Emmys snubs! Peak TV has never seen snubs like this. And the Outstanding Drama Series is going to have a ton of them. Of course, whoever makes the cut will be battling last year’s winner, “Succession,” and Netflix’s global phenomenon “Squid Game” which will make history as the first non-English language Drama Series nominee.
READ MORE: “Succession” dominates the 2021 DGA Awards nominations
“Succession” took a hotly contested PGA Award, the SAG Ensemble Award, and dominated the DGA awards, but “Squid Game” shocked many by taking three SAG Award statues. The Korean series also took kudos over some stiff competition at the Gotham Awards and an Independent Spirit Award for Lee Jung-jae, among other accolades. HBO‘s vaunted “Succession” is still the odds on favorite to win, but there is definitely a race at play this season.
Who will fill out the rest of the field remains to be seen. The final seasons of “Better Call Saul” (nominated for every season so far) and “Ozark” are likely, as is three-time nominee “Stranger Things.” Paramount Network‘s “Yellowstone” broke through with its first major PGA and SAG Awards nominations this year which is a sign it should have broad appeal with the Television Academy to make the cut this time around.
The rest of the field is full of question marks. “Euphoria” is a mad hit for HBO, but this season was messier than the first. “Bridgerton” has the same exact problem for Netflix. “Yellowjackets” became a buzzworthy sensation for Showtime, but have enough members watched it? “Loki” was the biggest Marvel Studios series on Disney+, but it debuted in June 2021 and didn’t impact the year-end guild awards as expected. “This Is Us” has been nominated for four of its five previous seasons, but can the sixth and final one cut through this competition? “Severance” has slowly grown in popularity (at least online) since it premiered but will it suffer the same potential fate as “Yellowjackets”? “Pachinko” is one of the most critically acclaimed series of the year so far, but can two (almost) non-English language series earn nominations in this category? Ponder.
Keeping all that in mind, a look at the field. Note: “Book of Boba Fett” has been confirmed as a Drama Series. [Updated April 10]
DRAMA SERIES
Locks
“Succession”
“Squid Game”
Likely
“Better Call Saul”
“Ozark”
“Yellowstone”
“Stranger Things”
In the mix
“Yellowjackets”
“Severance”
“Euphoria”
“Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”
“Loki”
“The Book of Boba Fett”
“The Gilded Age”
“This Is Us”
“Bridgerton”
“Tokyo Vice”
“Pachinko”
“The Morning Show”
Longshots
“Killing Eve”
“As We See It”
“The Good Fight”
“1883”
“Foundation”
“The Wheel of Time”
“The Man Who Fell To Earth”