Between a new rule and the show's unconventional episode rollout, Netflix's sci-fi drama will be shut out of the main categories.
Don't expect to see a Stranger Things sweep at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards. In fact, Dacre Montgomery is the only star eligible for a potential acting nomination in 2023.
While the majority of the series' fourth season -- starring Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Sadie Sink and more -- began streaming on Netflix beginning on May 27, 2022, the sci-fi drama returned on July 1, 2022 with a two-episode arc -- "Papa" and "The Piggyback" -- rounding out the complete season.
However, while the first seven episodes were eligible for Emmys consideration during last year's ceremony (which resulted in a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series), the remaining two will be largely shut out of the main categories this year.
According to a report from Variety, the Television Academy eliminated "the hangover episode rule" at the start of this year's eligibility period in June 2022. The now-defunct rule would have allowed series to premiere current-season content after the May 31 eligibility deadline but before the start of nomination round-voting for Emmy consideration.
Stranger Things Season Four Volume One fell within the eligibility window for the 2022 awards, while Volume Two was bumped into the window for the 2023 ceremony. With only two episodes falling under the Volume Two category, they are considered "orphan episodes" rather than a complete season.
In order to be eligible for a nomination in any of the main series acting categories or for Outstanding Drama Series, shows are required to have a minimum of six episodes.
Meanwhile, Montgomery is a contender in the Guest Actor category, with his Billy character appearing during a particularly poignant scene in "The Piggyback."
It's a crowded category this year, with other hopefuls including Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Lamar Johnson and Gabriel Luna from The Last of Us; James Cromwell and Arian Moayed from Succession; and Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Michael McKean, Tony Dalton and Mark Margolis from Better Call Saul.
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