The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2023 Emmy Nominations

With today’s announcement of the 2023 Emmy Awards nominees, the race for gold has officially begun. A number of the year’s most-beloved TV programs—including Succession, The White Lotus, and The Last Of Us (all from HBO)—vacuumed up numerous coveted spots, even as 2,428 performers wrestled for recognition from The Television Academy. The now-usual suspects, including most of the Succession and Abbott Elementary casts, appeared as expected, but others finally got their much-deserved first chance at an Emmy: Pedro Pascal, Sabrina Impacciatore, Jenna Ortega, Steven Yeun, and Riley Keough among them. Still, it wouldn’t be an awards-season announcement without some significant shocks (and a few disappointments). Ahead, a breakdown of the biggest snubs and surprises from this year’s Emmys slate.

Surprise: Kathryn Hahn scores a Lead Actress nomination for Tiny Beautiful Things.

Following the somewhat quiet release of Tiny Beautiful Things, the Hulu series based on Cheryl Strayed’s Dear Sugar, Hahn wasn’t exactly considered an Emmy frontrunner. But with her performance as Clare, a woman Figuring It All Out, she managed to pull through, landing her in the race against Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Chastain, Dominique Fishback, Riley Keough, and Ali Wong in the limited series category. —Erica Gonzales, Senior Culture Editor

Snub: No Emmys love for Harrison Ford.

I assumed given the power of Harrison Ford’s name recognition and the continual delight of his presence onscreen, he would snag a Supporting Actor slot for either of his roles in the Yellowstone prequel series 1923 or the Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking. (Ideally, Shrinking.) The Television Academy recognized him for neither, a snub for which we can be all but certain he’d have a few choice words. —Lauren Puckett-Pope, Staff Culture Writer

Surprise: Sharon Horgan gets a Lead Actress nod.

Bad Sisters was not a Succession-sized cultural juggernaut, but it was one of the best new shows of 2022, so it’s a relief to see its star and creator, Sharon Horgan, get her due. (She got a nod for writing, too.) The Irish comedy-drama-murder mystery revolves around five sisters after the funeral of their “prick” of a brother-in-law, and Horgan stars as the level-headed Eva. She’s able to balance humor with heart and harder topics like abuse and sexual assault. —EG

Snub: Poker Face misses out in the Comedy category.

Rian Johnson’s whodunnit anthology series got nods for production design, lead actress (Natasha Lyonne), guest actress (Judith Light), and stunts, but not as an overall series. You would think that with its creative format and A-list cast (guests ranged from Chloë Sevingy to Adrien Brody to Hong Chau), it would have wowed the Television Academy, but it couldn’t withstand the strength of its competition—like The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.

Surprise: Obi-Wan Kenobi takes a slot in Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

Let’s establish one thing first: I adore Star Wars. I consider Andor to be one of the best seasons of television I’ve watched in the past few years. So my frustration with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s nomination has nothing to do with Star Wars burnout, or even my growing concern over the franchise boom. Instead, what surprises me about this nomination is that the Disney+ series was enjoyed by even fewer fans than critics (as we can see in the show’s Rotten Tomatoes scores, an admittedly imperfect measuring stick). It’s a fine show, pleasurable but not satiating. It’s blatant nostalgia bait. It creates more plot holes than it solves. And while I will always love watching Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen on screen together, it’s ludicrous for Kenobi to swallow up a nominee slot that belonged to a more deserving project, like National Geographic’s A Small Light or Peacock’s Mrs. Davis. —LPP

Snub: Diego Luna goes unrecognized for his work leading Andor.

Here’s where my bafflement doubles. Kenobi gets an Emmy nomination, but Diego Luna is robbed of Lead Actor recognition? Andor, one of the best projects to result from the Disney+ era of Star Wars, wouldn’t work without Luna, who embodies the scavenger-turned-rebel Cassian Andor with quiet dignity and an omnipresent rage, the dial turned just below boiling point. It’s become increasingly rare to find franchise characters allowed such interiority, and the Television Academy should have taken the chance to reward it. —LPP

Surprise: Jury Duty earns a well-deserved honor for Outstanding Comedy Series.

We expected the comedy category to be filled with titles like Abbott Elementary, Barry, and Ted Lasso, but the inclusion of Jury Duty comes as a pleasant surprise. The odd but charming semi-reality series from Amazon Freevee (yes, Freevee, not Prime Video, which adds to the shock) follows 12 jurors—11 of whom are actors, one of whom is James Marsden—over the course of a chaotic fake trial. The show also caught nominations for casting, Supporting Actor (Marsden), and writing. It just got a major upgrade from “that show your friends keep talking about” to official Emmy nominee. —EG

Snub: The Other Two gets pushed aside.

I will shout it from the rooftops: The Other Two is one of the best comedies you’re not watching yet. It has the trappings of a comedic favorite: Hollywood satire, Molly Shannon, and familiar guests, but maybe its humor was too bizarre (and its critiques too spot-on) for the Academy to throw it some love, even though that’s exactly why fans adore it. Much like its leading pair of siblings, the series was overlooked for safer bets. And perhaps the controversy bubbling behind the scenes soured its chances. —EG

Surprise: Keri Russell gets a Lead Actress nod for The Diplomat.

