In a year as competitive and as historically notable as this one, it was expected that there would be significant snubs and surprise nominees among the 2020 Emmys class. Some “snubs” were actually expected such as “Westworld” missing out on Drama Series (Thandie Newton still made the cut) and one-time expected players such “Space Force” and “#BlackAF” being overlooked. But those 23,000 members still found ways to make our jaw drop.
READ MORE: “Watchmen,” “The Mandalorian” and “Succession” top 2020 Emmy Nominations – Complete List
Snub: “Pose”
The FX series earned a few nods including last year’s Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner Billy Porter, but it didn’t make the key Drama Series cut after an arguably better second season. FX will have to scratch its head on this one.
Surprise: Zendaya
HBO’s “Euphoria” earned six nominations overall, but it was Zendaya’s recognition in the Lead Actress in a Drama Series that was the most surprising. With little pre-nominations fanfare, Zendaya beat out more touted contenders such as Elisabeth Moss, Viola Davis and Nicole Kidman. Speaking of Kidman…
Snub: “Big Little Lies” and Nicole Kidman
Meryl Streep and Laura Dern earned nominations, but Kidman, who won the Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV movie in 2017 was snubbed in the Drama Series category here. And, of course, the HBO hit couldn’t make it into the key Drama Series either.
Surprise: “The Mandalorian”
Wow, what a moment for Disney Plus and Lucasfilm. The Jon Favreau series earned 15 nominations including a shocking Best Drama Series nod. What made this more of a surprise was how little FYC press and media Disney Plus spent over the season. Our only disappointment? No nod for Werner Herzog in the Guest Actor in a Drama Series field.
Surprise (sorta): Netflix dominates
After HBO earned the most nominations once again in 2019, there was a chance that Netflix could once again be king of the Emmy mountain as they were in 2018. Not only did the streamer accomplish that feat, but they did it surprisingly easily. Netflix earned 160 nominations to HBO’s 107. Want one example of how big a day Netflix had? They earned four out of five of the Television Movie nods when most observers would say they probably only deserved two of those slots. Hey, it’s good to be King.
Surprise: Dan Levy has a moment
The “Schitt’s Creek” co-creator was nominated last year as a producer on the Pop/CBC series, but this year he earned his first Directing, Supporting Actor and Writing nomination taking four overall. The show also had a massive jump in nods in its final season landing 15 up from five a year ago.
Surprise: “Love is Blind”
Another example of Netflix’s reign over Television Academy voters, this reality series where couples match up without ever seeing their partner’s faces landed a nod in the Outstanding Structured Reality Program category. It was a huge hit for the streamer and despite its questionable quality, somehow made the cut. Bless.
Snub: “The Great”
Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, who? This FX hit scored Directing and Writing nods, but couldn’t even sneak into costumes or production design. A major disappointment for Hulu who might have put too much of their efforts into pushing “Little Fires Everywhere.”
Snub: James Corden
After four straight years of nominations in the Variety Talk Series category, “The Late Show With James Corden” was the odd man out. The honor dropped from six to five nominees this year and while many thought “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would miss the cut, Corden did instead.
Surprise: “The Masked Singer”
Another category that lost a slot was Competition Series. With longtime nominee “The Amazing Race” ineligible this time around, many thought either “Survivor” would crack the field or it would just end up the remaining five nominees from 2019. Instead, four-time nominee “American Ninja Warrior” was snubbed and FOX’s “The Masked Singer” made it in on its second try. Overall, a huge win for the now independent FOX.
Snub: “Hollywood”
It was not a great day for Ryan Murphy. Not only did his Netflix series “The Politician” get overlooked in major categories (although congrats Bette Midler), his highly hyped revisionist history mini-series missed out on a Limited Series nod despite nods for stars Jeremy Pope, Dylan McDermott and Jim Parsons as well as Production Design, Period Costumes, Hairstyling and Make-Up.
Snub: Reese Witherspoon
In theory, Witherspoon could have earned six nominations today from her work in front of and behind the camera of “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Big Little Lies” and “The Morning Show.” Instead, she landed just one nod as a producer of “Little Fires.” It was an incredibly competitive year so no one should read too much into that.
Snub: Pamela Adlon
Despite continued critical acclaim and landing a nod in 2017 and 2018, the “Better Things” creator and star saw herself on the outside looking in once again this time around.
Surprise: “Unorthodox”
Clearly a major word of mouth wonder during the initial stay-at-home period, the Netflix series landed eight nominations including Limited Series, Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV movie (Shira Haas), Writing, Directing and two music nods. Haas nod, in particular, was remarkable considering the field for that category.
Snub: Bob Odenkirk
Despite four previous nominations in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category, including last year, Odenkirk somehow didn’t make the cut this time around. One silver lining, “Better Call Saul” earned its fifth Drama Series nod.
Surprise: Just three Sketch Show nominees
When should a category not actually be handed out? Perhaps when there are just three nominees. That’s what happened this year as “Saturday Night Live,” “Drunk History” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” were the only nominees in the Outstanding Variety Sketch Series category. Well, at least they all know they have a 33.3% chance of winning, right?
Surprise: “Eat Shit, Bob”
The “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” song about the program’s legal tangle with coal tycoon Bob Murray landed an Original Music and Lyrics nomination. I mean, now that we think about it, why wouldn’t it?
Snub: “The Plot Against America”
Despite significant critical kudos, the HBO mini-series was vastly overlooked by the Television Academy. Its sole nominations was in the Cinematography For A Limited Series Or Movie category.
Snub: Rose Byrne
Cate Blanchett? Check. Uzo Abuda? Check. Margo Martindale? Check. Tracey Ullman? Sigh, check. Rose Byrne? Wait, where’s her nomination for her incredible turn as Gloria Steinem in “Mrs. America”? It was arguably the best performance of the series next to Blanchett (and, yes, we know some people loved Sarah Paulson, who also got overlooked for her composite character, but not in this house).
Surprise: Giancarlo Esposito
Not only did the Emmy favorite earn a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nod for “Better Call Saul,” but he took a Guest Actor in a Drama Series nod for “The Mandalorian” as well.
Snub: James Corden
After four straight years of nominations in the Variety Talk Series category, “The Late Show With James Corden” was the odd man out. The honor dropped from six to five nominees this year and while many thought “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would miss the cut, Corden did instead.
Surprise: “The Masked Singer”
Another category that lost a slot was Competition Series. With longtime nominee “The Amazing Race” ineligible this time around, many thought either its CBS alum “Survivor” would crack the field or it would just end up the remaining five nominees from 2019. Instead, four-time nominee “American Ninja Warrior” was snubbed and FOX’s “The Masked Singer” made it in on its second try. A huge win for FOX overall.
Surprise: “Succession” cast
Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Matthew Mcfadyen, Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook all earned acting nominations from the Television Academy across three categories. That is massive. If you don’t think that means the HBO series is the favorite to take the Drama Series crown we’re not sure what to tell you.