Why is Dacre Montgomery the Only Stranger Things Star Eligible for Emmy 2023?
The TV Academy's new rules will prevent the show's stars from receiving the awards they deserve.
Stranger Things Season 4 was split into two parts, and let's face it, the second two-episode set was one of the best things to happen in the show's history. From Max's tragedy of being manipulated by Vecna and Will's heartbreaking monologue about Mike to Eddie's heroic death, it all raised the stakes, the drama, and the quality of the show.
But despite great storytelling made even better by equally great acting, almost the entire cast will not be nominated for Emmys this year. That's because of the Academy's new rules, which only make Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy, eligible to apply. So what's the reason?
Beginning with this year's 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences implemented new regulations that eliminated the so-called 'hanging episode' rule. The deadline for submitting a series for consideration is May 31. Previously, if a season was scheduled for release after that date, creators had the right to send it exclusively to the Academy before it was made available to the public. But not anymore.
The first volume of Season 4 was released on May 27, allowing the series to participate in the 74th Academy Awards, winning five awards in the categories of makeup, music, and visual design.
The second volume was released on July 1. Alas, after the deadline for the current Emmy Awards.
But guest stars, that is, actors who have appeared in no more than 50% of the season, are not subject to the new TV Academy guidelines. Though Dacre Montgomery's character died in Season 3, he appeared in the second volume in Max's visions — and that is why he has a chance to be nominated.
We love Montgomery's feisty and traumatized Billy, but to be fair, his chances of coming out on top are too slim. The competition will come from industry giants like Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, who appeared in The Last of Us, guest stars from perennial academic favorite Succession, and Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, who made cameos in Better Call Saul.
In addition, the final episode of Stranger Things will be eligible for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which recognize technical and artistic achievement in television. So we wish Montgomery and the production team best of luck in claiming the awards!