Emmys 2023 Nominations - The Surprises, Snubs, & Recognized Standout Performances
The 2023 Emmy nominations have finally arrived — and there's a lot to unpack here. Every year, the Television Academy decides which performances and shows are the best of the best, and this year brought some new faces into the fold as well as nominating a bunch of performers and shows that came to an end this year.
This was, to put it lightly, a busy year when it came to series finales. "Barry," "Better Call Saul," "Succession," and "Ted Lasso" all came to an end (though that last one may be up for some debate, as Apple hasn't officially commented), and each one of those had a solid showing in these nominations. There are also a ton of first-time nominees, from a former child star turned "weird" to a beloved comedic actor finally getting his due. So which Emmy nominees came as a total surprise? Who got snubbed? And which nominations were total standouts — you know, the ones that made you stand up and cheer? Here's our breakdown of the 2023 Emmy nominations.
The 2023 Emmy nominations included some pleasant surprises
Every year, people complain about how the Emmys miss their favorite shows — so fans of the sleeper comedy hit "Jury Duty" must be thrilled right now. The mockumentary-style show where only one guy thinks he's serving on an actual jury broke into the nominees for outstanding comedy series, and James Marsden, who plays a twisted, irritating version of himself, scored his first-ever nomination for the series as well in the comedic supporting actor category. Daniel Radcliffe, another industry mainstay, also got his first-ever nomination thanks to "Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story," which grabbed a bunch of technical nods to boot.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" also had an impressive showing during the nominations, popping up in outstanding limited series, and Lucasfilm had another hit with "Andor," which made its way into outstanding drama series alongside a ton of worthy nominees (including a bunch of those shows that ended this year, as previously mentioned). Jason Segel and Jessica Williams snuck into their respective comedy categories for the Apple TV+ original "Shrinking," which was a nice surprise, and Ayo Edibiri squeezed into a highly competitive race for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy thanks to "The Bear." Likewise, Dominique Fishback, who was universally praised for her turn in "Swarm," edged out potential nominees for a spot in outstanding lead actress in a drama series. There are a lot of first-time nominees in this bunch, which is always a pretty excellent situation when it comes to any awards show.
Once again, the Emmys overlooked comedies and dramas in equal measure
Even though it scored writing nods for previous seasons, FX's supernatural biting (sorry) comedy "What We Do in the Shadows" was completely omitted from this year's major nominations, as was the scathingly written and incredibly funny Max comedy "The Other Two." ("What We Do in the Shadows" received one technical nod, and "The Other Two" got one writing nomination.) While "The Other Two" was, to be fair, recently hit with some pretty rough publicity, it also aired its final season this year and was consistently hysterical throughout its three-season run. As for "What We Do in the Shadows," cutting that from outstanding comedy series seems egregious at best and flat-out wrong at first, especially when a show that's buzzy but not nearly as funny (or frankly, nearly as good) such as "Wednesday" makes its way into the category.
Over in drama, a fair amount of actors didn't get recognized, especially in genre shows like "House of the Dragon" and "Andor." Despite both of those making their way into outstanding drama series, not a single performer from either show scored an acting nomination, which feels outright wrong when you consider the performances we saw this year from Emma D'Arcy, Diego Luna, Andy Serkis, Olivia Cooke, and more (and that's really just scratching the surface). It definitely feels like the Academy isn't paying attention to anything centered around fantasy or sci-fi, which is disheartening considering that "Andor" and "House of the Dragon" both were home to outstanding performances during their debut seasons.
These Emmy nominations, however, are exactly right
Thankfully, the Academy got a lot of their nominations right, so let's get to it. "Succession" leads the pack overall, with basically every member of the main and supporting cast finding their respective categories (really, everybody from Brian Cox to Hiam Abbess scored nods). "Barry" is up there as well, with Bill Hader nominated for acting, writing, and directing and his co-stars getting their due. Melanie Lynskey scored not one but two nods, between her starring role in "Yellowjackets" and her guest appearance in HBO's "The Last of Us" — and speaking of that show, it got the praise it deserved as well, with stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey earning nominations and Nick Offerman finally scoring his long overdue Emmy nod.
"The White Lotus" also performed impressively well during these nominations, with returning champion Jennifer Coolidge returning alongside the bulk of the main cast, including first-time nominees Meghann Fahy and Aubrey Plaza, among several others. Though "The White Lotus" doesn't seem to be coming to an end any time soon, the second season was an even bigger hit than the first — and its performances certainly deserve as much recognition as possible. "The Bear" also scored plenty of nominations for its first season, and we can expect that to continue during next year's nominations.
Above all, though, the Academy finally got one thing right. They righted one major wrong, as it were. Not only is "Vanderpump Rules" nominated for outstanding unstructured reality series, it's also nominated for its pitch-perfect editing.
The Emmys air on Fox on September 18, 2023.
