The Myth of the Emmy Snub or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About ‘Snubs’ and Celebrate Television

Disclaimer: Due to bandwidth issues, I was unable to write my yearly FYC piece, and sadly my reviews and other articles had to be put on hold. Instead, I delivered dozens of fascinating interviews that became my personal FYC. The thoughts below are mine, and I stand by them. Mainly, I love television.

The Emmy nominations were announced this week, bringing the familiar mix of celebration and disappointment that arrives every year. There was a chorus of cheers for those recognized, followed almost immediately by the louder cacophony of the dreaded “snub” chatter. Snubs, snubs, snubs as far as the eye can see… or so they say.

But are they really snubs?

By definition, a snub is “an act of showing disdain or a lack of cordiality by rebuffing or ignoring someone or something.”

Did voters truly ignore someone or show disdain toward a performer, writer, director, or series? I am sure there have been moments throughout Emmy history when certain nominees fell out of favor with voters and were intentionally “overlooked,” but that is a very different scenario. Without seeing the ballots or speaking with voters individually, we are left to speculate, analyze, and, yes, create our own conspiracy theories.

For me, there were five major nomination misses that stood out, performances and series I had hoped and/or expected to see represented among this year’s nominees: HBO’s Industry & Sterlin Harjo’s The Lowdown – two of the best on TV this year left empty-handed, Isa Briones for her work as Dr. Santos on The Pitt somehow lost among the series 25 nominations, the talented beyond his years Dexter Sol Ansell left to travel his journey alone for A Knight of the Seven Kingdom, Camila Morrone‘s powerhouse and gutsy performance in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen a no show, and SNL’s brightest shining star in years, Ashley Padilla. Every one of them delivered work worthy of recognition.

These are not all of them, but the ones I felt, with a little luck and the blessing of the Emmy gods, their names would be heard on Emmy nom morning.

When it comes down to it, there are plenty of theories as to why each did not make the list: packed categories, split votes due to an excess of representation from one show, voters not doing their due diligence and skipping shows, not venturing back in for returning series, or simply bad luck. You name it, there is a theory.

I have my own theories for each of the “snubs” above. The most egregious, in my opinion, are Industry and The Lowdown walking away with zero nominations. These series were two of the best of the year.

So how do they get left off the list?

For me, The Lowdown’s lack of traction remains a head-scratcher. The series always seemed to sit just plagued to sit just outside many of the conversations, no matter how much praise it received. Maybe it was the release timing. Who knows? One thing I do know is viewers loved it, but new audiences slept on it. It took months longer than expected for the series to receive a renewal – thank you FX for making that happen. Even after I shared my love for the show time and time again, friends and colleagues were late to the game, telling me as recently as last week how much they enjoyed it.

The outstanding ensemble led by Ethan Hawke, who delivered one of the best characters on television – an instant classic, while Peter Dinklage’s guest appearance was exactly the kind of standout work the guest acting categories exist to celebrate. Sterlin Harjo’s fingerprints are all over the series, and that should have led back to nominations for writing, directing, or the series itself.

Instead, nothing.

A lowdown dirty shame? Yes.

A snub? I think not.

For Industry, one of the most thrilling series on television today, called “one of the best seasons of television this year” by Cory Stillman in his Awards Radar review, it was one of the strongest seasons of television this year. Packed top to bottom with performances from Marisa Abela, Myha’la, Ken Leung, Kiernan Shipka and the rest of the brilliant ensemble, along with exceptional writing, editing, and direction. Beginning to end, the salacious, smart, and fearless series was a treat to watch, even when you wanted to look away. The series delivered a season that was impossible to ignore.

Was it ignored? Yes.

But a snub? No.

So what went wrong, assuming it did not miss being nominated by a handful of votes? One of the reasons the season worked so well is because it had three seasons of character development before laying down the groundwork that allowed season four to land so powerfully. The strength of a rich series is also a huge hurdle. Unless voters are going back and watching all three seasons they miss the nuance, instead isolating some of the most shocking moments of the latest season could make them feel like pure shock and awe, which they were not.

The problem is that not everyone is going back to do the homework.

Heck, I am guilty of it. There are a couple of series nominated this year that are several years into their runs, have been recognized with nominations before, and yet I have not found the time to fit in a viewing. I aim to fix that.

Industry reminds me of one of the best television series to ever grace our screens, phones, and tablets: Better Call Saul. While that series earned an impressive 39 nominations, it walked away with zero wins.

Are you kidding me?!?  Yes! A travesty I will never get over. (I am a broken man). S’all’s not good, man.

