Emmys 2020 snubs: Nicole Kidman, 'Westworld,' Aaron Paul miss out on top nominations

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Emmy nominations are here, and many of our favorite shows including "Succession," "Watchmen," and "Schitt's Creek" are vying for top prizes.

But there are also lots of shocking omissions in this year's batch of nominees, with the usual awards campaigns – like everything else in the world – upended by the coronavirus pandemic. And with a new streaming service cropping up virtually every month, A-listers could only cross their fingers they'd cut through the noise.

Jimmy Kimmel will host the Emmys Sept. 20 on ABC (8 EDT/5 PDT), although whether that will be an in-person or virtual ceremony is still anybody's guess. Until then, here are the shows and stars who won't be vying for gold.

Emmys 2020: The nominations list

Despite winning lead actress in a limited series for Season 1 of "Big Little Lies," Nicole Kidman didn't land a best drama actress Emmy nomination on Tuesday.
Despite winning lead actress in a limited series for Season 1 of "Big Little Lies," Nicole Kidman didn't land a best drama actress Emmy nomination on Tuesday.

Nicole Kidman. Despite a past win for her haunting turn as abused housewife Celeste Wright in HBO's "Big Little Lies," the Oscar-winning actress couldn't secure a best drama actress nomination as the show moved from the limited series to drama categories in its second season. "Lies" was similarly snubbed for best drama series, although stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep were recognized in the best supporting actress category.

"Westworld." After a critically reviled third season earlier this year, HBO's sci-fi drama was shut out of contention for best drama series, a year after the network's "Game of Thrones" took the same prize. But it still managed 11 nods, including supporting actress (Thandie Newton) and supporting actor (Jeffrey Wright).

James Corden. The British comedian/actor has been an Emmy favorite for CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden," nominated for outstanding variety talk series for the past four years. He curiously missed out this year, as did Seth Meyers for NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers," which has only received writing nods despite many topical and viral segments.

Elisabeth Moss. After finally winning a lead drama actress Emmy in 2017 for Hulu's timely "The Handmaid's Tale," the powerhouse "Mad Men" alum was shut out of the category for the series' third season.

Reese Witherspoon. The Oscar-winning actress has been front and center across TV this past year, producing and starring in "The Morning Show" (Apple TV+), "Big Little Lies" (HBO) and "Little Fires Everywhere" (Hulu). But she was passed over for acting nominations for all three shows, despite nods for her "Morning Show" co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell, and "Little Fires" co-star Kerry Washington.

Logan Lerman, left, and Al Pacino in Amazon's Emmy-snubbed "Hunters."
Logan Lerman, left, and Al Pacino in Amazon's Emmy-snubbed "Hunters."

Al Pacino. The Oscar-winning legend made a much-hyped TV return with Amazon's Nazi-killing drama "Hunters" this year, but the actor – and show – failed to launch in major categories, including best drama actor.

Bob Odenkirk. The "Mr. Show" funnyman has been nominated four times for best drama actor for his dark turn as Jimmy McGill in "Breaking Bad" prequel series "Better Call Saul," which traces the origin of skeezy lawyer Saul Goodman. The actor was snubbed this year, although "Saul" still managed a best drama nod.

Aaron Paul. A three-time winner for "Breaking Bad," Paul was eligible this year as a newcomer to Season 3 of "Westworld" and for playing Jesse Pinkman once again in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story," which was nominated for outstanding TV movie. Sadly, he couldn't manage acting nominations for either project.

Larry David. Despite a well-reviewed 10th season of his droll HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the famously curmudgeonly actor/writer (and two-time Emmy winner) failed to secure an acting nod. Still, the long-running show managed a best comedy series nomination.

Russell Crowe was unrecognizable as Roger Ailes in "The Loudest Voice," and was similarly unrecognized by the Emmys.
Russell Crowe was unrecognizable as Roger Ailes in "The Loudest Voice," and was similarly unrecognized by the Emmys.

Russell Crowe. The "Gladiator" actor underwent a dramatic transformation to play Roger Ailes, the late Fox News CEO whose sexual assault allegations were the subject of Showtime miniseries "The Loudest Voice." Although he won a Golden Globe for the performance, Crowe was skipped over by the Emmys.

"Pose." FX's ballroom drama, which has the largest transgender cast ever for a scripted series, earned a best drama series nomination last year and a win for actor Billy Porter. Although Porter secured another nod, the Ryan Murphy-produced show was snubbed in the Emmys' top category, as was Murphy's Netflix limited series "Hollywood."

Merritt Wever. A two-time Emmy winner for "Nurse Jackie" and "Godless," Wever had two viable contenders this year in HBO's dark comedy "Run" and Netflix miniseries "Unbelievable," in which she stars as a detective investigating a serial rape case. But the actress missed out on nominations for both series, as did her "Unbelievable" co-star Kaitlyn Dever for her harrowing portrayal of a sexual assault survivor.

"The Plot Against America." HBO's limited series had all the ingredients of Emmy catnip: a top-shelf creator (David Simon of "The Wire"), prescient source material (Philip Roth's 2004 novel) and a slew of stunning performances from Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, John Turturro and Morgan Spector. But the alt-history drama was snubbed across all major categories, only recognized for cinematography.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emmy snubs 2020: Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, 'Westworld,' more