Why Stranger Things Only Submitted One Actor To The 2023 Emmys For Season 4

When the 2023 Emmy Award nominations were announced back in July, it was expected that shows like "The Last of Us" and "Succession" would dominate the playing field. What was surprising to many fans, however, was that the Netflix juggernaut "Stranger Things" was shut out of the series and acting categories. Breakout star Joseph Quinn stole the show with his turn as metalhead Eddie Munson, while Sadie Sink's Max Mayfield was at the center of arguably one of the best scenes in the series' entire run. Well, the reason for the so-called snubbing of "Stranger Things" has nothing to do with the quality of work, and everything to do with eligibility rules.

Back in June 2022, the TV Academy finally got rid of the "hangover episode rule," which made it so series that debuted before the May 31 cut-off could include episodes that aired after the eligibility deadline, but before nomination voting, to be included for consideration. Emmy dates are based on seasonal broadcast schedules, but in the age of streaming, those dates have become somewhat arbitrary. To qualify for the 2023 Emmys, a series had to run between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023. The first seven episodes of "Stranger Things" Volume 1 were released on May 27, 2022, while Volume 2's final two episodes were held until July 1, 2022.

This made Volume 1 eligible for the 2022 Emmy Awards (earning 13 nominations and winning five), while the episodes "Chapter Eight: Papa" and "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback," are considered "orphan" episodes. As series nominations require a minimum of six episodes, this means the show couldn't resubmit for series consideration, nor could any actors resubmit for series performance consideration. So the only "Stranger Things" actor eligible for Emmy acting was Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove for Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Dacre Montgomery had a much bigger presence in seasons 2 and 3 of "Stranger Things," having been killed by the Mind Flayer in season 3 in one of the series' most shocking moments. However, Billy made an appearance in the season 4 finale, "The Piggyback," after Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) puts Billy's step-sister, Max, into a trance. Vecna weaponizes Max's guilt surrounding Billy's death as a form of torture, and Billy appears in a vision to blame her directly for his untimely demise. It's an emotionally complex and difficult moment, and as Montgomery appeared in less than 50 percent of the episodes in the season, he was the only actor eligible for a Guest Actor nomination, as the primary acting eligibility took place in 2022.

However, Montgomery was submitted in a particularly impressive and historic year and ultimately did not nab a nomination. The nominations ended up being Murray Bartlett ("The Last of Us"), James Cromwell ("Succession"), Lamar Johnson ("The Last of Us"), Arian Moayed ("Succession"), Nick Offerman ("The Last of Us"), and Keivonn Montreal Woodard ("The Last of Us"). The 2023 Emmy Awards ceremony has been postponed to January 15, 2024, but this could always change depending on whether or not WGA and SAG-AFTRA are still on strike following the AMPTP's refusal to offer a fair contract agreement.

Season 5 of "Stranger Things" is currently postponed until the strikes come to an end, so there's no telling which Emmy year the finale season will be eligible for submission.