Emmy season has returned, and Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) are announcing the 2024 Emmy nominations Wednesday morning, along with new Television Academy chair Cris Abrego.
The major contenders this year are expected to be FX’s “Shōgun” in the drama race; Season 2 of “The Bear” (which dominated last year with its premiere season) in comedy; and Netflix’s viral hit “Baby Reindeer” in the limited series/anthology categories.
Other drama contenders include Disney+’s “Ahsoka”; Netflix’s “The Crown” and “3 Body Problem”; Prime Video’s “Fallout” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show.” In comedy, other major players are Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building”; HBO/Max’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Hacks”; Apple TV+’s “Loot”; Netflix’s “The Gentlemen”; and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Wait, didn’t the 2024 Emmys already happen, back in January? Not quite. The Hollywood strikes forced the Television Academy to push the 2023 telecast to January of this year — right in the middle of Oscar season. And now, just nine months later, we’re doing it again.
With voting ending on June 24 and the 76th Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, now comes Emmy campaign Phase 2. And unlike last year, when the strikes led to months of uncertainty and a lack of talent participation, this time the nominees are primed and ready to hit the campaign trail once again.
The TV Academy’s approximately 24,000 members made their choices from a pool of 229 total series submitted in the key drama, comedy and limited/anthology series categories in 2024 — down 33% from last year’s 309. And with fewer submissions, the org’s sliding scale has led to fewer nominations in several categories (dropping to five in the lead comedy and limited/anthology/TV movie acting fields).
Some of that decrease is due to a decline in production volume, as networks and streamers pull back on original series. But last year’s strikes also delayed many productions — including series that didn’t make the cut this year but will be back in the running in 2025, like HBO’s “House of the Dragon” (and likely “The Last of Us”), Prime Video’s “The Boys” and Netflix’s “Bridgerton.”
Meanwhile, there were only a handful of major Emmy rules changes this year. Perhaps most notable was a last-minute methodology change in the scripted variety field. With so few submissions, the category was turned into a “juried” competition, with peer group members screening the entries and the top two receiving 70% approval earning a nod.
Party because of its lengthy delay, the most recent Emmys in January posted record-low ratings for the kudocast. The event faced an NFL playoff game, which didn’t help, as it delivered just 4.3 million viewers. But ironically, that little-watched telecast earned some of the strongest critical raves in years for an awards show — Emmys or otherwise. The January event, hosted by Anthony Anderson and produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, scored high marks for its nostalgic tribute to TV hits of the past 75 years, reuniting casts of series like “Cheers” and “Martin” while paying tribute to classics by re-creating moments from shows like “I Love Lucy” and “All in the Family.” That’s why Jesse Collins Ent. is back to helm this September’s telecast as well.
Among last time’s biggest winners, FX’s “The Bear” was 2023’s top honoree, with ten Emmys total (including six major awards during the Primetime telecast), while HBO’s “Succession” and Netflix’s “Beef” led their categories. HBO was the most lauded network of the last Emmys, with 31 wins across all of its programs.
The 76th Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from downtown Los Angeles’ LA Live Peacock Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on ABC. The broadcast will then be available to be streamed the next day on Hulu. A host has not yet been named.
See the full list of Emmy nominees below.
Outstanding Talk Series
Reality Competition Program
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Limited Series or Anthology Series
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Drama Series
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Comedy Series