The biggest snubs and surprises of the Emmy nominations

Harrison Ford, Steve Martin and other stars didn't make the cut

Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards nominations are in
(Image credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

This year's Emmy Awards may double as a "Succession" goodbye party. The nominations for the 2023 Emmys have been unveiled, and as expected, the departing HBO drama had a great morning, becoming the first show ever to receive three nominations in the lead drama actor category. But there were also some stunning omissions from the list, as well as a few inclusions that pundits didn't see coming. One legendary actor was snubbed not once but twice. These were this year's most shocking Emmys snubs and surprises.

Snub: Elizabeth Olsen and Rachel Weisz

"Love & Death" star Elizabeth Olsen seemed like a lock for best limited-series actress, but she was left out, though her co-star, Jesse Plemons, earned a nod for the Max crime show. This lead actress category was also surprisingly missing Rachel Weisz from "Dead Ringers." But while Olsen didn't get in, a different "WandaVision" alum, Kathryn Hahn, unexpectedly made the cut for "Tiny Beautiful Things."

Surprise: "Obi-Wan Kenobi"

Hello there! The Force was with the "Star Wars" franchise, which not only earned a drama series nomination for "Andor" but also an unexpected limited-series nod for "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The "Andor" nomination, though, meant "The Mandalorian" was snubbed for best drama, suggesting the Television Academy has a new favorite "Star Wars" show — not that voters liked it enough to nominate star Diego Luna.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Snub: Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith

The "Game of Thrones" prequel, "House of the Dragon," earned a best drama series nod, but its stars didn't fare so well, with Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith getting snubbed.

Snub: Imelda Staunton

Though Olivia Colman and Claire Foy have won lead actress Emmys for playing Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown," Imelda Staunton wasn't nominated for the role.

Surprise: "Jury Duty" and James Marsden

The biggest overperformer was "Jury Duty," the Amazon Freevee show that involves tricking a real person into believing they're serving on a jury that's actually composed entirely of actors. Not only did it earn an unanticipated best comedy series nomination, but James Marsden was nominated for his role as, well, James Marsden. "Jury Duty" getting in is probably why Apple's "Shrinking" failed to make the cut for best comedy series. It's also why TV fans everywhere will now be forced to figure out what the heck Amazon Freevee is.

Snub: Steve Martin

"Only Murders in the Building" stars Steve Martin and Martin Short were nominated last year. But this time, voters only went with Short and snubbed Martin, allowing Jason Segel to sneak into the lead comedy actor category for "Shrinking." Speaking of "Only Murders," Selena Gomez was snubbed for the second consecutive year.

Snub: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren

It has been a tough month for Harrison Ford. After "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" disappointed at the box office, he was snubbed twice at the Emmys. Ford wasn't nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy series for "Shrinking," though some pundits thought he might win that award, and he also failed to earn a lead drama actor nod for "1923." If it makes Ford feel any better, his "1923" co-star Helen Mirren was also snubbed.

Snub: Tony Shalhoub

Tony Shalhoub had been nominated four previous times for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and won once. But this time, voters decided to snub him for the Amazon comedy's final season, though his co-stars Alex Borstein and Rachel Brosnahan were nominated again.

Surprise: Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford

Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford were seen as long shots for the Hulu series "Welcome to Chippendales." But they both made it in all the same, with Nanjiani squeezing into the lead actor in a limited-series category, while Steve Carell was shut out for "The Patient." Ashford also snuck into the supporting actress category, where some bigger names like Olivia Colman were missing.

Snub: Sarah Goldberg

It was a solid morning for "Barry" but not for star Sarah Goldberg, who wasn't nominated for supporting actress in a comedy series despite receiving a nod in 2019.

Snub: Elle Fanning

It wasn't a great morning for "The Great" star Elle Fanning, who was nominated last year for best lead actress in a comedy series but left out this time. Her absence left room for newcomers like Natasha Lyonne for "Poker Face" and Jenna Ortega for "Wednesday."

Snub: Carol Burnett and Christina Ricci

Another acting legend who pundits thought would get a nod was Carol Burnett for "Better Call Saul." But she was left out of the supporting actress in a drama series category, which instead included a whopping five stars from "The White Lotus." However, Burnett's "90 Years of Laughter + Love" special was nominated. Christina Ricci was also missing in that category despite being nominated for "Yellowjackets" last year.

The 2023 Emmys are scheduled to air in September, though due to the writers strike, they reportedly may be delayed to November or potentially January. As is the case with practically everything in Hollywood these days, consider the airdate TBD.

Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.