It’s easy to say “acting awards don’t matter,” but that’s true in a way. We don’t need golden statues to validate good performance, just as trophies can’t improve poor performance. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good to win, or at least be nominated. Who doesn’t want to be recognized for their work? For too long, the Television Academy has ignored some of the best media in its own media. Intentionally or not, there is a built-in bias towards television genres. But that shouldn’t be the case after 2024. This year, shows like The Penguin, Agatha All Along, Dune: Prophecy, and House of the Dragon feature some of the absolute best acting to hit the small screen. I did. And that should be reflected in next year’s Emmy nominations.
How difficult is it for an actor on a genre show to come close to winning an Emmy? Game of Thrones (59) holds the record for most Emmy wins by a single show, ahead of Saturday Night Live ( 87 times). But that doesn’t actually convey HBO Fantasy’s series exclusivity at the TV premiere awards event. Only eight seasons and 73 episodes were aired. SNL has racked up victories over 40 seasons and over 930 episodes (and more to come). Despite worldwide acclaim for the entire ensemble, Peter Dinklage is the only actor to win an Emmy for his role in Game of Thrones.
Let’s consider what his four wins mean. Arguably the most successful show of all time, a worldwide phenomenon that everyone agreed the moment it appeared, with one of the best casts ever assembled, and one of the best television performers to win, these Only times. And the actual recognition of Game of Thrones was even worse than that. There was a flood of casting candidates for the show’s final season. It was as if the Academy was trying to correct a major oversight at the last second.
Things haven’t improved much for the TV genre since then. That’s not to say fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and superhero actors never get nominated. It’s amazing what they do. And even then, it seems like it would take something special to break through. It’s not enough to just be great or one of the best of the year. It will help you become a great actor playing memorable and unique characters, like the ghoul in Walton Goggins’ Fallout. Appearing on successful high-end TV shows also helps. So did Pedro Pascal and Vera Ramsey in The Last of Us. Things like HBO’s Watchmen, another prestige series based on a popular IP, are the exceptions that prove the rule. But if you’re just doing great work on a show that’s considered niche, silly, or not “serious,” you probably don’t have a chance.
That’s why when traditional shows like “Succession” and “The Bear” dominate the nominations for actors, a season of “Loki” or Elizabeth Olsen’s “WandaVision” has a season for shenanigans. There’s no room for Tom Hiddleston’s incredible performance as God. Just like What We Do in the Shadows, the greatest comedy of all time, only won one acting review (Matt Berry in 2024). The Boys has also received zero acting Emmy nominations, despite a stellar ensemble led by Antony Starr, who has given some historically impressive performances during the show’s run. (The star recently won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.) And somehow, the Emmys have one cast member from any of Mike Flanagan’s films, always full of great performances. There was no room for him to appear. .
People like Wheel of Times’ Madeleine Madden and Fifth Generation’s Jaz Sinclair have no chance of being nominated, even if they are the centerpiece of a big-budget show from the Amazon-owned studio. is unreasonable. Ditto for Ring of Power’s Charlie Vickers, who makes Sauron, best known as the Giant Eye, one of the most complex villains in television history. But that doesn’t have to be the case, and 2024 could finally change the status quo that refuses to treat genre TV like any other show.
“The Penguin” and “Agatha All Along” weren’t just two of the best superhero shows of 2024; These were some of the best shows of any kind this year. And a big reason for that is that we’re getting world-class performances from the stars and supporting characters. Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti were both absolutely fantastic in The Penguins, great performers who reached the absolute peak of their powers in their incredible roles. The same was true for Kathryn Hahn in Agatha All Along. The show asked her to do everything between the silliest comedies to the saddest dramas, and she excelled in all of them.
Meanwhile, no one gave a more heartbreaking and layered supporting role this year than Deirdre O’Connell, who played Oz Cobb’s mother. But there were others who could rival her, such as Patti LuPone, who played the fortune-telling witch Lilia in Agatha All Long. And the rest of her crew, Sasheer Zamata, Joe Locke, Ari Ann, and Aubrey Plaza, were just as great.
That’s the equivalent of two genre shows with Emmy-worthy performances. House of the Dragon and Dune: The Profection also performed as well as anything on TV this year. Despite all of Season 2’s problems, House of the Dragon didn’t have to worry about acting. Olivia Cooke, Emma Darcy, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Needham, Bethany Antonia and Tom Glynn-Carney all gave memorable performances. Ditto for Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, who produced some of the best work of their long careers in Dune: Prophecy. Each has mastered difficult roles that require the kind of depth and nuance that can only come after years of honing their craft. In poor hands, the show would not have been possible.
Whether any or all of them get Emmy nominations next year is immaterial in the most important ways. It doesn’t change how good they were. Our feelings about their performance remain the same. But if you’re going to go out of your way to honor TV’s greatest performers, let’s actually do it. And in 2024, it’s clearer than ever that this genre is home to some of TV’s best acting.
Editor’s note: Dune: Prophecy is a Legendary Entertainment production. Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He is calling on the Academy to nominate Cristin Milioti for the role of The Penguin. You can follow him at @burgermike on Bluesky. And similarly wherever someone ranks the Targaryen kings.
