Experts break down the worst Emmy snubs of all time

After each Emmys, it’s de rigueur to constitute astir shows that were “snubbed.” But let’s enactment it successful perspective: If “The Bob Newhart Show” ne'er won an Emmy, wherefore should you?

Then again, wherefore didn’t CBS’ 1970s sitcom ever triumph an Emmy? Or “The Wire,” for that matter? Or “Better Call Saul,” “New Girl,” “Parks and Recreation,” “My So-Called Life,” “Better Things,” “The Good Place,” “BoJack Horseman” and galore different beloved shows?

In galore cases, shows unopen retired astatine the Emmys person stood the trial of time, if not the trial of voters astatine the time. So wherefore bash immoderate bid — including still-eligible titles similar “NCIS,” “It’s Always Sunny successful Philadelphia” and “Yellowstone” — autumn done the cracks?

It happens astatine the Academy Awards too, of course. “But with the Oscars, you lone person 1 ace astatine it — if thing other got the momentum, there’s thing you tin do,” says Jason Lynch, curator astatine New York’s Paley Center for Media. “For TV, theoretically, if thing goes for respective seasons, you get aggregate cracks astatine it, truthful if a bid inactive hasn’t received immoderate Emmys, that discrepancy is much glaring and apparent. You can’t conscionable accidental that was a brainsick year.”

Bob Odenkirk successful “Better Call Saul.”

(Greg Lewis / AMC / Sony Pictures Television)

“Better Call Saul” is simply a vivid example. “It went 0 for 53 nominations,” Lynch says. “There was this drumbeat, the last season, wherever journalists are reminding Emmy voters, ‘This is your past chance, please’” — to nary avail.

That’s different mode the Emmys disagree from the Oscars, notes Irving Belateche, prof of the signifier of cinematic arts astatine USC. “With the Oscars, you tin constituent to times erstwhile radical yet get a benignant of vocation award, adjacent if it’s not for that relation oregon that film. In the Emmys, they don’t bash that, wherever they say, ‘Let’s yet springiness “Better Call Saul” a win.’ That, I don’t understand.”

Then again, Belateche adds, the bid was up against stiff competition: “‘Game of Thrones’ 4 times and ‘Succession’ twice. There are truthful galore good, fashionable shows you’re competing against, it’s not truthful chopped and dried.” Similarly, “The Bob Newhart Show” faced disconnected against “All successful the Family,” “MASH” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Still, adjacent beardown fields can’t explicate distant the Emmys’ attraction of “The Wire” — often listed among the top TV shows of each clip — which not lone ne'er won successful 5 seasons but was lone nominated twice. “And ‘Parks and Recreation’ is perfectly 1 of the apical 3 comedies of the 21st century,” Lynch says. “To ne'er triumph a azygous Emmy is unfathomable.”

A clown lies connected a sofa and tells his problems to American comedian and histrion Bob Newhart, who plays a psychiatrist successful “The Bob Newhart Show,” 1972.

(CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images)

Genre bias is different concern, Belateche says. “That worked against immoderate of the shows that were overlooked, similar ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’” Although “Buffy” did triumph 2 Creative Arts Emmys, for constitution and euphony composition, it was up against episodes of “The Sopranos” and “The West Wing” — the benignant of prestige dramas that traditionally bash good with voters — erstwhile it was nominated successful 2000 for writing.

“Sometimes the format and the code enactment against it,” says Belateche. “Obviously that’s existent of ‘It’s Always Sunny successful Philadelphia.’” Set to premiere its 17th play successful July, “Sunny” has received lone 3 nods for stunt coordination. “It’s ace quirky and truly fashionable among the younger crowd, similar my students.” “BoJack Horseman’s” six surreal seasons likewise yielded conscionable 3 nods.

The information process itself tin contiguous a challenge. “You’re lone submitting 1 episode,” Lynch points out. “When we’re reasoning astir award-worthy performances, we’re reasoning astir full seasons, oregon aggregate seasons, but a elector is lone watching immoderate occurrence is submitted, which could beryllium a large showcase for a country oregon 2 but is not giving you each the discourse you request to admit that show. And I don’t cognize however to hole that. To their credit, the Television Academy has tried. Every mates of years they bash alteration the voting procedures, and sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Plus, voters whitethorn deficiency overmuch clip to absorption connected thing but their ain work: “If you inquire showrunners and producers what they’re watching, they say, ‘I’m truthful engaged I don’t person clip to ticker anything.’ That’s a occupation arsenic well,” says Lynch.

Amy Poehler arsenic Leslie Knope and Nick Offerman arsenic Ron Swanson successful the aviator occurrence of “Parks and Recreation.”

(Mitch Haddad / NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“The different happening that we’ve seen, adjacent much truthful the past mates of years, is that Emmy voters are often reflexively voting for immoderate they voted for the erstwhile years,” helium adds. “Something similar a ‘Modern Family’ was winning each year. And present we’re getting a batch of sweeps, which became astir evident successful 2020 erstwhile ‘Schitt’s Creek’ ran the board. It’s harder for different shows to get successful determination erstwhile you person lone a tiny fistful of shows hoovering up each of the awards.” And if shows don’t people wins aboriginal successful their run, it’s each the harder for them to interruption done later.

Lynch would emotion to spot a mode for TV Academy members to ballot for shows erstwhile they’re intelligibly seen arsenic portion of the pantheon. “It’s lone clip that’s going to springiness you that consciousness of a show’s legacy. But this is simply a TV business; nobody’s going to ticker an Emmy amusement successful 2025 that’s giving distant trophies to shows from 2015.”

Then again, the Emmys’ Governors Award has occasionally been fixed to shows, and the full “Star Trek” franchise won a Governors Award successful 2018 successful designation of its lasting impact, yet celebrating that archetypal Emmy-less bid (along with six others). There whitethorn beryllium anticipation for “The Wire” yet.