The Television Academy Confirms What We Suspected About Kelly Reilly's Bold 2022 Emmys Play

"Yellowstone" has regularly been recognized as one of the most popular series on television for some time now, and the currently-in-production fifth season is proof the Paramount Network show is keen to keep the good times going. The Taylor Sheridan co-created series follows the life of John Dutton (Kevin Costner), his family, and his expert team of ranch employees as they attempt to keep control of the Dutton land in Montana. Since its debut in June 2018, "Yellowstone" has been a wild ride and highly successful amongst fans and critics (via Rotten Tomatoes). 

However, "Yellowstone" doesn't just tell the story of the Dutton patriarch. Like many a great show, there are multiple protagonists the show is interested in, and some of those characters sometimes dominate the plot more than others. For example, Season 4 focuses heavily on John's daughter, Beth (Kelly Reilly), and her new husband (and John's right-hand man), Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). Reilly's Beth is certainly a force to be reckoned with. She is incredibly loyal, brilliant, and often ruthless in her pursuits. At one point in the season, she goes as far as to force her adopted brother, Jamie (Wes Bentley), to kill his biological father (Will Patton).

Since Beth is so much of a focus in Season 4, The Hollywood Reporter detailed in May how, in the run-up to Emmy nominations, Reilly included her name in the outstanding lead actress in a drama category submission alongside Costner's lead actor submission. This was seemingly a bold move, as many would consider Beth a prominent supporting character alongside her siblings and Rip. With the official 2022 Emmy nominations now here, the Television Academy has confirmed what we suspected about Reilly's play.

According to the now completely released list of 2022 Emmy nominations, the Television Academy has made it clear that Kelly Reilly was unsuccessful in getting a nomination in the outstanding lead actress in a drama series category (via The New York Times). Not only did the actress fail to lock in a nod, but "Yellowstone" wasn't awarded a nomination in any other category. It appears that the Emmys are still somewhat resistant to acknowledge "Yellowstone" despite its great success and obvious popularity. "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883" was also snubbed from nominations this year, as well.

These disappointments on the "Yellowstone" homefront may lead viewers to wonder if the Television Academy has a distaste for Westerns in general. The Paramount Network show brought in over nine million viewers on its Season 4 finale (via Forbes), not to mention the production and scale of the settings in the series are at least worthy of recognition. Reilly's seemingly bold play for outstanding lead actress in a drama series somehow now seems even bolder with "Yellowstone" earning no nominations whatsoever. It will be interesting to see just how long the Emmys can go in being seemingly very resistant to acknowledging "Yellowstone," "1883," or Westerns in general while limited series like them continue to gain such recognition from audiences.

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Monday, September 12, on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.