Here are the shows and actors that should (but probably won't) get Emmy nominations this year

This year, the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards aim to recognize the best in TV programming among shows and limited series that aired from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021. But we don't have a lot of hope that everything we loved this past year will make it onto the ballots.

It's a common gripe that awards shows, in general, can be extremely predictable and kinda boring. With TV especially, the Academy has a tendency to fall into a pattern of nominating (and awarding) the same very small, select group of actors and series throughout a show's entire run.

The Emmys also have a tendency to ignore genre shows — with the notable exception of "Game of Thrones" — in favor of mystery-thrillers, historical fiction, and prestige cable and streaming dramas. (We're predicting lots of 2021 Emmys love for "Mare of Easttown," "The Crown," "The Queen's Gambit," and "The Handmaid's Tale," in case you hadn't guessed.)

So, it's inevitable that there'll be oversights when the nominations are announced on Tuesday morning.

While there'll be plenty of griping about perceived snubs to do then, here are the shows and actors Insider's entertainment team is hoping against hope will get a nod (even though we've been doing this long enough to be pretty sure most of them won't).

Starr's Homelander gets even more menacing on season two of "The Boys," and his performance has been captivating since the series first premiered in 2019.

Unfortunately, the Television Academy doesn't typically know what to do with genre shows, let alone off-beat, subversive genre shows like this one.

—Caralynn Lippo, Entertainment Editor

The first season of Hulu's "Pen15" (a comedy series about the early aughts middle school experiences of Maya and Anna) was rightfully nominated for best comedy series, but both Erskine and Konkle were overlooked for acting awards.

Hopefully this time around they are both properly lauded for the incredible nuance and hilarity they bring to a show where the now 30-something women play their own 13-year-old selves among a cast of real middle-schoolers.

—Kim Renfro, Entertainment Correspondent

"The Wilds" has a premise that sounds a little bit like an aged-down "Lost" knock-off: a group of teenage girls are left stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. But its twists, turns, and strong ensemble performances made it one of the most engaging, must-watch dramas of the year.

It was also tightly crafted, holding our interest throughout the entirety of the first season right up to that shocking finale and managing to avoid the wheel-spinning "filler" episodes that shows of this genre often turn to in an effort to draw out the mystery.

—Debanjali Bose, Associate Editor

Playing a survivor of grooming, sexual assault, and kidnapping, Holt delivers a flawless and authentic portrayal of someone living through PTSD in her role as Kate Wallis on the surprise Freeform hit "Cruel Summer."

There's no doubt in our minds that Holt's nomination would be a gimme if the show aired on any network other than Freeform.

—Debanjali Bose, Associate Editor, and Caralynn Lippo, Entertainment Editor

"Run the World" centers on four best friends, living in Harlem, as they navigate love, career, and friendships. If it sounds familiar, it's because it sorta kinda is: The woman behind "Living Single," which also centered four besties living in Brooklyn, Yvette Lee Bowser, is also the show's executive producer.

However, creator and executive producer Leigh Davenport brings a special freshness to the series, perfectly capturing the essence of what it means to live in a concrete jungle while trying to find beauty everywhere — even in the corner bodega, Central Park, or a blue-lit club while trying to crash VIP.

—Joi-Marie McKenzie, Deputy Editor

It's like "Ted Lasso" for the younger set.

We didn't have very high hopes for this TV continuation of the beloved 1990s film series (they can't all be "Cobra Kai," after all). But a clever premise that turns our expectations on their head, paired with genuinely affecting performances, makes "Game Changers" one of the sweetest comedies of the year.

—Caralynn Lippo, Entertainment Editor

Does John Stamos play versions of the same character in almost everything he's in? Yes. Does he do it extremely well? Also yes.

Stamos gives a great comedic performance as Coach Marvyn Korn, with some tender moments that took us completely by surprise — in a good way.

—Debanjali Bose, Associate Editor

Pedretti's Dani takes viewers through the full gamut of emotions right up until her devastating ending.

Her role in the "Hill House" follow-up is deeper and far more nuanced than we expected going in (come for the scares, stay for one of the best TV romances of the year). And Pedretti knocks it out of the park.

—Caralynn Lippo, Entertainment Editor

"Bly Manor" delivered one of the best TV episodes of the year with its Hannah Grose-centric episode five, "The Altar of the Dead." It's a mind-bending and terrifying exploration of Hannah's past, ultimately revealing the heartbreaking (and frankly disturbing) truth about the manor's housekeeper.

Miller makes us feel every ounce of anguish that Hannah does in her award-worthy performance.

—Caralynn Lippo, Entertainment Editor

There's a reason why "Lupin" is one of the most watched shows on Netflix — Omar Sy is that reason.

We can't look away as Sy dons dozens of disguises to play Assane Diop, the gentleman thief with a grudge to settle. His captivating performance transcends language in this French series.

—Debanjali Bose, Associate Editor

Elizabeth Olsen delivers a brilliant deep dive into how we process grief on "WandaVision."

If you watched the show going in blind, you likely didn't realize you were watching a series about loss under the guise of a Marvel comedy until the curtain was lifted episodes later, making Olsen's performance all the more heart-wrenching as Wanda's mental health continues to deteriorate by the show's end.

Olsen's nuanced performance is worth a rewatch to uncover slight hints she gives along the way at the trauma and pain Wanda worked so hard to ignore behind a fake facade of a television comedy.

—Kirsten Acuna, Entertainment Correspondent