Rookie Club
First-time nominees make a big impact with Emmy voters
Although the 2024 Emmy nominations feature many of the same shows again and again, it does include quite a few first-time nominees, especially in the acting categories. Some of the best actors have never been recognized by the TV academy ... until now.
“Shōgun” nabbed 25 nominations, with many of the FX series’ actors being honored for the first time, including Anna Sawai (lead actress), Hiroyuki Sanada (lead actor), Tadanobu Asano (supporting actor), Takehiro Hira (supporting actor) and Néstor Carbonell (guest actor).
Sanada isn’t the only rookie in the lead actor in a drama category as “The Crown” star Dominic West has surprisingly never earned a nod despite key roles in “The Wire” and “The Affair.” The comedy lead actor and limited lead actor categories also include two newcomers each. For comedy, Matt Berry, who portrays Laszlo Cravensworth in FX’S “What We Do in the Shadows,” and D’pharaoh Woon-a-tai, who plays Bear in FX’S “Reservation Dogs,” were recognized. For limited series, “Baby Reindeer” creator and star Richard Gadd and “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” actor Tom Hollander picked up their first nods. Hollander’s co-star Naomi Watts picked up her first nom as well in the limited lead actress category for her role as Babe Paley.
The supporting acting categories are even more packed with rookies — but from fewer shows. In the supporting drama actress category, four of the seven nominees are first-timers: “The Morning Show” stars Greta Lee, Nicole Beharie and Karen Pittman and “The Crown’s” Lesley Manville. Three new supporting drama actors made it in as well: Asano and Hira (“Shōgun”) and Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses”).
“The Bear” breakouts Liza Colón-zayas and Lionel Boyce earned their first nods in the supporting comedy actor category, as did Paul Rudd for his part in “Only Murders in the Building.” (It’s somehow the actor’s first Emmy nomination, despite his nearly perfect spot on “Friends.”)
And then there’s the supporting race for limited/anthology/tv movie, which is packed with rookies. In fact, Diane Lane is the only actress in her group who’s been recognized before. She’ll compete against Dakota Fanning (“Ripley”), Lily Gladstone (“Under the Bridge”), Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”), Aja Naomi King (“Lessons in Chemistry”) and Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”).
The limited supporting actor category includes five newcomers as well: Jonathan Bailey (“Fellow Travelers”), Tom Goodman-hill (“Baby Reindeer”), John Hawkes (“True Detective: Night Country”), Lamorne Morris (“Fargo”) and Lewis Pullman (“Lessons in Chemistry”).
Ryan Gosling is also a first-time nominee in the comedy guest actor category for his turn at hosting “Saturday Night Live.” In the comedy guest actress category, Oscar-winner Da’vine Joy Randolph landed a nod for “Only Murders in the Building.” For guest spots in a drama, Tracy Letts earned his first nod for the now-canceled “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers’ Dynasty” while Parker Posey earned a nod for “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”
While Maya Rudolph has 15 Emmy nominations, this is her first-ever lead actress in a comedy series nod for her role in “Loot.” Elsewhere in the category is Selena Gomez, landing her first acting nod in the category for “Only Murders in the Building.” She has previously only earned producing noms for the Hulu comedy series. Ayo Edebiri won last year at the Emmys for her supporting role on “The Bear,” but this is also her first time in the lead category.
Although the Emmy for short-form comedy performers may not be as glitzy as the other acting categories, it’s important to highlight that two of the three noms are first-timers as well: Mena Suvari for “RZR” and Eric André for “The Eric Andre Show.”