BET+ Scores the Year's Most Surprising Emmy Nomination

Nobody's begrudging shows like Barry and Succession for getting as many Emmy nods this year as everyone expected (or sometimes even more ), but it's the surprises that really make for a memorable nomination day. And hands down, the most surprising nod this year went to Mary Lou Belli, a TV director with over 30 years of experience who got her first-ever nomination for Outstanding Director of a Comedy Series. What's more, she was nominated for The Ms. Pat Show, a sitcom on BET+.

While series star Patricia "Ms. Pat" Williams is certainly a well-liked comedian and her show has done well enough to get renewed for a third season, it hasn't been part of the zeitgeist like Atlanta, Barry, Only Murders in the Building, Hacks, and Ted Lasso, which landed the other nominations in the comedy directing category. It's exciting to see a veteran like Belli get this kind of a attention for an under-the-radar show. And if she actually wins, it will be one of the greatest upsets in Emmy history. 

For the full list of 2022 Emmy nominees, head to the Television Academy's website.

Mark Blankenship has been writing about arts and culture for twenty years, with bylines in The New York Times, Variety, Vulture, Fortune, and many others. You can hear him on the pop music podcast Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs.