Emmy Nominations Roundtable: ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Hacks’ Dominate, But ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘Pluribus’ Are Waiting in the Wings

At 25 noms, is “The Pitt” heading toward its second consecutive drama win? In breaking the record for most comedy noms ever, is “Hacks” a shoo-in? What happened to “Half Man”? How did “Dancing With the Stars” end its ten-year nomination drought? What can we expect from Emmys host Mariska Hargitay?

Those questions, and a lot more, are discussed as the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast‘s Michael Schneider, Emily Longeretta and Jazz Tangcay hit the roundtable to go over the winners, snubs and surprises from this week’s Emmy nominations. Listen below!

The nominations were announced Wednesday morning by Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas (“The Bear”) and Jeff Hiller (“Somebody Somewhere”), along with TV Academy chair Cris Abrego. Among the highlights, hit HBO Max medical series “The Pitt” led all programs with a whopping 25 nominations, including outstanding drama and 13 acting nods (with star Noah Wyle up for lead actor).

And another HBO Max smash, “Hacks,” earned 24 nominations for its fifth season, the most ever for a comedy. (“Hacks” beat out the previous record holders, “The Bear” and “The Studio,” which both had 23.) Star Jean Smart is now in line to win her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her in a tie for the actress with the most Emmy acting wins in history.

Also, the next nominee toppers were both first-year Apple TV phenomenons: Horror comedy “Widow’s Bay,” which saw a surge of interest toward the end of Emmy FYC season, earned 19 nods. And twisty drama newcomer “Pluribus” earned a 18 nominations. Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Beef” was the top limited/anthology series in nom tallies, with 16.

But there were some disappointments as well. “To be honest, I was really bummed that ‘Half Man’ didn’t get more love,” Longeretta says. “I will say that one was for me the big one. That while Richard Gadd was incredible in it, not recognizing Jamie Bell was pretty shocking to me. And not recognizing the show overall because the writing was insane.”

Meanwhile, the “Widow’s Bay” showing was a pleasant surprise, as shows that premiere late in the Emmy cycle often have a tough time garnering attention. “I know for the longest time, talking to a lot of people, they felt the didn’t have time for another show. But the the buzz on ‘Widow’s Bay’ was so unrelentless that I think a lot of people checked it out, and went, ‘oh, this is great,'” Schneider says.

The group also talks about broadcast TV’s rough showing (few nominations for shows other than “Abbott Elementary”) — although the return of “Dancing With the Stars” to the reality competition field after a decade-long absence was a pleasant surprise (except for the fact that it pushed out Schneider’s beloved “The Amazing Race”).

Then there’s the story of Mariska Hargitay, who is having quite a year: Knicks win, her Broadway show, her doc “My Mom Jayne” landing two Emmy noms, “SVU” hitting 600 episodes this year and now, she’s hosting the Emmys (the first woman to do so in 15 years).

Among other surprises, the Taylor Sheridan universe couldn’t muster a nom for hits like “Landman” or “The Madison,” despite the star power of Billy Bob Thornton and Michelle Pfeiffer. “The Bear” still picked up a comedy nod, but star Jeremy Allen White isn’t there.

And Tangcay has a personal favorite: “I loved Sally Field getting in for ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures. I mean, Sally is just a legend. It was lovely to see her do that.”

Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.