Was Stranger Things eligible for the 2023 Emmy Awards?

Stranger Things season 4 as a whole was just amazing and worth the wait, even though it was an excessively long one! But it brought all the action, surprising twists, and a villainous villain. Plus, it knew how to hit us right in the feels with its character developments, especially when it came to Sadie Sink and Joseph Quinn’s performances.

Playing returning character Max, and newcomer Eddie, respectively, the two actors really knocked it out of the park with their stories this season. We definitely applaud their performances and think they definitely deserve to be recognized by the Emmy Awards. But if you look at the full list of this year’s nominations, Stranger Things is nowhere to be found in the Outstanding Drama or Best Actor categories. It’s a shame because these two really knocked it out of the park!

There are rules and eligibility requirements when it comes to award shows considering a series or movie. Did the popular sci-fi series meet those requirements for the 2023 season? We’ve got the answer for you below!

Was Stranger Things eligible for the 2023 Emmy Awards?

Unfortunately, Stranger Things was not eligible for the 2023 Emmy Awards. That’s why the show did not receive any nominations. Previously, the Emmys allowed for the “hanging episode rule.” That means if a show’s episode is released after the May 31 eligibility deadline, but before nomination voting started, then it could be considered. However, the Emmys got rid of this rule in June 2022. So even though season 4 vol. 2 came out July 1, 2022, the rule had already been axed.

Even so, there’s another rule that didn’t meet the criteria. To be eligible for Best Drama, a series has to have had at least six episodes during that time period. But Stranger Things season 4 vol. 1 premiered May 27, 2022 with vol. 2 out on July 1. Even though the last two episodes were very long, coming in at around four hours, it still means they weren’t eligible.

While that’s the case, season 4 episode 9 of the Netflix series did earn some recognition in the following categories: Outstanding Period And/Or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Music Supervision, Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour), and Outstanding Stunt Performance.

Stranger Things seasons 1 to 4 are streaming on Netflix, with season 5 in the works. For a full list of the 2023 Emmy nominations, head over to the Television Academy’s website.