Our Emmy Award Nomination Wishlist Includes 'Shrinking,' 'The Pitt'

by Tyler Glover & Julian Spivey
The nominees for the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Tuesday, July 15. Before the nominations are revealed we wanted to share some shows and performances we would love to see among the nominees, some that will most likely happen and many that probably won't, but sure would make our day. 

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"Shrinking" for Outstanding Comedy Series
Last month, I renewed my Apple TV+ subscription. Apple has been releasing numerous critically acclaimed and high-quality programs this year, and I had to check them out. The show at the top of my list was the hysterical and heartbreaking “Shrinking.” This comedy series follows Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel), a therapist who is dealing with intense grief after his wife’s sudden death in a car accident. One day, Jimmy decides to break ethical barriers by telling his patients exactly what he is thinking. This leads to chaos at first, but Jimmy is making a real difference in people’s lives. This cast is quite simply one of the best ensembles in recent TV history. Every character is unique, complex, interesting, and we care about all of them. An afternoon sitting around with these characters would truly be a treat. The cast includes Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Christa Miller, Harrison Ford, Ted McGinley and Lukita Maxwell. The writers manage to balance comedy and drama to near perfection. I do not typically binge-watch shows, but I got through Seasons 1 and 2 very quickly. I am anxiously awaiting the third season this fall. What blows my mind is how the Emmys only managed to nominate Segel for Actor and Williams for Supporting Actress last year. While I am happy they received their recognition, the show should have easily been nominated for Best Comedy Series, along with nominations for Writing, Directing and more of the cast. I am hoping to see the Academy give “Shrinking” more affection this time. If the Emmy nominations are announced and “Shrinking” is missing from the Comedy Series category again, I am going to recommend that everyone in the Academy see their therapist to find out what their problem is.  TG
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Photo: AppleTV+

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Jessica Williams (Shrinking) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
It is no secret that I believe “Shrinking” is one of the best shows on television right now, all you have to do is read the paragraph above. The writers have successfully brought such amazing characters to life. My favorite one is Gabby Evans, played by Emmy nominee Jessica Williams. Gabby is smart, funny, beautiful inside and out, and a true friend. I would love to have someone like Gabby in my life. She tells her friends exactly what she is thinking and does not cave to what that person may want her to tell them. What makes Williams’ performance so extraordinary is how she manages to balance the comedy and drama to perfection. Sometimes, even in the same scene, she goes from making us laugh to making us feel the tension of the moment. I am grateful the Academy nominated her for the first season, but they have to nominate her again. TG 

Photo: AppleTV+

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Ted McGinley (Shrinking) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
There are certainly more critical supporting acting performances on AppleTV+’s excellent “Shrinking” than Ted McGinley’s performance as Derek. In fact, he’s probably the least important character of the show’s cast – but dammit if the performance isn’t so hilariously charming, and McGinley has been in this business with little recognition for so long that it would be amazing to see him honored with a nomination. JS
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Photo: AppleTV+

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The Actresses of "The Pitt" instead of "The White Lotus" for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
OK, this one sounds mean, but every time there is a season of “The White Lotus” almost the entirety of the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category is taken up by the cast, and it’s not always because they give the best performances, but because it’s a show voters know and Emmy voters tend to be among the laziest award show voters. I fully expect to see at least four of the seven nominees in the category on Tuesday, when the nominations are announced, to be from the third season of “The White Lotus” – and this year that would truly be abhorrent when performances from the talented cast of Max’s “The Pitt” were, frankly, better. So, on Tuesday, I hope the actresses from “The Pitt” are the ones who dominate this category, because Tracy Ifeachor, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, and Isa Briones deserve the recognition.  JS
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Photo: HBO Max

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Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series 
The third season of “The White Lotus” is full of amazing performances. I will be shocked if they do not have many nominations on Emmy morning in both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The one that I am hoping for the most, though, is Natasha Rothwell for Supporting Actress. Rothwell plays Belinda Lindsey, a spa manager from the White Lotus hotel in Hawaii. She is attending a work exchange where she stumbles upon someone she recognizes: “Gary,” played by Jon Gries. It turns out he was married to a millionaire heiress, who turned up dead under suspicious circumstances. He meets with her and gives her an opportunity. It is truly a battle between her conscience and her ambition in life. Rothwell masterfully portrays the complexity of the situation, prompting us to question what we would do if faced with the same dilemma. Rothwell was the standout for me and I hope the Academy agrees on Emmy morning. TG 
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Photo: HBO