Snubbed? No.

Like Saul Goodman, I can only think that once you miss that train and were not hooked in by season one or two, running to catch it becomes far less likely. It is a fate I hope The Lowdown avoids (go watch that show NOW!)

For Ashley Padilla, the best SNL cast member in years, maybe even decades, she has become the kind of performer who fits into every sketch with a versatility last seen with an SNL all-timer, Phil Hartman. She is a comedic chameleon whose instincts, timing, and delivery are so precise that you would think she had been on the iconic series for several seasons already.

So how did she miss the nomination list? It is a stacked category.. Who would you possibly remove?

Dale Dickey likely took the spot that Padilla would have been fighting for, and with good reason. Voters loved Widow’s Bay, and I did too. If you watched it, Dickey’s work, which in a typical year would often be overlooked, was a brilliant nomination and one of my favorites. There was not collusion, there was admiration.

The unfortunate reality is that it came at the expense of an equally brilliant Padilla who also split some votes with the rest of the cast of SNL and is still earning the household name she deserves. 

The difference may also be that one performer is attached to the shiny new toy, while the other is attached to a 50-year-old, reliable, iconic institution. Anyone who has ever gone out to spend time with friends instead of their family, no matter how much you love them, understands this. Voters seem to be hunting down Widow’s Bay on the ballots.

Is Padilla’s absence disappointing? Yes.

A snub? No. She will be back, and the nomination WILL come.

When it comes to Isa Briones, the multi-talented actress and singer, please check out her stage work. I did, and seeing her in Just in Time absolutely blew me away. But the focus here is her work as Dr. Santos on The Pitt, her work is layered and subtle, big and bold. Like a chef combining unexpected flavors that somehow work perfectly together, everything she brings to the character comes together into something delicious and memorable, with a lingering, heartbreaking aftertaste that reminds you how fragile and human she is beneath it all.

So how did the Emmy voters miss her? Maybe they didn’t. Did you watch The Pitt? It is stacked with talent.

The praise for Briones has been universal. Perhaps voters thought, “She’s got this!” and gave their votes elsewhere, confident she was already recognized. Or maybe… maybe, maybe, maybe. Speculation is not going to change it.

At the end of the day, we cannot explain it without a thorough investigation into the voting process and the voters themselves. It may have been one vote. It may have been a split category. We simply do not know.

Was she a victim of being part of a beloved series with a talented and diverse ensemble, all working with top-tier writing?

Absolutely.

Was she snubbed? No.

I highly recommend watching Isa Briones on TV Topics, my podcast, where she digs into Santos and the walls the character puts up. If you already loved Briones’ work, you will only appreciate it more after hearing her talk about the choices behind the performance. She also shared some TV memories that allow you to see her as more than an actress, but as a person. Thoughtful, funny, and cool. I will get into TV Topics and Awards Radar’s interviews shortly – most the clickable links lead to other revealing and insightful conversations.

Camila Morrone, who appeared in nearly every scene of the haunting eight-episode linited series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, discussed the physical toll of portraying a woman facing a fate nightmares are made of while never losing the soul and vulnerability of someone deeply in love, all while carrying the emotional weight of the series through a visceral tour-de-force journey that leaves her, quite literally, drenched blood, sweat, and tears… lots of blood. The performance was much more than the gore, it was the humanity beneath it that made her unforgettable – love, fear, resilience – her performance transcended genres.

The bias against horror will certainly be considered a factor here, but look who the “surprise” nominee is, the beloved Sally Field.

Was the emotionally taxing performance omission disappointing? Yes!

Was it a snub? No… especially given the exceptionally competitive categor.

For Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he delivered one of the best youth performances (in a year full of them)  I can remember in an essential two-hander series. Alongside Peter Claffey, the two carried the majority of the series on their shoulders, Ansell makes Egg feel lived-in, even at only eleven years old. Like the best TV characters, Egg has far more happening beneath the surface, and Ansell sells all of it with heaps of charm, vulnerability, and confidence.

I am taking the series nomination as a group win for Ansell and Claffey. Their work was not ignored because without them, there is no AKOTSK. Being nominated is an honor that speaks volumes about both of their work.

So, is it a snub? No.

(Watch Dexter celebrate the series nomination below.)

My theories about why the nominations fell where they did are not always the most flattering for voters, human nature, and industry trends in general, and I will keep them to myself because at the end of the day, though, I find hope and faith that the best interests are in mind. If The Television Academy wants to bestow me with membership, I will accept and will watch as diligently as one person possibly can.

