Are the Emmys going to ignore ‘DTF St. Louis’? No way, Jose.
HBO Max’s limited series has emerged as a major contender for the Primetime Emmy Awards after a seven-episode run. And with campaign season underway, two of its stars are in a position to seriously consider the award.
Variety has exclusively learned that Jason Bateman, who plays local weather forecaster Clark Forrest, and Linda Cardellini, who plays Floyd’s bitter wife Carol, will be submitted for Emmy consideration in the Best Supporting Actor (Limited) and Best Supporting Actress (Limited) categories, respectively.
The final category for co-star David Harbour, who plays ASL interpreter Floyd Smarnich, has not yet been determined.
The limited series revolves around a tangled love triangle involving Clark Forrest (Bateman), Floyd Smarnich (Harbour), and Carol (Cardellini). When Floyd is found dead in a local swimming pool, surrounded by a toxic cocktail and vintage Playgirl magazines, two detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin to unravel the bizarre series of events that led to Floyd’s death. The series was created, written and directed by Stephen Conrad, known for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Wonder (2017).
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Bateman enters this Emmy cycle with multiple paths to nomination. In addition to his Best Supporting Actor win for “DTF St. Louis,” he will also be up for multiple categories for Netflix’s crime thriller “Black Rabbit.” For the miniseries, which premiered in the fall, Bateman is in the running for lead actor (limited) and director, as well as executive producer through his company Aggregate Films (he also appeared on “DTF”). He has already earned nominations from The Actor Awards (formerly SAG) and DGA for directing the episode “The Black Rabbits.”
If Bateman receives nominations as a producer on both series, he will join a list that is severely lacking. In the history of the limited series category, only seven producers have earned double nominations for two separate shows in the same year on eight separate occasions: John McCrae in 1973, Joan Wilson in 1982, and 1997. and Robert Halmi Sr. in 1998 (the only producer to accomplish this feat twice), Peter Sussman and Suzanne Girard in 2001, Michael Proupas in 2011, and Joseph Incaprella in 2014.
For Bateman, “DTF St. Louis” adds another entry to a long Emmy resume that includes 14 nominations across multiple categories and series, including “Arrested Development,” “Ozark,” “The Outsiders” and “Lessons in Chemistry.” He won his first Emmy Award for directing the “Ozark” episode “Reparations.”
Meanwhile, Cardellini has a solid track record in the Emmy race, including a 2013 nomination for guest drama actress on Mad Men and a 2020 double bid for lead comedy actress and outstanding comedy series for the Netflix series Dead to Me, which she also executive produced.
The Best Supporting Actress nomination will pit her against several candidates expected to run strong campaigns, including Kailey Spaeney (Beef), Grace Gummer and Naomi Watts (Love Story).
Alison Herman, Variety’s chief television critic, wrote in a review that, “To call ‘DTF St. Louis’ the least sexy erotic thriller ever made is both an ineffective sales pitch and generally accurate.”
The show, starring Harbor and Pedro Pascal, began development in 2022 and was originally inspired by a James Lasdun New Yorker article titled “My Dentist’s Murder Trial: Adultery, False Identity, and Deadly Sedation.” By 2024, Pascal was no longer involved, Jason Bateman came on board, and the creative direction shifted to completely original ideas. Harbor is executive producing alongside Bateman for Aggregate Films, Rathdun, and Escape Artist’s Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch; Aggregate Films’ Molly Allen, Bruce Tellis, and Michael Costigan; Bravo Axolotl’s Christina Wenson; and MGM Television. The ensemble also includes Peter Sarsgaard, Arlan Roof, and Wynn Everett.
Entries in additional categories will be announced later in the awards cycle.
“DTF St. Louis” is now available on HBO Max.
