Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV performances they’re stunned were snubbed at major awards shows, especially at the Emmys.
Here are 14 of their top answers:
1.“Jonathan Bailey not winning for his role as Tim Laughlin in Fellow Travelers. He was so exceptional in that show. All the critics were saying the same. His Emmy loss was surprising, at least to me.”
“No hate to Lamorne Morris, he’s great. I just really thought Jonathan had a chance to win this.”
—officialcaptain266
Jonathan lost the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie in 2024. Lamorne won for the role of Trooper Witt Farr in Fargo.
However, Jonathan won a Critics’ Choice Television Award, Dorian TV Award, Satellite Award, and Astra TV Award for his role in Fellow Travelers.
©Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection
2.“Nick Offerman! How he never won [a major] award for playing Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation is absolutely shocking!”
—nattyiscool
He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2011 and 2012.
In 2011, he won Individual Achievement in Comedy at the Television Critics Association.
Colleen Hayes/©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection
3.“Kaley Cuoco as Penny on The Big Bang Theory. She played Penny perfectly and consistently throughout the series. Her contribution was so underrated.”
—acidiczebra753
“I definitely agree! Just the simple fact that with the majestic humor of Jim Parsons and Simon Helberg, she was able to hold her own on the show always made me think that she is such a strong actor.”
—messysinger64
Kaley did win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards (though she tied with Eden Sher from The Middle).
However, she was never nominated for an Emmy. For comparison, her costar Jim Parsons won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, and he was also nominated in 2009 and 2012. Johnny Galecki and Mayim Bialik have also been nominated for their roles.
Sonja Flemming / ©CBS / courtesy Everett Collection
4.“I absolutely cannot believe that, over 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Simon Helberg never got an Emmy for playing Howard Wolowitz. Not only was he absolutely hilarious, but his range is so dynamic. I thought he would win a couple of Emmys, and each year I was so disappointed.”
“All of the great celebrity impressions he did were so memorable. The way that he moved his body, arms, and hands around all of the time — just the general way he moved his entire body around when he spoke — gave him such hilarious eccentricities!’💫 THOR AND DOCTOR JONES💥'”
—messysinger64
Simon was never nominated for an Emmy, but he did win Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2013.
Sonja Flemming / ©CBS / courtesy Everett Collection
5.“HBO’s The Last of Us. If it weren’t for Succession, The Last of Us would have swept the Emmys, and Pedro Pascal deserved the Emmy for his performance as Joel Miller.”
“The Last of Us deserved better than two measly guest spot Emmys for Nick Offerman as Bill and Storm Reid as Riley.”
—theskinnydude
In 2024, the show and lead actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were all nominated at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and the Primetime Emmy Awards. That year, Pedro won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the SAG Awards.
Max / Via youtube.com
6.“Pedro Pascal in The Mandalorian. Even though he has his helmet on 90 percent of the time, he still conveys emotion through his body language and tone of voice. This is the way.”
7.“D’Arcy Carden should have been nominated and won EVERYTHING for playing Greta in A League of Their Own.”
“Honestly, the show was snubbed overall, and that’s a travesty.”
—duct_tape_heart
Anne Marie Fox / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection
8.“D’Arcy Carden also should have won everything for playing Janet on The Good Place.”
—rachelr4585454ac
“D’Arcy Carden should have gotten ALL the awards for her riveting, spot on, BRILLIANT performance(s) in The Good Place episode ‘Janet(s).’ The way she so perfectly and accurately portrayed all the other characters is uncanny and absolutely masterful.
Honestly, the mere fact that The Good Place never won a single Emmy is one of the biggest snubs and insults in television history.”
—ravenbard
In 2020, D’Arcy was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the Emmys and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
NBC / Via Netflix
9.“I am surprised that Supernatural never received an Emmy. It was nominated three times for sound editing and music on the show, but the actors never received any nominations. Jensen Ackles deserved one for the scene where he is losing his memory in [the episode] ‘Regarding Dean.'”
—abourque
“I was going to mention Supernatural as well. There’s another show that, during 15 seasons, should have been nominated for and won many, many Emmys.
I believe shows like this, being on the CW, just get overlooked automatically because of the demographics that they are geared for. It’s simply unfair!”
—messysinger64
The CW / Via Netflix
10.“Jennifer Jason Leigh was not even nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lorraine Lyon in the latest Fargo series. She was outstanding as the ‘rich bitch’ mother-in-law of star Juno Temple!”
11.“Iain De Caestecker for the role of Leo Fitz in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Specifically, in Season 2, when he was dealing with his injury and Ward’s betrayal.”
12.“Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan for Outlander. They are just BRILLIANT.”
—popgoesmyheart
Caitríona was nominated for Best Actress – Television Series Drama at the Golden Globes in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. She was also nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2017, 2018, and 2024. Additionally, she is nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the upcoming 2025 Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
Sam was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2016.
Robert Wilson / ©Starz / Courtesy Everett Collection
13.“Robert Sean Leonard playing Wilson from House M.D. Especially the episode ‘The C-Word.’ Phenomenal acting.”
14.And finally: “Everyone from Interview with the Vampire is excellent! Jacob Anderson (Louis de Pointe du Lac), Sam Reid (Lestat de Lioncourt), Assad Zaman (Armand), Eric Bogosian (Daniel Molloy), Bailey Bass (Claudia in Season 1), Delainey Hayles (Claudia in Season 2), and Ben Daniels (Santiago).”
“But especially the first four people I mentioned.”
—grouchytable74
For the upcoming 2025 Critics’ Choice Television Awards, the series has been nominated for Best Drama Series, and Sam Reid has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Alfonso Bresciani / ©AMC+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Now, which movie performances were you stunned got snubbed by major awards shows? Why? Let us know in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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