This week is another opportunity to celebrate television and those who bring it to life, and the Television Academy did just that. There are spectacular nominees across the categories and I am overjoyed to see them bask in the honor.

There is so much to celebrate.

To name a few, Widow’s Bay as a whole is a joy to see recognized. What felt like a series I would endlessly have to tell others to watch, season after season, already has a very loyal fandom. Not only to Katie Dippold‘s series itself, but also seen in the love given to the cast by voters was a treat to see. Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root, Hamish Linklater, and Better Gilpin (as well as the aforementioned Dale Dickey) all brought their own contrubutions to the surprise hit of the Emmys.

Then there is Lisa Kudrow, whose recognition for her work as Valerie Cherish made me cheer out loud. I cherish the character and everything Kudrow brings to her on The Comeback. While this is her third nomination for the role, it has come after decades of phenomenal work and remains a wonderful reminder of what makes the character so special. I worried that like her character, Kudrow may not get what she deserved. She did. 🙂

The same level of cheers occurred when I heard them name Chase Infiniti for The Testaments. Though much newer to the awards scene, she delivered a powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful performance that, after watching, I made required viewing for my daughters. I called her win at The Gotham TV Awards win and am not surprised by the nomination. After speaking with her I saw more than her talent, I saw the fire and passion that burns in her, that drives who Agnes is becoming and which bleeds over into the real world. So much passion, and yet such a fun conversation with lots of laughs. 

As my fingers betray me more I must mention Linda Cardellini in DTF: St. Louis and Patrick Ball in The Pitt were both favorites to be nominated, and they came through with the nominations they absolutely deserved. If somehow they had been left off the list, maybe I would have joined the snubster rally cry. Both took characters that could have been overlooked and filled them with depth, humanity, and complexity. Two very different conversations both left me just happy to be on the other side of them. As they revealed so much about their work, characters and themselves, I felt a sense of honor to hear it all first hand.

Then there is Shrinking, which somehow found a way to make its third season its best yet. I would not call it an underdog, but the series has an uncanny ability to find new ways to tap into my heart, making every one of its nominations more than welcome. The piano scene with the ever-sensational, multi-talented Jason Segel and Lilan Bowden singing Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” followed by the cast’s rendition of are moments I have watched three dozen times (not something I regularly do), and they move me every single time.  Bravo. It is one of my favorite moments, but the season holds tons to admire including career best Ted McGinely, and much more.

Hoping we see an end the series’ Better Call Saul-esque winless streak.

The celebration of television does not need to end with the nominations.

I recently met a nominee who, after losing at the Gotham Awards, reflected on it with, “I guess they did not like us that much.” I paraphrase, but the sentiment was clear. It can feel like dejection and he was feeling it – we have all been there. I assured the actor that this was far from the truth, but it can certainly feel that way.

Today and every day is an opportunity to take those “snub” lists and explore the series and performances that people are disappointed to see missing from the nominations as well as those lucky enough to be nominated. Allow the discourse after the nominations to lead us toward extraordinary work that deserves to be discovered.

Beyond the current awards chatter is work that still needs to be recognized and celebrated. I highly recommend checking out my TV Topics Podcast conversations, which give listeners new insight into the work and the perspective of the artists who create it.

It is more than an interview. It is something I am incredibly proud of: conversations that connect the art, the artist, and the fans, whether they are voters or those of us watching at home.

Walton Goggins, Shaliene Woodley, and Karolina Wydra are just a few of this season’s guests who left me in a state of awe and appreciation. As objective as I can be, it is a must-watch/listen to podcast for fans of the guest and acting as a whole. I wish I could break down what made each conversation so special, but I will spare you the read. Even as I type this and try to control my fingers from adding more I cannot help but think about Diego Calva’s revelation, “Ren and Stimpy changed my life,” laughing with Danielle Deadwyler about Dinosaurs, Jamie Campbell Bower sharing how he was able to “hug” Vecna again, Domhnall Gleeson laughing through me stumbling over his name, or listening to Vincent D’Onofrio sing (yes, sing!) as he lets his guard, sharing some personal stories that made me see his work and him in a new light. I love every conversation. 

My rule: only speak to people whose work I truly enjoy, and I support them by giving them a space to speak about their projects, let down their guards, and also a past time I personally love, to chat about television with an old friend – at least that is how I hope it feels to them as well.

There are no robotic questions, no attempts to create buzzy click bait moments or manufactured gimmicks to steal the focus. Just real, sincere conversations that often tap into something very special, fascinating, and frequently funny as the guests get to be themselves.

