Can Steve Carell finally break his Emmy curse with 'Rooster'?

Steve Carell is once again in the running for an Emmy, but the veteran actor faces a difficult path to finally taking home the award.

Carell earned his 12th career Emmy nomination this year for his performance in the HBO Max comedy Rooster. The nomination makes him the performer with the most Emmy nods among this year’s nominees without a single victory.

The actor first received an Emmy nomination for playing Michael Scott on The Office in 2006. He went on to earn additional nominations for the role in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. He was also recognised as a producer during The Office’s Emmy runs and later earned a drama nomination for The Morning Show in 2020.

Carell’s current Emmy drought places him second on the all-time list for nominations without a win, behind the late Angela Lansbury, who received 18 nominations without winning.

His latest opportunity comes with Rooster, created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. Carell plays Greg Russo, a successful novelist and divorced father who becomes a visiting lecturer at the same New England college where his daughter, Katie, works. The role allows him to showcase both his comedic timing and dramatic range.

However, Carell faces strong competition in the lead actor in a comedy series category. His fellow nominees include Matthew Rhys of Widow’s Bay, Martin Short of Only Murders in the Building, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of Wonder Man and Jason Segel of Shrinking.

The lack of an Emmy campaign could also work against him, as Carell has reportedly kept a relatively low profile during awards season.

With another nomination secured, the question remains whether Emmy voters will finally reward one of television’s most consistently acclaimed performers.