The 2024 Emmy nominees have been announced and actors now must submit the TV episode they think best showcases their acting skills.
Unlike the Oscars — where the winner is determined by the film academy — the Emmy Awards rely on a panel of judges. Most categories have two voting rounds with separate judging panels in each round. Before casting their vote, judges are required to watch one episode that the acting nominee selected from the eligible TV season. The Gold Derry has been rolling out information about the episode submissions ahead of the Emmys ceremony in September.
This year’s nominations featured a record amount of nods for The Bear. The Hulu series walked away with 23 nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series. The milestone moment came amid ongoing debates between creatives, critics and fans about whether The Bear can count as a comedy.
While the Television Academy automatically placed any show that clocked in under 30 minutes in the comedy category in 2015, they walked the decision back four years later. The Academy has since announced they would no longer consider a show’s running time when categorizing. This has made some viewers question whether The Bear should be considered a drama series instead because of how much the show tackles serious topics such as mental health, addiction and more.
Elsewhere in the comedy category, Selena Gomez finally scored an acting nomination for her role on Only Murders in the Building, which debuted on Hulu in 2021. Her costars Steve Martin and Martin Short — who received their own nominations for the show throughout the years — previously showed their support for Gomez.
“We’re thrilled at the nominations, not only for us but for the show. We’re dismayed that Selena was not nominated because she’s so crucial to our performances, really,” Martin told the New York Times in July 2022, after he and Short received Emmy nods.
Keep scrolling to see which episodes the nominees are submitting:
Jeremy Allen White
After being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, White chose the season 2 finale of The Bear as his submission. The episode showed Carmy (White) hit rock bottom on the night he unveiled his restaurant to friends and family.
The pressure became too much for Carmy once he accidentally locked himself in the walk-in freezer — the same freezer that he kept forgetting to fix leading up to his big night. Carmy ultimately got in a fight with Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and got his girlfriend Claire (Molly Gordon) to break up with him once she heard how he considered everything but work a waste of time.
Selena Gomez
The season 3 episode of Only Murders in the Building titled “Ghost Light” was Gomez’s submission following her nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Her character, Mabel, found herself at a crossroads as she pondered not only her future but her friendship with Oliver (Short) and Charles (Martin). The tension between the trio reached an all time high when they reunited at the theater but couldn’t get on the same page about solving Ben Glenroy’s (Paul Rudd) murder.
Ayo Edebiri
The Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominee chose the “Sundae” episode from season 2 of The Bear. In preparation for their restaurant’s opening, Sydney (Edebiri) and Carmy decide to get out of the kitchen to help them refresh their minds and palettes. However, Sydney ends up on her own when Carmy ditches her to hang out with Claire, which becomes a pattern the rest of the season. Sydney subsequently ends up going to different food spots around Chicago to sample their dishes but walks away with more concerns about whether she can count on Carmy as a business partner.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Following his nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Moss-Bachrach is using Richie’s stand-alone episode as his submission. The season 2 episode of The Bear — which fans know as the “Forks” episode — followed Richie as he juggled a week-long training retreat at one of the best restaurants in the world. Richie was inspired by the experience to find excitement and pride in his job again. And if that wasn’t enough, Richie ended the episode by rocking out to Taylor Swift‘s “Love Story” in his car.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
The actress is entering the “Librarian” episode from season 3 of ABC’s Abbott Elementary as her submission for Best Comedy Supporting Actress. In the episode, Barbara has to come to terms with change at Abbott after Janine (Quinta Brunson) introduced a new library program. Barbara specifically finds herself at odds with the new librarian Ms. Inez (Cree Summer) but she ultimately adapts to the shift.
Lionel Boyce
Season 2 of The Bear gave Boyce’s character, Marcus, the time to shine in the episode titled “Honeydew.” So it comes as no surprise that Boyce submitted that footage after receiving a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
The Hulu series once again utilized a stand-alone episode to show Marcus’ trip to Copenhagen where he found inspiration for his desserts. After being mentored by Carmy’s friend Luca (Will Poulter), Marcus reflected on finding a balance between his craft and life outside of his job.
Liza Colón-Zayas
In response to her nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Colón-Zayas submitted the “Pop” episode from season 2 of The Bear. This was the first time the viewers got to spend an extended amount of time with Tina as she excelled in culinary school. Tina, however, finds herself caught between moving forward into the next chapter of her life while trying not to leave Ebra behind as he struggles to keep up with her.
Greta Lee
The actress submitted “The Green Light” from the third season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show after being nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actress. Stella is at the center of the episode as she betrays her morals to help UBA president Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) overcome a financial shortfall during television upfronts.
Quinta Brunson
Brunson’s submission choice was the final episode of Abbott Elementary season 3 after being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. During the episode, Janine (Brunson) threw a party that led to her sharing a sweet moment with Gregory (Tyler James Williams). The fictional couple almost didn’t act on their feelings because Gregory assumed Janine was dating Manny (Josh Segarra). Janine, however, decided to fight for a future with Gregory just as he came back to her apartment.