This is not restricted to TV Topics, to some degree the same goes for standard interviews. Just because the nominations are set does not mean there is any reason not to watch my conversations with these phenomenal artists. As I look back, I do so with admiration of work I was able to not only see, but discuss.

Ansell was not the lone child actor to deliver a big impact, there was an island of fantastic performances in Jack Thorne‘s Lord of the Flies, limited series. While the limited series wasn’t entirely left stranded, represented by a pair of sound nominations. I would have loved to have found the names of David McKenna, Winston Sawyers, and more of that remarkable cast and crew on Emmy nomination morning.

Vaughan Murrae’s work on the Malcolm in the Middle revival was both funny and delivered one of the most moving television I have ever seen. They truly brought me to tears and their work will forever remain with me.

George Banks-Davies shared how words she whispered to an actor on The Night Manager inspired a performance and gave me chills for 30 seconds straight. . It made for captivating television, elevating scenes that could have felt merely stylish or surface level into moments of real substance and full of humanity.

Luke Tennie took on three very different roles across three very different series, Abbott Elementary, The Pitt, and Shrinking, all of which earned Outstanding Series nominations. Was it because of that Tennie magic? I am sure it added to the nominations but the feat and the work is well worth hearing him discuss.

Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell, who played younger versions of Niall and Rupert in Half Man, carried a crushing amount of trauma and pain, leaving an impact I cannot shake.

Carrie Preston seems to effortlessly make Elsbeth one of the most enjoyable characters on television by putting in a vast amount of calculation into the quirky character, delivering her own comedic touch inspired by comedy legends like Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.

I didn’t even get to talk about The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins – an Emmy nomination to all involved in the series must feel like Captain Ahab and the elusive Moby Dick (a reference to one of the series’ many hysterical jokes). The writing was quick, smart and sharp, the cast packed with great performances, a comedic chorus worthy of recognition.

Let me not forget Michael Chernus‘ haunting transformation from his familiar lovable-everyman screen persona into one of history’s most notorious serial killer for Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, a performance that grows more psychologically unsettling as Chernus reveals that the man and the murderer always existed, am errie psyche shaped by hatred. One of the best performances of the year that avoids the shock tactics, instead finding the horror in the warped humanity behind the facade. (Let’s add him to the top five above.)

The list goes on and on. They all cannot be nominated, even if there is a strong case for each and every one of them. There is simply too much at play: crowded categories, vote splitting, viewing habits, timing/recency bias, campaigning, and the simple reality that no group of voters can see everything. Overall, I do not think there is such a thing as a snub (outside of extreme circumstances) and like anything, narrowing down from hundreds to a handful is a tough task – have you seen the list of potential nominees? It is long and packed with talent. It is a daunting task. As long as the voters are watching as much as they possibly can, then where the chips fall they fall.

Maybe the Emmy snub isn’t a myth. Maybe it is just a word we use when we run out of nomination spots before we run out of great television. The best remedy the “snub” is to keep watching, keep discovering, and keep celebrating great television long after the nominations are announced.

Before I wrap up, I wanted to add one personal note. This is not a promotion. It is simply a moment of gratitude.

One of the greatest joys of covering television is getting to celebrate it alongside the incredibly talented and passionate Awards Radar TV team. Together, we have published dozens of interviews and conversations covering every genre, performance, craft, and corner of television. While each interview comes from a different voice, they all share two things in common – a genuine love of television and a belief that these stories and artists are worth your time.

Thank you to our outstanding team of Niki Cruz, Jeff Heller, Danny Jarabek, Gabriel Lapalombella, EIC Joey Magidson, Adam Patla, Diego Peralta, Ayla Ruby, Jonathan Sim, Sophia Soto, Cory Stillman, and Maxance Vincent for their relentless work and thoughtful conversations with some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry.

My deepest thanks also go to every guest who has shared their time, honesty, and passion with us. Thank you as well to the publicity and management teams who work tirelessly behind the scenes, connecting the countless dots that make these conversations possible. Without your efforts, we are fishing without a hook. Instead, we have a “seafood” smorgasbord of conversations that we are incredibly proud to share.

While I was not able to write a traditional FYC piece this year, I truly believe these interviews have become evergreen FYC pieces in their own right. There are many more conversations on the way throughout Emmys Phase 2 and beyond.

Until then, I would love to hear about your favorite television of the year in the comments. If you would like to explore more of my celebration of television, including TV Topics, you can find all of my work here and follow me on Instagram at @TV_Topics.