Emmy nominations 2023: What to expect from the announcement

The Emmy nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. Pacific. Here’s what you need to know:

Television Academy is poised to honor several shows that ended their runs

Summer is in full swing and that means one thing for television lovers: It’s time for Emmy nominations.

Emmy Award-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Community” will be joined by Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma on Wednesday to announce the nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards. The virtual ceremony will be streamed live starting at 8:30 a.m. Pacific on Emmys.com, and on the Television Academy’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The nominations will honor shows that were released between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.

This year’s Emmy nominations arrive amid the ongoing labor dispute between the major Hollywood studios and the creatives who make our favorite TV shows. Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May 2 after negotiations for a new contract remained at an impasse. Meanwhile, members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a new deal cannot be reached by Wednesday’s deadline.

The writers’ strike has already upended aspects of Emmy season, with writers unable to participate in their usual for-your-consideration events to appeal to voters. It remains uncertain how the TV Academy plans to move forward with its awards show if both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike — at the very least this would mean there would be no writers to write the show, and no presenters to hand out awards. Fox, the network carrying the telecast, hasn’t commented, but people familiar with the internal discussions at the network say that if either union is still on strike at the end of this month, the show would be postponed. For now, the Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sept. 18.

In the Emmy drama categories, this year’s nominations are expected to be led by HBO’s “Succession.” The corporate family melodrama wowed critics and audiences with its fourth and final season, and its cast will likely be well represented in the acting categories. The show’s expected dominance could be bad news for fans of “Better Call Saul,” as this will be the last chance the TV Academy has to honor the AMC series, which has — as lamented by Times Awards columnist Glenn Whipp — notched zero wins out of its 46 nominations so far.

Still, a couple of other fellow HBO dramas could derail “Succession’s” victory lap. Its competition will also include the year’s buzziest new series “The Last of Us,” the video game-based apocalyptic zombie drama led by Pedro Pascal, as well as last year’s top limited series, “The White Lotus,” which was renewed for a second season and would compete in the drama category.

Over on the comedy side, AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso” is among the returning favorites that is expected to have a fine showing among the nominees. But awards prognosticators believe the show’s uneven third and final season could ultimately prevent it from scoring a hat trick in the comedy series category. ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” is another top contender with its stellar second season, and the cast is expected to be well represented in the acting races too. Other contenders include HBO’s “Barry” and Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” both returning favorites in contention for their final seasons. And with strong freshmen seasons, Hulu’s “The Bear” and Peacock’s “Poker Face” are also expected to be among the comedies recognized.

— Tracy Brown

HBO and Netflix are expected to dominate the nominations

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in a scene from Netflix’s limited series “Beef,” which could be an Emmys contender.

(Andrew Cooper / Netflix)

The Emmy rivalry between Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO and streaming behemoth Netflix is expected to continue this year, with both outlets again poised to battle it out for the lead in nominations.

Last year, HBO led by a wide margin with 140 nominations, topping Netflix’s 108. The HBO total includes programs created for streaming service HBO Max, which has since been renamed Max.

While public interest has declined in the Emmys telecast — ratings have declined precipitously over the last five years — the awards remain a vital marketing tool for streamers looking to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace.

For HBO, the awards have an added importance, as the outlet tries to retain its reputation for being the vanguard of creativity in TV while its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, makes headlines on a regular basis with reports of cost cutting across its divisions.

Netflix has a similar balancing act, as Wall Street is looking more closely at profitability instead of subscriber growth. The streamer needs acclaimed hits to remain a must-have for consumers, and the Emmy Awards are a tool to remind them of the service’s value amid a sea of choices.

Apple TV+ should have another strong showing thanks to the final season of its hit comedy “Ted Lasso” and its new acclaimed series “Shrinking.” Last year, the service operated by tech giant Apple scored 51 nominations.

— Stephen Battaglio

‘Succession’ and ‘White Lotus’ actors could have a strong showing

Tom Hollander and Jennifer Coolidge in a scene from Season 2 of “The White Lotus.”

(Stefano Delia/HBO)

The biggest question in the acting categories is just how many nominations “Succession” will score for its final season. Stars of the HBO saga about a dysfunctional media dynasty are likely to dominate several categories, starting with lead actor in a drama series, where Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Brian Cox — who appeared in just three episodes — are likely to compete against one another (fitting, given their characters’ bitter onscreen rivalries).

“Succession” cast members are also likely to stage a hostile takeover of the supporting actor in a drama series category, with Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, Nicholas Braun and last year’s winner Matthew Macfadyen all in strong contention. Sarah Snook appears to be a lock for a nomination — and maybe even a win — for lead actress in a drama series, while J. Smith Cameron could also score a nod for supporting actress.

The cast of “The White Lotus,” now competing in the drama category, will probably gobble up the slots that don’t go to “Succession.” Fan favorite Jennifer Coolidge, who won an Emmy for her performance as a spacey heiress in Season 1, will almost certainly receive another nomination for an even more dazzling turn in the Sicily-set Season 2 . Her co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Meghann Fahy, F. Murray Abraham and Will Sharpe could also get lucky Wednesday.

Less certain is how HBO’s newest dramatic swing, “House of the Dragon,” will fare, though Matt Smith and Emma Darcy, who play incestuous Targaryens — are there any other kind? — in the “Game of Thrones” prequel, both have a chance to be nominated in their respective categories, supporting actor and lead actress.

Another recently concluded drama, “Better Call Saul,” is likely to earn multiple nods for several of its cast members including Bob Odenkirk, who has been nominated five times for lead actor in the series, Rhea Seehorn and Giancarlo Esposito.

On the comedy side, “Ted Lasso,” “Barry” and the “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are also likely to land numerous acting nominations for their final seasons, while the stars of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” — the only broadcast series to get much Emmys love these days — should also dominate once again.

Several newcomers also stand a chance at nominations, including Jenna Ortega, the young lead of the Netflix megahit “Wednesday,” and Bella Ramsey, the teenage star of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us.” Emmy voters will probably say “Yes, chef!” to the cast of FX’s breakout hit “The Bear,” especially Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Pascal, Ramsey’s co-star, could also make history if he is nominated for lead actor in a drama series for “The Last of Us” — he would be only the second Latino nominated in the category. The Chilean American could also pick up another nod for his turn as guest host of “Saturday Night Live.”

In the limited series categories, the Emmys are poised to honor the stars of shows about serial killers — including “Black Bird,” and “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” — and the somehow even more harrowing road rage series, “Beef,” whose leads Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are likely to be nominated for their angsty, moving performances, as are supporting actors Joseph Lee and Young Mazino. In the race for lead actress in a limited series or TV movie — which is full of heavy hitters these days — expect nods for Oscar winners Rachel Weisz (for her dazzling dual performances in “Dead Ringers”) and Jessica Chastain (for the country music biopic “George & Tammy’).

— Meredith Blake