Emmy Nominations Roundtable: ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Hacks’ Dominate, But ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘Pluribus’ Are Waiting in the Wings
With the 78th Emmy nominations now in, the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast’s Michael Schneider, Emily Longeretta, and Jazz Tangcay gathered to dissect the winners, snubs, and surprises. The roundtable discussion delved into the dominance of HBO Max’s ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Hacks,’ as well as the unexpected surge of interest in ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘Pluribus.’
At 25 nominations, ‘The Pitt’ is well on its way to securing its second consecutive drama win. The show’s impressive nominations include outstanding drama and 13 acting nods, with star Noah Wyle up for lead actor. ‘Hacks,’ on the other hand, earned 24 nominations for its fifth season, beating out the previous record holders ‘The Bear’ and ‘The Studio’ with 23 nominations.
‘Hacks’ star Jean Smart is now in line to win her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history. Meanwhile, Netflix’s ‘Beef’ took the top spot in limited/anthology series with 16 nominations.
However, not all shows were as fortunate. ‘To be honest, I was really bummed that ‘Half Man’ didn’t get more love,’ Longeretta says. ‘I will say that one was for me the big one. That while Richard Gadd was incredible in it, not recognizing Jamie Bell was pretty shocking to me. And not recognizing the show overall because the writing was insane.’
On the other hand, the ‘Widow’s Bay’ showing was a pleasant surprise, as shows that premiere late in the Emmy cycle often have a tough time garnering attention. ‘I know for the longest time, talking to a lot of people, they felt the didn’t have time for another show. But the the buzz on ‘Widow’s Bay’ was so unrelentless that I think a lot of people checked it out, and went, ‘oh, this is great,’ Schneider says.
The group also discussed broadcast TV’s rough showing, with few nominations for shows other than ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Although the return of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to the reality competition field after a decade-long absence was a pleasant surprise, it pushed out Schneider’s beloved ‘The Amazing Race.’
Among other surprises, the Taylor Sheridan universe couldn’t muster a nom for hits like ‘Landman’ or ‘The Madison,’ despite the star power of Billy Bob Thornton and Michelle Pfeiffer. ‘The Bear’ still picked up a comedy nod, but star Jeremy Allen White isn’t there. Tangcay has a personal favorite: ‘I loved Sally Field getting in for ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures. I mean, Sally is just a legend. It was lovely to see her do that.’
Overall, the 78th Emmy nominations have been a wild ride, with some shows dominating the nominations and others falling short. As the awards season heats up, one thing is certain: the competition will be fierce, and the surprises will keep coming.
