Snubs and Surprises You Missed with This Year’s Emmy Noms
Following the announcement of the 75th annual Emmy Awards nominations, common throughlines were quickly identified in this year’s list of nominees. But we’d like to point out the ones that have generally flown under the radar. So, buckle up — we’re here to give you the snubs and surprises from the 2023 Emmy noms that you might have missed.
But first, to address the elephant in the room — and to go for triple alliteration — we have to mention the sweep-ups. We’re talking about the shows everyone and their grandma suspected would show up in full force on this year’s list of nominees. You know, previous Emmy darlings like Abbott Elementary, The White Lotus, Succession and Ted Lasso. And with its wildly successful inaugural season, The Last of Us joined the ranks of shows that seriously swept up some Emmy nominations this year. In the drama guest actor category, alone, actors from the series claimed four of the six noms.
To be clear, we’re not mad that any of the dominating shows got so much love from the Television Academy — it’s all well deserved. And should you be interested in hearing what went into casting some of the series that swept up, we just so happen to have recently sat down with Theo Park and Victoria Thomas to talk about their processes for respectively casting Ted Lasso and The Last of Us.
Now, onto the snubs. There is always a lot of talk about contenders that received a plethora of Emmy buzz which didn’t ultimately culminate in a nod from the Television Academy. This year, we are putting the bulk of snub scuttlebutt into one category, and that category is Taylor Sheridan. Except for one stunt coordination nomination, there was an across-the-board lack of love for Sheridan’s shows, whether that be Tulsa King, The Mayor of Kingstown, Yellowstone, or even the Yellowstone prequel series 1923. The latter’s omission from the drama lead actor and actress categories seemed to especially rankle those who felt Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren were robbed of nominations for their performances in the show.
But there’s one particular snub we would like to point out that is not getting nearly enough attention. In the comedy casting category, how on earth did the team behind Poker Face fail to be recognized by the Television Academy? Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe and Christine Kromer were an integral part of helping Rian Johnson revive the case-of-the-week-style series with his hit whodunnit show.
If you’re wondering about the secret sauce that made the show stand out in the saturated TV landscape, look no further. Besides the series’ indomitable lead — Natasha Lyonne, who did pick up a nod in the comedy lead actress category — allow us to point you to the outrageously talented roster of guest actors found in Poker Face.
Vernieu shared with The Hollywood Reporter that the feat of casting actors every two weeks — for what boiled down to mini-movies with each episode — was a “crash course in anthology casting.” Howe also shared a window into the series’ cast, which explains the ingenuity behind the choices. “A common theme throughout the show was having beloved actors we all know and really thinking about them playing against their normal type,” he revealed. From casting Judith Light as a politically-radical, homicidal retiree — for which she did get a nom in the comedy guest actress category — to Hong Chau as an off-the-grid trucker, we think the team’s execution of the show’s fresh take on casting was more than worthy of a 2023 Emmy recognition.
Now, on to this year’s surprises. Regarding the limited series lead acting category, no one saw Kumail Nanjiani coming, because the consensus seems to be that the nomination for his Welcome to Chippendales performances was a shocker. The same is true of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The overall feeling seems to be that forecasters focused their predictions on another Disney+ Star Wars show: Andor. That series did, indeed, land the coveted Outstanding Drama Series nomination, along with other nods from the Television Academy. And The Mandalorian was recognized in a variety of categories this year as well. But the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi broke into the stacked limited series category — when weighty contenders like Black Bird and A Small Light did not — seems to have flabbergasted most Emmy pundits.
And then there’s Jury Duty. Technically, it is showing up on some people’s list of surprises, but we’re here to tell you why Emmy forecasters shouldn’t have missed it. In case you’ve been sleeping on the show until now, allow us to sum up the mockumentary-style series. A 30-year-old solar contractor is the only person in the courtroom who believes he’s participating in a case that is part of a documentary about the experience of being a juror. In reality, everyone else is an actor privy to the premise of the project.
Casting actors with the ability to pull off such a set-up — which included improvising at times — is no small feat, and it should come as no surprise that Susie Farris is recognized in the comedy casting category for her work on the show. In addition, James Marsden garnered his first-ever Emmy nom for his performance in Jury Duty as a satirical, egotistical version of himself, Juror No. 14. Not to mention, the show is also up for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. We think Jury Duty should have been on everyone’s radar long before now, considering its wildly original and well-executed premise. But here’s to a dark horse contender getting the recognition it deserves right next to the more high-profile nominees in the comedy series category.
You will have to wait until this year’s ceremony on September 18 to find out what sweep-ups, snubs and surprises happen at the 75th annual Emmy Awards. But if this year’s list of nominees is any indication, we’re in for a wild ride. In the meantime, you can access all the 2023 Emmy nominations by category here.
Looking to get your big break? Sign up or log in to Casting Networks and land your next acting role today!
You may also like:
- Ignite Artists’ Brandi England to Host Webinar Series with Casting Networks
- On the Verge: Matt Angel
- On the Verge: Adeola Role
