Since 1949, The Emmys have been the premier awards show for the American television industry. After seven decades, millions of Americans still tune in to watch the Daytime Emmy Awards every June. Shows enter their name into the hat every year, hoping to earn a nomination. 2023 has proven to be a great year for television, and competition is fierce to be one of the limited nominees for the coveted categories. Which shows have earned that, right?
Any show whose season premiered and ended sometime between last June and now is eligible for the 2023 Emmys. From the kings of comedy to the dukes of drama, all scripted TV is welcome.
1. The Crown (Season 5)
Image Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix’s The Crown continues to be an impressive achievement in period piece drama. A no-holds-barred look into the drama within the British royal family. The Crown is almost asking to be controversial, especially at a time when the royal family is under a lot of scrutiny. In Season 5, Imelda Staunton took over the role of Queen Elizabeth following Oliva Coleman’s similarly amazing performance. Aside from Staunton, a well-rounded supporting cast, including Jonathan Pryce, Jonny Lee Miller, and Olivia Williams, elevate the show to prestige status.
Suggested Awards:
- Best Drama Series
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Imelda Staunton)
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Jonathan Pryce)
2. What We Do in the Shadows (Season 4)
Image Courtesy of FX Productions
For those uninitiated, What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy series on FX following four incompetent vampires living on Staten Island with their human familiar, Guillermo. The show, which premiered back in 2019, has received nothing but rave reviews for all of its four seasons, sitting at a comfortable 98% fresh, rotten tomato score. As for all comedies, it all comes down to the cast and the chemistry. Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén all bring their A-game to the team, and their natural chemistry is infectious.
Despite 17 separate nominations previously, It hasn’t won any Emmys yet. Might 2023 be the year that changes?
Suggested Awards
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Matt Berry)
- Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Natasia Demetriou)
- Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
3. House of the Dragon
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery and HBO
House of the Dragon is practically promised an Emmy nomination by birthright. Its parent show, Game of Thrones, managed to pierce the glass ceiling that Sci-fi and Fantasy media has always had to contend with at American awards shows. For years, unless your name began with X-files or Lord of the Rings, you were essentially SOL when it came to awards season. Then Game of Thrones showed up and swept the floor year after year. Eventually, it ended its run with 59 wins, making it one of the most critically lauded shows ever.
After the Game of Thrones season 8 disaster, fans of the J.R.R Martin adaptation were clamoring for something better. House of the Dragon delivered on that promise. An enticing prequel to the Fire and Ice saga, It probably isn’t the best drama of the year, but it is stiff competition. Add the fact HBO tends to win any category they vy for, and odds are this will likely win.
Suggested Awards:
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Matt Smith)
4. Barry (Season 4)
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery and HBO
Bill Hader proves he is more than just a funny face. He’s a funny writer too! Barry will once again just barely meet the deadline to qualify for this year’s Emmys. Much like What We Do in the Shadows, Barry has received numerous nominations in the past but has failed to win any of them.
Barry follows the titular hitman turned hopeful actor Barry Berkman. Barry is emotionally unstable and often unpredictable. Alongside Bill, the cast is rounded out with Stephen Root and Henry Winkler playing the devil and angel on Barry’s shoulder, respectively. Barry deftly crafts comedy while simultaneously handling dark and deep subjects that could easily ruin a weaker writer. Despite tackling subjects like depression, PTSD, social isolationism, and gaslighting, Barry manages to craft an almost Shakespearian comedy out of these tragic elements.
Suggested Awards:
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Bill Hader)
- Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Henry Winkler)
5. Stranger Things (Season 4)
Image Courtesy of Netflix
This year seems to be the year of 4th season. Stranger Things needed to pull a hail mary for season 4 after the previous season lost both viewers and critical reception. Despite all odds adding up against them, the Duffer Brothers and Netflix managed to pull it off. The 4th season of Stranger Things upped the stakes both objectively and personally and crafted a villain so memorable we’ll be quoting him for years. Add in unbelievable performances, an excellent soundtrack, and outstanding visual effects, and Stranger Things season 4 has earned a nomination and then some.
