Emmy Nominations 2024 Led by Shōgun and The Bear

While the live Emmy-nominations announcement broadcast on YouTube saw an overwhelming number of comments flooding in for the Prime Video rom-com Red, White, and Royal Blue, it was FX's Shōgun that truly stole the show by earning a towering 25 nominations. The historical drama's massive total, recognizing its achievements in all major categories, demonstrated its status as one of the biggest television events and critical successes of the year - easily overshadowing the hype around even the most popular streaming releases. Shōgun's nominations reinforced its place at the front of the Emmy race and ensured all eyes would be on its chances of converting the nominations into wins on ceremony night.

The FX drama Shogun, set in 17th century feudal Japan, broke out as a major hit this year. Lead actors Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai earned Emmy nominations for their performances, as did favorite supporting actors Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira. In a strategic move before Emmys voting, FX renewed the series for two additional seasons even though it was originally intended as a limited series. This bumped Shogun up to the Drama Series category. The gambit paid off handsomely, with Shogun scoring nominations on par with last year's frontrunner Succession, closing the gap by just two nominations.

FX scored yet another critical and awards season success with the breakout hit The Bear. The gritty culinary drama, submitted in the Comedy category by the Emmys, topped its genre yet again with an immense 23 nominations. Lead actors Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri earned well-deserved nods for their complex performances, as did standouts Lionel Boyce, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas. Big name stars like Jon Bernthal, Bob Odenkirk, Will Poulter and Olivia Colman also received bids. Show creator Chris Storer was rightly acknowledged for his brilliant work. Though season 3 recently debuted on Hulu, this nomination round recognized the excellence of the acclaimed second season. With such sweeping recognition from Emmy voters, The Bear is poised to further dominate next year's ceremony as well cementing its legacy as one of the standout shows of our time.

A number of other notable shows and performances also earned Emmy nominations. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis picked up nods for the True Detective spin-off True Detective: Night Country. Jon Hamm continued his awards recognition with bids for both Fargo and The Morning Show. The controversial Netflix series Baby Reindeer and acclaimed HBO comedy Hacks also broke through. Perennial favorite Abbott Elementary further cemented its status with nominations. Larry David fittingly closed out the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm with a Lead Actor Comedy Series nomination. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine received praise for their work in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Apple TV+'s chemistry-centered Lessons in Chemistry and the legendary Netflix drama The Crown continued their recognition from Emmy voters as well. A wide range of talented individuals and outstanding programs shined through in this diverse group of nominees.

A few noteworthy omissions stood out this year. Showtime's comedic drama The Curse was overlooked despite strong direction from Benny Safdie and a layered lead performance from Emma Stone. Cosmo Jarvis was left out of Shōgun's numerous nominations despite his standout supporting work. Disney+'s popular sci-fi shows Loki and Ahsoka also failed to break through.

Apple TV+'s lavish World War II series Masters of the Air earned only nominations in technical categories, ignoring the transformative work of Austin Butler, Callum Turner, and Barry Keoghan in dimensional leading roles. HBO's acclaimed adaptation The Sympathizer also missed recognizing Hoa Xuande's compelling leading turn. On a brighter note, Robert Downey Jr. earned justified recognition for his complex portrayals of multiple characters in the Vietnam War anthology series. While exclusions are unavoidable, these omissions were somewhat surprising given the high caliber of performances and productions not fully acknowledged.

The Morning Show found unexpectedly strong support from Emmy voters in the acting categories. With 10 out of 36 total Drama acting nominations, nearly a third went to Apple's workplace drama. While the critics' reception was more mixed, the show resonated deeply with the Emmy membership, recognizing stellar work across the board. Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup rightfully earned praise, but the breadth of nominations also acknowledge a strong ensemble. It's clear The Morning Show struck a chord in telling stories of the modern workplace, power dynamics and issues of systemic abuse. The show's ambitious and nuanced examination of such topics clearly mattered greatly to those determining this year's Emmy fates.