Emmy Nominations 2022: A recap of all the LGBTQ folks, characters, and shows that got an Emmy nod!
The 74th Emmy Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning and we’re happy to report that there were quite a few LGBTQ+ folks, characters, and queer-inclusive shows that received a well-deserved nod.
And while some of our favorite shows and actors got snubbed (*coughs* Our Flag Means Death *coughs* Hunter Schafer *coughs* – to name a few), and some people who didn’t deserve any recognition got it (*coughs* Dave Chappelle’s The Closer *coughs*), we’re happy with the recognition that some folks, stories, and characters that represent our community are receiving.
Melissa Fumero and J.B. Smoove were in charge of announcing the nominees after Television Academy Chairman Frank Sherma said this year’s Emmy submissions broke all records because production was at an all-time high. In other words, it was a bloodbath to select the best of the best and it shows in some of the big categories, but that’s a story for another day. We’re here for our LGBTQ folks, characters, and shows that were nominated, so let’s focus on that!
Without further ado, here’s the rainbow side of the long list of Emmy nominations.
Best Drama, Comedy, Limited Series and TV Movie nominations
Best Drama Series
Perhaps one of the most difficult categories this year was Best Drama, among this year’s top nominees we find queer shows like Yellowjackets (Showtime) – which features several queer female characters, and Euphoria (HBO) – which, while controversial, has been a source of queer representation since its very first episode.
Among the queer-inclusive drama shows that received an Emmy nomination were Stranger Things (Netflix) – which now features two canon queer characters, and Severance (Apple TV+) – which has two gay male characters. Other nominees include: Ozark (Netflix), Better Call Saul (AMC), Succession (HBO), and Squid Game (Netflix).
Best Comedy Series
In the Best Comedy category, fan-favorite queer show Hacks (HBO) got a well-deserved nod. Abbot Elementary (ABC) – which features a gay male character, and What We Do in the Shadows (FX) – which is notable for its pansexual representation, also got a nomination.
Among the queer-inclusive shows that received a nomination were Barry (HBO) – which features a gay antihero, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) – which is finally addressing Susie’s sexuality (well, kind of), and Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) – which, while not including queer characters in its story so far, is directed and produced by Jamie Babbit, who is an openly queer creator. Other nominees include: Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) and Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Best Limited or Anthology Series
In the category of Best limited or Anthology Series, we have queer-inclusive shows like The White Lotus (HBO) – which has a few gay men in their luxurious resort, and Dopesick (Hulu) – which features a lesbian character. Other nominees include: The Dropout (Hulu), Inventing Anna (Netflix), and Pam & Tommy (Hulu).
Best Television Movie
This category includes Emmy nods for queer-inclusive productions like Ray Donovan: The Movie (Showtime) and Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (NBC), as well as some recognition for Reno 911! The Hunt for Q-Anon (Comedy Central), starring bisexual actor Niecy Nash. Other nominees include: Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney+) and The Survivor (Netflix).
Best Actress and Actor in Drama, and Limited or Anthology Series nominations
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Of the six nominees for this category, four of these remarkable actresses are nominated for playing queer roles: Reese Witherspoon for her role as Bradley Jackson on The Morning Show (Apple TV+), Zendaya for her role as Rue on Euphoria (HBO), and both Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh for their roles as Villanelle and Eve respectively on Killing Eve (BBC). Other nominees include: Laura Linney for Ozark (Netflix), and Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets (Showtime).
Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series
In this category, Colin Firth stands out for playing bisexual character, Michael Peterson, in The Staircase (HBO), and we’re gonna include Andrew Garfield’s nomination for his role as Detective Jeb Pyre in Under the Banner of Heaven for being a series created by openly gay Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. Other nominees include: Oscar Isaac for Scenes From a Marriage (HBO), Michael Keaton for Dopesick (Hulu), Himesh Patel for Station Eleven (HBO), and Sebastian Stan for Pam & Tommy (Hulu).
Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series
This category is well represented by queer icon and acting legend Sarah Paulson, who earned a well-deserved Emmy nomination for her work in Ryan Murphy’s Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX). Other nominees include: Toni Collette for The Staircase (HBO), Julia Garner for Inventing Anna (Netflix), Lily James for Pam & Tommy (Hulu), Margaret Qualley for Maid (Netflix), and Amanda Seyfried for The Dropout (Hulu).
Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama, Comedy, and Limited or Anthology Series nominations
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Of the eight actors nominated in this category, two are nominated for playing queer roles and in the same TV show: John Turturro and Christopher Walken, who play Irving and Burt in Severence (Apple TV+) and who are also a couple in fiction. Other nominees include: Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Macfadyen for Succession (HBO), Billy Crudup for The Morning Show (Apple TV+), and Park Hae-soo and Oh Yeong-Su for Squid Game (Netflix).
