Among the pleasant surprises from this year’s Emmy nominations was widespread love for series like “Abbott Elementary,” “The Great” and “The White Lotus,” which held their own in categories full of favorites lauded heavily at the SAG Awards, guild awards and last year’s Emmys ceremony. Still, all of these shows were critical darlings that fans and industry insiders alike could have predicted would pick up at least a nod here or there.

The true tiny-but-mighty nominee this year is Mary Lou Belli, who made it into the comedy directing category for “Baby Daddy Groundhog Day,” Episode 5 of BET+’s “The Ms.