SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Two HBO Max shows emerged as the most recognized series in the 78th Emmy Award nominations announced today. "Hacks" was the most nominated comedy, and "The Pitt" was the most nominated drama. "The Pitt," which is centered on a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room, also got the most nominations of any TV series, with a whopping 25. One of those was, of course, for star Noah Wyle, who plays a troubled ER physician on the show.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE PITT")
NOAH WYLE: (As Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch) You know how they say that a part of you dies when you lose someone you love? I'm not convinced that a part of you doesn't die every time you see a fellow human pass. And I've seen so many people die that I feel like it's leeching something from my soul.
DETROW: Now, Wyle's nomination was widely predicted, but there are a lot of other snubs and surprises among the Emmy nominations. So we have NPR critic-at-large Eric Deggans here to talk us through it. Hey, Eric.
ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: Hey. Feels like the World Cup for TV nerds, man. This is awesome (laughter).
DETROW: I just got to say, I first heard about "The Pitt" when I talked to you about it for ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and I was a little skeptical during that conversation. And I was so wrong. I was so wrong. It's a really good (ph) show.
DEGGANS: I'm happy to bask in my success (laughter).
DETROW: So, obviously, this conversation begins and ends with "The Pitt," but who were some of the other big nominees today?
DEGGANS: Well, like you said, "The Pitt" is a real TV phenomenon, and "Hacks" also did really well in its fifth and final season. They got 24 nominations and set a new record for most nominations in a single year for a TV comedy. But I'm really excited that two brand-new shows also got a lot of nominations. So Apple TV has got a science fiction show, "Pluribus," in which most of humanity becomes a giant hive mind. They got 18 nods. Another Apple TV show, this supernatural thriller comedy, "Widow's Bay," got 19 nominations. And it debuted in April, and it's so new that some of the episodes aren't even eligible for this year's Emmys. So it proves that the voters in the TV Academy are probably paying attention to new shows a little bit more.
DETROW: Interesting. So that's shows. What about individual performers?
DEGGANS: Well, there was a nice mix. We got people who've been nominated before, and they're clearly liked by Emmy voters, like "Hacks" star Jean Smart or "Abbott Elementary" star Quinta Brunson. They were both nominated for best comedy actress. They also recognized people who are new to the awards, like Chase Infiniti, who stars in Hulu's "Handmaid's Tale" spinoff "The Testaments." She got nominated as best actress in a drama. And "The Pitt" dominated supporting acting categories. There's 14 slots available for best supporting actress and actor in a drama, total, and "The Pitt" got seven nominations out of them.
DETROW: We promised surprises. We promised snubs. Let's talk about them.
DEGGANS: All right, well, the restaurant dramedy "The Bear" - it's seen its popularity in award shows really go down. It was nearly shut out of acting categories, and star Jeremy Allen White, in particular, was not nominated. "Matlock" star Kathy Bates, nominated last year as best actress in a drama, not nominated. Netflix's "Stranger Things" got nominated but not in major categories. And in a poignant moment, we saw director and actor Rob Reiner, who was killed in his home with his wife in December, nominated posthumously for his guest-starring role in "The Bear."
DETROW: That was a really sweet role that he had in that last season.
DEGGANS: Yeah, yeah.
DETROW: Did you see any trends that could tell us something about the state of TV today?
DEGGANS: Well, we're seeing Apple TV really do well with new shows, and not so much attention to Netflix shows. So maybe there's a sense that quality is going up at Apple TV, and it's dipping a little at Netflix. Diversity-wise, I was glad to see nonwhite performers nominated in almost every major acting category. Stephen Colbert's "Late Show," which was canceled by Paramount in a move that a lot of critics saw as appeasing the Trump administration, got nine nominations, including best talk show. So they're showing support for a performer who was seemingly targeted for his speech.
DETROW: NPR critic-at-large Eric Deggans. Thanks so much, Eric.
DEGGANS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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