Awards shows are handicapped more accurately these days than presidential elections, but here are some at least mildly surprising results gleaned from the Primetime Emmys nominations announced on Tuesday.
Snub: ‘Squid Game’
Apparently the voters had soured on the bloody South Korean drama, which was nominated for outstanding drama and won for lead actor and director in its first season on Netflix. The second season, which debuted in December, was shut out of the drama series field. (Because of the Emmys’ June-to-May calendar, the recently released final season will be eligible for next year’s awards.) It was the only unexpected result in the major series categories, allowing the Hulu thriller “Paradise” to sneak in.
Surprise: Uzo Aduba
Netflix’s murder-in-the-White-House comedy “The Residence” did not attract a ton of attention and was quickly canceled after one season. Aduba’s performance as a quirky, bird-watching police consultant was noticed, however, and she made it into the comedy lead-actress field over the former nominees Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”) and Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”).
Snub: Alfonso Cuarón
Cuarón, the winner of four Oscars, was thought to be a lock for at least a directing nomination for his spooky limited series “Disclaimer” on Apple TV+. Cuarón was left out, however, as was the series and its lead actor, Kevin Kline. Cate Blanchett picked up a lead-actress nomination.
Surprise: ‘Common Side Effects’
HBO Max’s lo-fi conspiracy thriller about little people battling Big Pharma was an unexpected and very welcome nominee for outstanding animated program, taking a spot expected to go to Amazon Prime Video’s “Invincible” or Netflix’s “Big Mouth.”
Snub: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel never regained the heights of its first season, when it won the award for best drama and its star, Elisabeth Moss, won for best actress. In their sixth and final season, both the show and Moss were left out.
Surprise: Jeff Hiller
In the third and final season of the melancholy, autobiographical HBO comedy “Somebody, Somewhere” starring Bridget Everett, Hiller came out of nowhere for a supporting-actor nomination. (Sorry, Tyler James Williams of “Abbott Elementary.”) The show, previously unnominated, also got a nod for comedy writing.
Snub: John Mulaney (again)
Mulaney keeps trying to tweak the nighttime talk-show format, following up last year’s “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” on Netflix with the apparently more permanent “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney.” Breaking through the Colbert-Kimmel-Stewart gas ceiling in the variety talk series category is a tall order, though. (Also left out, with the category limited to three slots, was the three-time nominee “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”)
Mike Hale is a television critic for The Times. He also writes about online video, film and media.
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