The nominations for the 74th Primetime Emmys will be announced on July 12, and shows like HBO’s “Succession,” Netflix’s “Squid Game,” ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” are expected to dominate and rack up multiple mentions. However, consumers may be unaware that certain shows did not fall in the release window and thus are not eligible for this year’s nominations.
Coming off a huge Fourth of July weekend, Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will be in an even stranger position for the following two Emmy ceremonies. The first seven episodes that dropped on the platform during Memorial Day weekend were submitted for consideration for the 74th ceremony and are eligible in categories like outstanding drama series and supporting acting races, including Millie Bobby Brown (as Eleven), Sadie Sink (as Max) and the season’s two new favorites Jamie Campbell Bower (as the villainous Vecna) and Joseph Quinn (as the loveable and guitar-ripping Eddie Munson). Unfortunately, the two final super-sized episodes of Season 4 that dropped over the holiday weekend are not included for this year’s eligibility period.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Emmys Predictions Hub
With a release date for the sci-fi horror show’s upcoming fifth and final season yet to be announced (and considering how long we had to wait for Season 4), it seems unlikely we’ll have it in time for the 2022-2023 eligibility season (which ends May 31). In that presumed case, these two episodes will be “orphaned” and only eligible for individual craft awards, but not best drama series or acting categories. Episodes 8 and 9 will also be eligible for directing and writing nods.
Besides “Stranger Things,” there have been plenty of buzzy series in June, including the third season of Amazon Prime Video’s adult superhero series “The Boys.” Though the show received a surprise nom for drama series in 2020, it dropped its first three episodes on June 3 and concludes its season this week on July 8, and is therefore not eligible for this year’s Emmys race.
The fourth season of HBO’s “Westworld” has made its long-awaited return, but don’t expect former nominees and winners such as Jeffrey Wright and Thandiwe Newton to be among this year’s entrants due to the May 12 cut-off date. Instead, you can look for them in the 2023 Emmy submissions.
FX’s THE BEAR “System” (Airs Thursday, June 23) Pictured: Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto. CR: Matt Dinerstein/FX
Matt Dinerstein/FX
New series generating acclaim, such as FX’s drama thriller “The Old Man” with Jeff Bridges and Hulu’s cooking dramedy “The Bear” with Jeremy Allen White, will surely factor into future awards discussion, but will only be eligible for the upcoming Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice Awards.
Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” has popped up in the creative arts categories for its first two seasons in 2019 and 2020. With the added care given by series creator Steve Blackman in incorporating Viktor’s transition into Season 3’s story (played by Elliot Page), there could be a well-positioned campaign for 2023.
In addition, docuseries such as HBO Max’s “Menudo: Forever Young,” a look at the dark side of the iconic boy band, or the timely “Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?” from Starz will seek recognition down the road.
Final Emmy nomination predictions will drop in Thursday’s Variety Awards Circuit updates.
