The Emmy nominations were announced on Wednesday morning, July 17, at 8:30am Pacific/11:30am Eastern. The announcement was hosted by Emmy winners Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) and streamed live from El Capitan Theatre on Emmys.com/nominations. Check out the list of Emmy noms here.
Unsurprisingly, Best Drama Series and Best Comedy Series front-runners “Shogun” and “The Bear,” respectively, came out on top. “Shogun,” a lavish new historical drama set in feudal Japan, is the leader among all programs with 25 bids including Best Drama Series, Best Drama Actor (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Best Drama Actress (Anna Sawai). “The Bear,” meanwhile, sets a new record with 23 bids, the most ever for a comedy series in a single year; the previous record-holder was “30 Rock” with 22 nominations in 2009. “Only Murders in the Building” came close to that record total with 21 total bids including Best Comedy Series and a first-time Best Comedy Actress nom for Selena Gomez.
This was a year with a lot of turnover in series categories, so “Shogun” wasn’t the only new show to clean-up. Based on the popular video game franchise, “Fallout” received 16 bids, as did the spy series “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; both are up for Best Drama. Apple TV+’s freshman contender “Palm Royale” also scored with 11 nominations including Best Comedy Series. Returning programs that achieved all-time best totals included “The Morning Show” with 16 noms, “Slow Horses” with its first nine noms ever and “The Gilded Age” with six.
Among long form programs, HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country” led the way with 19 noms. It’s joined on the Best Limited Series nominations list with “Fargo” (15 nominations), “Ripley” (13 nominations), “Baby Reindeer” (11 nominations) and “Lessons in Chemistry” (10 nominations).
Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego, who joined the nominations ceremony, said in a statement, “While this year has been marked by significant challenges for our industry and its workforce, there has been an abundance of remarkable programs, extraordinary performances and impactful storytelling. Great television relies on the contributions of so many, and we are delighted to have Tony and Sheryl help us acknowledge excellence across our field as we embark on a season of tremendous celebration.”
This television season was marked by tremendous change. There were months of uncertainty experienced during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes of 2023 for fair compensation and protections from AI. There was also extensive turnover in the content that was appearing on-screen. We said goodbye to awards juggernauts “Succession” and “Ted Lasso,” while additional Emmy-dominant shows “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” took extended hiatuses. In fact, only one of the eight Best Drama Series nominees from 2023 was eligible to return in this cycle: “The Crown.”
