Stars who've never won an Emmy but should have (original) (raw)

The Emmys are notorious for rewarding the same shows and actors over and over again...which also means some actors have had the misfortune of losing over and over again. That is, if they're lucky enough to even be nominated in the first place. The list of stars who have outrageously never won Emmys grows every year, but we've whittled ours down to the 26 most egregious Emmy snubs, from double-digit nominees who never took the prize like Angela Lansbury to those who still haven't been nominated.

Courteney Cox

Courteney Cox as Monica Gellar in a promotional shot for 'Friends'. Jon Ragel/NBC

Emmy-Worthy Role: Monica Geller, Friends

A quick list of all Friends' Emmy nominees: Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Christina Applegate, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Susan Sarandon, Tom Selleck, Gary Oldman, Marlo Thomas, Hank Azaria, Danny DeVito. And nothing for Courteney Cox.

Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie as Gregory House on 'House'. Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Emmy-Worthy Role: Gregory House, House

Did you notice how House grew more irritable every year? It's perhaps understandable when you remember that Emmy voters failed to call Hugh Laurie's name each of the six years that he was nominated, a shame because Laurie would've surely delivered the evening's most memorable speech. The actor was overlooked despite a 2016 nomination for Supporting Actor in The Night Manager and a 2017 nomination for Guest Actor on Veep.

Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher on 'Murder, She Wrote'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Jessica Fletcher, Murder, She Wrote

How Angela Lansbury was overlooked for an Emmy on 18 occasions — including 12 times as your grandparents' favorite sleuth — is a mystery. Was the show too square? Was Lansbury too Broadway? (She won five Tonys.) At least the Golden Globes had a clue, crowning her four times in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama category.

Desi Arnaz

Desi Arnaz (top) and Lucille Ball (bottom) as Ricky and Lucy Ricardo on 'I Love Lucy'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Ricky Ricardo, I Love Lucy

Desi Arnaz was the only series regular who never received a nomination, while Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance each took home trophies. It was the ladies' show, yes, but someone was setting up Lucy for all those great punchlines.

Connie Britton

Connie Britton (center) as Tami Taylor on 'Friday Night Lights'. Bill Records/NBC/Getty Images

Emmy-Worthy Role: Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights

Connie Britton has racked up five Emmy nominations over the years, including for Nashville, American Horror Story, and The White Lotus, but the biggest oversight was Britton not taking home the trophy for her turn as Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights despite her two nominations. (Britton's onscreen husband, Kyle Chandler, landed an Emmy for the show's series finale.)

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad as Claire Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Claire Huxtable, The Cosby Show

Phylicia Rashad earned two nominations as Bill Cosby's better, smarter, stronger half — and another for 2008's A Raisin in the Sun — but, as Desi Arnaz learned, being the responsible grown-up opposite a comedian is hardly Emmy bait. Sadly, her name went uncalled once again for her three nominations in the Guest Actress category for her work on This Is Us.

Andy Griffith

Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor on 'The Andy Griffith Show'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Sheriff Andy Taylor, The Andy Griffith Show

To be fair, official Best Actor in a Comedy Emmys weren't presented for the first half of Andy Griffith's run in Mayberry, but these are the facts: He was nominated only once, and it was for a 1981 TV miniseries. Yet Don Knotts won five statuettes while on The Andy Griffith Show. Where's the justice?

Michael C. Hall

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan on 'Dexter'. Randy Tepper/Showtime

Emmy-Worthy Role: Dexter Morgan, Dexter

A six-time nominee for acting — one for Six Feet Under and five for Dexter (with a seventh career Emmy nomination for producing Dexter) — Michael C. Hall never won for his turn as the serial killer. (Although he did land a Golden Globe.)

Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing on 'Dallas'. CBS

Emmy-Worthy Role: J.R. Ewing, Dallas

Primetime soaps are typically second-class citizens on Emmy night, but, when Dallas was TV's biggest show in the early-'80s, Larry Hagman claimed the throne of TV's most notorious villains and got invited to the ball twice.

Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang on 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Karen Neal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Emmy-Worthy Role: Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy and Eve Polastri, Killing Eve

The versatile Sandra Oh earned five consecutive nominations for playing the ambitious Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy and an additional four as the complicated intelligence agent Eve Polastri on Killing Eve. She's also earned nominations for her hosting stints on Saturday Night Live and the Golden Globes, and, while we still think she's overdue for an acting win, we're happy she finally won an Emmy in 2024 for producing Best Television Movie winner Quiz Lady. —Kevin Jacobsen

Steve Carell

Steve Carell as Michael Scott on 'The Office'. Byron Cohen/NBC

Emmy-Worthy Role: Michael Scott, The Office

Steve Carell never took home the top prize, despite being nominated for six straight years. But if voters penalized him because he was simultaneously a box-office star, they failed to properly credit a man who ably filled the unfillable shoes of Ricky Gervais.

Elizabeth Montgomery

Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens on 'Bewitched'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Samantha Stephens, Bewitched

Elizabeth Montgomery earned nine Emmy nominations, including five in a row for her role as TV's favorite undercover witch. She was so solid that no one seemed to mind when the show even recast her husband mid-series.

George Clooney

George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross on 'ER'. Sven Arnstein/NBC

Emmy-Worthy Role: Dr. Doug Ross, ER

Although George Clooney would win the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 2010 Emmys, he never took home a statue for his dashing turn as a heroic pediatrician Doug Ross, despite two nominations.

