The nominees for the 78th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Wednesday, showcasing a variety of new series while setting the stage for an intense showdown between two seasoned performers in the category for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.
Apple TV emerged as one of the standout networks during the announcements, with its fresh offerings, including “Pluribus,” “Margot’s Got Money Troubles,” and “Widow’s Bay,” receiving significant recognition. Additionally, the Emmy voters seem to have maintained their appreciation for established favorites like “The Pitt,” which again performed exceptionally well in the drama categories, securing a total of 25 nominations, the highest for any single show this year.
In a surprising twist, “Euphoria” did not receive a nomination in the top drama category following a polarizing final season, although the series still garnered acting nominations for stars Zendaya and Colman Domingo. Fans of “Heated Rivalry” might be dismayed by the show’s absence from the nominations, but it’s important to note that the series is an entirely Canadian production and thus ineligible for Emmys. Nevertheless, co-lead Connor Storrie earned recognition for his guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
The comedy categories are stirring excitement, particularly the lead actress field, where the likely contenders appear to be Lisa Kudrow for “The Comeback” and Jean Smart for “Hacks.” Both have delivered remarkable performances in the concluding seasons of their respective series. Smart boasts four previous Emmy wins for her character Deborah Vance in the HBO series, while Kudrow’s sole win was in 1998 for her beloved role as Phoebe Buffay in “Friends.”
Another notable mention in the outstanding comedy category is “Widow’s Bay,” which secured a notable 19 nominations. This horror-comedy series, featuring Matthew Rhys as the mayor of an island facing eerie phenomena, has rapidly gained traction through positive word-of-mouth for Apple TV.
Despite receiving mixed reviews as its seasons progressed, “The Bear” still managed to snag a nomination for outstanding comedy series. While Ayo Edebiri and late Hollywood icon Rob Reiner received nominations for their performances, lead star Jeremy Allen White faced a surprising snub after previously winning twice in his category.
Matthew Rhys enjoyed a particularly fruitful Wednesday, also earning a nomination in the limited series category for his portrayal of a menacing billionaire in “The Beast in Me,” alongside co-star Claire Danes, who also received a nomination. Additionally, Rhys’ wife, Keri Russell, recognized for her compelling role as a determined U.S. ambassador in “The Diplomat,” also received a nod for her work on that Netflix series.
The Emmy Awards ceremony, set to be hosted by “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay, will take place live on Monday, September 14.
Below is a list of major categories. For a complete list of nominees, please refer to the Television Academy website.
Outstanding drama series
- “The Diplomat”
- “The Gilded Age”
- “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
- “Paradise”
- “The Pitt”
- “Slow Horses”
- “Your Friends & Neighbors”
Outstanding comedy series
- “Abbott Elementary”
- “The Bear”
- “Margot’s Got Money Troubles”
- “Nobody Wants This”
- “Only Murders in the Building”
- “Shrinking”
- “Widow’s Bay”
Outstanding limited series
- “All Her Fault”
- “The Beast In Me”
- “Beef”
- “DTF St. Louis”
- “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series
- Sterling K. Brown – “Paradise”
- Gary Oldman – “Slow Horses”
- Mark Ruffalo – “Task”
- Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat”
- Noah Wyle – “The Pitt”
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series
- Carrie Coon – “The Gilded Age”
- Chase Infiniti – “The Testaments”
- Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
- Rhea Seehorn – “Pluribus”
- Zendaya – “Euphoria”
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
- Patrick Ball – “The Pitt”
- Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show”
- Shawn Hatosy – “The Pitt”
- Gerran Howell – “The Pitt”
- Jack Lowden – “Slow Horses”
- Tom Pelphrey – “Task”
- Carlos-Manuel Vesga – “Pluribus”
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series
- Taylor Dearden – “The Pitt”
- Fiona Dourif – “The Pitt”
- Allison Janney – “The Diplomat”
- Katherine LaNasa – “The Pitt”
- Sepideh Moafi – “The Pitt”
- Julianne Nicholson – “Paradise”
- Karolina Wydra – “Pluribus”
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series
- Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
- Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear”
- Elle Fanning – “Margot’s Got Money Troubles”
- Lisa Kudrow – “The Comeback”
- Jean Smart – “Hacks”
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – “Wonder Man”
- Steve Carell – “Rooster”
- Matthew Rhys – “Widow’s Bay”
- Jason Segel – “Shrinking”
- Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building”
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series
- Dale Dickey – “Widow’s Bay”
- Hannah Einbinder – “Hacks”
- Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary”
- Kate O’Flynn – “Widow’s Bay”
- Michelle Pfeiffer – “Margot’s Got Money Troubles”
- Megan Stalter – “Hacks”
- Jessica Williams – “Shrinking”
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series
- Colman Domingo – “The Four Seasons”
- Paul W. Downs – “Hacks”
- Harrison Ford – “Shrinking”
- Nick Offerman – “Margot’s Got Money Troubles”
- Stephen Root – “Widow’s Bay”
- Michael Urie – “Shrinking”
- Tyler James Williams – “Abbott Elementary”
Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie
- Riz Ahmed – “Fate”
- Jason Bateman – “Black Rabbit”
- Charles Hunnam – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
- Oscar Isaac – “Beef”
- Matthew Rhys – “The Beast In Me”
Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie
- Claire Danes – “The Beast In Me”
- Sally Field – “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Carey Mulligan – “Beef”
- Sarah Pidgeon – “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”
- Sarah Snook – “All Her Fault”
Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or TV movie
- Jason Bateman – “DTF St. Louis”
- Richard Gadd – “Half Man”
- David Harbour – “DTF St. Louis”
- Richard Jenkins – “DTF St. Louis”
- Charles Melton – “Beef”
- Nick Offerman – “Death By Lightning”
Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or TV movie
- Linda Cardellini – “DTF St. Louis”
- Dakota Fanning – “All Her Fault”
- Laurie Metcalf – “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
- Joy Sunday – “DTF St. Louis”
- Youn Yuh-jung – “Beef”
- Constance Zimmer – “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette”
Outstanding reality/competition series
- “Dancing with the Stars”
- “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
- “Survivor”
- “Top Chef”
- “The Traitors”
Outstanding variety series
- “The Daily Show”
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
- “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
- “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
- “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding variety special (live)
- The Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny
- The Golden Globes
- The Grammys
- The Oscars
- The Tonys
Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series
- Michael J. Fox – “Shrinking”
- Brett Goldstein – “Shrinking”
- Hamish Linklater – “Widow’s Bay”
- Christopher McDonald – “Hacks”
- Rob Reiner – “The Bear”
- Connor Storie – “Saturday Night Live”
Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series
- Leslie Bibb – “Hacks”
- Jamie Lee Curtis – “The Bear”
- Betty Gilpin – “Widow’s Bay”
- Cherry Jones – “Hacks”
- Laurie Metcalf – “Hacks”
- Kaitlin Olson – “Hacks”
- Lauren Weedman – “Hacks”
Outstanding guest actor in a drama series
- Colman Domingo – “Euphoria”
- Ernest Harden Jr. – “The Pitt”
- Jeff Hiller – “Pluribus”
- Jeff Kober – “The Pitt”
- Jonathan Pryce – “Slow Horses”
- Bradley Whitford – “The Diplomat”
Outstanding guest actress in a drama series
- Brittany Allen – “The Pitt”
- Tal Anderson – “The Pitt”
- Tina Ivlev – “The Pitt”
- Miriam Shor – “Pluribus”
- Merritt Wever – “The Gilded Age”
- Shailene Woodley – “Paradise”
