The Strange History of Iconic TV Characters That Never Won Emmys.

by Eric Blume

It seems inconceivable that Brian Cox will not win an Emmy for his towering, iconic performance as Logan Roy, the heart and soul (relatively speaking) of one of television’s all-time greatest shows, Succession.  And yet, it appears he will not!  Cox only has a handful of episodes, far less a cumulative punch than his fellow nominees for Best Actor in Drama Series.  He simply didn’t have enough screen time in this final season to pull through with a victory. If Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook win the lead Emmys (which I strongly believe they will), that means that all of Cox’s key co-stars will walk away from the series with the industry’s highest honor, while its central figure will go unrewarded.  It’s a great example of the randomness and silliness of awards shows.  It's not that his co-stars didn't absolutely deserve it, but it's crazy that the mighty Cox will go Emmyless.

Still, he’s in good company. After the jump let's look at a few other actors who created truly quintessential characters on major shows, but despite many nominations, never won the elusive Emmy for their creation...

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Emmy Nominations - Who's Up and Who's Down?

By Christopher James

For the first time, all members of the Roy family earned Emmy nominations, including eldest brother Connor, played by Alan Ruck.

When the Emmys fall for a show, they fall hard. Despite having over 100 categories, the Television Academy nominates less and less series each year. As Abe covered Thursday night and Team groused about a bit in their reactions, four shows racked up over 20 nominations each this year (Succession, The Last of Us, Ted Lasso, The White Lotus), up from three last year. Three of those four shows won Series prizes last year. The fourth (The Last of Us) competes this year for its first season. A year over year increase is a strong sign that momentum is on a show’s side. You can defeat a previous winner or stage a coup if you can leverage a large nomination haul to gain a foothold and mount an aggressive campaign. But campaigning will be mostly out the window this year given the strikes. 

So what does the Emmy race look like now that nominations are out? Did any challengers emerge to overthrow incumbents Succession and Ted Lasso?

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Four shows entirely dominated the Emmy nominations. Worthy or excessive?

By Abe Friedtanzer

Melanie Lynskey in The Last of Us

As Chris reported, Emmy nominations were announced yesterday and four shows absolutely dominated. I want to take a look at what happened in comparison to my predictions, which shows faltered, and most importantly, grapple with the notion that those four shows are indeed terrific yet them being omnipresent so that other shows barely registered is still disappointing. I also want to share the nominations I saw that got me particularly excited...

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Which Finale Season Will the Emmys Reward This Year?

by Christopher James

We are at an inflection point with the Emmys this year. Three previous winners are coming to an end this season, and a few series nominees who have waited patiently for their time at the top are in play. Still, many shows have won big time at the Emmys for their final seasons. The Sopranos and Breaking Bad coasted on acclaim for sticking their landing. Even shows like Friday Night Lights and The Americans finally won key awards for fantastic final seasons after never receiving Emmy acclaim before then. Having a strong ending isn’t even necessary sometimes. Game of Thrones was able to coast to a final win, despite a poorly reviewed ending.

With shows like Succession, Ted Lasso, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Barry and Better Call Saul all ending this Emmy season, which will take the crown?

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Emmy Predictions: Drama Categories

The White Lotus, now competing as a drama this year

By Abe Friedtanzer 

This is a very competitive year for drama at the Emmys. Last year, Succession and The White Lotus scored fourteen and eight acting nominations, respectively, and The Handmaid’s Tale, which wasn’t eligible last year, picked up ten the year before that. If they show up in similar numbers this year, that accounts for thirty-two spots, and there are only forty acting nominees in total! Changes in voting rules mean that it’s unlikely shows will dominate quite so much, but the first two of those are still extremely popular. And while other awards bodies have largely abandoned The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s worth noting that Emmy voters sometimes stick by shows longer (see Killing Eve).  

Exactly three of last year’s nominees for Best Drama Series are back in contention, and they’re all expected to show up in many places: Succession, Better Call Saul, and Yellowjackets...

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