By Nate Bloom
Contributing Columnist
The Tribe Goes to the Emmys
The Primetime Emmy awards for excellence in TV work takes place on Sunday, September 14. The ceremony begins airing on CBS, and streaming on Paramount, at 8 p.m. The number of nominees in most categories has grown in the last five years. For many years, there were five nominees in every category. Many now have six, seven or eight nominees. This means that there are usually more Jewish nominees than in the past. But it also means that the number of Jewish winners is not any higher now. I provide the number of category nominees like this: (5), (6) or (7).
I don’t cover some categories, including reality series and TV talk shows. Here are the Jewish nominees:
Lead actor, Comedy series (5): ADAM BRODY, “Nobody Wants This” (Brody plays a rabbi); SETH ROGEN, “The Studio;” and JASON SEGAL, “Shrinking.” Lead actor Drama series (5): NOAH WYLE, “The Pitt” (Wyle, the secular son of a Jewish father, plays a Jewish doctor).
No Jewish actress was nominated for the Emmy for lead actress, comedy or drama series.
Lead actor (5), in a limited series or movie: JAKE GYLLENHAAL, “Presumed Innocent,” and COOPER KOCH, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez.” (Gyllenhaal’s mother is Jewish and he identifies as Jewish. Koch’s father is Jewish. How Cooper identifies isn’t “out there” now.) Lead actress, limited series or movie: RASHIDA JONES, “Black Mirror, Common People.” Jones’ late mother, actress PEGGY LIPTON, was Jewish. Her father was Quincy Jones, a famous Black musician. Rashida strongly identifies as Jewish and Black.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series (7): IKE BARINHOLTZ, “The Studio;” HARRISON FORD, “Shrinking,” and EBON MOSS-BACHRACH, “The Bear.” Ford’s mother was Jewish. He’s secular. Supporting actress, Comedy Series (7): HANNAH EINBINDER, “Hacks.” Supporting actor, Drama series (7): JASON ISSACS, “The White Lotus;” Supporting Actress, Drama series: PATRICIA ARQUETTE, “Severance.” Arquette’s late mother was Jewish. Arquette is secular.
Supporting actor, limited series or movie (6 noms; but no Hebrews). Supporting actress, limited series or movie (6): JENNY SLATER, “Dying for Sex.”
Directing (and writing) Emmys nominations cite a specific episode. In the interest of brevity, I don’t note that episode. Directing, Comedy series (5): JAMES BURROWS, “Mid-Century Modern;” Nathan Fiedler, “The Rehearsal;” and the duo of SETH ROGEN and EVAN GOLDBERG, “The Studio.” Director, Drama series (7): BEN STILLER, “Severance;” Director, Limited series or Movie (6): NICOLE KASSELL, “Sirens” (her father is Jewish; limited background info makes me think she’s secular); and LESLI LINKA GLATTER, “Zero Day.”
Writing, Comedy Series (6): NATHAN FIELDER, “The Rehearsal;” and SETH ROGEN and EVAN GOLDBERG, “Studio.” Writing, Drama series: No nominated writer is Jewish, except, possibly one nominee (Joe Sachs, “The Pitt”) might be Jewish. Little bio on him available. Writing, Limited series or Movie (5): KIM ROSENSTOCK, “Dying for Sex.” (Her father is Catholic, her mother is Jewish. She identifies as Jewish.)
In the “Outstanding” categories, the series’ creator will almost always get an Emmy. That nomination is followed by about 8 producers. I don’t “run down” TV producers. Following are series (or a movie) that was created by a Jew.
Outstanding Comedy Series (8): ERIN FOSTER, “Nobody Wants This” (Foster converted to Judaism in 2019; her husband is Jewish); JOHN ROBERT HOFFMAN, is a co-creator of “Only Murders in the Building;” JASON SEGAL and BRITT GOLDSTEIN are co-creators of “Shrinking.” Segal’s father is Jewish and he was raised Jewish. Goldstein also writes for “Ted Lasso,” a hit TV comedy, and he has a big acting role in this comedy. He’s won two actor Emmys for his “Ted Lasso” performances; and EVAN GOLDBERG and SETH ROGEN, co-creators of “The Studio.”
Outstanding Drama Series (8): DEBORA CAHN, a co-creator of “The Diplomat;” CRAIG MAZIN and NEIL DRUCKMANN are the co-creators of “The Last of Us;” and DAN FOGELMAN is the creator of “Paradise.” Outstanding Limited Series or Movie: KIM ROSENSTOCK, co-creator of “Dying for Sex.”