Despite her remarkable work as Elizabeth Jennings in the FX series The Americans, Keri Russell has never won an Emmy, and today marks her fourth time as a nominee. I thought The Diplomat would fly under the radar this Emmys season, so I’m thrilled to see her name floated for a gold statue—even if I don’t think The Diplomat is her greatest work. It’s a tight, compelling drama with astute comedic (and romantic) chemistry between Russell and co-lead Rufus Sewell, and I’m eager to see how season 2 addresses the first chapter’s flaws. But it’s not The Americans. —LPP

Surprise: Once again, Elisabeth Moss has a shot at Lead Actress for The Handmaid’s Tale.

Back in 2021, The Handmaid’s Tale set a record for the most Emmy losses in a season, losing all of its whopping 21 nominations. Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s prescient novel, which felt groundbreaking when it premiered during the Trump presidency, was losing steam. Perhaps the Academy course-corrected this year, as Elisabeth Moss, whose talent carries the show’s traumatic content, marks the sole nomination from the show this year. —EG

Snub: There’s only selective appreciation for Only Murders in the Building.

Martin Short had a strong Emmys campaign this year, so it’s not surprising to see his name make the final nominees list on behalf of Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building. But considering how necessary the sparks between Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez are to the show’s success, it seems odd for neither of their names to appear beside him. Gomez sort of grabbed a separate nomination for the writing on her documentary program My Mind and Me, but that’s unlikely to satisfy fans who specifically come to OMitB for Mabel—and her many coats. —LPP

Surprise: Wednesday takes a swipe at Best Comedy.

Perhaps this one shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given Wednesday’s wild triumph on Netflix (not to mention the heft of its Addams Family adjacency). But considering the critical popularity of comedy competitors Shrinking and Poker Face, in particular, it’s wild to discover that neither could beat out Jenna Ortega’s turn as the sullen Addams daughter—especially when Ortega herself hasn’t always had the most considerate things to say about the series. For what it’s worth, I think both Wednesday (and certainly Ortega) deserve some love, but not enough to boot what are arguably better shows. —LPP

Snub: There’s no love for Reservation Dogs.

This past season of Rez Dogs was one the most heartfelt and heartbreaking seasons of TV in the past year, grappling with grief as a community, moms and aunties finding purpose beyond maternal duties, and the throes of being a kid—told with a mix of eccentric humor and surreal influences. Fingers crossed for its next and final season, which is due later this summer. —EG

Surprise: Kumail Nanjiani is honored for Welcome to Chippendales.

Welcome to Chippendales was far from the flashiest contender on the Emmys slate this year, despite what its title and subject matter might suggest. But it’s a credit to the voters that they nevertheless took notice of Kumail Nanjiani’s portrayal of Steve Banerjee, the man to first conceive of Chippendales. It’s a nuanced turn from Nanjiani, whose comedic charm has often won him praise, but who deserves attention for this equally astute dramatic showcase. —LPP

Snub: Nothing for Elizabeth Olsen.

Her Love & Death co-star Jesse Plemons was rightfully nominated for Supporting Actor, but Elizabeth Olsen, the face of the limited series, went empty-handed. I was expecting to see Olsen with a nod for displaying her range as Candy Montgomery, the woman acquitted for the murder of her best friend after having an affair with her husband. (I mean, what a role!) But voters resonated more with her WandaVision performance, which earned her a nomination two years ago. —EG

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See the list of nominees below:

Outstanding Drama Series
Andor
Better Call Saul
The Crown
House of the Dragon
The Last of Us
Succession
The White Lotus
Yellowjackets

Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear
Jury Duty
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Only Murders In The Building
Ted Lasso
Wednesday

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Beef
Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Daisy Jones & the Six
Fleishman Is In Trouble
Obi-Wan Kenobi

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeff Bridges, The Old Man
Brian Cox, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Sarah Snook, Succession

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Bill Hader, Barry
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christine Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus
Theo James, The White Lotus
Matthew Macfayden, Succession
Alan Ruck, Succession
Will Sharpe, The White Lotus
Alexander Skarsgård, Succession

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus
Sabrina Impacciatore, The White Lotus
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
J. Smith-Cameron, Succession
Simona Tabasco, The White Lotus

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Phil Dunster, Ted Lasso
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
James Marsden, Jury Duty
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Henry Winkler, Barry

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Murray Bartlett, Welcome to Chippendales
Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Richard Jenkins, Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Joseph Lee, Beef
Ray Liotta, Black Bird
Young Mazino, Beef
Jesse Plemons, Love & Death

Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Annaleigh Ashford, Welcome to Chippendales
Maria Bello, Beef
Claire Danes, Fleishman is in Trouble
Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales
Camilla Morrone, Daisy Jones & the Six
Niecy Nash-Betts Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Merritt Wever: Tiny Beautiful Things