{"id":531629,"date":"2026-07-08T18:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/531629\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T18:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:12:16","slug":"the-biggest-surprises-and-snubs-of-the-2026-emmy-nominations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/531629\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2026 Emmy nominations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Emmy nominations arrived Wednesday<\/a> and if you made the cut, it was a magical morning, like you were invited to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce\u2019s wedding and danced to \u201cI Want to Hold Your Hand\u201d<\/a> and ate your fill of lobster, sushi and Krispy Kreme donuts<\/a>, a combination that I\u2019m sure goes well together provided you\u2019ve fortified yourself with a steady stream of the couple\u2019s signature tequila cocktails<\/a> throughout the day. <\/p>\n

And if you didn\u2019t hear your name called, well, you\u2019re feeling like you\u2019re out there on the street behind the police barricade, hot and sweaty, wondering what happened to your dragons<\/a> and how in this underwhelming Emmy season<\/a> things could go so wrong. <\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n

With Emmy submissions still down this year, there aren\u2019t as many slots available to salute all the worthy work, leading to some sad omissions \u2014 which, for the sake of alliteration and search engine optimization, we\u2019ll call \u201csnubs.\u201d There were also some surprises, some worthy, some about as welcome as the aftermath of a hot dog-eating contest on the Fourth of July<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve whetted your appetite, grab a donut (or a footlong) while I run down the morning\u2019s notables. <\/p>\n

SURPRISE: \u201cThe Bear\u201d (comedy series)<\/p>\n

OK, not that huge a surprise when a series nominated for its first three seasons, and winning for its first, snags another nod. But given the number of people complaining about the show\u2019s pokey plotting, it was fair to wonder if \u201cThe Bear\u201d would again make the cut for Season 4. The show dropped its final season three days after nominations voting ended and because things actually happened during this crowd-pleasing conclusion, it\u2019s possible we might be seeing it again here next year too.<\/p>\n

SNUB: Jeremy Allen White, \u201cThe Bear\u201d (comedy lead actor)<\/p>\n

While \u201cThe Bear\u201d made the cut for series, the only cast member to join the party was Ayo Edebiri. Past winners White, Liza Colon-Zayas and Ebon Moss-Bacharach were left out, though all will have a shot at returning next year. Whether they will is open to question. Voters seem to have had their fill of the show.<\/p>\n

\"Jeremy <\/p>\n

Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri in \u201cThe Bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

(FX)<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: \u201cYour Friends and Neighbors\u201d (drama series)<\/p>\n

The Jon Hamm-led Apple crime drama failed to land any nominations for its first season outside a nod for main title music. Now moved from limited series to drama, it inexplicably landed a single nomination for its enjoyable-enough follow-up season \u2014 for the big prize, drama series. No other noms. Nothing for Emmy favorite Hamm. It\u2019s almost as confusing as some of the plotting in the show.<\/p>\n

SNUB: \u201cHalf Man\u201d (limited series)<\/p>\n

Richard Gadd\u2019s limited series was provocative with its brutally violent look at male rage and unresolved trauma. But some voters I talked with found it so off-putting that they never made it past the first episode. Could be we\u2019ve had our fill of toxic male behavior in the news without having to endure it on our down time too.<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Riz Ahmed, \u201cBait\u201d (limited series \/ TV movie lead actor)<\/p>\n

Ahmed created, wrote and produced this limited series about a struggling actor whose life is upended when rumors circulate he might be the next James Bond. His sharp comic timing and affecting vulnerability landed with voters.<\/p>\n

SNUB: Cailee Spaeny, \u201cBeef\u201d (limited series \/ TV movie supporting actress)<\/p>\n

OK, you didn\u2019t like her character and you\u2019re still afraid to drink orange juice after watching the show. But to nominate everyone else from the series and omit Spaeny? That feels like a case of Millennials and Boomers taking out their grievances on Gen Z.<\/p>\n

\"Cailee <\/p>\n

Cailee Spaeny, left, with Carey Mulligan and Charles Melton in \u201cBeef.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Netflix)<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday (limited series \/ TV movie supporting actor and actress)<\/p>\n

