With 25 nominations, is “The Pitt” headed toward its second straight drama win? Breaking the record for most comedy nominations in history, is “Hacks” a safe bet? What happened to “Half a Man”? How did “Dancing With the Stars” end its ten-year nomination drought? What can we expect from Emmy host Mariska Hargitay?

Those questions, and many more, are discussed as Variety Awards Circuit Podcast’s Michael Schneider, Emily Longeretta and Jazz Tangcay joined the roundtable to review the winners, snubs and surprises from this week’s Emmy nominations. Listen below!

The nominations were announced Wednesday morning by Emmy winners Liza Colón-Zayas (“The Bear”) and Jeff Hiller (“Somebody Somewhere”), along with TV Academy President Cris Abrego. Among the highlights, HBO Max’s hit medical series “The Pitt” led all shows with a whopping 25 nominations, including outstanding drama and 13 acting nominations (with star Noah Wyle as lead actor).

And another HBO Max hit, “Hacks,” earned 24 nominations for its fifth season, the most ever for a comedy. (“Hacks” surpassed previous record holders “The Bear” and “The Studio,” who had 23.) Star Jean Smart is now in line to win her fifth Emmy for the show and her eighth overall, which would put her tied for the actress with the most acting Emmy wins in history.

Additionally, the next nominees were first-year Apple TV phenoms: Horror comedy “Widow’s Bay,” which saw a surge of interest toward the end of the FYC Emmy season, earned 19 nominations. And twisted drama newcomer “Pluribus” earned 18 nominations. Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Beef” was the limited series/anthology with the most nominations, with 16.

But there were also some disappointments. “To be honest, I was really bummed that ‘Half Man’ didn’t get more love,” Longeretta says. “I will say that for me that was the biggest one. That, while Richard Gadd was amazing in it, not recognizing Jamie Bell was pretty shocking to me. And not recognizing the show in general because the script was crazy.”

Meanwhile, the screening of “Widow’s Bay” was a pleasant surprise, as shows that premiere late in the Emmy cycle often struggle to gain attention. “I know for a long time, talking to a lot of people, they felt like they didn’t have time for another show. But the hype around ‘Widow’s Bay’ was so relentless that I think a lot of people saw it and said, ‘Oh, this is great,'” Schneider says.

The group also talks about the poor showing of broadcast television (few nominations for shows other than “Abbott Elementary”), although the return of “Dancing With the Stars” to the reality competition arena after a decade-long absence was a pleasant surprise (except for the fact that it displaced Schneider’s beloved “The Amazing Race”).

Then there’s the story of Mariska Hargitay, who’s having a big year: The Knicks win, her Broadway show, her documentary “My Mom Jayne” earned two Emmy nominations, “SVU” hit 600 episodes this year, and she’s now hosting the Emmys (the first woman to do so in 15 years).

Among other surprises, Taylor Sheridan’s universe couldn’t muster a nomination for hits like “Landman” or “The Madison,” despite the star power of Billy Bob Thornton and Michelle Pfeiffer. “The Bear” still got a comedy mention, but star Jeremy Allen White isn’t there.

And Tangcay has a personal favorite: “I loved that Sally Field was in ‘Remarkably Brilliant Creatures. I mean, Sally is just a legend. It was lovely to see her do that.”

Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit,” features interviews with top film and television talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you download podcasts.