The biggest surprises from this year’s Emmy nominations

The 2023 Emmy nominations came out last week and, as always, there were some unexpected announcements in the lineup. These are 5 of the most surprising nominations this year.

Jury Duty

For a while it seemed like Jury Duty was destined to be the funniest show that nobody had ever heard of. The series was a reality show/mockumentary/prank show that followed a group of 12 jurors over a three-week trial.

The catch was that the entire trial was fake, and 11 of the jurors were actors, with one juror having no idea that the whole series was a set up. Jury Duty had a premise that could have very easily turned off a large portion of the potential audiences.

What’s more, except for James Marsden, there were no famous people to advertise the show with, (something that had to be done for the show to work). Also, the show was on FreeVee, a streaming service that a lot of people still don’t even know exists.

But despite all that, Jury Duty, by word of mouth, has built up quite a following. And now, against all odds, Jury Duty not only managed to get a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, the show got in total, four nominations, including a Supporting Actor nomination for James Marsden.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars is primarily viewed as a film franchise, but in recent years, as the franchise has developed more and more TV series’, we’ve started to see Star Wars nominations show up at the Emmys. This year it was no surprise to see Andor nominated for Outstanding Drama, as the show was one of the best reviewed shows of the past year.

Many critics said it’s the best thing to come out of Star Wars since the franchise was taken over by Disney back in 2012. What’s more surprising is the appearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Outstanding Limited Series.

The Obi-Wan TV show that aired last summer didn’t get terrible reviews, but they were decidedly more mixed than what Andor ended up receiving. Perhaps it’s because an Obi-Wan focused story set between Episodes III and IV had been rumored for so long, first as a movie and then later as a television series, there was a lot of expectation as to where the series would go.

Either way, while some people praised the show highly, there were other critics who didn’t like how the show went. So, with such a mixed reception, it’s surprising to see the show still ended up getting nominated for Outstanding Limited Series.

Ted Lasso

It wasn’t a big surprise that Ted Lasso was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and probably a few other nominations as well. However, the third and final season of the show was more divisive among fans than the earlier seasons.

So, some were wondering if that might result in the show getting fewer nominations in total this year. It turns out that wasn’t the case.

Ted Lasso ended up with 21 nominations, one shy of tying the record for the most nominations ever for a comedy series.

Better Call Saul

This isn’t really a surprise from this year’s nominations. After all, the last season of the series was just as well received as the previous seasons.

So, the fact that the show received 7 nominations this year wasn’t really unexpected. The surprising part of these nominations comes when you learn that Better Call Saul has now received 53 nominations in total.

And of the 53 nominations, the show has won a grand total of zero of them. This makes Better Call Saul the most nominated show in history to have never won an Emmy.

It’s really shocking to consider that a show as well received as Better Call Saul, has yet to actually win a single Emmy. With the show ending last year, this will be the final Emmy ceremony for the show to finally win one of the awards that it’s been nominated for.

Nothing for the Yellowstone Extended Universe

It may be a surprise to hear, but the biggest thing on television right now is a show called Yellowstone, a western that takes place on a large cattle ranch. The show has grown in popularity with each season and has become one of the most dominant forces in television.

It’s so successful that there have already been two successful spinoffs, with four more in active development right now. But despite the undisputable success of the show and the extended universe that has built around it, it seems like Yellowstone gets a fraction of the coverage that other, more niche shows, receive.

That lack of attention includes awards season. Despite critical consensus saying that the show’s quality has improved with each new season, the show’s only Emmy nomination was for Outstanding Production Design back in 2021.

This year lead actor Kevin Costner won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, so it seemed possible that the Emmys might also give him at least a nomination. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren who both star in the spinoff 1923 were thought to be possible nominees.

But neither one of those happened either. These three shows collectively, are one of the most successful franchises on television right now, and they didn’t get a single nomination for anything.

Who do you think will win an Emmy? Who do you think will get snubbed?

Share your answers in the comments below, we’d love to read them!