It's finally here, TV fans! This morning, the nominations for the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced. It's Christmas morning for folks like me, and in the hours to come after the nominations are announced, expect plenty of debate, celebration, anger, and cheer.
My initial reaction this morning is extremely mixed, but mostly anger. Why you ask? THE SNUBS. Oh, they are egregious this year. Let's break it down race by race, shall we?
Best Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory, Louie, Modern Family, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Veep
From my predictions, I got #1-5 and #8. Who was #8 on my list? That'd be "Silicon Valley" who continued HBO's trend of getting in freshman series with limited runs and an outside shot at the nomination. The problem with "SV," though? It's not that good. Considering the shows it beat for the nomination, "SV" should be very happy with their placement here, because it was able to leap over a hotter freshman show "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and the Emmys' previous "hip" show, "Girls," not to mention other (and worthier) contenders like "Parks and Recreation" and "Shameless." I watched the whole season of "Silicon Valley," and it's an okay show. It had its funny moments, but the only truly great episode I saw was the finale. It's not an outrageous nomination, but I just think any of the four shows I previously mentioned would've been better suited here.
Best Drama Series
Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Mad Men, True Detective
If the 2014 Emmys are remembered for anything, it will be for this, above all else: THEY SNUBBED THE GOOD WIFE FOR WHAT IS THE BEST SEASON OF TELEVISION LITERALLY EVER. Now that I've properly conveyed my anger, let's talk about this in a professional (or as close to professional) manner. The expected nominees are here. From my list, that's #1-4 and #6, but then #10, the awards-show-boner-shriveling drivel known as "Downton Abbey." This is just a show I do not like and I cannot get into, and the fact that it repeatedly receives an outrageous number of Emmy nominations has bothered me for years. This year, I was confident the Emmys would drop the show because I haven't heard zip about it this year, but alas, a show that no one cares about beats the most buzzed-about and critically-acclaimed season of a broadcast network television show in ages for the Emmy nomination. This is the greatest disappointment of the morning for me. I'd almost have accepted if "Masters of Sex" or another worthy contender had swooped in for "The Good Wife" spot, but alas...
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Louis CK for Louie, Ricky Gervais for Derek, Matt LeBlanc for Episodes, Don Cheadle for House of Lies, Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory, William H. Macy for Shameless
If I could abolish one category at this year's Emmys, it would be this one. It's not even close to a "Sophie's choice" for me. Let's talk about the three nominees that make my blood curl before we move to the redeeming factors, though. It appears Don Cheadle and Matt LeBlanc have been nominated once again for doing nothing. Does anyone even watch "Episodes" or "House of Lies"? This is name-checking at its absolute worst, and while we're on that topic, let's talk about Ricky Gervais being nominated for a show no one's ever seen. Why does Hollywood have an obsession with this guy?! Let's talk about who was snubbed as a result: Robin Williams, Johnny Galecki, and (a big shocker here) Andy Samberg. But there are actually talented actors here, so let's discuss those before I dwell on the fact that Cheadle and LeBlanc have been nominated for these shows three times now. Louis CK, whose show I will admit I do not watch, is at least a talented actor/writer/director/producer and the episodes I have seen of "Louie" are funny. Fine, acceptable, job well done. Jim Parsons surfaces here once again, but that's fine by me. Unlike some, I'm no Sheldon hater, and while I think the show has grown past a period in time where Sheldon was the best part about it, he still deserves to be here. But finally, in a category I loathe, we come to one of my favorite nominees of the day: William H. Macy!!! Now, is it total name-checking? Probably (and you'll see why down below), but I simply don't care for this nomination because Macy deserves it and (on a larger scale) the show deserves it. This one made me pump my fist in the air. Job well done, sir! Now how about an Emmy win? With this weak competition, it's certainly possible. For the record, my predictions here went #1-2, #4-5, #8 and unranked (...Gervais...).
