'Squid Game,' 'Abbott Elementary,' 'Succession' among top Emmy nominees

"Squid Game" and "Abbott Elementary" — just about as opposite as any two TV programs could conceivably be in our known universe — walked away with best series nods in the 74th annual Primetime Emmy nominations announced Tuesday. 

The Netflix sensation about a deadly game and ABC mockumentary sitcom about a 2nd-grade teacher together got a total of 21 nominations, including for best actor (Lee Jung-jae for "Game") and actress (Quinta Brunson for "Abbot"; she also got a nod for writing/comedy).

With both of these standouts as evidence, the 74th awards are a decent year for freshman shows — "Only Murders in the Building," "Yellowjackets" and "Severance" also got the nods they were widely expected to get — but a much better one for the established. HBO's "Euphoria" and "Barry" each got a total of 14 nominations but "Ted Lasso" — already the favorite to repeat as best comedy — got a total of 20 nominations. Only that other early favorite, "Succession, got more (25). 

Surprises? Snubs? Crimes of omission? (Or commission?) As usual, tastes may vary but Hulu's "Pam & Tommy" was certainly a surprise walk-on in a hugely competitive category (limited series) that ignored both "Gaslit" and "We Own This City." "This Is Us" also missed out on one last chance for Emmy renown, while "Yellowstone" (and its spinoff "1883") will have to await another year.   

The Emmys will be awarded on Monday, Sept. 12 on NBC.

Here are the key categories, with insta-analyses:

COMEDY 

"Abbott Elementary" (ABC)

"Barry" (HBO)

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)

 "Hacks" (HBO Max)

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" (Prime Video)

"Only Murders in the Building" (Hulu)

"Ted Lasso" (Apple TV+)

"What We Do in the Shadows" (FX)

Never underestimate the Emmys' capacity for doing what is expected (see above), which is why "Lasso" most likely walks away with its second consecutive win. Nice surprises can still happen — like either "Abbott" or "OMITB" — but just don't bet on them. 

DRAMA

"Better Call Saul" (AMC)

"Euphoria" (HBO)

"Ozark" (Netflix)

"Severance" (Apple TV+)

"Squid Game" (Netflix)

"Stranger Things" (Netflix)

"Succession" (HBO)

"Yellowjackets" (Showtime) 

Welcome to Dystopia Central, where each nominated series serves up its own special version of hell. But the shows also happen to be good. Who, then, will win? Sorry, "Saul" fans. There's nothing sentimental about Emmy voters, but they are predictable. "Succession" will repeat. 

LIMITED SERIES 

"Dopesick" (Hulu)

"The Dropout" (Hulu)

 "Inventing Anna" (Netflix)

 "Pam & Tommy" (Hulu)

 "The White Lotus" (HBO)

Hulu did a masterful job of marketing its series to the Emmy voters — too masterful, perhaps, because "Pam & Tommy" clearly doesn't belong on this list. But the rest do, yielding what might be this year's most competitive category. A big edge goes to "Dopesick" because of both subject matter and Michael Keaton's performance. 

ACTRESS/COMEDY

Rachel Brosnahan ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel")

Quinta Brunson ("Abbott Elementary")

Kaley Cuoco ("The Flight Attendant")

Elle Fanning ("The Great")

Issa Rae ("Insecure")

Jean Smart ("Hacks")

Once the Honorary Julia Louis-Dreyfus Award (she did win six straight times, after all), the best actress/comedy category has since allowed other winners, but rarely surprise ones. The performer who is expected to win always does, which is why Brunson is this year's favorite.    

ACTOR/COMEDY 

Donald Glover ("Atlanta")

Bill Hader ("Barry")

Nicholas Hoult ("The Great")

Steve Martin ("Only Murders in the Building")

Martin Short ("Only Murders in the Building)

Jason Sudeikis ("Ted Lasso") 

What's missing here is a name — Anthony Anderson, overlooked for the final season of "Black-ish," after nominations for every other prior season. But the category is a crowded one, and sets up just one key battle: Glover or Hader? Or (last year's winner) Sudeikis? Too close to call, but the Emmys do like repeats, so Sudeikis is favored. 

ACTOR/DRAMA

Jason Bateman ("Ozark")

Brian Cox ("Succession"

Lee Jung-jae ("Squid Game")

Bob Odenkirk ("Better Call Saul")

Adam Scott ("Severance")

Jeremy Strong ("Succession") 

While this sets up a repeat of the 72nd Awards (2020) when Strong beat out fellow castmate Cox, the more intriguing matchup is between sentimental favorites. Both Odenkirk and Bateman have wrapped their series' runs, which both have solid fan bases. The question is, do those fan bases include Emmy voters? So far, no, which is why Strong is still favored. 

ACTRESS/DRAMA 

Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve")

Laura Linney ("Ozark")

Melanie Lynskey ("Yellowjackets")

Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve")

Reese Witherspoon ("The Morning Show")

Zendaya ("Euphoria")

Speaking of repeat matchups, this category is nearly identical to 2020 — which, it should be noted, was not disrupted by a pandemic. Zendaya won that year, and is favored to win again.