• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, Yesterday

If memory serves, in a past TV Blog or two, I actually sat down and counted the number of Emmy nominations from a PDF of all of them.

But this year, the list is so long that I will not attempt it. Anyone reading this TV Blog is free to count the nominations themselves. But be forewarned: The list is 70 pages long and the print is small.

The list of nominees, announced by the TV Academy on Wednesday, can be downloaded by anyone from this TV Academy web page.

I did some counting, but not a lot. In the first 10 pages of the document, there are 88 nominations in 17 categories.

But within each nominated show, there are lists of individual nominees.

As labor-intensive as it is to just count the nominated shows and categories, I cannot estimate how long it would take to count all of the nominees (although why would anyone want to?).

I counted the number of individual nominees on Pages 1 and 2 alone, and there were 99 of them representing six nominated shows in the category of Outstanding Animated Program.

In the main, the nominees are executive producers, directors and writers.

I suppose if their show wins, they will all get a statuette for their mantelpieces, book shelves or piano tops -- as they should.

Apparently, there are many cooks in the kitchens of animated shows.

In the list of nominated shows in the category, “Bob’s Burgers” lists 20 nominees; “Rick and Morty,” 21; “The Simpsons,” 21; “Smiling Friends,” 7; “South Park,” 20; and “Star Wars: Visions,” 10.

The sheer breadth of the categories, shows, platforms and nominees is a clear reflection of the size of the world of television today.

According to Google Gemini, approximately 30 streaming and digital platforms were eligible for Emmy consideration this year, plus the broadcast networks and basic cable channels.

Truth is, when I read that “30” number, I was surprised because I thought there would be more because there are more -- a lot more. But only those 30 qualified for consideration because of their size and reach.

In any case, here we are. Where tallying up the nominations and nominees is concerned, the TV Academy has done a little of it for the rest of us.

On the same page where the complete list of nominees can be downloaded by anyone are a total of 15 Emmy-related documents that anyone can download using the link embedded above.

For example, one of them charts data about “key categories.” These include Best Actors and Actresses, Best Dramas and Comedies, supporting actors and actresses, and other high-profile categories.

Titled “78th Emmy Awards Nominations Key Categories and Facts,” the document tells us that “Hacks” received 24 nominations, including a Best Actress in a Comedy nomination for its star, Jean Smart (above photo).

The leading nominee in the Best Drama category is “The Pitt” with 25 nominations -- the highest tally of any show, comedy or drama. Both shows are on HBO Max.

Another document breaks down the nominations alphabetically according to network or platform -- from ABC to YouTube.

Unfortunately, this document -- titled “78th Emmy Nominations Per Network/Platform” – merely lists the nominations. It does not tally up the nominations received by each network, streamer or parent company.

For most people, the number of nominations per network, per show or per person is not necessarily meaningful.

The big companies love the numbers, though. No sooner had the nominations been announced than a press release popped up in my inbox from Warner Bros. Discovery reporting that the company received 150 Emmy nominations, 122 for HBO Max alone. Congratulations to them.

The 78th Emmy Awards will air on Monday, September 14, on NBC. Mariska Hargitay is hosting.