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Lena Dunham for Girls, Melissa McCarthy for Mike and Molly, Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie, Taylor Schilling for Orange Is the New Black, Amy Poehler for Parks and Recreation, Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Veep
Sigh...this category has such potential sometimes, but we can seemingly never reach a perfect lineup. Although this one is definitely miles above its male counterpart, there are still some snubs that hurt and some nominees that make you go "huh?" The highlights: Dunham, Schilling, Poehler and Louis-Dreyfus, who undoubtedly deserve to be here, haters be damned. All deserved and expected nominees so congrats, ladies. The remaining two? Well, Melissa McCarthy is a previous winner here, but her snub last year seemed to be a sign that the Emmys were over here, which apparently they were not. It's not the worst nomination in the world. I like Melissa McCarthy and I do know that this season of "Mike and Molly" was changed to cater to her now-famous raunchy attitude, so maybe voters took notice and wanted her back. Fine. Okay. Edie Falco is just going to be a lifetime nominee, and yes, I know, I predicted her, but I thought the Emmys might take a chance and be bold. It's not the worst thing to happen in Emmy history, it just means that we get some notable snubs. Mindy Kaling, bless her little heart, seemed like a good bet for a nomination when it was revealed she'd be announcing them. Yeah, the announcement of her lack of nomination while she's on screen is heartbreaking. At least she had a good poker face (or maybe not, I wasn't really looking, too busy cradling my head in my hands). Two other big snubs: Anna Faris, who I had in my top six for a long time but took out in favor of Kaling, but still would've been very deserving (it appears she's stuck behind the spotlight of her co-star, which we'll discuss below) and Emmy Rossum, whose show got some love in the form of a first-time nomination for co-star William H. Macy, but it just shows voters aren't really watching "Shameless" if they nominate him and not the superior and masterful Rossum. What does she have to do to get a nomination? Because I can't think of anything she hasn't already done on that show. I prepared myself for such a snub, though, so I'll silently accept this lineup of six, of which I predicted #1-5 and #9.
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad, Kevin Spacey for House of Cards, Jon Hamm for Mad Men, Jeff Daniels for The Newsroom, Woody Harrelson for True Detective, Matthew McConaughey for True Detective
Quite frankly, I really only have one big qualm with this race, and I'm coming close to acceptance. Cranston, Spacey, Hamm, Harrelson and McConaughey are no brainers. They undoubtedly deserve to be here, and they're expected nominees. Cheers, friends! But the last nominee, who is actually the defending champ, just made me shake my head when I heard his name called. Why, Jeff Daniels?! Yes, he won last year, but I was not expecting another nomination because no one cares about his show anymore and there are hotter, stronger contenders like James Spader for "The Blacklist," Michael Sheen for "Masters of Sex," and Matthew Rhys for "The Americans." But again, this isn't mortal sin (and not to beat a dead horse, but mortal sin in my book is "The Good Wife" snub). It's not like Daniels has a shot against this competition anyway. Game on, fellas. Here, I predicted #1-5 and #9.
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Michelle Dockery for Downton Abbey, Claire Danes for Homeland, Robin Wright for House of Cards, Lizzy Caplan for Masters of Sex, Kerry Washington for Scandal, Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife
The most competitive, exciting, thrilling race leading up to today...and the Emmys manage to completely mess it up. Michelle Dockery?!?! WHAT?! But first, a big congrats to the other ladies. Danes, whose show was given the cold shoulder, deservedly shows up here. Wright, certainly a highlight of "House of Cards" season two, is a heavyweight for the win. Caplan is a huge surprise, but so well deserved as she was a revelation and outshone her male co-star (and her nomination over Sheen is proof of that). Washington is still a powerhouse for "Scandal," and it's still great to see her in this lineup. And taking some (SOME) of the sting away from "The Good Wife" series snub is seeing Margulies re-enter this race after being inexplicably dropped last year. But let's get back to the lady whose name is on everyone's tongue: Dockery. Why? Really? Just why? Let's name some of the ladies who missed out because of this nomination: Vera Farmiga for "Bates Motel," Elisabeth Moss for "Mad Men," Keri Russell for "The Americans," and above all else, Tatiana Maslany for "Orphan Black," shunned once again for one of television's defining performances. Instead, we get some dowdy, boring performance on a show I've already expressed my distasted for while innovative, exciting, shocking work is getting snubbed. We could've really used a seventh nominee this year, but now the question is which lady will stand out for the win? In my predictions, I went #1-4, #8 and #10.
