Don't read any more if you've not finished Stranger Things Season 4!
Following the release of Season 4 of the Netflix sci-fi juggernaut, both critics and fans were calling for Emmy nominations for several of the show's cast, particularly Sadie Sink and Millie Bobby Brown.
In fact, the impact of the episode was so great that the song entwined with the scene went on to smash records.
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Set to a dramatic reworking of Kate Bush's 1985 hit "Running Up That Hill," the emotional episode saw both Max and the song's popularity soar, with the latter hitting number 1 in several music charts and breaking the record for the longest-ever gap between number one singles in Official Chart history.
Millie Bobby Brown showed true range in Season 4, going from a grieving daughter and bullied new kid at school all the way to human weapon in a secret lab, before ultimately rising like a phoenix from the ashes to help her friends.
Following "The Piggyback" (Season 4, Episode 9), fans also lauded the tear-jerking performances of Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo, both of whom had to hold a close friend in their final moments.
sadie sink, millie bobby brown and caleb mclaughlin deserved and emmy nomination for this scene alone
It was also revealed that "Erica, help!", which Lucas desperately calls out to his sister as he cradles a broken Max on the floor of the Creel attic, was improvised by McLaughlin, and is a line widely cited as one that tipped many over into full blown, body-shaking waterworks as the season finale headed toward its end.
Those kids have got acting chops!
When the 2022 Emmy nominations rolled in, Stranger Things as a show was nominated in several categories.
Stranger Things 4 scored 13 Emmy nominations this year, including Outstanding Drama Series plus Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup and Outstanding Music Supervision for Dear Billy, the episode that prominently features Kate Bush's now-omnipresent 1985 smash Running Up That Hill!
Racking up an impressive lineup of awards, the Netflix show is in the running for 13 Emmys, including:
- Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
- Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Outstanding Music Supervision
- Outstanding Stunt Performance
- Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
- Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
- Outstanding Period and/or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
- Outstanding Period and/or Character Hairstyling
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
- Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
The show is up against many other cultural phenomena of recent years, including Euphoria, Squid Game, and Succession.
Squid Game is the first non-English language series to be Emmy nominated for Outstanding Drama — stars Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon, Park Hae-soo, and Oh Young-soo also received Emmy nominations for their incredible performances!
All shows have barely been out of the spotlight since their release, with Squid Game still being the only Netflix show to beat Stranger Things to the top spot for most viewing hours over the first 28 days since its release. Both shows are now the only two to cross Netflix's billion hours viewed mark.
Fans were, of course, thrilled to see Stranger Things in the lineup for so many awards, but needless to say, confused as to how its leads received no nominations.
Many took to Twitter to express their outrage at the perceived snub by the Emmys.
Here's a round-up of some of the fan reactions on Twitter:
Hi @FBI, I’d like to report a serious crime. Sadie Sink and Millie Bobby Brown were ROBBED of Emmy nominations for @Stranger_Things! #StrangerThings4
I would watch this movie tbf.
no emmy nomination for sadie sink, caleb mclaughlin, millie bobby brown and gaten matarazzo is my villain origin story.
Even just these stills give me chills.
the greatest actresses of their generation, millie bobby brown and sadie sink deserved that fucking emmy nomination for their unbelievable performance in #StrangerThings!!!
#JusticeForSadie
i will get sadie sink that emmy myself.
Fans didn't just see red in Vecna's lair...
HOW THE FUCK DO YOU WATCH THIS EPISODE AND NOT NOMINATE SADIE SINK FOR AN EMMY, I HATE IT HERE https://t.co/Vn1D1A5jxw
More unbelievable than Vecna existing in the real world...
you’re going to sit here and tell me with a straight face that sadie sink didn’t deserve an emmy after her performance in st4 when this exists???? she was ROBBED.
Actual footage of me at the Emmys:
me stealing the emmy for millie and sadie
Millie has been nominated for an Emmy twice before, but not yet won, despite disbelief from fans and critics.
Millie Bobby Brown snubbed again... this is crazy she's been acting her ass off in Stranger Things for years now
Both the show, and Millie's part in it, will likely go down in pop culture history.
millie bobby brown one of the greatest actresses of our generation, she really deserved to have her 3 Emmy nomination for her performance in #StrangerThings
MBB in her element:
millie should’ve received an emmy from this scene alone idk
There is hope, though.
millie & sadie will be getting their nominations TRUST.
Emmy requirements state that shows and TV movies had to have premiered in the window of June 1, 2021-May 31, 2022 to qualify for 2022 Emmys consideration. There is an exception known as the "Hanging Episode Rule," where the Emmys will consider programmes that premiered within that window, even if the series finished after the window's final date. This rule means networks need to provide all episode of the season to Television Academy voters by May 31, and Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 landed on July 1.
This rule has been eliminated for 2023. In the case of Stranger Things, since Season 5 won't be ready by the time the next Emmys roll around, the last two episodes of Season 4, which released outside of the May 31 window, will be treated as "orphaned" and eligible for individual achievements, not series ones.
So maybe the actors might be up for some 2023 Emmy nominations for Volume 2...
I'm totally stoked that the cast and crew got so many well-deserved nominations, but truly surprised that the cast weren't in the running, too.
