Staying Fit
(Left to right) Rhea Seehorn in "Better Call Saul," Brian Cox in "Succession" and Michael Keaton in "Dopesick."
Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television; Macall B. Polay/HBO; Gene Page/Hulu
It’s a great year for grownups on TV, and this week’s Emmy nominations are proof. First, everybody’s favorite unsung genius (and brand-new AARP qualifier), Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn, 50, earned her first nomination (plus a second nom for her YouTube show, Cooper’s Bar). In other cheering news, performers over 50 earned 65 nominations in the 2022 Emmy Awards race. They’ll learn whether they’ve snagged a coveted golden statuette when the winners are announced on Monday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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Grownups dominated the categories of guest actress for both comedy and drama (our own favorites: Jane Lynch in Only Murders in the Building and Harriet Walter in Succession); limited series supporting actor (critic’s fave: The White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett); reality host; short form series; voice-over performance (critic’s fave: Bridgerton’s Julie Andrews); and narrator (we can’t decide between The Mating Game’s David Attenborough, Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Our Great National Parks’ Barack Obama — his first Emmy nomination!).
Grownups grabbed half the nominations for lead drama actor and supporting drama actor, and did respectably well in multiple other categories.
Which means now’s the time to catch up on the best shows and performers, according to the people who create TV. You could try the 10 most-nominated shows — all of which star actors over 50: Succession, Ted Lasso, The White Lotus, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Euphoria, Barry, Dopesick, Severance and Squid Game.
But you really should watch every one of the shows boasting today’s triumphant grownup talents.
Here are the leading nominees for the 2022 Emmy Awards.
Outstanding Drama Series
- Better Call Saul
- Euphoria
- Ozark
- Severance
- Squid Game
- Stranger Things
- Succession
- Yellowjackets
Outstanding Comedy Series
- Abbott Elementary
- Barry
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Hacks
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Only Murders in the Building
- Ted Lasso
- What We Do in the Shadows
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
- Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
- Elle Fanning, The Great
- Issa Rae, Insecure
- Jean Smart, 70, Hacks
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Donald Glover, Atlanta
- Bill Hader, Barry
- Nicholas Hoult, The Great
- Steve Martin, 76, Only Murders in the Building
- Martin Short, 72, Only Murders in the Building
- Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Outstanding Competition Program
- The Amazing Race
- Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls
- Nailed It!
- RuPaul’s Drag Race
- Top Chef
- The Voice
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
- Dopesick
- The Dropout
- Inventing Anna
- Pam & Tommy
- The White Lotus
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or a Movie
- Colin Firth, 61, The Staircase
- Andrew Garfield, Under the Banner of Heaven
- Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage
- Michael Keaton, 70, Dopesick
- Himesh Patel, Station Eleven
- Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy
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