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher for Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Adam Driver for Girls, Ty Burrell for Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson for Modern Family, Tony Hale for Veep, Fred Armisen for Portlandia
ALMOST the best category of the day until...wait...am I misreading this...no...Fred Armisen?!?! Are you kidding me, Emmys?! Now, I've never been the biggest Fred Armisen fan, and it's not like "Portlandia" is Emmy bait, but how in the hell does he get nominated? This is absolutely one of the biggest WTF nominees of the year. I'm really not sure how it happened, or why, or...I'm just really at a loss for words. The notable news here, Armisen aside, is that Eric Stonestreet did not return to the race after a snub last year, and now his co-star Ed O'Neill is snubbed alongside. Only Burrell and Ferguson represent "Modern Family" this year, and for the first time since the show started, "MF" does not hold the majority of the nominations in this category. "Modern Family" dominance is over! What does this mean for the race for Best Comedy Series? How exciting! Luckily, too, they picked the best actors on the show to represent "MF," and part of me might even be rooting for Ferguson. Then again, we've got three other worthy contenders: Braugher, who despite "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" getting snubbed for Best Comedy Series and Best Actor for Andy Samberg, could get support here; Driver, easily the best part of this past season of "Girls" and an extremely talented and multi-dimensional actor; and Hale, the defending champ and highlight of "Veep." For predictions, I went #1-4, #6 and the unpredicted Armisen (just...huh?!).
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen for Modern Family, Allison Janney for Mom, Kate Mulgrew for Orange Is the New Black, Kate McKinnon for Saturday Night Live, Mayim Bialik for The Big Bang Theory, Anna Chlumsky for Veep
Almost as close to a perfect category as we're gonna get and I didn't even go 6-for-6 here. The surprise nominee here is welcome and oh-so-deserving: Kate McKinnon! The rock star of "Saturday Night Live" gets a surprise nomination here, and we finally know no to never ever underestimate the "SNL" cast, who've had a cast member grab a nomination in one of the supporting comedy categories since 2009, when "SNL" cast members became eligible in these categories. Anyone who watches "SNL" nowadays (and yes, it can sometimes be a burden) knows that McKinnon is indisputably the funniest cast member and this surprise nomination is welcome. Who did it come at the expense of, though? That'd probably be Sofia Vergara, who is dropped for the first time ever for "Modern Family," once again hinting at the likelihood that the tides have turned against this show. A deserved snub? Maybe. But if it makes room for exciting new nominees, I'm all in. Also to note: last year's shocking winner, Meritt Wever, was snubbed, just as I'd suspected. One and done for you, ma'am. Bowen, Bialik, and Chlumsky return again, deservedly, while two freshman shows gain expected nominees in Janney (who is still the frontrunner for the win) and Mulgrew (reppin' "OITNB"). In predictions, I went #1-3, #5-6, and an unpredicted (but I'll take it!).
