Emmys Snubs & Surprises: ‘This Is Us,’ ‘Yellowstone,’ Sadie Sink & More
The Emmys are a time to recognize your favorite shows and performances, but when it comes time for nominations, it’s a process filled with exciting surprises and shocking snubs, there’s no in-between.
The 2022 Emmy nominations are no exception to that rule as some stars are finally given their due like Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn and others like Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink are left out of the running. It’s a time filled with sadness for shows like This Is Us —which didn’t pick up any major nominations for its final season — and Yellowstone, as well as triumphs for surprise hits like Squid Game.
Below, we’re breaking down some of the biggest shockers from exciting surprises to disappointing snubs, and let us know what you’re most surprised about this year’s nominees in the comments section, below.
74th Annual Emmy Awards, Monday, September 12, 8/7c, NBC
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SNUB: Meg Stalter on Hacks
The whole cast of Hacks is a riot, but none of them have quite the delivery that Meg Stalter has, which makes it surprising that she’s one of the only cast members not nominated at this year’s ceremony. Her performance as Kayla was a standout in Season 2, making her exclusion all the more disappointing.
SURPRISE: Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul
Finally, the Television Academy is recognizing Rhea Seehorn’s stellar performance as Kim Wexler in AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul. This is Seehorn’s first Emmy nomination and it comes just in time as the show’s final season continues to unravel.
SNUB: Reservation Dogs
FX‘s critically-acclaimed comedy about a group of friends living on an Oklahoma-based Native American reservation delivered some seriously funny moments and poignant stories in its freshman outing. While it may not be on the same popularity level as others in its genre category like Ted Lasso, Reservation Dogs is a show worthy of recognition, making its exclusion disappointing.
SNUB: Mandy Moore for This Is Us
Apparently, the final season hype for This Is Us couldn’t help the former Emmy darling breakthrough this year’s categories. While much of the cast delivered stellar performances throughout the season, this shut-out is especially disappointing for Mandy Moore who was the heart of the show’s last chapter as Pearson family matriarch Rebecca.
SURPRISE: Sydney Sweeney's Double Noms
Along with landing her first Emmy nomination this year, Sydney Sweeney didn’t just snag a nod in one category she did it in two. The actress is receiving recognition for her performances in both Euphoria and The White Lotus. Delivering two unique performances, it’s a nice surprise to see the actress honored with two times the nominations love.
SNUB: Sadie Sink in Stranger Things
While Stranger Things managed to snag a nod for Outstanding Drama Series following Season 4, Volume 1, it was the exclusion of Sadie Sink’s turn as Max that really stands out here. The young star delivered one of the show’s best performances to date as her character struggled with depression and grief. Her attempt to escape big bad Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) was so emotional that the moment essentially revived the popularity of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” So, what gives?
SNUB: Outlander
Once again Starz‘s fantasy drama has been shut out of the Emmys despite its continued popularity and solid performances delivered by leads Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. While the show may not garner the buzz of dramas like Succession, it’s still a disappointment that it hasn’t received the recognition it deserves.
SURPRISE: Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas
Despite Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist being canceled on NBC, the musical comedy made a movie comeback with Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas on Roku leading to this surprisingly sweet nomination. While the story of Zoey, her friends, and her family may not continue onscreen, the nod is a nice cap to a solid run.
SNUB: Hamish Linklater for Midnight Mass
Mike Flanagan‘s horror series was a standout drama in 2021, especially Hamish Linklater‘s turn as Father Paul, a priest who arrives in a small island town and is plagued with a dark secret. Sure, the series may be a lesser-acknowledged genre among Emmy voters, but Midnight Mass deserved far more love than it’s been shown, making this snub even more painful.
SNUB: Yellowstone
The Emmys remain out of reach for Paramount Network‘s massive hit series Yellowstone which is sure to disappoint its avid fans. Despite earning a nod for production design at the ceremony last year, this time around, the show remains nomination-less. This particularly stings for fans that were pulling for Kelly Reilly’s performance as Beth Dutton.
SURPRISE: Squid Game's Cast
Last year’s big hit Squid Game received big love at this year’s ceremony which is thrilling to see as most of the show’s primary cast received nominations. Along with Lee Jung-jae earning a nod for Lead Actor in a Drama, his costars Park Hae-soo and Oh Yeong-su each earned nominations for Supporting Actor in a Drama. Meanwhile, Jung Ho-yeon earned a nod for Supporting Actress in a Drama and Lee You-mi was nominated for Guest Actress in a Drama.
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B
Absolutely ridiculous to pass up This Is Us, they had so many good actors who should have been recognized. I hardly watch any of the other shows.
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O
Thank you for at least recognizing that OUTLANDER has been yet again ignored by the Academy. Stellar performances by Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe for six seasons, outstanding supporting cast & excellence in every aspect
of production, currently filming a 7th season—what will it take to earn Emmy acknowledgment??? I watch none of the shows mentioned. None hold a candle to the quality of OL.
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O
Amen! I don’t know what they have against this show but I can tell you I have never watched any of the nominated shows.
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C
Definitely!!!!!!OUTLANDER ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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O
they may need to add more categories, for broadcast television. The network channels are getting lost with all the streaming and cable channels. Mandy Moore is a big example and I also think that James Spader deserves some consideration.
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D
Shows I’ve never watched. How This Is Us picked none is beyond reasonable thinking. This show was true to life with outstanding performances. Maybe age of viewers has something to do with it!
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P
I must be far out of the loop, because I've never watched any of those shows. No shade.
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B
Guess they don't care about the most watched show last year =
YELLOWSTONE with a cast that at least half deserve an Emmyane
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O
I'm snubbing the Emmys- as many of us will. Take that.
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O
This is Us was the absolute best show on television. Every episode, every actor, especially Mandy Moore gave stellar performances. It’s absolutely awful that the show and actors were snubbed!!
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C
Is Ted Lasso really THAT good?? I don't get Apple +. Shame on them for the snubs, especially Mandy Moore!!
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R
Outlander is snubbed again. I am 65 and have never had another show that I watched so many times and each time I notice more. The quality of the sets, costumes, stories and acting surpass anything that I have ever seen.
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B
The snubs are why I don’t watch.
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O
I think they should let the public vote on who should be nominated . Obviously there are a few very popular shows that got snubbed like This is Us and Yellowstone . Ridiculous !
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P
The Emmy’s ignore regular tv it is all cable or pay channels. TV should have their own Emmy’s. These award shows are just a waste of time.
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C
TV is so vast now with a zillion channels/platforms spread across broadcast channels, cable and streaming on the internet. It’s harder every year to figure out how to acknowledge all the great performances in so many shows - and how many of us saw them …
I did see a few of these shows. My nomination for snub is Jessica Chastain in Scenes from a Marriage. Her costar Oscar Isaac was nominated for best actor in their category. Jessica will have to settle for her 2022 Academy Award for Best Actress.
You won’t have find a bigger Hacks fan than me, but I agree with the non-nomination of Meg Stalter. She’s fine in her role but it’s not Emmy worthy the way some of the other Hacks actors’ performances are. Imho.
Not mentioned in this article because they weren’t surprising and weren’t snubs are the multiple nominations for the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it’s stars. I just wanna give a shout out to this superb show and hope it and the actors get some Emmy love on awards night. MMM is no longer a buzzy now show but it’s still excellent, a high quality masterpiece unlike anything else on tv. It’s end is nearly upon us, the final season has wrapped and will be shown this winter. When I think of great tv being produced in 2022 it’s certainly near the top of the list. I hope Emmy agrees.
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