The Trivial Pursuit of the 2023 Emmy Nominations. From ‘Succession’s’ record-breaking 27 nods to John Oliver’s category swap, we’re serving up the hottest trivia from the 2023 Emmy nominations announced on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
1. The Sweet Succession of Surprises

Now, let’s unwrap the golden ticket of trivia – the nominations. HBO’s ‘Succession‘ led the pack with a whopping 27 nods for its final season, setting a record for the most nominations for a single drama season. Not to be outdone, ‘The Last of Us,’ HBO’s dystopian video-game adaptation, bagged 24 nominations.
2. The Comedy Kings and Queens
On the lighter side of things, last year’s winner ‘Ted Lasso‘ scored 21 nominations, proving that nice guys don’t always finish last. It’s up against a hilarious lineup that includes ‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘The Bear,’ ‘Barry,’ ‘Jury Duty,’ ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ and ‘Wednesday.’
3. The Limited Series Showdown
In the limited series category, Netflix’s ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story‘ and ‘Beef‘ compete head-to-head with ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi‘ from Disney+. May the force be with them!
4. The Network Nominations Tally

HBO outpaced all networks with 127 nominations in the network nominations tally, while Netflix landed 103 nods. It’s like the ‘Fast and Furious’ of network races!
5. The Roy Family Feud Continues
In the acting categories, “Succession” patriarch Brian Cox will compete with two of his warring TV sons – Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin – for outstanding drama actor. It’s like a family dinner but with more backstabbing and less passing potatoes.
6. The New Faces of Comedy

First-time nominees Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear” and Jason Segel of “Shrinking” are among those competing for outstanding comedy actor. It’s like the shameless freaks and geeks of high school but with more laughs and less acne.
7. The Latin Power

“Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal became the second Latino in history nominated for best drama actor. The first was Jimmy Smits, who was nominated five times in the 1990s for his role in “NYPD Blue.”
8. Black is Beautiful and Funny
Black women received the most nominations ever in a single category, with four actresses nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. It’s like a revolution but with punchlines instead of pitchforks.
9. John Oliver’s Category Hopscotch

After winning seven years in a row, John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight‘ has been booted from its usual Emmy category of outstanding variety series. Instead, it has been bumped into the ‘outstanding scripted variety series’ category. Why? Well, the Television Academy decided to define variety series as “unscripted or improv-based.” Since Oliver’s show is as scripted as a Shakespearean play, it no longer qualifies for the previous category.
The Variety Show Shuffle: Oliver’s show will face NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live‘ and HBO’s ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show‘ in the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category, while other ‘The Daily Show’ alumni, ‘Late Night with Stephen Colbert,’ ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart,’ and ‘The Daily Show with Trevor Noah‘ are all vying for the top spot in the Variety Talk Series category.
10. The Emmy Ceremony: To Be or Not to Be?
Initially Scheduled for Sept. 18 on Fox, the ceremony plays a game of ‘will they, won’t they’ due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike. It’s currently officially postponed to Jan. 2024. So, keep your popcorn on standby!
2023 Emmy Nominations Trivia Quiz
Now that you know all the trivia, the surprises, and the shifting categories of the 2023 Emmy nominations, how about a news quiz?
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Sources
We cross-checked our 2023 Emmy nominations trivia facts with the world’s leading news providers.
- AP News: Succession tops the 2023 Emmy nominations, but strikes could cloud ceremony
- NPR: 2023 Emmy nominations are in: Succession and The Last of Us lead the pack
- The New York Times: Emmy Nominees 2023: The Complete List
- Reuters: HBO’s Succession, Last of Us lead nominees for TV’s Emmy awards
- Rolling Stone: 2023 Emmy Nominations: 10 Biggest Snubs and Surprises
- The Guardian: Emmys 2023: Succession’s final season scores 27 nominations
- AP News: Missing the Emmy Awards? What’s happening with the strike-delayed celebration of television
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