The SAG-AFTRA strike ended more than seven months ago in early November 2023. The Writers Guild strike ended more than eight months ago, in late September of last year. So why, with the strikes ended and Emmy nomination voting underway, do those labor stoppages feel so current and immediate?

Because they have shaped this season, that’s why. Their effect starts with the calendar: This year’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is taking place on September 15, 2024, exactly eight months (244 days) after last year’s Emmy Awards, which actually took place this year.

It’s the shortest time between shows in Emmy history because when the strikes hit, the show that should have happened in September 2023 was delayed to January 2024 in order to ensure that writers and actors could actually show up. So the Television Academy gave out awards for the TV shows of 2022-23 in ’24, and now they’ll have a second ceremony in the same calendar year for the first time ever.

But it’s not just the timing that has changed because of the strikes — so has the field of contenders. Emmy ballots in most of the 118 categories were posted on the Television Academy website on Thursday, and the most obvious takeaway was how much smaller the field of contenders was. The drama series and comedy series categories dropped by more than 35%, and some acting categories had fewer than half the number of entries they had in 2023.

Of the 106 categories where a direct comparison was possible between the number of eligible contenders this year and last year, only 14 had more entries this year, three had the same number and 89 had fewer submissions.

Crucially, many of the shows that would have been top contenders are missing in action, particular in the Outstanding Drama Series category. For example, let’s look at last year’s nominees in that category. One of them, “The Crown,” is eligible again this year. Two, “Succession” (which won) and “Better Call Saul,” have ended their runs.

The remaining five nominees were derailed by the strikes. “Andor,” “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” “House of the Dragon” and “Yellowjackets” will be competing for awards in years to come — but because of the work stoppage, all five had their upcoming seasons delayed. “HOTD” Season 2 was pushed back to after the May 31 eligibility cutoff date and the others have all been moved into 2025.

If you look at the dramas that weren’t nominated last year but did make the cut in previous years, the landscape is no better. Past nominees “The Boys” and “Squid Game” similarly did not make the May 31 cutoff date, while “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Stranger Things” are also planning to drop new seasons in 2025.

Read the rest of the Awards Beat column here.