Abbott Elementary, Pachinko, Inventing Anna: The biggest 2022 Emmy snubs and surprises
The 74th Emmy nominations include major props (Rhea Seehorn!) and total letdowns (a lack of nods for Mandy Moore, Selena Gomez)
TV Features Emmy
The Television Academy did it again. The 74th Emmy Award nominations, announced on July 12, were a totally mixed bag, as always. As expected, shows like Ted Lasso, Succession, and the final season of Ozark dominated, while new entrants Only Murders In The Building and The White Lotus also claimed well-deserved spots. (FYI: You can go through the whole list here).
However, as is the case every year, there were several surprises and multiple snubs along the way. It’s been a terrific year for TV, after all. Or as Academy Chairman Frank Scherma said before the nominees were revealed, “[They] reflect only a fraction of television being made right now.” Even so, laudable shows and performers got left behind. When will voters realize the value of hilarious, hidden-gem comedies like Reservation Dogs? On the plus side, at least Rhea Seehorn and Seth Meyers managed to score their very first Emmy nods.
Here, we break down the biggest hits and misses from 2022's Emmy nominations. The ceremony airs Monday, September 12 at 8 P.M. ET on NBC—we’ll be covering the event live, so make sure you check out The A.V. Club before, during, and after the show airs.
84 Comments
Selena Gomez doesn’t deserve anything for that horrific wooden acting.
an impressive, multidimensional performance? Share your drugs, please. C’mon, she’s hardly going all Gena Rowlands and is barely keeping her head above water.
yeah she’s fine. i actually don’t think any of the performances on ‘only murders’ are particularly good. it’s a good show but it’s the writing more than anything else.
If you are one of the many people who generally hasn’t loved Martin Short’s comedy I would think you’d feel he’s doing a pretty excellent job in this show.
Standing still and muttering can be a bold choice. Not in this particular case, but it can be.
Selena Gomez doesn’t deserve anything for that horrific wooden acting
Thank you! I keep seeing people say she’s good and I keep wondering what I’m missing. She’s very wooden and monotone. She doesn’t ruin the show. It’s a good show and she’s…fine.
Cromulent even.
Agreed. Selena Gomez’s acting is fine and occasionally good when she has to deliver some layered, emotional scenes but I have yet to be wowed by her performance.
Gomez only surprises me because the other two got theirs. As part of the trio, it seems a blatant diss
I was honestly surprised the other two got nominations. I mean, it’s a good show, but it’s hardly an acting showcase. Steve Martin is the best of the bunch, and Martin Short overdoes just about everything. Most of the time OMITB seems to be able to rein him in, but yeah, it’s hardly a masterclass.
I find the whole show unlikely, and uninvolvimg.I don’t understand how this gets so much attention and people are only now finding ‘For All Msnkind’.
I’m sad they snubbed Rose Byrne. Her acting and character is funny and heartbreaking and horrible and painfully relatable in Physical.Also why wasn’t Julia Roberts nominated? It’s a really fucking great performance.
Gaslit really didn’t have any legs, did it? I remember it being buzzed about in the weeks leading up to it’s premiere and then…nothing.
How is Antony Starr not the biggest snub?He does more in one scene than some do in entire seasons. It is a marvel to just watch him perform.
I’m guessing they missed the eligibility deadline?
Season 3 started airing after the eligibility (and S2 was in 2020), but if he isn’t nominated next year it’s going to be a major snub indeed.
The eligibility window closed on May 31, 2022. The Boys season 3 premiered June 3. He’ll be eligible next year.
Because he wasn’t eligible and because I Think You Should Leave is the biggest snub.
“Because he wasn’t eligible and because I Think You Should Leave is the biggest snub.”
I’m curious how I Think You Should Leave is a snub considering it was nominated for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series and since Tim Robinson ALREADY WON A 2022 EMMY for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.
Go buy a hammer please, and then smash yourself in the temple with it until you can’t anymore.
Because the biggest snub was Hamish Linklater in Midnight Mass.
It is a marvelWe see what you did there…
Before we say anything else, WOOOOOOOOOO RHEA SEEHORN!But that aside, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that there’s just way too much fucking TV. I think it’s a shame that the voters clearly just watch whatever’s most buzzy and popular, but at a certain point it’s just too much for one person to watch and absorb.
Is it really a “snub” if the show is a “hidden gem”? That’s precisely the kind of show not expecting a nomination.
