Emmy Nominations 2022: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises

Emmy season officially got serious on Tuesday morning, as the 74th annual event released its list of nominations. It's a monumental task for voters, sorting through a mountain of potential submissions (over 800 in drama supporting actor and actress categories alone, the LA Times noted).

Some shows didn't have entries viable for this past year, like "The Crown" (Netflix), "Westworld" (HBO), "The Boys" (Amazon Prime) and "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu), so don't worry that you won't see them picked for honors this season.

But all of that means some names, shows and expected obvious choices get left out ... while some dark horses we weren't even thinking about are now up for a statue on Sept. 12!

Snub: Mandy Moore, 'This Is Us'

Six seasons and just one Emmy nomination for playing a character on "This Is Us" over multiple generations? Moore was robbed before she even arrived at the 2022 awards. Now, with the show over and her character carried away in one of the more tear-jerking finale episodes we could have possibly imagined, to have been left off the list of lead actress nominees for a drama series is criminal.

Even a plea from co-star Sterling K. Brown didn't help. In an Instagram video he posted in April, he said that Moore "is killing the game, and she deserves to be recognized."

On top of that, the series didn't even get a best drama nomination.

Surprise: Rhea Seehorn, 'Better Call Saul'

Seehorn's been left out of the discussion for the past five seasons of "Saul," as her co-stars all get the attention. But Seehorn's Kim on "Better Call Saul" (AMC) has been front of mind as the series winds down: Will she survive? Watching her character shift over all these seasons made her an obvious choice for years, and finally she's getting her due with a best supporting drama actress nomination.

Snub: Selena Gomez, 'Only Murders in the Building'

Now, that ain't right: Of the three leads in Hulu's "Murders," two got nominated: Steve Martin and Martin Short will now face off as outstanding lead actors. But for Gomez? Nada. Even two guest actors, Jane Lynch and Nathan Lane, picked up nominations — as did the show itself! Meanwhile, Gomez had the most understated, enigmatic role of them all to play, working with a secret backstory that only slowly unraveled throughout the season. (Secondary snub: Amy Ryan, who did a complete 180 on us during the series, also got ignored.)

Snub: Julia Roberts, 'Gaslit'

You have a legendary actor playing a historical figure during one of the most divisive and resonant moments in American history (that is, Watergate) and ... she can't get even a nomination? Roberts played Martha Mitchell with precise perfection, but like the show itself, disappeared in a cloud of smoke among voters.

Surprise: 'Squid Game' sets new milestone

Win or lose, the Netflix juggernaut known as "Squid Game" has raised the bar: It's the first non-English language series to be nominated for an outstanding series Emmy. 축하해요 (congratulations)!

Surprise: 'Severance' dominates

We love the fact that the former "Parks and Recreation"/"The Good Place" star Adam Scott earned an outstanding drama actor nomination on the Apple TV+ show; his co-stars John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Christopher Walken also earned in supporting positions. But it's a different kind of surprise that lesser-known names like Britt Lower (Helly) and Zach Cherry (Dylan) went overlooked.

Snub: 'Beard After Hours,' 'Ted Lasso'

One of the most beloved series on TV, "Ted Lasso," took a left turn with a bottle episode in its second season that followed Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) on crazy all-nighter in London. "Beard After Hours" may not have pleased everyone, but it was a trippy, unique way for the show to give us a story we didn't even know we wanted until we watched it. And ... voters didn't agree; neither the episode nor Hunt were nominated.

Snub: 'Atlanta'

Four years away might make voters' hearts grow fonder for the Donald Glover-starring and created series, which has upended all sitcom rules during its on-and-off three seasons. The show picked up a nomination the last time it could, in 2017 (along with two nominations for its stars Bryan Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz). This time, however, the show was out ... though Glover is in, earning the series' sole acting nomination this year.

Surprise: True stories

Four of the five nominations for limited or anthology series are based on true stories: "Dopesick" (Hulu), "The Dropout" (Hulu), "Inventing Anna" (Netflix) and "Pam and Tommy" (Hulu) are all ripped from the headlines. Only HBO's "The White Lotus" is a 100 percent original, which might give it the boost it needs to win.

Snub: Sarah Lancashire, 'Julia'

Without Lancashire's tremulous-voiced, but full-hearted performance in HBO Max's "Julia," the show would have fallen as flat as a chocolate souffle. Usually voters love a good real-life performance, but apparently their enthusiasm is reserved for the limited series category, since the Brit failed to register for a nomination.

Surprise: The letter 'S'

Now, we don't think there's some hive overmind that's giving out special nominations to shows based on the letter of the alphabet they begin with, but how to square the strange coincidence of lots of nominations for these so-named series: "Severance" (Apple TV+) "Succession" (HBO), "Squid Game" (Netflix) and "Stranger Things" (Netflix)? Just ... sayin'.

Snub: Jennifer Aniston, 'The Morning Show'

When you're Jennifer Aniston, you're used to the bridesmaid feeling. She does have one Emmy (from 2002 for "Friends"), but she's got six other nominations and no other prizes. And this year she was completely passed over for her journalist-on-the-edge role on "Morning Show" (Apple TV+) (though co-stars Billy Crudup and Reese Witherspoon landed nominations). Still, she did get a nomination ... for executive producing "Friends: The Reunion" (HBO Max). Sometimes we wonder if Aniston thinks she's caught in a time loop.

Snub: 'Yellowstone'

Getting noticed for a western is never easy among Emmy voters; "Lonesome Dove" may have wowed them back in the day, but that was in 1989. If a cast as strong as Kevin Costner and Wes Bentley on Paramount+'s "Yellowstone," with a co-creator in Taylor Sheridan isn't enough to pique interest from voters, well, we're just gonna head for the last roundup.

The 74th annual Emmy Awards airs September 12 on NBC.