Emmys snubs and surprises: Steve McQueen’s acclaimed Small Axe series overlooked

The nominations for the 73rd Emmy Awards delivered the usual mix of snubs and surprises.

One of the most acclaimed British shows of the last 12 months was almost completely shut out, while there was better news for a Netflix show which was met with a middling critical response upon release.

Here are some notable inclusions and omissions from the Emmy nominations:

– Snubs

Small Axe

Sir Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology series was met by widespread critical acclaim when it arrived on the BBC last year.

It featured stars including Letitia Wright and John Boyega – with the latter winning a Golden Globe for the Red, White And Blue episode.

However at the Emmys it missed out on nominations for limited or anthology series and its actors were shut out.

Small Axe’s sole nod was for cinematography.

Pedro Pascal 

The Mandalorian star missed out on an outstanding drama actor nod, despite the show’s second season being widely acclaimed.

However, he may be comforted by the series’ overall strong showing.

The Mandalorian tied with The Crown for most nominations, with 24.

Phoebe Dynevor

Dynevor and her Bridgerton co-star Rege-Jean Page shot to superstardom after millions of fans around the world were swept up in their on-screen love story.

But while Page bagged an Emmy nomination for playing the Duke of Hastings,  Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton, missed out.

Nicole Kidman

HBO’s mystery thriller The Undoing generated a lot of buzz when it premiered last year.

However, that did not translate into much Emmy recognition.

Hugh Grant was nominated for his role in the drama, but his co-star Kidman was snubbed.

– Surprises

Emily In Paris

The Netflix comedy-drama premiered to middling reviews in October last year and was caught up in the controversy surrounding the Golden Globes’s voting body when it was nominated at that ceremony.

However, Emmy voters appear to have dismissed both of those factors and Emily In Paris scored two nods, including for the prestigious outstanding comedy series.

The Boys

Amazon’s anti-superhero series earned five nominations, including for outstanding drama.

While it has been a huge hit with fans since premiering in 2019, some feared the genre series would be ignored by voters who often seem to prefer more sedate fare.

Mj Rodriguez

The star of Pose became the first transgender woman to be nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.

LGBT advocacy group GLAAD hailed the nod as historic.