet it received no nominations. So, what made the Academy skip it? In my opinion, this absence suggests that non-English-language series are still treated as exceptions, not equals.
The shutout of Squid Games season 2 highlights how quickly the Academy can turn away from newer, boundary pushing shows- even those with proven global fanbases and remarkable reviews. Many staples like Succession or The Crown have enjoyed years of Emmy attention, with fresher and more diverse stories like Yellowjackets and The Handmaid’s Tail tend to fall behind.
Another complaint I have this year is the lack of talk shows that were nominated. With only thirteen shows submitted, the category feels much thinner than usual, with only three shows actually nominated. It left out numerous worthy contenders like Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Hot Ones, which are both prominent watches in pop culture. Is this a reflection of a changing TV scene, where late-night is losing cultural relevance? Or a reflection of the relevance of the Academy awards in the studios eyes? Either way, the lack of nominees highlights how uncertain the future of the once-dominant genre of talk shows is.
Yet, there are many new shows that are proving to the Academy that they can hold their own. FX’s The Pitt is a new medical drama, starring former ER star Noah Wyle. Set inside the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, the show follows one intense fifteen hour shift, and it quickly became a fan favorite. With the gut wrenching performances, you can’t help but root for each character, even though you’ve only known them for a short amount of time. With thirteen nominations, and two wins already, my hopes are high for this show, although it will have to fight hard against shows like The White Lotus and The Last of Us.
Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg’s The Studio is making waves at the Primetime Emmy’s this year, with twenty three nominations. This hilarious new show follows a new head of a movie production studio who is desperate for celebrity approval. The cast is star-studded, with numerous celebrities making guest appearances. You can expect to see Zoe Kravitz, Anthony Mackie, Martin Scorsese, Dave Franco, and many more. Airing on Apple TV+, we can assume to see many (rightful) wins from The Studio this season.
Abbott Elementary is back at the Emmy’s with six nominations this year, making that thirty total nominations, and four wins since 2022. Randall Einhorn’s show sheds light on the lives of numerous passionate teachers at a public school in Philadelphia. Similar to The Office, Abbott Elementary is full of dry humor and easy laughs. The show has barely delivered at the yearly awards in the past, and I do worry about it winning up against competitive shows like The Bear. Especially because thirty minute sitcom shows have begun to fall short at the Emmy’s, as longer episodic shows have become more popular.
Of course, we can’t talk about comedy shows without discussing The Bear. This hit show is entering this awards season with a whopping forty nine nominations, and twenty one previous wins. The show uses diverse and innovative filming techniques, like one shot episodes. The cast is spectacular, and it’s looking like they’ll walk home with a few more awards to add to their shelves on Sunday.
In the end, this year’s nominations for the Primetime Emmy awards tell a larger story than they may seem. They show an Academy still torn between celebrating established favorites and making space for new diverse voices. Though, if the Academy wants to remain relevant, it will need to commit to honoring everything that audiences watch and value.
