5 Best TV Shows That Were Snubbed at the Emmy Awards

The Emmy Awards have been held for 75 years, and in that time there have been many awards given out to some tremendous TV shows. There’s stiff competition for the Awards every year. But, fans can always remember that one season or episode of their favorite show that should have secured a golden award. Here are five shows that have been snubbed over the years, not managing to take home any Emmy Awards.

Better Call Saul

After six seasons and 53 nominations, Better Call Saul never managed to take home an Emmy Award. A spinoff of Breaking Bad, it went for six seasons from 2015 to 2022. The show might even be better than its predecessor, with Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn shining amongst a fantastic cast. Unfortunately, throughout the course of its run, Better Call Saul was up against some titans, like Succession and Game of Thrones. The 75th Awards were the last chance for the show, and it lost out to Succession, while Seehorn lost out to Jennifer Coolidge for The White Lotus.

Bojack Horseman

Canceled by Netflix after six seasons, the emotionally devastating Bojack Horseman never won an Emmy Award. In fact, it only managed to be nominated for three of them. The animated series ran from 2014 to 2020, and Will Arnett was never nominated for his performance as Bojack. In the years it was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program, it lost to The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. Kristen Schaal was nominated for her performance as Sarah Lynn, and that year Seth MacFarlane took it home for Family Guy. That’s probably not the only time Peter Griffin beat an alcoholic horse. 

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

FX’s long-running comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has also only ever been nominated for three Emmy Awards, never managing to take one home. Oddly enough, the three nominations were all for the same category, for Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or A Variety Program in different years. It lost the category to Brooklyn Nine-Nine twice and to Nickelodeon’s Supah Ninjas. It feels odd that the program has never been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. But, unlike the rest of this list, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is still going strong so there’s hope yet.

Parks and Recreation

Running from 2009 to 2015, Parks and Recreation went for seven seasons and never won an Emmy Award. However, the comedy series was nominated for a total of 14 Emmys over the years, including six consecutive nominations for Amy Pohler as Leslie Knope in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category. Unfortunately, Parks and Recreation was always up against the juggernaut comedy series, Veep. Nick Offerman was never even nominated for his performance as the gruff Ron Swanson, although he has since won for his portrayal of Bill in The Last of Us.

The Wire

It’s no coincidence that the last pick on this list has come down to The Wire, HBO’s superb crime drama that ran for five seasons from 2002 to 2008. It was only nominated for a measly two Emmys and both of them were for writing. Dominic West wasn’t nominated for Jimmy McNulty and Idris Elba was never nominated for Stringer Bell. The two series The Wire lost to were Mad Men and House, which again, are great. But, it’s hard to comprehend that one of the best television shows of all time was snubbed, and never won an Emmy Award.