10 big takeaways from the 2024 Emmy nominations

FX knew exactly what it was doing by moving from a limited series to the drama category (with two more seasons apparently on the way). This year’s lineup is relatively average—sorry, not sorry—with some nice surprises like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Slow Horses, and Fallout. Still, in the absence of usual heavy hitters like Succession, Better Call Saul, and Stranger Things, it makes sense that the critically beloved Shōgun is next in line. The series nabbed 25 nominations in total, including Outstanding Drama and technical categories like stunt performance, cinematography, and production design. (). This is a huge achievement for a Japan-set TV show that’s not primarily in English—and a welcome followup to the South Korea-set ’s Emmy nods (and wins) in 2022.

Who would’ve thought Apple TV+’s would break through the drama category noise for a surprise nomination? Good for Idris Elba, who carries this thriller on his back well. But we have to admit: It’s pretty surprising didn’t make it in. Admittedly, that show is a little cringe for everyone’s taste. Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder’s series boasted a great turn by two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone. And given that it aired on Paramount+ around the time Poor Things was released, it sure felt like she was having an awards moment there. So, yes, it’s a huge snub to see Stone not get recognized for her work here. We guess the show was too out there for Emmy voters.

Speaking of, there’s nothing the Television Academy loves more than a star-studded drama that’s trying too hard to be prestige TV. It explains why this Apple TV+ show’s third season nabbed several nominations—17, to be specific. Those include previous nominees Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Mark Duplass, and Marcia Gay Harden, as well as 2020 winner Billy Crudup. But that’s not nearly all. This time, cast members Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, Jon Hamm, Nicole Beharie, and Holland Taylor made it in as well. It’s cool to see talented actors like Lee, Beharie, and Pittman get recognized (instead of, you know, just the white actors). They help ground the show, sure, but The Morning Show’s absurd takeover in the supporting categories remains tough to swallow.

The 2024 Emmys mark an excellent time for record-breakers like Sofia Vergara. The five-time Emmy nominee makes history as the first Latina to be nominated in the Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series category for Griselda. Meanwhile, ’s and Under The Bridge’s Lily Gladstone are the first Indigenous women to get nominated in major acting categories. It’s a banner year for Native American representation with ’ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai scoring for comedy lead actor. And Baby Reindeer’s Nava Mau is the first trans Latina to score a nomination in her category, while Selena Gomez receives her first big nod alongside OMITB’s Martin Short and Steve Martin.

Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons are old pros. The long-running animated shows have gained several Emmy nominations over the years, but they’ve got strong competition in 2024 thanks to some exciting new programs. Disney+’s shook things up, quickly becoming one of the best new shows of the year. Its popularity and quality assured the show would nab a nomination. So the pleasant surprise comes in the form of Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai from Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, as well as Scavengers Reign, which Max canceled to Netflix’s benefit. (The latter has picked it up for season two.) Blue Eye Samurai’s excellent first season getting highlighted is another win for Asian programming, with a cast that includes Maya Erskine (who is nominated for Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Darren Barnett, Brenda Song, and Stephanie Hsu. As for Scavengers Reign, it’s only a good sign for the under-seen series that it managed to score this slot—it had tough competition from Archer’s final season, Big Mouth, Invincible, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Harley Quinn, among others.

It’s a huge year for FX. They did predictably well with Shōgun, The Bear, and Fargo in the top three categories. But the luck doesn’t stop there. Other originals like What We Do In The Shadows and Reservation Dogs made it in after years of campaigning. It should be noted that WWDITS has earned Outstanding Comedy series nominations twice, but we’ve got a well-deserved first-time recognition for Jackie Daytona Matt Berry. Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans and Welcome To Wrexham also boost FX’s standing. If you look at the numbers, sure, Netflix scored the most with 107 nods (thanks to The Crown, Ripley, and Baby Reindeer), followed by 93 for FX and 91 for HBO/Max. It seems like they’re close enough, but not if we compare it to HBO’s 127 nominations last year. The cable network is boosted primarily by True Detective: Night Country and Hacks, with Kate Winslet’s The Regime and Sandra Oh-led The Sympathizer not bringing in enough nods. For now, it sure feels like FX’s moment in the sun.

Speaking of FX, let’s circle back to The Bear for a quick second. The discourse of whether this show is a comedy or not is about to get so much worse because FX’s series broke 30 Rock’s record for most nominations in a Comedy Series in a single year. NBC’s sitcom got 22 nods in 2009, but 15 years later, here comes The Bear with 23 nominations. Almost everyone from the ensemble (minus Abby Elliott and Oliver Platt) scored big, as did writer Joanna Calo, director Christopher Storer, and guest actors like Will Poulter, Jon Bernthal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, and Olivia Colman.

HBO’s groundbreaking was slept on by most viewers. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel, the darkly comedic historical drama took big narrative swings that made for entertaining, thrilling TV. It also primarily stars a Vietnamese cast, none of whom got recognized for their work, including series star Hoa Xuande. But don’t worry, Robert Downey Jr., the only main white actor, got his due. It’s not just bad optics but this is also a disservice to Xuande and his co-stars like Toan Le, Fred Nguyen Khan, Duy Nguyễn, and Sandra Oh, who grounded the narrative extremely well.

If we do want to keep the “What’s a comedy?” debate fresh, might I direct you to two of the funniest shows of recent years: The Other Two and Girls5eva. Against all odds, including network changes, both of these gems are consistently fucking hilarious. In its final season, The Other Two was non-stop comedy gold, whereas Girls5eva remained as charming as ever (even with its original songs!) in season three upon its move to Netflix. It’s frankly a bummer that performers like Renée Elise Goldsberry, Drew Tarver, and Helene Yorke were snubbed this year and that both shows were relegated to noms under the Outstanding Writing category. (But hey, at least they got some love.)