The Queer Representation In this Year’s Emmy Nominations

The Queer Representation In this Year's Emmy Nominations

For those of us gays addicted to watching TV, today was a celebration as the Emmy Award nominations came out early this morning. The results? Very, very queer. There is a ton of queer representation all over the place, from comedies to dramas, to reality TV, it's a rainbow of fabulosity. We wanted to break down the categories and see the queer who's who of Emmy nominations.

Comedy Series:

The shows that were nominated with queer characters are Abbot Elementary, Hacks, Only Murders In the Building, Shrinking, and What We Do In the Shadows. Other shows in this category are Nobody Wants This, The Bear, and The Studio.

So we've seen a lot of these shows nominated before. The newest one is Seth Rogen's The Studio. It was funny, but not very queer inclusive. We absolutely love Shrinking, and it has a great storyline about a queer couple dealing with adulting and thinking about having a baby. It's funny, it's witty, and it's touching. We don't want to get cancelled, but Hacks was meh this season. There we said it. In conclusion, our Emmy vote would actually go to What We Do In the Shadows. This is such an underappreciated show, and this last year was its last season. It stars one of our favorite queer actors, Harvey Guillen, and is dark, smart, and completely outside of the box. Gay Hollywood did a gasp when Mid-Century Modern (by the Will & Grace creators) didn't get an Emmy nomination. Um, hello, it wasn't that good.

Outstanding Drama Series:

The drama series with queer characters are Andor, Severance, The Last of Us, The Pitt, and The White Lotus. Other nominated shows are Paradise, Slow Horses, and The Diplomat. We are freaking out that The Handmaid's Tale didn't get an Emmy nomination, especially for its last season. What happened? Everyone stopped watching, and this last season was so good! While we thought The White Lotus was delicious and homoerotic, Andor is a really, really good show. There is so much queer goodness in The Last of Us, but this last season was a disappointment.

Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy

The only queer actress nominated in the category is Ayo Edebiri from The Bear. This is a toughie; we still don't understand why this show is considered a comedy. Ayo is up against Jean Smart, so we aren't sure the odds are in her favor. But yeah, representation!

Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy

There isn't one goddamn queere actor who was nominated in this category. Boo! Well, we are thankful that none of the actors from Mid-Century Modern were given a pity vote, even if they are amazing actors on their own. What happened to them in this show? Oy.

Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama

The only queer actor to receive an Emmy nomination in this category is non-binary star Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Though they didn't want to be labeled in a specific gender category, it is great representation for the non-binary community, and they are a great actor.

Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama

Nope, not one queer Emmy nominee. Gays can do drama, too!

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy

The only queer actor to make this list is bisexual actor Hannah Einbinder from Hacks. The buzz is that this could be her year, as she's held her own opposite Jean Smart. We are gonna be honest, she is against some heavy hitters like Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, and Sherly Lee Ralph. Also, it took until season 2 for us to warm up to her character. But let's see what happens!

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy

Move over straights, this is our category! The queer actors to get an Emmy nomination this year are Michael Urie, Colman Domingo, Bowen Yang, and Jeff Hiller. WOW! We have been such a fan of Michael Urie for so long, and Bowen Yang keeps us laughing in everything he does. Colman Domingo was a miss for us in Four Seasons; he came across like a caricature of a gay man. So done with that. Our hope for this win really goes to Jeff Hiller for his turn in Somebody Somewhere. He is the complete underdog here, but his performance was so nuanced, so emotional, and so beautifully crafted, we really hope he wins.

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama

Nope, nothing here. Although Parker Posey got a nomination. Does that count? She might was well be queer because we love her so much.

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama

Tramell Tillman is the only queer actor in this category for his role in The Bear. He's up against some stiff competition with Walton Goggins and Sam Rockwell from The White Lotus being nominated as well. We aren't sure which way this one will go.

Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series

The shows in the category that have queer themes are Black Mirror, Dying for Sex, and Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story. While we were absolutely delighted with all the skin and homoerotic themes in Monsters, we aren't sure that was the best depiction of supposed queer themes. Black Mirror has failed to win us over like it did when it first started. HBO Max's The Penguin is in this category and, to be honest, it has our vote. It was so good!

Outstanding Lead Actor, Limited/Anthology/Movie

The queer actor to receive an Emmy nomination in this category is ultra-hottie Cooper Koch for his role in Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story. Besides the fact that we drooled over his real penis (he didn't use a prosthetic), his performance was really a powerhouse. Unfortunately, he is against Colin Farrell, who not only transformed his entire self into something different, but his acting was touching and emotional.

Outstanding Reality Or Competition Program

Gurllll...we dominated this category. Every reality show had queer representation. The list includes RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Traitors, and Top Chef. We will admit, we are a little burned out on Drag Race, and The Traitors won last year. Which show is your choice?

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program

Queer representation did well in this category, too. RuPaul is the longest-running Emmy-nominated host, and is joined by Alan Cumming from The Traitors, and Kristen Kish from Top Chef. We wanna see a RuPaul and Alan Cumming lip sync off!

Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special

We are very happy that this category includes the phenomenal Will & Harper and Pee-wee as Himself. The late Paul Reubens came out publicly in his doc, and trans issues were front and center in Will & Harper. Both are great examples of representation.

We can't wait to see the fashion that explodes on the red carpet, especially with all of this rainbow fabulosity! Who do you think should have gotten an Emmy nomination?

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