The Emmy awards have given Irish actor Andrew Scott a nomination for his role in Netflix’s brooding series, Ripley. He’s been recognised in the best lead actor category for a limited or anthology series or film. As the Emmy nominations were unveiled on Wednesday, FX’s historical drama set in Japan, named Shōgun, led the pack, securing 25 nominations, including one for best drama series. This category also includes the last season of The Crown, Amazon’s Fallout – a hugely successful video game adaptation, period spectacle, The Gilded Age, season three of The Morning Show, Amazon’s noteworthy rendition of Mr and Mrs Smith, the espionage thriller Slow Horses, and Netflix’s 3 Body Problem.
The record for the highest number of nominations for a comedy in a single year has been smashed by FX’s The Bear, with 23 nominations, including a bid for best comedy series. This division also hosts ABC’s popular comedy show, Abbott Elementary, the concluding segment of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks’ season three, the new Apple series Palm Royale, due recognition for Reservation Dogs, FX’s cult comedy What We Do in Shadows, and Only Murders in the Building.
The latter, a detective comedy series, stands third in the number of nominations, with 21, including a first-ever nomination for lead actress Selena Gomez. She is nominated for best comedy series actress, alongside Quinta Brunson from Abbott Elementary, Ayo Edebiri from The Bear, Maya Rudolph from Loot, Jean Smart from Hacks, and Kristen Wiig from Palm Royale.
Actors Steve Martin and Martin Short from the comedy series are among the lead nominees, joined by Matt Berry from What We Do in the Shadows, Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jeremy Allen White from The Bear, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai from Reservation Dogs. Netflix’s unexpected hit, Baby Reindeer, received 11 nominations in spite of being a surprising success. This factual drama focuses on a comedian grappling with a stalker and has been nominated for leading actor Richard Gadd and supporting actress Jessica Gunning.
In the limited or anthology series category, it’s pitted against Fargo, Lessons in Chemistry, Ripley, and True Detective: Night Country, which received a considerable 19 nominations, including one for star performer Jodie Foster.
Kali Reis, Foster’s co-actor, as well as recent Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone have achieved a landmark as the first Indigenous women to be nominated for acting Emmys. Gladstone’s nomination was for her performance in the true crime series Under the Bridge.
For the category of lead actor in a drama, British actors Idris Elba, Gary Oldman, and Dominic West are up against Walter Goggins, Donald Glover, and Hiroyuki Sanada. Lead actress in a drama pits British star Imelda Staunton against Jennifer Aniston, Carrie Coon, Maya Erskine, Anna Sawai, and Reese Witherspoon.
Recent Academy Award winners Robert Downey Jnr and Da’Vine Joy Randolph also received nominations for their roles in The Sympathiser and Only Murders in the Building, respectively. Randolph is in competition with Olivia Colman and Jamie Lee Curtis for comedy guest actress.
Noteworthy exclusions include the acclaimed surreal drama series The Curse starring recent Oscar winner Emma Stone, HBO’s satirical series The Regime with Kate Winslet and Apple’s high-profile Masters of the Air which only managed to secure three technical nominations.
To be eligible shows must have aired between June 2023 and May 2024. The winners will be announced in September, only eight months after the previous ceremony, which was pushed back due to consecutive Hollywood strikes. “This year, despite the immense challenges that our industry and its workers have encountered, we have witnessed a wealth of exceptional programmes, exceptional performances and impactful storytelling”, reflected Cris Abrego, television academy chair, in a public statement.
The 76th Emmy Awards are set to occur on September 15th.