The weird and unpredictable \u201cDTF St. Louis\u201d had one last surprise for us, as voters indicated their enthusiasm for it by nominating not just David Harbour, Jason Bateman and Linda Cardellini, but also Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday, who were terrific as the mismatched law enforcement partners. \u201cDTF,\u201d not \u201cBeef,\u201d might now be the limited series to beat at the Emmys.<\/p>\n

SNUB: \u201cStranger Things\u201d (drama series)<\/p>\n

Nostalgia, it would seem, has its limits.<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Rufus Sewell, \u201cThe Diplomat\u201d (drama lead actor)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s overly involved on the show, so why not at the Emmys, too?<\/p>\n

SNUB: Kathy Bates, \u201cMatlock\u201d (drama lead actress)<\/p>\n

Dirty birdies. <\/p>\n

\"Chase <\/p>\n

Chase Infiniti in \u201cThe Testaments.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Disney)<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Chase Infiniti, \u201cThe Testaments\u201d (drama lead actress)<\/p>\n

Infiniti was overlooked at the Oscars for her lead turn in \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d but Emmy voters did right by her, nominating her formidable work in the sequel to \u201cThe Handmaid\u2019s Tale.\u201d <\/p>\n

SNUB: Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, \u201cNobody Wants This\u201d (comedy lead actor and actress) <\/p>\n

Though Netflix\u2019s rom-com nabbed a comedy series nomination, voters took the title to heart regarding its two leads, both of whom were nominated for its first season.<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, \u201cWonder Man\u201d (comedy lead actor)<\/p>\n

A show about a struggling actor navigating the indignities of auditions? No doubt voters found it relatable and Abdul-Mateen II made his anxieties and aspirations vivid.<\/p>\n

SNUB: Jenna Ortega, \u201cWednesday\u201d (comedy lead actress)<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s child is full of woe.<\/p>\n

\"Megan <\/p>\n

Megan Stalter, left, with Robby Hoffman and Paul W. Downs in \u201cHacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

(HBO Max)<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Megan Stalter, \u201cHacks\u201d (comedy supporting actress)<\/p>\n

Stalter\u2019s loud, boundary-pushing nepo baby Kayla on \u201cHacks\u201d was divisive, but she coasted to her first nomination on the wave of goodwill surrounding the show\u2019s final season. Cringe comedy enthusiasts are celebrating. Now we await a reprise of her jeans and white T-shirt red carpet look<\/a> from last year. <\/p>\n

SNUB: \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d cast members (comedy supporting actor and actress)<\/p>\n

Admittedly it\u2019s a low bar, but \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d was better this year, not that voters seem to have noticed. Bowen Yang failed to earn a nomination for his farewell season, ending a four-year streak. And breakout cast member Ashley Padilla was overlooked too, her comic timing apparently too absurd for voters\u2019 tastes.<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Dale Dickey, \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay\u201d (comedy supporting actress)<\/p>\n

Hopes were high for \u201cWidow\u2019s Bay,\u201d television\u2019s best new comedy, which arrived late in the Emmy season \u2014 so late that its last three episodes weren\u2019t eligible for consideration. But that didn\u2019t stop voters from embracing it, giving the show 19 nominations, including one for Dickey\u2019s turn as the gruff town hall worker who is the Spielberg of overhead projector presentations.<\/p>\n

SURPRISE: Connor Storrie (comedy series guest actor)<\/p>\n

HBO Max\u2019s hockey romance drama \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d wasn\u2019t eligible for the Emmys because it\u2019s a production of the Canadian TV network Crave<\/a>, and the television academy requires the U.S.A. be part of a show\u2019s funding to make the ballot. But star Storrie still received an Emmy invite thanks to his impressive comic turn hosting \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d in February. The guest actor trophies are handed out during the Creative Arts Emmys, a week before the primetime show, but we\u2019ll likely see Storrie and \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d co-star Hudson Williams show up to present something during the main telecast. They do want people to watch, right?<\/p>\n