Our Dream Emmy Nominees

We do a lot of prognosticating on Little Gold Men around this time of year, and we’ll certainly do more before Emmy nominations are finally announced on July 17. (It’s been a long spring, guys.) But on the podcast this week, David Canfield and Richard Lawson took a break from the horse race to stump for some contenders they hope can break through the noise. It’s getting harder and harder for smaller shows to find their way with the Television Academy, with audiences splintering and the biggest stuff tending to win out by default. It’s a fact that becomes especially evident when one merely scrolls through the nomination ballots, which Television Academy members continue to sift through as they cast their votes (reminder, everyone—the deadline is Monday!). Seeing the sheer number of performers from the likes of The Bear, Shōgun, and Hacks—which are all expected to rack up double-digit tallies on nomination day—offers a sobering reminder of just how dominant these excellent series may prove to be.

So let’s try to spread the love a little bit. In addition to making this week’s podcast, the members of Vanity Fair’s Awards Insider team put their heads together to list eight underdogs that deserve a real shot at gold this season. We’re giving voters the weekend to catch up on these hidden gems, and then decide for themselves whether they’re worth including. Yeah, that ninth actor from The Bear is probably pretty great, but have you truly seen the Girls5eva ensemble in action? We’re confident that if you do, you might be open to expanding your ballot horizons a bit.

8 Brilliant Underdogs That Most Deserve Emmy Nominations This Year

Give these contenders a chance.

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