There’s been a lot of grumbling about the new Emmy nominations and there are a litany of the usual complaints.
“They honor too many of the same old shows!” Yeah, but when the same old shows are Homeland, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad, they kind-of have to. These are critically beloved dramas that deserve their recognition, although I would love to see Breaking Bad finally win best drama. [It’s never won before.] Could the comedy categories be fresher? Absolutely, but there aren’t a lot of brand-new comedies that are truly excellent.
“There aren’t enough Sci-Fi nominees!” They primarily mean that Tatiana Masley wasn’t nominated for Best Actress for her work in Orphan Black, and if you thought she would be, you’re dreaming. Other than that, what other Science Fiction/Fantasy shows are currently so excellent that they just demand awards attention? True Blood? Grimm? 666 Park Avenue? I mean get real…PLUS, Game of Thrones was nominated for Best Drama, which is a huge victory for genre shows, so I don’t get what all the complaining is about.
“Where’s the love for [insert random nominee]?” We’ll never get anything we want, but, that being said, we do get an awful lot of it…
The Five Best Surprises…
1. Margo Martindale, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama for The Americans. It would have been nice to see more recognition for The Americans, but I’m thrilled that they recognized one of the best things about season 1, the former Justified anti-heroine’s towering work as a deceptively innocent looking Russian spy known as “Granny.”
2. Jason Bateman, Best Actor in a Comedy for Arrested Development. It’s the appropriate recognition for his years of work as the best straight man on TV, and a rebuke to the AD critics who say the 4th season (on Netflix) sucked. [We’ll properly chastise them tomorrow, so come back for that.]
3. Laura Dern, Best Actress in a Comedy for Enlightened. I think HBO made a mistake in cancelling this excellent dramedy series, and it’s nice that I’m not alone in thinking that.
4. Adam Driver, Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for Girls. Driver (as Hannah’s offbeat, complicated sometimes boyfriend) is actually giving the best performance on that show, so it’s great to see some recognition for that, but also satisfying because Eric Stonestreet (the hammy Cam from Modern Family, who wins every other year besides the ones Ty Burrell wins) wasn’t nominated.
5. Kevin Spacey, Best Actor in a Drama for House of Cards. I think the nomination for Robin Wright is a mistake (her Clare seemed more one-note chilly than truly compelling) but Spacey’s nom is just right enough to sneak onto this list.
Worth Mentioning: Go hit man Mike! Jonathan Banks scored a surprise nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his sterling work in Breaking Bad as a soulful former cop now playing for the other team.
The Five Worst Snubs…
1. Best Comedy Series, Parks and Recreation. What do they have to do to win this award? Some years, they aren’t even nominated despite consistently being the best comedy on TV.
2. Keri Russell, Best Actress in a Drama for The Americans. They nominated a whopping 7 women in this category, and yet Russell didn’t sneak on there. I would have gladly given her a nod over Robin Wright for House of Cards, or Connie Britton in Nashville. Neither of those performances had the depth or anger of Russell’s work.
3. No Major Nominations for Arrested Development’s 4th season Besides Bateman…What about Jessica Walters as Lucille Bluth (7 actresses were nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, yet not her) or (especially) Will Arnett as Gob Bluth, who made for season 4’s best episodes? Maybe they weren’t in enough episodes to merit consideration, but then what about the series as a whole? The 4th season stacked the jokes like building blocks and became the most ambitious season of a comedy I have seen in ages.
4. A Shut-Out of Justified…Justified has been nominated (and won) some categories before so it’s not as if voters aren’t aware of it, and yet no major nominations were thrown its way this time. What gives? A particular disappointment is not giving a nomination to Walton Goggins for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. His complicated criminal steals every scene he’s in.
Worth Mentioning…I’m not entirely sure Hannibal was even eligible for this year’s awards (some of the best episodes might have aired after the cut-off date for submissions) but it would have been nice to see some mention of the show. Perhaps a best writing nomination for the show’s pilot or some technical consideration for a stand-out episode from the first half of the season. Plus, I absolutely think Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelson deserve consideration for their intense psychological duel.