written by Hailey Maitland & Radhika Seth, Vogue
Say what you will about the Emmys, but there’s no other awards show where the noms range from Zendaya to Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Coolidge to Barack Obama, Chadwick Boseman to Adele. Ahead of the ceremony on September 12, see the biggest talking points from the 2022 nominations.
The Talking Points:
Netflix’s *Squid Game—*the streaming giant’s most-watched series of all time, whose second season is on its way, along with a reality show spin-off—received 14 nods, including one for outstanding drama series. This makes it the first non-English-language show produced entirely outside the West to secure a nomination in a major category. Then there’s ABC’s Abbott Elementary, whose creator and star, Quinta Brunson, has become the youngest Black woman to be nominated for outstanding actress in a comedy series. There’s also HBO’s Succession, which broke the record for the drama series with the most acting nominations in a single year (14), while NBC’s Saturday Night Live held on to its record as the series with the most Emmy nominations (306 nods across six decades). Zendaya made history once again, too—after becoming the youngest winner of the outstanding actress in a drama series Emmy in 2020, she is now, at 25, the youngest two-time lead acting nominee and the youngest woman ever to be nominated for producing.
First-Time Nominees Included Rising Stars & Screen Legends:
This year’s Emmys will celebrate no less than 50 first-time nominees. Chadwick Boseman has been recognized posthumously for his voiceover work as Black Panther’s T’Challa in Disney+’s What If…? and Jennifer Coolidge has (finally) received a nod for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for her turn as the eccentric Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. The other luminaries currently basking in the glow of their first nominations? Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets; Andrew Garfield for Under the Banner of Heaven; Oscar Isaac for Scenes from a Marriage; Amanda Seyfried for The Dropout; Lily James for Pam & Tommy; Elle Fanning for The Great; Kaitlyn Dever for Dopesick; and Sydney Sweeney for both Euphoria and The White Lotus.
There were plenty of snubs...
Neither Black-ish nor This Is Us received the nominations expected for their final seasons, while Atlanta only earned three nods after its prolonged hiatus. Critics’ favorite Yellowstone got overlooked, too, as did newcomers Pachinko, Reservoir Dogs, and Maid. (While Margaret Qualley did get recognized in the outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie category, mother Andie MacDowell got shut out of the outstanding supporting actress line-up.) And even though Only Murders in the Building scooped 17 nominations in total, Selena Gomez got passed over for the chance to win an acting statuette, and Stranger Things fans are convinced Sadie Sink got robbed of a best supporting actress spot. Also of note? The fact that the Television Academy shut out a number of Hollywood A-listers in spite of the buzz around their respective programs, including Nicole Kidman (Roar), Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto (WeCrashed), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), Julia Roberts and Sean Penn (Gaslit), or Jessica Chastain (Scenes from a Marriage). Oh, and there was precisely no love for And Just Like That…—in marked contrast to Sex and the City, an Emmys favorite during its original six-season run.
And even more surprises...
This year’s answer to Emily in Paris’s outstanding comedy series nom? Inventing Anna’s inclusion in the outstanding limited or anthology series category. Also a shock: Dave Chappelle’s The Closer earning a spot in the outstanding pre-recorded variety special category, in spite of widespread backlash regarding its transphobic jokes. Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon got a shout-out for her turn in The Morning Show, even though her character got majorly sidelined in the most recent installment of the Apple TV+ hit.
The ceremony proper will feature some hilarious showdowns
This year’s nominations guarantee some excellent (and accidentally hysterical) face-offs on September 12. In a case of life imitating art, Logan (Brian Cox) and Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) are competing for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, while Gerri Kellman (J. Smith-Cameron) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) will duke it out for the outstanding supporting actress statuette. Meanwhile, Lizzo will go toe-to-toe with RuPaul for outstanding competition program after the release of Big Grrrls, Julie Andrews (Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton) is up against Stanley Tucci (Bitsy in Central Park) for outstanding character voice-over performance, and David Attenborough and Barack Obama are in the running for outstanding narrator following the premieres of The Mating Game and Our Great National Parks, respectively.
HBO beat Netflix to the most Emmy nods - again
If you’re invested in the streaming wars, HBO and HBO Max scooped the most nominations this year, racking up 140 in total, while Netflix only received 105. Hulu also made serious gains with 58 nods—more than double its total for 2021—while Apple TV+ got 52. Disney+ came in fourth with 34 nominations, and Amazon landed in fifth place with 30. With 17 nominations (including Costume Design by Kathleen Felix-Hager) HBO's Hacks finished fourth in the total list of winners.
