The biggest surprises and snubs of the 2026 Emmy nominations
Emmy nominations arrived Wednesday and if you made the cut, it was a magical morning, like you were invited to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding and danced to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and ate your fill of lobster, sushi and Krispy Kreme donuts, a combination that I’m sure goes well together provided you’ve fortified yourself with a steady stream of the couple’s signature tequila cocktails throughout the day.
And if you didn’t hear your name called, well, you’re feeling like you’re out there on the street behind the police barricade, hot and sweaty, wondering what happened to your dragons and how in this underwhelming Emmy season things could go so wrong.
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With Emmy submissions still down this year, there aren’t as many slots available to salute all the worthy work, leading to some sad omissions — which, for the sake of alliteration and search engine optimization, we’ll call “snubs.” 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.
Now that I’ve whetted your appetite, grab a donut (or a footlong) while I run down the morning’s notables.
SURPRISE: “The Bear” (comedy series)
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’s pokey plotting, it was fair to wonder if “The Bear” 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’s possible we might be seeing it again here next year too.
SNUB: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear” (comedy lead actor)
While “The Bear” 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.
Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri in “The Bear.”
(FX)
SURPRISE: “Your Friends and Neighbors” (drama series)
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 — for the big prize, drama series. No other noms. Nothing for Emmy favorite Hamm. It’s almost as confusing as some of the plotting in the show.
SNUB: “Half Man” (limited series)
Richard Gadd’s 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’ve had our fill of toxic male behavior in the news without having to endure it on our down time too.
SURPRISE: Riz Ahmed, “Bait” (limited series / TV movie lead actor)
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.
SNUB: Cailee Spaeny, “Beef” (limited series / TV movie supporting actress)
OK, you didn’t like her character and you’re 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.
Cailee Spaeny, left, with Carey Mulligan and Charles Melton in “Beef.”
(Netflix)
SURPRISE: Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday (limited series / TV movie supporting actor and actress)
The weird and unpredictable “DTF St. Louis” 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. “DTF,” not “Beef,” might now be the limited series to beat at the Emmys.
SNUB: “Stranger Things” (drama series)
Nostalgia, it would seem, has its limits.
SURPRISE: Rufus Sewell, “The Diplomat” (drama lead actor)
He’s overly involved on the show, so why not at the Emmys, too?
SNUB: Kathy Bates, “Matlock” (drama lead actress)
Dirty birdies.
Chase Infiniti in “The Testaments.”
(Disney)
SURPRISE: Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments” (drama lead actress)
Infiniti was overlooked at the Oscars for her lead turn in “One Battle After Another,” but Emmy voters did right by her, nominating her formidable work in the sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
SNUB: Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This” (comedy lead actor and actress)
Though Netflix’s 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.
SURPRISE: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man” (comedy lead actor)
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.
SNUB: Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday” (comedy lead actress)
Wednesday’s child is full of woe.
Megan Stalter, left, with Robby Hoffman and Paul W. Downs in “Hacks.”
(HBO Max)
SURPRISE: Megan Stalter, “Hacks” (comedy supporting actress)
Stalter’s loud, boundary-pushing nepo baby Kayla on “Hacks” was divisive, but she coasted to her first nomination on the wave of goodwill surrounding the show’s final season. Cringe comedy enthusiasts are celebrating. Now we await a reprise of her jeans and white T-shirt red carpet look from last year.
SNUB: “Saturday Night Live” cast members (comedy supporting actor and actress)
Admittedly it’s a low bar, but “Saturday Night Live” 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’ tastes.
SURPRISE: Dale Dickey, “Widow’s Bay” (comedy supporting actress)
Hopes were high for “Widow’s Bay,” television’s best new comedy, which arrived late in the Emmy season — so late that its last three episodes weren’t eligible for consideration. But that didn’t stop voters from embracing it, giving the show 19 nominations, including one for Dickey’s turn as the gruff town hall worker who is the Spielberg of overhead projector presentations.
SURPRISE: Connor Storrie (comedy series guest actor)
HBO Max’s hockey romance drama “Heated Rivalry” wasn’t eligible for the Emmys because it’s a production of the Canadian TV network Crave, and the television academy requires the U.S.A. be part of a show’s funding to make the ballot. But star Storrie still received an Emmy invite thanks to his impressive comic turn hosting “Saturday Night Live” in February. The guest actor trophies are handed out during the Creative Arts Emmys, a week before the primetime show, but we’ll likely see Storrie and “Heated Rivalry” co-star Hudson Williams show up to present something during the main telecast. They do want people to watch, right?
