2021 Emmy Nominations: Snubs & Surprises

The Emmy nominations were announced today, celebrating the best TV has had to offer in the past year. As per tradition, they brought some pleasant surprises, and some unexpected snubs. Check out the most noteworthy nods and exclusions, and see the full list of Emmy nominations below.

Surprises:

A few shows that are no longer with us still managed to get nominated, including Conan (edging out Full Frontal with Samantha Bee in the Variety Talk Series category), and Pose’s third and final season, which scored 9 nominations, including for MJ Rodriguez, who made history as the first trans woman to be nominated in a lead acting category. Allison Janney nabbed a Lead Comedy Actress nomination for the last season of Mom, while William H. Macy was nominated for Lead Comedy Actor for the final season of Shameless. The recently cancelled Lovecraft Country scored 18 nominations, including one for Drama Series.

Also making a surprise appearance in the Drama Series category was Amazon’s The Boys. Netflix scored in the Comedy Series category with surprising nods for Cobra Kai and Emily in Paris. Meanwhile, Apple's Ted Lasso lassoed a whopping 20 nominations, becoming the most-nominated freshman comedy series in history.

In the acting categories, Aidy Bryant garnered an unexpected Comedy Actress nomination for her role in Shrill (she was also nominated in the supporting category for SNL). Don Cheadle scored a nod for his small guest appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, while costar Carl Lumby (who had a more significant role) did not.

Snubs:

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier missed out in Best Drama, while Girls5Eva failed to score a Comedy Series nod. Amazon's Small Axe, a five-part anthology series from Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen, was also shut out. In the acting categories, Ethan Hawke wasn't nominated in Limited Series Actor for The Good Lord Bird, nor was Joel Edgerton for The Underground Railroad, while Nicole Kidman was snubbed for The Undoing. Ted Danson failed to get a nomination in the Comedy Actor category for Mr. Mayor, and Pedro Pascal didn’t secure a spot in the Drama Actor category for The Mandalorian. There was hope that Jane Levy would be recognized for her role in the recently canceled Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, but that didn’t materialize.

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET. See the nominations for the major categories below:

Drama Series

The Boys
Bridgerton
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Lovecraft Country
The Mandalorian
Pose
This Is Us

Comedy Series

Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Emily in Paris
Hacks
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method
Pen15
Ted Lasso

Lead Actor, Drama

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Josh O’Connor, The Crown
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Billy Porter, Pose
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason

Lead Actress, Drama

Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Emma Corrin, The Crown
Elizabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
MJ Rodriguez, Pose
Jurnee Smollet, Lovecraft Country

Lead Actor, Comedy

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Kenan Thompson, Kenan

Lead Actress, Comedy

Aida Bryant, Shrill
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Allison Janney, Mom
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Jean Smart, Hacks

Supporting Actor, Drama

Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid’s Tale
Max Minghella, The Handmaid’s Tale
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us

Supporting Actress, Drama

Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country
Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Swift, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant

Guest Actor, Drama

Don Cheadle, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Charles Dance, The Crown
Timothy Olyphant, The Mandalorian
Courtney B. Vance, Lovecraft Country
Carl Weathers, The Mandalorian

Guest Actress, Drama

Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Claire Foy, The Crown
Mckenna Grace, The Handmaid’s Tale
Sophie Okonedo, Ratched
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us

Guest Actor, Comedy

Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Dave Chappelle, Saturday Night Live
Morgan Freeman, The Kominsky Method
Daniel Kaluuya, Saturday Night Live
Daniel Levy, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actress, Comedy

Jane Adams, Hacks
Yvette Nicole Brown, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Bernadette Peters, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Issa Rae, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Variety Talk Series

Conan
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Competition Series

The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Limited or Anthology Series

I May Destroy You
Mare of Easttown
The Queen’s Gambit
The Underground Railroad
WandaVision

Made-for-TV Movie

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Oslo
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
Sylvie’s Love
Uncle Frank

Lead Actor, Limited Series or Movie

Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Lesie Odom, Jr., Hamilton

Lead Actress, Limited Series or Movie

Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Cynthia Erivo, Genius
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Ann Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie

Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You
Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen’s Gambit

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie

Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Moses Ingram, The Queen’s Gambit
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision