Emmy Nominations 2018: Netflix Takes Over

For the first time, the streaming service received more total nods than HBO, ending the premium-cable channel’s 17-year domination.

Matt Sayles / AP Images

For the last 17 years, HBO has received more Emmy nominations annually than any other network, cable provider, or streaming service. That streak ended on Thursday, when the nominations for the 70th Emmy Awards were announced in Los Angeles. This time it was Netflix, with 112 total nominations to HBO’s 108, that topped the list.

On the one hand, it’s a tangible awards victory for Netflix’s flood-the-market strategy. As my colleague David Sims wrote on Monday, Netflix plans to spend between $12 and $13 billion this year on original programming, while HBO’s budget in 2017 was a thrifty $2.5 billion by comparison. Netflix’s numbers game seems to be paying off. But HBO still dominates when it comes to individual programs. Game of Thrones topped the list of shows this year with 22 total nominations, while Westworld’s 21 nominations drew for second place with Saturday Night Live. In other words HBO still has the blockbusters. But with 13 nominations for The Crown, 12 for the limited-series Western Godless and the sci-fi drama Stranger Things, and 10 for the wrestling comedy GLOW, Netflix has plenty of hits of its own, and it’s barely getting started.

In terms of surprises, the announcement of this year’s nominee slate—presented by Samira Wiley and Ryan Eggold—didn’t have too much to offer. Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which won outstanding drama series in 2017 upon its debut, claimed another 20 nominations, including acting nods for its star, Elisabeth Moss, and its supporting actors. Yvonne Strahovski, who plays Serena, was nominated for the first time in the supporting actress in a drama series category, joining her co-stars Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) and Alexis Bledel (Emily). FX’s Atlanta, another sophomore series, added 16 new nominations to last year’s six, including first-time nods for Zazie Beetz (Van) and the writer Stefani Robinson (for the episode “Barbershop”). Other first-time Emmy nominees included Issa Rae, the creator, writer, and star of HBO’s Insecure, who was nominated for lead actress in a comedy series, and Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, who received an outstanding supporting actress in a limited series nod for her role in the Black Mirror episode “Black Museum.”

The retirement of HBO’s Veep left openings in the comedy categories, particularly in the leading actress field, which Julia-Louis Dreyfus won for six consecutive years through 2017. Newcomers to the category in 2018 included Rae and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy for the same show earlier this year. In the comedy-series category, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel joined newcomers GLOW and Barry, Bill Hader and Alec Berg’s HBO series about a discontented hit man. Hader, like Atlanta’s Donald Glover, was nominated in the acting, writing, and directing categories this year, while Hader’s Barry co-star Henry Winkler received a supporting actor nomination.

Without Big Little Lies to compete with, the limited-series categories might offer some unexpected winners at the Emmy Awards in September. The contenders for best limited series including TNT’s The Alienist, National Geographic’s Genius: Picasso, Netflix’s Godless, and Showtime’s Patrick Melrose, along with FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The category for lead actress in a limited series, which includes Jessica Biel, Laura Dern, Michelle Dockery, Edie Falco, Regina King, and Sarah Paulson, feels particularly stacked. In the lead actor in a limited series category, Antonio Banderas faces off against Darren Criss, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeff Daniels, Jesse Plemons, and John Legend, who, if he won, would achieve EGOT status.

Other nominees of note include Sandra Oh, the first Asian-American woman nominated for lead actress in a drama; Laurie Metcalf, who received a supporting-actress in a comedy nomination for Roseanne, Megan Amram, whose web series An Emmy for Megan appears to be paying off, and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, which was nominated for six awards this year. The 70th Emmy Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Colin Jost, will air live on NBC on September 17. The list of nominees is below.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Atlanta, FX
Barry, HBO
black-ish, ABC
Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
GLOW, Netflix
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon
Silicon Valley, HBO
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix

Outstanding Drama Series

The Americans, FX
The Crown, Netflix
Game of Thrones, HBO
The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu
Stranger Things, Netflix
This Is Us, NBC
Westworld, HBO

Outstanding Limited Series

The Alienist, TNT
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, FX
Genius: Picasso, National Geographic
Godless, Netflix
Patrick Melrose, Showtime

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Ed Harris, Westworld
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Claire Foy, The Crown
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Bill Hader, Barry
William H. Macy, Shameless

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Allison Janney, Mom
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
Jeff Daniels, The Looming Tower
John Legend, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Jesse Plemons, Black Mirror: USS Callister

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Jessica Biel, The Sinner
Laura Dern, The Tale
Michelle Dockery, Godless
Edie Falco, Law and Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Regina King, Seven Seconds
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Cult

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Matt Smith, The Crown
Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaid’s Tale

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Vanessa Kirby, The Crown
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Thandie Newton, Westworld

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
Henry Winkler, Barry
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Zazie Beetz, Atlanta
Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace

Outstanding Reality Competition Series

The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Project Runway
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

At Home with Amy Sedaris
Drunk History
I Love You America with Sarah Silverman
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live
Tracey Ullman’s Show

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight
with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Sophie Gilbert is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism.