Michael Starr

Michael Starr

 TV

‘Yellowstone’ shocker: hit series ignored ��� again — by Emmy voters

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Published July 12, 2023
Updated Dec. 21, 2023, 12:57 p.m. ET
Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner in "Yellowstone."
Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner as Beth and John Dutton in "Yellowstone," snubbed again by Emmy voters. ©Paramount Network/courtesy Everett Collection

WTF?

The Television Academy did it again — making it a tone-deaf tradition to totally snub popular ranching epic “Yellowstone” from the roster of Emmy nominees.

Shame on the Emmy voters.

The biggest series in Paramount Network history failed to garner one measly nomination.

Ignoring a show with this kind of success would be unprecedented in the 75-year history of TV’s biggest and most influential awards show — that is, if the same thing hadn’t happened last year.

Viewership for the soapy Western drama far outstrips anything else on cable or network, but perhaps the alleged “feud” between series star Kevin Costner and “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan — the latter having a reported “God complex” — had supporters on both sides whispering to each other to slag off the other guy this time around.

Sad reality: Kevin Costner as John Dutton in "Yellowstone," which far outstrips all other cable and broadcast shows in viewership, was ignored again.
Sad reality: Kevin Costner as John Dutton in “Yellowstone,” which far outstrips all other cable and broadcast shows in viewership, was ignored again. ©Paramount Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

Whatever the case, “Yellowstone” deserves to be nominated, in several categories … time and time again.

This really sucks.

Meanwhile, academy members got mostly everything else right in Wednesday’s livestreamed announcement of nominees. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown and TV Academy president Frank Scherma delivered a somewhat somber presentation — overshadowed by the ongoing writers strike and a potential SAG-AFTRA work stoppage that could shut down the entire television industry.

This is definitely not how the academy envisioned celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Emmy Awards.

Natasha Lyonne in "Poker Face." She's wearing a gold-and-black sweater. Her hair is long and she's got a smirk on her face and she looks off-camera.
Natasha Lyonne in “Poker Face,” a Peacock dramedy that throws it back to ’70s-era detective shows. Peacock

In his opening remarks, Scherma made sure to mention, in a roundabout way, the ongoing labor strife — saying everyone wants “an equitable and swift resolution” — and circled back to that in mentioning, once all the nominees were announced, that this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards are “currently” planned for Sept. 18.

We’ll see.

Here are my reactions for some of the major categories.

Best Actor in a Drama

Jeff Bridges in "The Old Man."
Jeff Bridges was in a TV series for the first time since the ’80s, starring in the FX spy drama “The Old Man,” and earned an Emmy nomination in the process. ©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection

I’m glad that Jeff Bridges, terrific in “The Old Man,” garnered a nod in a category dominated by “Succession” stars Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong. Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) is here too, and deservedly so — he and his AMC series finished on a resoundingly strong note — as is Pedro Pascal for HBO’s breakout hit “The Last of Us.” Nice job.

Best Actress in a Drama

Enough already with “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Elisabeth Moss. But kudos to voters for nominating Sharon Horgan, Melanie Lynskey, Bella Ramsey and “Succession” star Sarah Snook — all deserving of the honor. I’m meh on Keri Russell — she’s fine in “The Diplomat,” but I found the series kinda draggy, perhaps coloring my feelings on that one.

Best Drama

Nice to see “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” earn a nomination in its maiden season (which did bonkers numbers for HBO), but does “The Crown” really need another nod? “The White Lotus” is a little surprising — its sophomore season was considered a disappointment by a chunk of its fan base — but the academy chose wisely for the other series (“Andor,” “Better Call Saul,” “The Last of Us,” “Succession,” of course, and “Yellowjackets”).

Best Comedy

Ronald Gladden and James Marsden in a scene from the mockumentary "Jury Duty." They're standing in the jury box and Marsen is looking at Gladden, who's looking straight ahead.
The duped Ronald Gladden (left) and James Marsden in surprise nominee “Jury Duty,” streaming on Freevee. Courtesy of Amazon Freevee

The one big surprise here was Freevee’s fake-ish reality show “Jury Duty” — I’m sure everyone involved is as surprised as I was. I was tough on Season 2 of “The Bear” in a recent review, but Season 1 was terrific and deserved a nomination. Perhaps it will win.

Best Actress in a Comedy

I would put Rachel Brosnahan in the “enough already” category — she’s won an Emmy for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and snared four nominations for the series — and am happy to see Natasha Lyonne’s work in the fun, quirky series “Poker Face” recognized by her peers. Quinta Brunson is the central cog driving the comedic engine of “Abbott Elementary” — kudos to her — in a category rounded out by Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”) and Jenna Ortega who, if social media is any indication, can win an Emmy based solely on her dance moves in a clip from “Wednesday” that went viral earlier this year.

Best Actor in a Comedy

All terrific choices here, and I’m glad that “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White received a nomination for his role as conflicted Chicago chef Carmen “Carmy” Bertazzo. (See Best Comedy above.)