Girls5eva, One Day, and the 3 most egregious Netflix Emmy snubs of 2024

Every time the Emmy Award nominations are announced, there's so much excitement. TV fans eagerly await the reveal of the full list, ready to see if their favorite shows and performers landed deserving nominations. On the flip side of that excitement is the inevitable disappointment when your faves are shut out and left off the nominations list.

This year, Netflix earned the most nominations of any other streaming service or network, but that doesn't mean all of its deserved content and stars were nominated for top honors. Out of its 107 total nominations, its original series The Crown, Ripley, and Baby Reindeer were the highest earners. Naturally, that left less room for other shows and stars to breakout amid stiff competition.

Not being nominated for an Emmy or any award certainly does not ever take away from the accomplishment of hard work or its impact on an audience. But it's human nature to want to see your favorite things and people succeed. That's why we were frustrated to see the greatness of Girls5eva and its cast, One Day's dynamic duo, and Theo James in The Gentlemen among Netflix's snubs.

Girls5eva and its cast

Fortunately, Girls5eva landed two Emmy nominations this year: one for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and one for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for Sara Bareilles' song "The Medium Time." That's honoring two of the comedy series' strongest parts, which are its writing and its music. However, the BEST part of Girls5eva is its cast. How the show has gone this long without a nomination for Renée Elise Goldsberry, I will never understand.

But it's not even just Goldsberry's performance that's deserving of a nomination. It's all four of the leading stars — Goldsberry, Bareilles, Busy Philipps, and Paula Pell. The Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category, likely where the Girls5eva cast submits, has gotten much more competitive over the years with Abbott Elementary, Hacks, Saturday Night Live, and other staples securing nods most years. The Emmys needs a cast category like the SAG Awards. As a matter of fact, SAG... Nominate the Girls5eva cast!

Oh, and Girls5eva should have been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. It's traditionally and classically funnier as a comedy than some of the (still great) eight shows that were actually nominated... and no, I won't be elaborating any further.

Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall in One Day

As great as the limited series based on the book of the same name was, I don't think One Day had a real shot at being nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series against the likes of Baby Reindeer, Fargo, Lessons in Chemistry, Ripley, and True Detective: Night Country (the actual nominees). The show being 12 episodes and not being as strong as its performances likely led to some Emmy voters ignoring it as a real contender.

But Amibka Mod and Leo Woodall shouldn't have been ignored as real contenders. Again, the Limited Series acting categories are stacked. It's seemingly nearly impossible to get into these categories these days with more and more movie stars and big names taking on series roles. Still, Mod and Woodall's one-two punch as Em and Dex was nothing short of masterful. Together and separately, they were excellent and affecting. Don't let these snubs let you forget their performances.

The Gentlemen and Theo James

Unlike One Day, Netflix's The Gentlemen was able to pick up three nominations for stunt work, production design, and Guy Ritchie's directing. None of the show's performers or the show itself were able to break out from the pack and score nominations. That could have something to do with the show competing as a comedy, though it might not have had much more luck as a drama.

One year removed from his first Emmy nomination for HBO's The White Lotus, Theo James was in contention for back-to-back Emmy nominations. This time, he could have — and should have — landed recognition in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category. His confident and wry performance as Eddie Horniman in The Gentlemen was my favorite part of the show, and it's a shame he could go unrecognized for his stellar work as a leading man.

What was the worst snub at the Emmy nominations this year?