You may have noticed a few of your faves missing from the 2023 Emmys nominations list. No Zendaya? No Stranger Things? Weren't we all glued to the last season of Euphoria?
Turns out there's a reason for these major absences, and it's all because of the 75th Emmy eligibility rules. To be eligible for a nomination at the 2023 Emmys — which are airing in 2024 after being postponed due to the Hollywood strikes — programs had to air between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023. Given that season two of Euphoria aired prior to that, during early winter 2022, both the show and its cast weren't eligible for consideration.
If you'll remember, Zendaya's performance as Rue made history at the 74th Emmys; she became the first Black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice, not to mention the the youngest two-time winner for acting. The next chapter of the Euphoria story has been pushed back to 2025, so Z and her castmates will still have another shot in future years.
Stranger Things was also affected by the 75th Emmys timeline rules. The fourth season of the Netflix sci-fi series was split into two parts, with Volume 1's seven episodes releasing on May 27, 2022 and Volume 2's two episodes releasing on July 1, 2022, completing the season. Since Vol. 1 was released before May 31, 2022, it was eligible for the 2022 Emmy Awards; in case you don't remember, the show earned 13 nominations and took home five awards.
However, the lengthy episode duo that is Volume 2 missed the eligibility window for the 2022 awards by just a few weeks — and was considered ineligible for the 2023 awards for most major categories due to new Emmys episode count criteria, as the nomination committee requires shows submit six episodes in order to be considered. There's always next season, though — production has officially begun on the fifth and final season as of January 9.
2023 — well, 2024, I guess — is a big year for the Emmys, regardless of Stranger Things and Euphoria. In news that will surprise absolutely no one, Succession and The White Lotus swept the major drama categories, while Abbott Elementary and The Bear nabbed plenty of noms in the comedy categories. Wednesday had a huge year, with 21-year-old star Jenna Ortega earning her first nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The 2023 Emmy Awards will air on January 15, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, so start making your winner predictions now.
This post has been updated.