Emmy Awards 2024: The snubs, surprises and successes from this year's nominations

By Velvet Winter, ABC

It's Emmys time! Well, the ceremony isn't until September, but today we got our first taste of who will be battling it out for those gold statuettes in a couple months.

Before you ask - yes, we already have had an Emmys this year, back in January. That was last year's ceremony, which had to be postponed due to the 2023 WGA/SAG strike.

But the strike is settled and regular programming is back! So let's dive into all the hell yeahs, heck nos and total woes of the 76th Primetime Emmy nominations.

Success: 'The Bear' breaks plates and records

There was no doubt that Christopher Storer's kitchen confessional - available here on Disney+ - would clean up the competition this year, having swept the 2023 awards with its first season. But ever the over-achiever, The Bear went and nabbed 23 nominations this year, including Best Comedy Series and actor nods for leads Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.

And look, we could talk about how The Bear triggers collective hospitality PTSD more than it produces laughs, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it now holds the record for most nominations for a comedy series in a single year.

Snub: Emma Stone's EGOT dreams are cursed

She's already got a couple of Oscars in the bank and many were sure that Emma Stone would be adding an Emmy to her awards shelf for her masterful work on The Curse - available to watch here on Neon.

While the surreal comedy was never easy to watch, Stone's performance as a privileged city blow-in trying to "ethically gentrify" the struggling town of Española in New Mexico with her long-suffering and equally off-putting husband (Nathan Fielder) was cringe comedy perfection.

What really twists the knife is that The Curse failed to pick up a nomination for anything - not for Fielder's alienating yet captivating writing, not for director Benny Safdie's turn in front of the camera as a sleazebag producer. It makes you wonder how many Emmy voters even made it through this car-crash delight of a series.

Surprise: 'Reservation Dogs' finally has its day

Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi's comedy-drama (Disney+) about four Indigenous teens living in rural Oklahoma has consistently landed on critic's top 10 lists for its entire three-season run.

Yet Emmy voters seemed to make a sport of ignoring the funny, heartfelt show, only caring to toss it a Best Sound Editing nomination in 2023. Not any more! Reservation Dogs picked up not one, but five nominations, including Best Comedy and an actor nod for D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.

Success: 'Baby Reindeer' gallops away with 11 nominations

Putting aside the murky ethics and even murkier audience reaction to mini-series Baby Reindeer, the drama is a devastating peek into trauma, truth and the human condition. It was always going to be nominated for Best Limited Series, but its Emmys laundry list shows the massive impact the Netflix series has had.

Creator Richard Gadd, Nava Mau and Tom Goodman-Hill all grabbed acting nominations, alongside nods for costumes, directing and picture design. Baby Reindeer has been the frontrunner for Best Limited Series, but the real lock is Jessica Gunning for Best Supporting Actress; her portrayal of troubled stalker Martha is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying.

Snub: 'Everybody's in LA' but no one's at the Emmys

Best Talk Series is one of those categories that's pretty consistently the same dudes every year. A few Jimmys, a Stephen, a James - maybe a Conan if you're lucky. Which is why it was so exciting when comedian John Mulaney swung for the fences with the Netflix talk series Everybody's in LA.

The madcap talk show mixed expert guests with celebrities, took phone calls live on air, had comedy legend Richard Kind as an offsider and generally injected some vim into the stale talk-show format.

And what did it get for pushing the boundaries of what a talk show can be? NOTHING. Justice for Saymo.

Surprise: Matt Berry finally has an Emmy nomination!

From Garth Marenghi's Darkplace to The Mighty Boosh to The IT Crowd, English actor Matt Berry has consistently been one of the funniest people on TV for a while.

But his crowning glory might just be as theatrical vampire Laszlo in the rib-breakingly funny What We Do in the Shadows (Neon; Disney+) and now he has the Emmy nomination to prove it.

The whole show getting a well-deserved nod for Best Comedy is just the icing on the cake. Let's all celebrate Matt Berry's victory by re-watching the best line delivery of the 21st century.

Success: 'Shōgun' slices through the competition

The Bear put up a good fight, but it wasn't the most nominated show of the year. That honour goes to bloody historical drama Shōgun - streaming here on Disney+ - which secured a massive 25 nominations. Almost all of the show's lead cast got into the acting categories, alongside multiple writing, directing and production nominations.

Earlier in the year acclaimed video game designer Hideo Kojima likened the series to "a Game of Thrones set in 17th-century Japan" and with the way it has swept today's nominations, it could just be the drama to beat for years to come.

Snub: And none for 'I'm a Virgo'

Boots Riley's absurdist coming-of-age comedy - which Kiwi viewers can watch on Prime Video - about a 13-foot-tall Black teen venturing out into a deeply scary world was always a hard sell. But there was a little hope that Jharrel Jerome's super-strong work as lead character Cootie and his previous Emmy win for When They See Us could have snagged the show some attention.

But alas, no nominations materialised. Perhaps a tender, loving sex scene between a giant man and a woman blessed with super speed was too much for Emmy voters.

Surprise: Congratulations to *checks notes* 'The Eric André Show'?

Comedian Eric André has been torturing celebrities and smashing desks as part of his "talk show" for more than a decade without Emmy recognition, so it was a pleasant shock to see his name pop up under Best Short-form Comedy, Drama, Variety Series.

Maybe it's because he had higher profile names like Jaden Smith and Chet Hanks on for the sixth season? Maybe it's because the show is competing in a category that also houses things like Carpool Karaoke? Either way, I can't wait to see what madness André will unleash on the Emmys ceremony. Bird up!

Head shake: Stop encouraging Jerry Seinfeld!

Between its outdated, corny, flat jokes and bizarre plotlines about cereal mascots participating in a 6 January-like insurrection, Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted is up there as one of the worst films of 2024.

So, why is it nominated for Best Television Movie? Huh? Whoever did this is putting us in grave danger of Netflix giving Seinfeld a bunch more money to make another "comedy" movie. On your head be it!