On Tuesday, the highly anticipated list of 2022 Emmy Award nominees was unveiled.
JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) to host along with Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma https://t.co/OQKagg44tS
And among the acclaimed shows that bagged several nominations, hit Netflix series Stranger Things received a whopping 13.
The fourth season of the leading sci-fi show, which was created by the Duffer Brothers, began streaming in May. It was ultimately released in two parts: Volume 1, which consisted of the first seven episodes, and Volume 2, the two-part finale.
And it’s safe to say that the overall success of this season was recognized by the Emmys, as it was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Music Supervision for the fourth episode — which largely features Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill” — and many more.
However, among the impressive list of nominations, Stranger Things received no accolades for its actors specifically, which include Millie Bobby Brown as Jane "Eleven" Hopper, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson.
The show also stars Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, and David Harbour as Jim Hopper, as well as many other renowned actors.
Now, countless fans are arguing that the stars’ performances in Season 4: Volume 1 — which, unlike Volume 2, was eligible for Emmy nomination — have been “snubbed,” particularly citing Millie, Caleb, Gaten, and Sadie. As Volume 2 was not released until after the submission cutoff, neither of the final two episodes were in the running for nominations this year, though they reportedly will compete in next year’s race.
“no emmy nomination for sadie sink, caleb mclaughlin, millie bobby brown and gaten matarazzo is my villain origin story,” read one viral tweet.
no emmy nomination for sadie sink, caleb mclaughlin, millie bobby brown and gaten matarazzo is my villain origin story.
Many fans suggested that Sadie in particular was “robbed” of the accolade, specifically highlighting her performance in “Dear Billy.” (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)
The incredibly moving episode — which is currently listed on IMDb as one of the highest rated of the series — sees Sadie’s character, Max, essentially racing against time as the season’s villain, Vecna, plots to kill her.
sadie sink as max mayfield in stranger things 4, chapter four: dear billy.
Max poignantly writes letters to the most important people in her life as she accepts the fact that she might die. In an especially emotional sequence, she visits the grave of her late brother, Billy, and reads her note out loud.
And the final moments of the episode are perhaps the most incredible, with the group ultimately learning that playing Max's favorite song — Kate Bush’s "Running Up That Hill" — has the potential to save her from Vecna.
Fans and critics have called Max the “standout character” of the season, namely for her amazing performance in “Dear Billy.” As a result, several people were outraged to learn that she wasn’t nominated for an Emmy.
DEAR BILLY IS THE BEST EPISODE IN STRANGER THINGS. THE LAST 5 MINUTES? FUCKING CHEF'S KISS. A TRUE CINEMA. SADIE SINK YOU ARE PHENOMENAL #StrangerThings4
manifesting sadie sink getting a emmy for her outstanding performance in dear billy.
“dear billy” being one of the best episodes this season, the little montage of max’s memories made me cry so much, the running scene whilst running up that hill was playing a MASTERPIECE. #StrangerThings4
“Sadie Sink not being nominated for an Emmy for ‘Dear Billy’ is a fucking CRIME,” one person tweeted.
Sadie Sink not being nominated for an Emmy for “Dear Billy” is a fucking CRIME
“sadie deserved supporting actress cmon now,” wrote another.
@PopBase sadie deserved supporting actress cmon now
Others suggested that the young star had unfairly been snubbed, questioning why the Emmys appeared to recognize all aspects of the episode but the acting.
In a similar vein, many fans have also accused the Emmys of snubbing Millie Bobby Brown, who delivered an incredible performance in several key scenes.
Fans were particularly impressed by Millie’s character’s dynamic with Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Henry Creel, aka Vecna. The duo were in several scenes together over the season, many of which left her “terrified,” Jamie revealed.
Jamie previously told Variety of Millie’s reaction to his terrifying transformation into the monster: “She was terrified, like, literally terrified, and when she saw Vecna, she burst into tears and she said, 'That’s not my friend. I don’t know who this person is anymore. Where’s he gone?'”
And as well as her fear-ridden scenes, Millie delivered an incredible performance in the final installment of Volume 1, where her character overpowers Henry’s as she sends him to the Upside Down.
“millie bobby brown deserved that emmy nomination,” one person wrote.
millie bobby brown deserved that emmy nomination… #EmmyNominations
“fuck the academy ur gonna tell me that SADIE SINK and MILLIE BOBBY BROWN dont deserve an emmy after this?” one user wrote alongside stills from some of the most memorable scenes.
fuck the academy ur gonna tell me that SADIE SINK and MILLIE BOBBY BROWN dont deserve an emmy after this? #emmys #milliebobbybrown #sadiesink