2018 Emmy Nominations: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced this morning, and with so many TV shows out there for us to binge, there were bound to be some snubs. But thankfully, along with some of the TV shows and talents that didn’t get recognized by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, there were also some surprises that we weren’t expecting to land nominations.

Let’s run through a list of some of the 2018 Emmys snubs and surprises below.

Snubbed – The Good Place

It’s sad that we keep living in a world where The Good Place isn’t being recognized as one of the best comedies on television right now. A stellar ensemble cast, a unique premise and some outstanding twists and turns make The Good Place not only hilarious, but clever as hell. Creator Michael Schur has the magic touch when it comes to making hit TV shows like this, and we wish the Television Academy would starting recognizing this show as they did with The Office and Parks and Recreation. (Ethan Anderton)

Surprise – Ted Danson for The Good Place

Thankfully, it’s not a total loss for The Good Place. The stellar Ted Danson got a nomination for his increasingly funny and fantastic performance as the mastermind behind “The Good Place.” The way he learns about human interaction, ethics and comes to be more human (because he’s a demon) makes for great comedy, but it’s his authentic approach to the absurd that makes him truly great on this show. Plus, Maya Rudolph got a guest star nomination, and that’s pretty great. (Ethan Anderton)

Snubbed – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

After making a splashy debut in 2016 and scoring Emmys for its original music, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has been sadly left out of awards conversations despite delving into darker and more ambitious territory in season 3. The music is just as good, the writing just as biting as before, and its handling of sensitive material is as deft as ever. Writer and co-creator Rachel Bloom is terrific as the unstable Rebecca Bunch, whose spiral into depression and suicidal thoughts would earn any drama an Emmy. But it’s okay, because Bloom doesn’t care about award shows. (Hoai-Tran Bui)

Surprise – Alec Baldwin, Kenan Thompson and Leslie Jones for SNL

Saturday Night Live consistently gets nominations for their guest hosts and a couple of their cast members, but these three nods were quite surprising in a variety of ways.

First of all, Alec Baldwin has gotten much worse in his portrayal of Donald Trump, and the sketches he’s been in have been less than stellar over the past season. Maybe the Academy is just high on taking Trump down a notch however they can, but this doesn’t feel like a deserved nomination.

Secondly, Leslie Jones hasn’t really done much to stand out from the rest of the SNL cast, at least not as much as the likes of Kate McKinnon. But apparently something about her work this season caught the eye of the Academy and she landed the coveted nod.

Finally, Kenan Thompson is now the longest running cast member on SNL, so maybe this is the Academy just giving him some accolades for all the hard work he has put in. But hoenstly, Thompson is consistently one of the best cast members on the show, sometimes even saving bad sketches from being completely abysmal and making great sketches even better. It’s time to see him get this kind of recognition after all his dedication. (Ethan Anderton)

Snubbed – Twin Peaks: The Return

David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks: The Return scored nine total nominations, but it didn’t crack any of the major categories. I figured Kyle MacLachlan would be a given in the acting category for his multiple performances in the series. Not only did he reprise his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper (albeit briefly), he also played a haunting, murderous, dead-eyed doppelgänger who cut through the season’s eighteen episodes like a shark. And on top of all that, he played Dougie Jones, a damaged insurance salesman who defies description. I didn’t like that character at all, but that doesn’t change the fact that MacLachlan gave a performance for the ages that should have been acknowledged by Emmy voters. Twin Peaks: The Return didn’t earn a nod for Best Drama either, but that’s not quite as surprising given how dense and cerebral the season was. (Ben Pearson)

Surprise – Issa Rae foe Insecure

Insecure was passed over for Emmy nominations in its freshman year, but luckily its second season was a bit luckier. Not only did it score two nominations, but lead and creator Issa Rae earned a nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — despite her mostly non-presence on the campaign circuit this year. (Hoai-Tran Bui)

Snubbed – Alison Brie for GLOW

Alison Brie has been a consistently great presence in three memorable shows over the past ten years, and many thought she’d score her for Emmy nomination for her work as Ruth in Netflix’s GLOW. But add another one to the snub pile. Ruth can be selfish, desperate, and kind of a jerk sometimes, but she’s a far cry from characters that Brie has played before, and the actress gives her a warmth and humanity that always shines through. It’s a strong performance that easily should have replaced Evan Rachel Wood in Westworld this year. (Wood was far more impressive in season one, and seemed to be trapped in the same boring Terminator mode for the entirety of season 2.) (Ben Pearson)

Surprise – Laurie Metcalf for Roseanne

There would have been uproar of Roseanne the series ended up with a nomination, but surely Roseanne Barr’s racist antics online ensure that was never going to happen. But that doesn’t mean Laurie Metcalf doesn’t deserve a nod for playing her sister Jackie on the series. Metcalf has enjoyed plenty of acclaim lately thanks to Lady Bird, and it’s nice to see her get some recognition on this show that otherwise wasn’t worth a damn. (Ethan Anderton)

Snubbed – Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington for Game of Thrones

The Emmys, like audiences all over the globe, love Game of Thrones. HBO’s epic and epically lurid fantasy series has been a major player at these awards since its debut and season 7 was no different. But while the show ruled the supporting and guest categories, it was shut out of the lead acting categories. Both Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington submitted their names for lead actor and lead actress consideration and both were shut out. In a way, we all should have seen this coming: the Game of Thrones ensemble is so sprawling, so huge, so deep, that no one can really be called a lead in the first place. Other shows, those with smaller casts and more defined leading characters, simply have a better handle on these categories. (Jacob Hall)

Surprise – Yvonne Strahovski for The Handmaid’s Tale

Elisabeth Moss and Ann Dowd have been (rightfully) earning much of the attention for The Handmaid’s Tale, but it was Yvonne Strahovski who delivered the most complex and layered performance of the show yet with her searing turn in season 2 of the Hulu series. It’s hard to play a sympathetic villain, and Strahovski does it oh so well. (Hoai-Tran Bui)

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