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
For Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, queer writer/actress Hannah Einbinder received a nod for her role as bisexual writer Ava on Hacks (HBO), Alex Borstein for her character Susie Myerson on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), and iconic queer actress, comedian, and writer Kate McKinnon for her work on the final season of Saturday Night Live (NBC). Other nominees include: Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph for Abbott Elementary (ABC), and Sarah Niles, Juno Temple, and Hannah Waddingham for Ted Lasso (Apple TV+).
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
In this category, queer actor and comedian Bowen Yang received an Emmy nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live (NBC). Other nominees include: Anthony Carrigan and Henry Winkler for Barry (HBO), Brett Goldstein, Toheeb Jimoh, and Nick Mohammed for Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Tyler James Williams for Abbott Elementary (ABC), and Tony Shalhoub for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon).
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series
Kaitlyn Dever earned a nomination for playing a queer character on Dopesick (Hulu). Other nominees include: Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Natasha Rothwell, and Sydney Sweeney for The White Lotus (HBO), and Mare Winningham for Dopesick (Hulu).
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series
Out gay actor Murray Bartlett got a well-deserved Emmy nod for his role as Armond in The White Lotus (HBO). Other nominees include: Jake Lacy and Steve Zahn for The White Lotus (HBO), Will Poulter, Peter Sarsgaard, and Michael Stuhlbarg for Dopesick (Hulu), and Seth Rogen for Pam & Tommy (Hulu).
Best Reality or Competition Program and Best Host for a Reality or Competition Program nominations
Best Reality or Competition Program
This category honored some fan-favorite LGBTQ shows like, The Amazing Race (CBS), Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (Amazon), Nailed It! (Netflix), RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), and Top Chef (Bravo). Other nominees include: The Voice (NBC).
Best Host for a Reality or Competition Program
This category included nods for beloved Queer Eye (Netflix) hosts Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness, for comedian, actor and host Nicole Byer of Nailed It! (Netflix), and for TV personality RuPaul from RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1). Other nominees include: Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman of Making It (NBC), Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank (ABC), and Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef (Bravo).
Best Guest Actor and Actress in a Drama and Comedy series nominations
Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Gay actor Colman Domingo got a well-deserved nod for his guest role as Ali Muhammad on Euphoria (HBO). Other nominees include: Adrien Brody, James Cronwell, Arian Moayed, and Alexander Skarsgard from Succession (HBO), and Tom Pelphrey from Ozark (Netflix).
Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Actress, comedian, and author Jane Lynch got some recognition for her cameo as Sazz Pataki, Charles’ stunt double in Only Murders in the Building (Hulu). Other nominees include: Jane Adams, Harriet Sansom Harris, Laurie Metcalf, and Kaitlin Olson from Hacks (HBO), and Harriet Walter from Ted Lasso (Apple TV+).
Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
In this category, gay comedian Jerrod Carmichael received a nomination for his work on Saturday Night Live (NBC), as well as gay actor and comedian Nathan Lane for his work on Only Murders in the Building (Hulu). Other nominees include: Bill Hader from Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), James Lance and Sam Richardson from Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), and Christopher McDonald from Hacks (HBO).
Best Writing and directing for a Comedy, Limited or Anthology Series, Movie, or Drama Special nominations
Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Drama Special
In this category, queer writer Sarah Burgess got a nod for her work in the episode ‘Man Handled’ on Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX). Gay writer/producer Mike White also got a nod for his work on The White Lotus (HBO). Other nominees include: Elizabeth Meriwether for The Dropout (Hulu), Molly Smith Metzler for Maid (Netflix), Patrick Somerville for Station Eleven (HBO), and Danny Strong for Dopesick (Hulu).
Directing for a Comedy Series
For the Directing for a Comedy Series category, LGBTQ directors Jamie Babbit and Cherien Dabis got a nod for their work on Only Murders in the Building. Babbit for the pilot episode ‘True Crime’ and Dabis for episode 7 ‘The Boy From 6B’. Other nominees include: Lucia Aniello for Hacks, Mary Lou Belli for The Ms. Pat Show, MJ Delaney for Ted Lasso, Bill Hader for Barry, and Hiro Murai for Atlanta.
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series
For the Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series category, queer director Francesca Gregorini got a nod for her work on The Dropout (Hulu), as well as Mike White for his work on The White Lotus (HBO). Other nominees include: Michael Showalter for The Dropout (Hulu), John Wells for Maid (Netflix), Hiro Murai for Station Eleven (HBO), and Danny Strong for Dopesick (Hulu).
And there you have it folks! The complete recap of all the LGBTQ folks, characters, and/or shows that received an Emmy nomination for their work in the past year! Who are you rooting for? Let us know in the comments section below!
You can check out the full list of nominees on the official Emmys site. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
