16 TV Performances From 2021 That Totally Deserve To Win An Emmy, But Tragically Never Will

Don't worry, Elizabeth Olsen is on this list.

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which 2021 TV performance deserved to win an Emmy, but never will, and wow, did they deliver! Here are some of the best responses:

Warning: major spoilers below!!

1. Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne in The Handmaid's Tale.

Hulu

"Her performance in Season 4 was truly her best after Season 1. Like, I could perfectly make you a list of award-worthy scenes in every episode. That 'DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!' scene with Yvonne, the boat scene with Samira, the testimony, Episode 3...I could go on and on."

—dianita2928

2. Alvaro Morte as The Professor in Money Heist.

Netflix

"This is a role that needs the perfect actor to pull it off. Without him, this series wouldn't have succeeded."

—sarad4850d5c99

3. Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong in Sex Education.

Netflix

"He couldn't be more perfect as Eric. He has amazing comedic timing, but nails the dramatic scenes as well. Truly a double threat."

—emmanz

4. Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in WandaVision.

Marvel/Disney

"There are two scenes that truly prove her incredible acting abilities and they're from the SAME EPISODE! The first is when she finally finds Vision's body and says, 'I can't feel you,' and the second is when she break downs in the plot of land she and Vision were meant to live in, causing her powers to take over the entire neighborhood to form a perfect world."

—stonecoldjaneausten

5. Samantha Sloyan as Bev Keane in Midnight Mass.

Netflix

"This was an amazing and downright unsettling performance. I don't understand why it was overlooked."

—aaronweeks101

6. Tom Ellis and Lauren Germain as Lucifer Morningstar and Chloe Decker in Lucifer.

Netflix

"The plot line about (SPOILER) their daughter from the future was a little contrived, but watching their characters deal with the revelation that Lucifer was going to abandon Chloe and their daughter was heartbreaking. Especially near the end, when they realize they can't stop it, and Lucifer won't be there to watch his daughter grow up, and he won't see Chloe again until she dies. They have to deal with the doubt that slowly creeps in as they both adamantly maintain that Lucifer would never leave, the sudden parenthood thrust upon them, and their inevitable tragic goodbye. All of these moments were incredibly well acted."

—rebeccad9407

7. Tom Payne as Malcom Bright in The Prodigal Son.

Fox

"His portrayal of the man always living in fear of becoming a murderous monster like his father was so heartbreaking and well done. I’m still angry this show was canceled."

—abbydixon

8. Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy in Succession.

HBO Max

"The whole cast did an excellent job playing their characters, but Kieran played the hell out of Roman during this past season. In this family that viewers love to hate, Roman really is the best and worse of them (which says something, lol). He always had the funniest one-liners that made you simultaneously cringe and laugh and those last 15 minutes of the season finale? I always thought that Jeremy Strong did a really good job of playing the dejected, desperate son, but Kieran’s performance blew him out of the water!"

—ninablack

9. Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Loki.

Netflix

"The standout scene for me is when he watches his future and sees everyone he loves and cares for die, followed by his gruesome death by Thanos. The emotions he managed to express without any words broke my heart as he transitioned from grief to fear, to anger, to ending with that humorless chuckle stating, 'Glorious purpose.'"

—heroicsun89

10. Macaulay Culkin as Mickey in American Horror Story: Red Tide.

Hulu

"He was absolutely amazing and it was soo good to see him on the screen again. He also had wonderful chemistry with Sarah Paulson."

—ladysnorlax16

11. Melissa McCarthy as Frances Welty in Nine Perfect Strangers.

Hulu

"She brings an incredible depth to her role and I wish people would recognize her for her dramatic talent as well as her comedic talent."

—jconway

12. Rahul Kohli as Sheriff Hassan in Midnight Mass.

Netflix

"Rahul was such a great representation of a Muslim character on a show centered around religion. He also reflected so many micro and macro-aggressions that POC face every day."

—jessicar474fbde75

13. Olivia Holt and Blake Lee as Kate Wallis and Martin Harris in Cruel Summer.

Hulu

"Olivia Holt did an amazingly good job playing all three versions of Kate: the popular girl who had nobody in her corner; the traumatized, freshly rescued victim; and the rebellious, angry girl finally coming to terms with what happened to her. Blake Lee, on the other hand, was seriously terrifying as Martin, to the point where I felt sick to my stomach whenever he came onscreen (shockingly, I mean that as a compliment). There was a scene where he just watched TV and took a sip of a drink, and it was SCARY. Both of their acting in Episode 9, as well as the Annabelle scene in Episode 10, absolutely floored me."

—liv2smile

14. Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid The White Lotus.

HBO Max

"This performance had more nuance than some of her other roles and I loved that for her!"

—dahliaparts

15. Katja Herber as Dr. Kristen Bouchard in Evil.

Paramount+

"Her character had a LOT going on this season and she handled it all so well. The confession in the season finale was a tour de force."

—danieller4856e1619

16. And finally, Issa Rae as Issa Dee in Insecure.

HBO Max

"This show should win ALL the awards. All five seasons are a masterpiece, but this last season was something special. I already miss this show!!"

—roken