In what is sure to further fuel the “is it or isn’t it a comedy” debate, the FX series The Bear turned up the heat, nabbing 23 Emmy nominations across multiple categories.
The show, which stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, surpassed 30 Rock’s record when nominations for the 76th Emmy Awards were announced on July 17. The NBC series previously held the title for most nominations for a comedy series, netting 22 nods in 2009.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), who herself was nominated for a Supporting Actress award, and Tony Hale (Inside Out 2) made the announcement from the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, alongside Television Academy chair Cris Abrego. The 76th Emmy Awards will air live Sept. 15 on ABC.
Here are the big storylines emerging after the nominations were announced.
Shōgun and Baby Reindeer make strong showings
Drama series Shōgun, which originally started as a limited series before being picked up by FX for two additional seasons, received the most nominations, with 25 across multiple categories, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Outstanding Lead Actress (Anna Sawai). This also represents a win for shows spotlighting non-English-language dialogue, as much of Shōgun was in Japanese.
“I am deeply honored to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for my role as Kashigi Yabushige in Shōgun,” Tadanobu Asano, who landed an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama nomination, told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement. “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to FX, creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, Hiroyuki Sanada, and the entire team for their unwavering support and vision. I am incredibly appreciative of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in bringing this project to life. This recognition is a testament to our collective effort, and I am truly grateful.”
Baby Reindeer, the controversial Netflix series from comedian Richard Gadd, scored a total of 11 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series as well as acting nods for Gadd and Jessica Gunning. The series, about a comedian who is stalked by a female fan (Gunning), has come under scrutiny after a woman who claimed to be the inspiration for the stalker sued the streaming platform for alleged defamation in June.
Lead acting pairings — and a trio — dominate
Lead acting pairs scored big in Emmy nominations, as both Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon secured nominations for their roles on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, which also landed its first series nomination in the drama category. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine scored nominations for Prime Video’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Same for Imelda Staunton and Dominic West as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in The Crown on Netflix, Sanada and Sawai for Shōgun, White and Edebiri for The Bear, Juno Temple and Jon Hamm for Fargo on FX, and Tom Hollander and Naomi Watts for Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, another FX series.
Those nominations helped propel FX into second place behind Netflix with the most nominations by a streamer or network, scoring a total of 93 — the highest in the streamer’s history. Netflix led with 107, while HBO/Max trailed behind FX with 91.
As the only trio, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez rang in a hat trick of acting nominations for their Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, also making it a first acting nomination for Gomez.
Reservation Dogs lands 1st Emmy nods for final season
Following years of snubs, Indigenous-led comedy series Reservation Dogs scored a total of four Emmy nominations for its final season. The series, created by Sterlin Harjo (Muscogee/Seminole) and Taika Waititi about teens living through the ups and downs of reservation life in Oklahoma, scored a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series. Series star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Oji-Cree) earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
“I wasn’t even watching the stream this morning because it’s been two years in a row where we were kind of disappointed. So I literally forgot and wasn’t thinking about it, and then I got like 30 texts at the same time,” Harjo told Yahoo Entertainment. “That was when D’Pharaoh got nominated. I’m super excited for him.”
Harjo said that while it’s exciting to be recognized, it “felt like we were a bit overlooked” in the past.
“It’s the first big Native show that kind of shows who we really are, so there’s some digestion that goes into that,” he said.
“We were bringing something new,” he added, “and change is not always easy to swallow. And I think that, you know, people had to find their way to the show.
“Really happy with the success of it all,” Harjo said. “And being recognized is also very cool.”
A day of firsts
While Reservation Dogs nabbed its first Emmy nominations, there were other notable firsts from the announcements.
Lily Gladstone had yet another historic first of the year, after her Golden Globe win and Oscar nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon.
“I am so touched by this nomination. I wholeheartedly share the honor with the stellar cast of Under the Bridge, who brought such deep compassion and unmatched talent to telling Reena Virk’s story,” Gladstone told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement.
Gladstone (Blackfeet/Nimíipuu), along with Afro-Indigenous actress Kali Reis (Seaconke Wampanoag) of HBO’s True Detective: Night Country, represent the first Indigenous actresses to receive Emmy nominations.
“I’m at a loss for words. Thank you to HBO for believing in this project and giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing team,” Reis told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement. “Being only my third acting role, I never would have thought I’d have the opportunity to kick down doors alongside such talented humans like Lily Gladstone and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. As a proud Wampanoag-Cape Verdean two spirit woman of color, I am excited to see the progression of representation in this industry as we continue to tell our stories.”
Reis’s co-star Jodie Foster also received her first Emmy nomination, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series.
“This just feels like a love letter from above. It’s my very first Emmy nomination as an actor and it’s especially thrilling to share this joy with our Night Country team,” Foster told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement. “We couldn’t love and trust one another more, after holding on for dear life through the snow, finding our way in the dark.”
The 76th Emmy Awards will air Sept. 15 on ABC.