It’s more of the, for lack of a better word, injustice of it. Reservation Dogs was incredible, and to not garner a single nomination for its terrific performances and writing is kind of a bummer.
I can see Reservations Dogs being the kind of show that a lot of people have a hard time connecting with. I watched a number of clips to check it out, and I found the humor to be very low key. I liked the idea, but I just didn’t find it to be that funny and I’d guess that I’m hardly alone.
There’s a huge difference between watching a few clips and watching episodes. If you watch the episodes, you’ll see that the show isn’t a laff-a-minute comedy, but more like a surreal/hyperreal show in a similar vein to Atlanta.
Yeah, and you really gave it a chance, watching a couple disparate clips of episodes.
I love the show but I don’t think it’s a comedy.
You need to watch full episodes. Jesus.
Yeah, it’s not really a snub in the sense of “we expected this buzzy show to get an nomination,” but perhaps more of an unfortunate snub by the general public. I appreciate the shoutout for those shows though, I still need to watch Reservation Dogs but I loved We Are Lady Parts. A fun, heartfelt show with unique characters and a surprisingly fresh and well-defined comedic voice. I was surprised by how good it was and it’s a shame people aren’t talking about it more. I wish it’d landed somewhere more accessible than on Peacock behind its paywall, though I’m glad it’s streaming somewhere.
How on earth did Sarah Goldberg get overlooked for her performance in Barry this past season?
It’s the most Sally Reed thing that could’ve happened
Lol
They had to make room for three separate people from fucking Ted Lasso.
I was looking for that on here. Granted, I didn’t watch all the other TV to compare, but there are other nominated performances that aren’t nearly as impressive to me as hers.
Does it really make sense to have seven different actors from Succession nominated for three acting categories? Or seven different actors from Ted Lasso for three acting categories? Dopesick and The White Lotus have a lot of nominees too. Seems like they could choose the ones likeliest to win and spread the love a bit to lesser known shows…It is pretty funny that Connor Roy got overlooked though.
I can only speak for Succession because I haven’t seen Ted Lasso. But I’m not opposed to Succession’s nominations simply because pretty much everyone is brilliant there. However, it does speak to the tendency of clearly preferring a certain amount of shows and piling them with nominations. Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, This Is Us, Breaking Bad, even Veep to an extent have experienced that. I’m sure I’m missing a few shows, but nonetheless.The trend is seemingly to go for what’s popular and it also really comes down to what the voters actually watch. Which is a shame, cause there’s so much (too much, actually) good stuff out there that deserves recognition.
I am a huge fan of Succession and think it is rightfully considered one of the best shows on TV. But seven nominations is crazy to me. Just looking at other super popular shows, was Cousin Greg as a third nomination (IMO he’d be behind Tom and Roman) more memorable than all of the supporting actors from Better Call Saul season six part one? I’d personally have Tony Dalton easily above him and Michael Mando too. Would even consider Patrick Fabian. Instead, Better Call Saul has no one in that category despite having an equally great ensemble (IMO).And then Ted Lasso I really don’t get. A lot of their nominees weren’t particularly memorable in the last season, which was a definitive step down from S1 overall (again IMO). Sarah Goldberg from Barry surely deserved a nomination if that show is still being submitted as a comedy.
Ted Lasso rode a lot of goodwill from its first season, kind of like Modern Family kept getting tons of nominations/wins far beyond what it deserved after the first few seasons. If I were a voter, I would have given my vote to Sudeikis for lead actor, Toheeb Jimoh and Nick Mohammed in the supporting actor category, and Sarah Niles in supporting actress. That’s it. But I didn’t feel like Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, or Hannah Waddingham had plot arcs worthy of recognition in S2. They didn’t have enough to do. The actors who played Trent Crimm and Edwin Akufo got guest nominations, but to my mind, Crimm wasn’t a substantial enough character to warrant it, and Akufo bordered on caricature in ways that weren’t great. Basically, Ted Lasso deserved some nominations, but not all the nominations. And yes, Sarah Goldberg was robbed and is well within her rights to burn everything to the ground.
Personally wouldn’t include Toheeb either. Sam had a lot of plot arcs in S2 and they were all enjoyable to watch but I don’t know that Toheeb as an actor was particularly memorable. Definitely not in the way Nick Mohammed was (I actually disliked Nate’s plot arc a lot from S2 but thought Mohammed did a great job portraying Nate’s emotional reactions).Didn’t even look at the guest nominations but man, more Succession and more Ted Lasso alright.
“And then Ted Lasso I really don’t get.”