Here are the major 2023 Emmy nominations
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 Buildings"
"Ted Lasso"
"Wednesday"
Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series
"Beef"
"Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"
"Daisy Jones and 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
Sharon Horgan – "Bad Sisters"
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
Christina Applegate – "Dead to Me"
Rachel Brosnahan – "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Quinta Brunson – "Abbott Elementary"
Natasha Lyonne – "Poker Face"
Jenna Ortega – "Wednesday"
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Taron Egerton – "Black Bird"
Kumail Nanjiani – "Welcome to Chippendales"
Evan Peters – "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"
Daniel Radcliffe – "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story"
Michael Shannon – "George and Tammy"
Steven Yeun – "Beef"
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Lizzie Caplan – "Fleischman is in Trouble"
Jessica Chastain – "George and Tammy"
Dominique Fishback – "Swarm"
Kathryn Hahn – "Tiny Beautiful Things"
Riley Keough – "Daisy Jones and the Six"
Ali Wong – "Beef"
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live"
"Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"
"The Problem with Jon Stewart"
Outstanding Competition Series
"The Amazing Race"
"Ru Paul's Drag Race"
"Survivor"
"Top Chef"
"The Voice"
The supporting and guest acting categories will be huge at the 2023 Emmys
Outstanding 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"
Outstanding 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 Macfadyen – "Succession"
Alan Ruck – "Succession"
Will Sharpe – "The White Lotus"
Alexander Skarsgård – "Succession"
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Hiam Abbass – "Succession"
Cherry Jones – "Succession"
Melanie Lynskey – "The Last of Us"
Storm Reid – "The Last of Us"
Anna Torv – "The Last of Us"
Harriet Walter – "Succession"
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Murray Bartlett – "The Last of Us"
James Cromwell – "Succession"
Lamar Johnson – "The Last of Us"
Arian Moayed – "Succession"
Nick Offerman – "The Last of Us"
Keivonn Montreal Woodard – "The Last of Us"
Outstanding 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"
Outstanding 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"
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Becky Ann Baker – "Ted Lasso"
Quinta Brunson – "Saturday Night Live"
Taraji P. Henson – "Abbott Elementary"
Judith Light – "Poker Face"
Sarah Niles – "Ted Lasso"
Harriet Walter – "Ted Lasso"
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Jon Bernthal – "The Bear"
Luke Kirby – "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Nathan Lane – "Only Murders in the Building"
Pedro Pascal – "Saturday Night Live"
Oliver Platt – "The Bear"
Sam Richardson – "Ted Lasso"
Outstanding 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 – "Welome to Chippendales"
Camila Morrone – "Daisy Jones and the Six"
Niecy Nash-Betts – "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"
Merritt Wever – "Tiny Beautiful Things"
Outstanding 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"
From directing to writing to animation, here's some other major Emmy nominations
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Beau Willimon – "Andor" – "One Way Out"
Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, Brett Baer – "Bad Sisters" – "The Prick"
Gordon Smith – "Better Call Saul" – "Point and Shoot"
Peter Gould – "Better Call Saul" – "Saul Gone"
Craig Mazin – "The Last of Us" – "Long, Long Time"
Jesse Armstrong – "Succession" – "Connor's Wedding"
Mike White – "The White Lotus" – "Arrivederci"
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Bill Hader – "Barry" – "wow"
Christopher Storer – "The Bear" – "Review"
Amy Sherman-Palladino – "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" – "Four Minutes"
Mary Lou Belli – "The Ms. Pat Show" – "Don't Touch My Hair"
Declan Lowney – "Ted Lasso" – "So Long, Farewell"
Tim Burton – "Wednesday" – "Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe"
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Bill Hader – "Barry" – "wow"
Christopher Storer – "The Bear" – "System"
Mekki Leeper – "Jury Duty" – "Ineffective Assistance"
John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese, Rob Turbovsky – "Only Murders in the Building"
Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider – "The Other Two" – "Cary & Brooke Go to an AIDS Play"
Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jason Sudeikis – "Ted Lasso" – "So Long, Farewell"
Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Lee Sung Jin – "Beef" – "Figures of Light"
Jake Schreier – "Beef" – "The Great Fabricator"
Carl Franklin – "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" – "Bad Meat"
Paris Barclay – "Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" – "Silences"
Valerie Faris – "Fleishman is in Trouble" – "Me-Time"
Dan Trachtenberg – "Prey"
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Lee Sung Jin – "Beef" – "The Birds Don't Sing, They Screech In Pain"
Joel Kim Booster – "Fire Island"
Taffy Brodesser-Akner – "Fleishman is in Trouble" – "Me-Time"
Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg – "Prey"
Janine Nabers, Donald Glover – "Swarm" – "Stung"
Al Yankovic, Eric Appel – "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story"
Outstanding Television Movie
"Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas"
"Fire Island"
"Hocus Pocus 2"
"Prey"
"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story"
Outstanding Animated Program
"Bob's Burgers" – "The Plight Before Christmas"
"Entergalactic"
"Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal" – "Shadow of Fate"
"Rick and Morty" – "Night Family"
"The Simpsons" – "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII"
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
"A Black Lady Sketch Show"
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"
"Saturday Night Live"
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
"Being Mary Tyler Moore"
"Judy Blume Forever"
"My Transparent Life"
"Pamela, A Love Story"
"Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie"
The full list of nominees can be found on the official Emmys website.