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The Studio for “Outstanding Comedy Series” 
What can I say? Apple TV+ is the one to watch this year at the Emmys. They have been on fire with the second season of “Severance,” “Shrinking” and this new comedy series brought to us by the hilarious Seth Rogen. I have always been a fan of movies and television shows that take us behind the scenes of the entertainment industry. It is a world I have always longed to be a part of, and I get excited to watch shows that explore this world. In “The Studio,” Rogen plays Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of a struggling film production company, Continental Studios. Matt’s ambition is to make quality entertainment and not just movies that are solely made for the money. He struggles to balance his wishes versus the demands from his boss, Griffin Mill (played by Emmy winner Bryan Cranston). The supporting cast is also exceptionally strong. The standouts for me are Catherine O’Hara as Patty Leigh, the former head, and Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason, the company’s head of marketing. What I love about “The Studio” is that it manages to keep the overarching story of Matt trying to achieve success as he defines it, but it is written in a very episodic manner. It is a callback to sitcoms of the past where issues arose and were solved by the end of the episode. One brilliant aspect of this show is that it managed to create a Golden Globes episode with so many guest stars that it felt like we were genuinely at the Golden Globes. That is tough to pull off, but “The Studio” did it perfectly. TG
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Photo: AppleTV+

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Bridget Everett (Somebody Somewhere) for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
I’ve always been a fan of the television underdog. I was high on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs” for its excellent three-season run and always disappointed when it failed to get the Emmy recognition, I felt it deserved. Now that it’s run is over, I’ve moved that underdog support over to HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere.” It’s hard to view an HBO show as an underdog but the series that sees Bridget Everett’s Samantha trying to survive the hardships of life in a small Kansas town has always been beloved by critics but never gotten love by the Television Academy – I wonder how these things happen. Everett is a revelation in “Somebody Somewhere,” perhaps given the most real-to-life performance in any comedy of the last few years. She will make you bust a gut laughing, but you will always wipe away tears when her performance turns dramatic. She deserves the recognition.  JS
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Photo: HBO

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Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Zahn McClarnon has been doing exceptional work on television for a while now – and not just in drama, his performance in Hulu’s comedy “Reservation Dogs” of that show’s exquisite three seasons was one of the funniest on TV. His done incredible dramatic work on AMC’s throwback “Dark Winds,” over that show’s three seasons, but always seems to be forgotten when it comes time for yearly honors. I realize his chances of receiving an Emmy nomination this year are slim-to-none, but it would truly be the highlight of Emmy nomination release day to me if he found his way into the mix. JS
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Photo: AMC

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Ariana Grande (Saturday Night Live) for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
There is no doubt that the “Saturday Night Live” writers gave Ariana Grande amazing material for her hosting gig in October 2024. It's remarkable that four sketches are instant classics for me. 1) “Castrati,” where Grande plays a shy, Renaissance-era boy named Antonio who communicates through high-pitched singing. 2) “Maybelline,” where Grande plays Jennifer Coolidge in a mirror talking to the “real” Jennifer Coolidge, played by Chloe Fineman hilariously as she prepares for a date, 3) “Bridesmaid Speech,” where Grande plays a bridesmaid, alongside many SNL greats, singing a song to the tune of “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Throughout the song, we discover that the bachelorette party involved a man named Domingo, who may be interested in the bride for himself. 4) Finally, my favorite one was “Charades With Mom.” Grande plays a mom who meets her son’s boyfriend and then plays a game of charades with them. Grande goes from cool mother-in-law to crazy mother-in-law fast, and the results are hilarious. Grande shows her versatility as a comedic actress in this ‘SNL’ episode, and if she isn’t nominated, she will have been robbed. TG

Photo: NBC

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Dana Carvey (Saturday Night Live) for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Dana Carvey is a “Saturday Night Live” legend and a once-upon-a-time Emmy-winner for his performance in the show (in a category that no longer exists – Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program), but I’d love to see his performance in the milestone 50th season of ‘SNL’ earn him another nomination. Carvey mostly performed as President Joe Biden in the first half of the show’s season, leading up to the 2024 presidential election, and did so in a way that gently mocked Biden’s current state, while also hitting home the playful grandfather-like aspects of the President. It was classic Carvey, taking realistic cues from a real-life person and hamming them up with some character choices that made for a lovable impression. JS

Photo: NBC