Nononono, it’s the basic concept of voting that you don’t understand.
The nominations come from the votes of TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. There’s not ONE person deciding that everyone on Succession gets a nomination, stupid.
Yeah, it’s somehow weird that great shows that everyone loves get a lot of award nominations, isn’t it?
Oh, it’s not? Not at all?
A Vulture article I read today did suggest the Emmys set a limit for one nomination per series for each category (apart from Outstanding Series) in which they are eligible.
I would wholeheartedly support a rule like this. Even if it were stretched to two nominees per category per show. This year clearly shows there is a problem. Five nominations for White Lotus in supporting actress is a absurd. Only nominating from two shows in the supporting actress category is absurd. Limiting the nominations to two per show potentially would have let actors from three other shows get awarded for their work. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least a handful of actors whose work on limited series this year could have been recognized: Odessa Young (The Staircase), Lori Petty or Matilda Lawler (Station Eleven), Andie MacDowell (Maid), and maybe Dagmara Dominczyk for We Own this City (I haven’t finished it yet). I’m sure there are more.I’ve got nothing against the five women from White Lotus, but if I had to choose, I would keep Natasha Rothwell in the category and ditch the rest. Hers was the affecting and memorable performance. The others were…fine. But there was a lot stronger work out there this year that didn’t get honored because the nominators had blinders on, apparently. Rarely will a series truly have more than 2 actors or actresses worthy of winning the award. Limit it to 2 per category and you’ll rarely have an outcry that someone worthy got shut out or someone unworthy got included as a result of those limitations.
For all the amount of TV out there, this sort of monopolizing the nominations bothers me a little. Even if I liked all these shows. When we’re loving this many supporting performances, its just time for Best Cast. That way, Best Supporting Performance can really concentrate on characters who singularly enhance a protagonist’s story, rather than nominating every complimentary character we enjoy.
Jesus wept. This thread is full of the stupidest people I’ve ever encountered.
“Does it really make sense to have seven different actors from Succession nominated for three acting categories?”
Do you just have ZERO understanding of how voting works?
Rhea Seehorn getting a nomination at long fucking last is brilliant. But I agree, why is she included in the supporting actress category? She’s been the female lead of the show. I look at the leading actress category and I really think Seehorn should’ve been included there instead. Both Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh were nominated as leads, because that’s what they are and I think that carries over to Better Call Saul as well. Seehorn has been just as much of a lead as Odenkirk. Did AMC apply her as supporting?Still, it’s arguably the most significant nomination in that list and I couldn’t be more elated. Now here’s hoping she actually nabs the trophy as well.It really reminds me of Keri Russell and The Americans. Russell was nominated as a lead but never won. Hell, the show itself, one of the best shows ever made along with Elizabeth Jennings being one of the best realized characters made (same with Kim Wexler, obviously) and so little awards love. I know, I know, awards don’t really matter in the big picture, but man if I don’t want to see things I love, and that many others love as well, get recognized.As for snubs, I think this is the popular opinion overall but maybe an unpopular one among AV Club’s remaining readers: Sadie Sink not getting a nomination. Stranger Things is filled with good performers but she was without contest, the standout.
SNUB: As We See It
Totally agree about Mandy Moore! I’d also like to add Desus & Mero; they’re excellent!
Ill go with Midnight Mass and I Think You Should Leave being the biggest snubs.
Midnight Mass is the biggest snub. Inventing Anna was fun (which sounds awful to say since that woman is a truly horrible person) but it wasn’t actually good show.
I. Think. You. Should. Leave. Was. Nominated. And. Tim. Robinson. Already. Won. A. 2022. Emmy. For. His. Performance.
For CHRIST’S fucking SAKE, would you ignorant FUCKS learn to read?
justice for britt lower
Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman from Severance to me were the standouts
I love Ted Lasso but this most recent season definitely doesn’t feel like comedy. Same with Barry. Holy shit that season was dark moment after dark moment. It probably had to be darker at some point knowing who and what Barry Berkman is and what he’s done, but whew, that was tough to watch sometimes.
Glad Seth Meyers got the nod, but nothing for “Corrections”?!? Colour me an unhappy Jackal. 😆
Cheers to Seth Meyers for finally being nominated. Can’t believe they kept losing to James Corden all these years. John Oliver will win anyway.
“Moving on…!…”
Our main story tonight concerns ….
Stranger Things eeked in there. And it really was a great season. Could some of those performances have been recognized?
Sadie Sink, for sure, and probably also Caleb McLaughlin. Both were very good this season.