Gracie Allen

Gracie Allen on 'The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Host of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

Gracie Allen can take pride in clobbering Burns in nominations during the run of their hit show: 6–zip. (He was finally honored for a TV special in 1990.) But she could always say goodnight early on Emmy night, losing to the likes of Lucille Ball and Dinah Shore.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope on 'Scandal'. Giovanni Rufino/ABC

Emmy-Worthy Role: Olivia Pope, Scandal

A four-time nominee for acting — including one for her work in 2016's Confirmation and another for 2020's Little Fires Everywhere — Kerry Washington never got the gold, despite being nominated twice for her work as the ultimate fixer on Scandal. Luckily, she did take home an Emmy in 2020 for producing the TV special Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times', but we're still waiting for that acting Emmy.

Michael Landon

Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls on 'Little House on the Prairie'. NBC

Emmy-Worthy Role: Charles Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie

Answer: 426, 187, 111, 0. Question: What is the number of episodes Michael Landon starred in of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Highway to Heaven, respectively, followed by the number of his career Emmy nominations? That's just cruel, Emmy.

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander as George Costanza on 'Seinfeld'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: George Costanza, Seinfeld

Jason Alexander was nominated seven consecutive times in the 1990s for his pathetic "Lord of the Idiots," but fans of the show were forced to choose between him and Michael Richards' wacky Kramer. Final score: Richards, 3; Alexander, 0.

Cybill Shepherd

Cybill Shepherd as Maddie Hayes on 'Moonlighting'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Maddie Hayes, Moonlighting

Cybill Shepherd later earned three more nominations for her show Cybill, but it was her one nod for Moonlighting that reestablished her as a star. Before the show's romance overheated, she and Bruce Willis (who would ultimately win) were both recognized in the drama category but would the show have had better luck categorized as a comedy?

Keri Russell

Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings on 'The Americans'. Patrick Harbron/FX

Emmy-Worthy Role: Elizabeth Jennings, The Americans

Despite three nominations, Keri Russell never won for her work as Elizabeth Jennings on The Americans. (And shockingly, she was never even nominated for Felicity.) She earned another nomination for The Diplomat in 2023, but went home empty-handed once again.

Calista Flockhart

Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal on 'Ally McBeal'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Ally McBeal, Ally McBeal

Was the show a drama or a comedy? Maybe disagreement over the answer is why Calista Flockhart came up short, despite three nominations for her role as a pre-millennial Mary Tyler Moore. McBeal didn't quite fit the quippy sitcom gal that Emmy preferred at the time, but she carried a great dramedy for five solid seasons.

Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, etc.

Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk as Kim Wexler and Saul Goodman on 'Better Call Saul'. Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Emmy-Worthy Roles: Jimmy McGill, Kim Wexler, Mike Ehrmantraut, and more, Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul has gone down in history as one of the biggest Emmy losers, wracking up 53 nominations over seven cycles and never winning a single one. That includes Bob Odenkirk for his iconic portrayal of Jimmy McGill, the slippery lawyer who gradually became the Saul Goodman we first saw on Breaking Bad, despite six nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Rhea Seehorn only received two nominations for her nuanced work as Jimmy's confidant, Kim Wexler, with additional nominations (and losses) for Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, and Michael McKean. Sure, Odenkirk won a few writing Emmys back in the day for Saturday Night Live and The Ben Stiller Show, but we won't be getting over his lack of trophies for Better Call Saul anytime soon. —K.J.

Steve Allen

Steve Allen, host of 'The Steve Allen Show'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Host of The Steve Allen Show

As the pioneer of the original Tonight Show on NBC, Steve Allen helped invent a format, and his primetime variety show, for which he was nominated twice, showcased the likes of Elvis Presley and a young Johnny Carson.

Lauren Graham

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore on 'Gilmore Girls'. Saeed Adyani/Netflix/Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls

For seven seasons (and a reboot), Lauren Graham handled some of TV's fastest dialogue with grace (and lots of coffee) as Stars Hollow's Lorelai Gilmore. And yet, the actress never landed so much as a nomination.

Nancy Walker

Nancy Walker as Ida Morgenstern on 'Rhoda'. Everett Collection

Emmy-Worthy Role: Ida Morgenstern, Rhoda

After three semi-dramatic nominations for costarring in McMillan & Wife, Nancy Walker landed four more nods playing Valerie Harper's wisecracking, overbearing Jewish mother in this Mary Tyler Moore spinoff. It was the role she was born to play, but Emmy never came through.

Jackie Gleason

Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden on 'The Honeymooners'. CBS

Emmy-Worthy Role: Ralph Kramden, The Honeymooners

The Great One was nominated for five Emmys, three of which were for The Jackie Gleason Show, where he originated the character of New York's loudest bus driver. Costar Art Carney, who won five Emmys for the role of Ralph's sidekick Ed Norton, soon learned to hide his trophies whenever his pal visited.

Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig as the Target Lady on 'Saturday Night Live'.

Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Emmy-Worthy Role: Various, Saturday Night Live

Kristen Wiig is becoming the Susan Lucci of the Primetime Emmys. The comic actress was one of the star players of SNL, earning four consecutive Emmy nominations from 2009 to 2012 but never winning. She's also earned four guest actress noms for returning to the variety series as host...and has come up short each time. In addition to her eight SNL nominations, Wiig was nominated by the Television Academy for a voice performance on The Looney Tunes Show in 2012, her committed turn in the miniseries The Spoils of Babylon in 2014, and her work as both producer and star of Palm Royale in 2024. Still, she remains a bridesmaid (get it?). —K.J.