'Severance' leads Emmy nominees with 27 and 'The Studio' tops comedies
No other dramas came close to the dystopian workplace series "Severance,' which achieved a convergence of acclaim and audience buzz for its second season that brought an expected Emmy bounty.
"It's been the best kind of morning,' Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss told The Associated Press.
Lead acting nominations came for "Severance' stars Adam Scott and Britt Lower for what amounted to dual roles as their characters' "innie' work selves and "outie' home selves. Tramell Tillman got a supporting nod for playing their tone-shifting, pineapple-wielding supervisor. Patricia Arquette was nominated for supporting actress for playing an ousted outcast from the sinister family business at the center of the show. And Ben Stiller got a nomination for directing the Season 2 finale.
Apple's Hollywood satire "The Studio' was expected to make a significant showing for its first season, but it romped over more established shows like "Hacks,' which got 14, and "The Bear,' which got 13. It tied a comedy record set last year by "The Bear' with 23 nominations.
Seth Rogen, who co-created the series with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, personally got three nominations - for acting, writing and directing.
Rogen told the AP that "my ego is in shock' and called the raft of nominations "very validating in a way that I'm not used to being validated.'
His show's A-list roster of guest stars brought in a bounty, with nominations for Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Dave Franco and Zoë Kravitz. The men made for five of the six nominees in the guest actor in a comedy category.
"The Penguin,' HBO's dark drama from the "Batman' universe, was surprisingly dominant in the limited series category with 24 nominations, including nods for leads Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti.
Netflix's acclaimed "Adolescence' got 13 limited series nominations, including a supporting actor nod for 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old suspected of a killing.
Many expect Cooper to become the youngest Emmy winner in more than 40 years, largely because of a breathtaking episode that is one long therapy session inside a juvenile jail. Like all "Adolescence' episodes, it's done in one long shot.
His psychologist scene partner, Erin Doherty, was also nominated, for limited series supporting actress.
"If you just sit and listen, and let someone talk, that is such a gorgeous offering," Doherty told the AP. "I don't think we do it that often. I'm trying to take that forward.'
HBO's high-end soap "The White Lotus' got its usual flowering of drama acting nominations for its Thailand-set third season, with four cast members including Carrie Coon getting supporting actress nods, and three including Walton Goggins up for supporting actor. It pulled in 23 nominations overall.
"The Pitt,' HBO Max's prestige medical procedural, got 13 nominations, including best drama and best actor for its star, "ER' veteran Noah Wyle. One of its nurses, Katherine LaNasa, was able to squeeze in among the women of "The White Lotus' for a supporting actress nod.
"I love telling stories about the human condition and I really love acting, and so to suddenly get recognized and sort of applauded for it is just a delightful surprise," LaNasa told the AP.
Wyle, who was nominated five times without a win for "ER,' could join Scott to make best actor in a drama a two-man race, with both seeking their first Emmy.
The broadcast networks have largely become Emmy non-entities in the top categories. Oscar-winner Kathy Bates was a big exception this year. She's considered a heavy favorite to win best actress in a drama for CBS' "Matlock.' She's the first person nominated in the category from a network show since 2019, and would be the first to win it since 2015. At 77, she's also the oldest ever nominee in the category.
ABC's "Abbott Elementary,' which has kept hope alive for the networks in recent years, got six nominations including acting and writing nods for creator Quinta Brunson.
"The Last of Us' brought in 16 nominations in drama categories for HBO to add to its totals run up by "The White Lotus," "The Pitt' and "The Penguin.' Bella Ramsey got a nod for best actress in a drama for "The Last of Us.' Pedro Pascal was nominated for lead actor despite appearing in only about half of the season's episodes.
HBO with its streaming counterpart HBO Max has been so prolific for decades in Emmy nominations that it almost felt like an off year without it having a "Succession' or a "Game of Thrones' atop the drama category. But it definitely wasn't. It led all outlets with 142 nominations, the most it's ever gotten.
Netflix followed with 120 nominations overall, including 11 for "Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story' and 10 for "Black Mirror.'
Apple TV+ had 79 nominations overall.
"Shrinking' added to that total with seven in the comedy categories, including acting nominations for Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.
"Andor' represented Disney+ with 14 nominations. The gritty series from the "Star Wars' galaxy is up for best drama series and a slew of technical categories. Forest Whitaker was nominated for best guest actor in a drama.
He's one of several Oscar winners in the guest acting categories along with Scorsese, Howard and Jamie Lee Curtis and Olivia Colman for their performances in "The Bear.'
"Andor' star Diego Luna was surprisingly omitted from best actor in a drama. Other snubs included former Emmy powerhouses "The Handmaid's Tale,' which got just one nomination, and "Squid Game,' which got none.
"Severance' has become a signature show for Apple TV+. The streamer has gotten plenty of Emmy nominations for dramas including "The Morning Show' and "Slow Horses,' and "Ted Lasso' thrived the comedy side.
But Apple has lacked the kind of breakaway prestige drama that HBO seems to produce perennially. "Severance' became its most-nominated show ever and could easily become its biggest winner when the Emmys are handed out in September, reaching the upper echelons previously enjoyed by "Succession' and "Shogun,' which left room for others by taking this year off.
Cherniss said Apple TV+, which has been knocked as the streamer with big stars and big budgets for shows that go unnoticed, was rewarded for taking big swings.
"'Severance' is such an ambitious show," he said, adding that "all of the shows that have been nominated took big risks.'
All the shows are living in the splintered world of the streaming era, and the like the Oscars its most acclaimed nominees rarely have the huge audience they once did. While an impressive average of 10 million people per episode watched Wyle on "The Pitt' on HBO Max, 30 years ago an average of 30 million watched him on "ER' on NBC.
The broadcast networks rotate on who airs the Emmys. This year is CBS's turn. It will air the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 14. Nate Bargatze is slated to host.
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