Seehorn is absolutely a lead.
Inventing Anna was garbage.
Who on earth can possibly think that Inventing Anna was better than Station Eleven? SE was an exceptional limited series. My guess is that not enough voters watched it and they really wanted to nominate something by Shonda Rhimes.
https://www.6clicks.com/blog/how-do-iso-27001-and-nist-csf-complement-each-other
avc has previously sung selena gomez’ performance and once again i have to vehemently disagree. theres no way to view it as other than bad. i sit there and watch the show and wonder how much better it would be with literally anyone else.
I kind of have those same feelings when I watch Gomez on OMITB. You can see that the character is written to be sort of wry and deadpan, but more often than not Gomez’s delivery of that veers off into flat and monotone. The writing keeps it from being a total disaster, but overall Gomez’s performance holds back the show rather than elevating it. I often find myself think about what someone like Amandla Stenberg, Zendaya, or Rachel Zegler would do with the role.
yeah i stated last time avc did this that her character has an inherent dry/snark to it but her delivery on her actual comedic punchlines is just bad. imagine someone like emma stone in this role, or syndey sweeney. the only reason her performance seems somewhat competent is because shes next to short/martin.
I was thinking Kaitlyn Dever would do great. She has really great comedic timing on Booksmart and then
showed real emotional vulnerability in Unbelievable.
Selena Gomez IS Aubrey Plaza!?
I think she is the weakest link in that show but not bad enough to make the show unwatchable but just …meh.
“theres no way to view it as other than bad.”
Well, at least you’re not one of those fucking assholes who thinks that their opinion is the only valid one.
The lack of Reservation Dogs completely invalidates the Emmys. Just scrap the whole damn thing.
TIU’s penultimate “The Train” was the best episode of the series and the best episode of anything we watched all year (and we watch all the good stuff) largely due to Mandy Moore. I’m stunned she was snubbed.
Meyers effortlessly blends humor with takes on politics, holds insightful discussions with wide-ranging guests, and honestly aces every single segment—from A Closer Look to Jokes Seth Can’t Tell. He’s personable, hilarious, and often talks about his two pet dogs.Uh, Seth is wonderful, and did a lot to help me through the Trump debacle, however he has three kids and only one pet dog, Frisbee, who is in a long term feud with Andy Sandberg.
Station Eleven was robbed. It was the best limited dramatic series this year. And while I appreciate White Lotus, surely they could have made some room for at least one of the women from Station Eleven to be nominated in the acting category.
Reservation Dogs and Righteous Gemstones (especially John Googman) were the worst snubs. Abbott Elementary wasn’t a surprise at all. They had to choose that Atlanta, or The Wonder Years for the quota.
Selena Gomez is “lighting up the screen”? What kind of dope are you smoking, Saloni? It’s hard enough to understand how Steve Martin and Martin Short got nominations, but Gomez is a wooden actor with an annoying nasal tone and adds nothing to the show, and certainly should not have received a nod that went to another, more deserving performer. Frankly, Steve Martin is the only one doing any kind of an acting job, because Martin Short always plays the same character whatever he’s in—AND HE’S NEVER FUNNY. Frankly, this show, from the get-go, feels like a dinner theater production of a whodunit featuring some people who happen to share an apartment building. The real mystery is how a show so generously considered to be a comedy could make Steve Martin unfunny, but it miraculously succeeds. And he even co-created it.
FX’s Reservation Dog,
The title is plural rather than singular.
Reservation Dogs getting nothing is mind-boggling to me. Atlanta getting no writing nominations for any of the wild bottle episodes this season is mind-boggling to me. Station Eleven being left out of the best limited series noms is mind-boggling to me. The award boner for The White Lotus (which I enjoyed, but come on) is mind-boggling to me.But Carpool Karaoke not only being nominated for anything at all aside from Outstanding Time To Take This Shit Behind The Barn And Shoot It, but also beating I Think You Should Leave for Outstanding Short Form makes me want to set the world ablaze.
You have good opinions about this and I just think you should know that.
“but also beating I Think You Should Leave for Outstanding Short Form”
I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE WAS FUCKING NOMINATED.
The most recent season of Atlanta was its weakest.
Sarah Goldberg for “Barry” is a HUGE snub and I’m still mad about it. Especially since there are THREE actresses from “Ted Lasso” nominated in that category. (I adore Hannah Waddingham but my God did the writers give her character the shaft in Season 2 compared to Season 1. And Juno Temple? REALLY?)