Suggested Awards:
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series (David Harbour)
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Joe Keery)
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Matthew Modine)
- Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Millie Bobby Brown)
- Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sadie Sink)
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Jamie Campbell Bower)
6. Succession (Season 4)
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery and HBO
Another in a long list of HBO premier series and awards show darlings. Succession has been draped in awards since its inception in 2018. Including two primetime Emmys for outstanding drama series in 2020 and 2022. A dark comedy focusing on a rich and influential family who own and run a multi-billion dollar company. Primarily following the internal dispute over who gains control of the company when the family patriarch dies. It is a satirical look at the ruling class and how power dynamics can ruin families. Succession had the advantage of being a dramedy, allowing it to qualify for both of the big categories. However, as previously stated, it has had better luck in the drama category.
Suggested Awards:
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Lead Actor in a Drama/Comedy Series (Kieran Culkin)
- Lead Actress in a Drama/Comedy Series (Sarah Snook)
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
7. Andor
Image Courtesy of Disney and LucasFilm
Star Wars? As Emmy material?! Make no mistake, Andor is a prestige television. You will be disappointed if you go into this show expecting space wizards with laser swords. Instead, you will find a deep, detailed dive into the various interlocking and often messy systems that keep fascism in power, the path of radicalization, and the necessity of revolution to fight authoritarianism. By taking a ground-level look into how the empire invades and permeates the lives of everyday hard-working people, we are given the most detailed and realistic look at the true evil of the empire. They aren’t some Machiavellian mustache-twisting villains who commit evil in large grand gestures. They are normal people invading the lives of other normal people in the name of basic greed and sloth. Working cogs in a much larger system far too abstract to view from the dirt Cassian comes from.
Suggested Awards:
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Diego Luna)
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Stellan Skarsgård)
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Genevieve O’Reilly)
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Denise Gough)
8. Ted Lasso
Image Courtesy of Universal Television and Warner Bros Discovery
Standing in stark contrast to the dark satirical comedy of Barry or Succession, Ted Lasso stands as a hopeful, optimistic beam of light in an increasingly sardonic media landscape. A kind of feel-good comedy that American media has been missing for quite some time. Ted Lasso follows an American football coach moving to England to coach a struggling English soccer club. Along the way, he makes friends with the club owner Rebecca, aging soccer superstar and foulmouth Roy Kent, and sports journalist Trent Crimm among others.
Suggested Awards:
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jason Sudeikis)
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Brett Goldstein)
- Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Hannah Waddingham)
9. The Bear
Image Courtesy of FX Productions
Working in the restaurant business sucks! At least, that seems to be the lesson behind the dark dramedy The Bear. Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto is a Chicago-born chef who, after finding great success in New York, returns home to take over the family restaurant after the sudden death of his brother. The bear paints a very ‘bare’ picture of what it is actually like working in the food service industry. It is messy, loud, and sometimes violent. Money issues, buried trauma, and poor anger management plague the workers of Beef. Excellent performances, a great soundtrack, and fantastic cinematography made The Bear a standout on Hulu.
Suggested Awards:
- Lead Actor in a Drama/Comedy Series (Jeremy Allen White)
- Supporting Actor in a Drama/Comedy Series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)
- Supporting Actress in a Drama/Comedy Series (Ayo Edebiri)
The Outlook
Once again, the winner here is HBO, with three shows on the ballot, and Netflix and FX tied for second place with 2. This is how the Emmys have faired for years at this point. However, there are some potential upsets. If Andor is indeed nominated, it would be a rarity for the Disney+ service. Hulu has always been the award taker for the Disney company ever since they merged with 20th Century Fox. And if Ted Lasso wins, it will be another victory for Apple+, which has been busy achieving large critical successes over the last three years It’s been kicking around.
To see how others are predicting the nominations to go, check out this article here by Variety. And to compare how we at Trill Mag predicted last year’s Emmy winners, you can read this article here.
