It’s that time of year again, when the TV academy announces its annual list of Emmy nominations, and “Outlander” fans worldwide are left scratching their heads wondering why their favorite show was left off of the list. Part 1 of Season 7 aired in 2023 from June 16 to August 11 on Starz, which makes it eligible for the 2024 Emmys. But alas, on Tuesday morning, the fantasy epic was not nominated in any category — moment of silence, please.
To be clear, “Outlander” hasn’t been nominated in any Emmy category in the past six years. It was last cited in 2018 for Best Period Costumes, losing to “The Crown.” It also lost that same race in 2016 to “Game of Thrones.” Its only other bids were for Best Period Production Design in 2016, losing to “Downton Abbey,” and Best Music Composition in 2015, losing to “House of Cards.”
The list of egregious snubs through the years includes lead actors Caitriona Balfe (who plays time-traveling doctor Claire Randall Fraser) and Sam Heughan (who plays her Highlander true love Jamie Fraser), plus all of the show’s writers, directors and producers.
Starz submitted seven actors on the Emmy ballot this year: leads Heughan and Balfe, supporting players John Bell as Young Ian Murray, Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie, Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom and Sophie Skelton as Brianna Fraser MacKenzie, and guest actor Mark Lewis Jones as Tom Christie.
So what’s with all of the “Outlander” hate? Frankly speaking, the TV academy has always had a tough time embracing the romance genre, as they much prefer crime shows, legal shows, etc. The only major exception in recent years was “Bridgerton,” which won two trophies for hairstyling in 2021 and ’22. Of course, that romance show had the benefit of being one of the most watched programs in Netflix history. Comparatively, “Outlander” airs on Starz, a network that frequently gets forgotten by voters.
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Another reason, as pointed out last year by Gold Derby contributor Stacy Henry, is that there’s “FIERCE competition” in the world of television, and the market is overloaded with worthy contenders. As she explains, “In the age of streaming, it feels as if there have never been more shows on TV. There is certainly no dearth of content. In fact, it’s hard to keep up … It’s simply not possible to watch it all.”
Even though the Emmys have repeatedly been cruel to “Outlander,” other kudosfests have recognized various aspects of the series. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress (Balfe), three People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show, two Critics Choice Awards for Most Bingeworthy Show, and two Gold Derby Awards for Best Drama Actor (Heughan).
This year’s Emmy nominees for Best Drama Series are “The Crown,” “Fallout,” “The Gilded Age,” “The Morning Show,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Shogun,” “Slow Horses” and “3 Body Problem.” See the complete list of nominations.
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