The Biggest Surprises — and Snubs — of the 2021 Emmy Nominations

The 2021 Emmy nominations are here, complete with the annual snubs and surprises.

This year’s Emmy Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning by co-hosts and father-daughter duo Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones, both of whom are also Emmy winners.

While the Emmys did correct some Golden Globes mishaps, such as recognizing Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You with nine nominations, the announcement did not come without its own snubs and surprises:

SNUBS:

Nicole Kidman, The Undoing — Although the series got Hugh Grant a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series, Kidman is notably absent from the Lead Actress list. In fact, The Undoing is missing from every other Emmy category despite its small-screen success.

Donald Sutherland, The Undoing — Sutherland was also snubbed of a nomination for his role as lonely but dignified father and financier in the HBO miniseries.

Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian — While the series swept this year’s Emmys with 24 nominations, the Mandalorian himself was not granted a nod of his own.

Thuso Mbedu, The Underground Railroad — No actors from The Underground Railroad received a nod this year, although Mbedu was praised in reviews for Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel.

Antony Starr, The Boys — Despite effortlessly nailing the role of terribly evil superhero Homelander in The Boys, Starr did not receive a nomination for Outstanding Actor this year. Mediaite’s sister site The Mary Sue went as far as to label Starr as one of the series’ “primary strengths,” noting that he is “just extraordinary” — but, alas, it was clearly not enough.

Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird — Hawke did not gain any recognition for his impressive role as abolitionist John Brown in the Showtime limited series. “Voters ignored it, going instead with, among others, two actors from a filmed version of a Broadway musical shot five years ago,” wrote the Los Angeles Times’ Glenn Whipp, referring to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr.’s nods for Hamilton. 

Chris Rock, Fargo — Similarly to the Golden Globes upset, Rock did not receive a nomination for his role in Fargo’s fourth season.

Marielle Heller, The Queen’s Gambit — The Netflix series earned several Emmy nods this year, including Outstanding Limited Series and a nomination for Anya Taylor-Joy’s role as lead actress, yet Heller’s incredible turn as liberated alcoholic housewife went unnoticed.

Phoebe Dynevor, Bridgerton — Similarly to Kidman, Dynevor’s onscreen partner Regé-Jean Page earned a nod while she did not, regardless of her convincing role as the innocent yet cunning Duchess of Hastings.

Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton — Although Andoh’s character Lady Danbury quickly became a fan favorite, the actress was also snubbed for her role in the Netflix series.

Girls5eva — The widely successful Peacock musical comedy was entirely ignored this year.

Master of None — Despite earning nods for both seasons one and two, Master of None failed to rack up any nominations this year.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier — The Marvel series, which managed to hold its own despite following the franchise’s largely successful WandaVision, only received one major nomination, and five total, with Don Cheadle snagging a nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Small Axe — Although John Boyega won a Golden Globe for his role in Small Axe, the series did not get much love from Emmy voters.

SURPRISES:

Netflix series Emily in Paris beat out Hulu original Shrill for an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination.

HBO barely scored more nominations than Netflix, pointing to the streaming platform’s growing influence.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe finally broke through the small-screen with 28 nominations total — WandaVision leading with 23 compared to Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s 5. Disney+ also had another big hitter on its team this year, as The Mandalorian received 24 nominations — earning the highest count alongside Netflix’s The Crown.

Cynthia Erivo earned a spot on the Emmys’ most competitive category — Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her role in Genius: Aretha.

Cobra Kai, Netflix’s Karate Kid spinoff snagged a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.

While Starr was snubbed of his own nomination, The Boys earned a nod for Outstanding Drama Series.

Conan O’Brien was given a solid going away present, as Conan earned a nomination for Variety Talk Series, putting the former late-night show in the running with The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

Watch the announcement above, via YouTube.

This list is ongoing and will be updated.