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul for Breaking Bad, Jim Carter for Downton Abbey, Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones, Mandy Patinkin for Homeland, Jon Voight for Ray Donovan, Josh Charles for The Good Wife
Here's one category I wasn't looking forward to...I'd said before that this would be a category to contain a whopper WTF nominee, but somehow, all six were in my top ten, even if two of them were outside my top six. That would be Voight (who I'd predicted wouldn't get in because voters wouldn't embrace his show, and they seemingly didn't because he is the show's only nomination) and Carter (because "Downton Abbey" + Emmys = BARF). I ranked them at #7 and #10. #1-2 and #4-5 are here, though. Left out in the cold? That'd be Dean Norris, who deserved a nomination for his brave change of character in the final season of "Breaking Bad," and Charles Dance, who I thought might ride the coattails of "Game of Thrones" love to end up here. But nada for them. Paul does represent "BB" and could win. He'll wanna watch out for Dinklage, who is a serious threat. Patinkin joins his co-star Claire Danes as they weather the Emmys severe diss of "Homeland" season three. And although I predicted it, I'm still over the moon about the nomination for Charles. Can he be the dark horse in this race? It would be so well deserved. We've got months to analyze...
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Gunn for Breaking Bad, Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey, Joanne Froggatt for Downton Abbey, Lena Headey for Game of Thrones, Christina Hendricks for Mad Men, Christine Baranski for The Good Wife
Bleh. Two "Downton Abbey" ladies? Well, Smith was expected, but Froggatt jumps back in the race, although we should take note because she apparently has a big, baity arc this season. I just would hate to see "Downton Abbey" win this race, though. So who can stop them? We've got one new nominee this year in Headey, who replaces her "GoT" co-star Emilia Clarke. That's fine by me, because Clarke didn't do a whole lot of anything this season, but if you're gonna nominate a "GoT" lady for this season, it should've been Maisie Williams or Sophie Turner. Oh well, Headey does a great job in the small doses she was given this season. Hendricks is back, and at this point, she isn't leaving until "Mad Men" is over. Baranski continues her perfect streak of nominations, and I'd be happy to see her finally win, if it means "The Good Wife" wins something this season. But most likely, the win will go to (and deservedly so) Gunn. In predictions, I went #1-4, #10, and an unlisted (Headey). Missing out from my nominations was Michelle Monahan, who didn't ride the "True Detective" train of love, and Bellamy Young from "Scandal," who is never gonna get nominated at this point.
Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Nathan Lane for Modern Family, Steve Buscemi for Portlandia, Jimmy Fallon for Saturday Night Live, Louis CK for Saturday Night Live, Bob Newhart for The Big Bang Theory, Gary Cole for Veep
So I did not include these predictions on the blog, but as a member of GoldDerby, I did predict these in their nominations race over there. I went 3-for-6, predicting Lane, Fallon and Newhart. Lane had a great few episodes on "Modern Family" this season as he went into wedding planner mode, and it was the first time I really enjoyed his character on the show. Fallon's episode of "SNL" was great, and he's the early frontrunner to win. But beware Newhart, who is the reigning champ and whom I enjoyed more in his appearance this season than last. In my predictions, I'd listed James Earl Jones for "The Big Bang Theory" (surprised he wasn't name-checked), Brad Garrett for "The Crazy Ones" (Emmys love him, but they couldn't have cared less about this show), and Pablo Schrieber for "Orange Is the New Black" (Pornstache couldn't ride the wave of love for "OTINB"). Instead, we get Buscemi, which, I mean...okay....Louis CK, who probably would've been a good pick, but I just didn't enjoy his episode of "SNL" this year, and Cole, who really isn't a guest on "Veep," but it's still a fun pick. Although he's not my favorite cast member, his billing works in his favor here. Overall, a pretty good category, with Fallon in the lead.
Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Natasha Lyonne for Orange Is the New Black, Uzo Aduba for Orange Is the New Black, Laverne Cox for Orange Is the New Black, Tina Fey for Saturday Night Live, Melissa McCarthy for Saturday Night Live, Joan Cusack for Shameless
Best. Category. Ever. "OITNB" dominance! Wow! I was expecting Aduba to get in, but look at Cox and Lyonne joining her! It's bittersweet, though, because another standout from "OITNB" that should've snuck in is Taryn Manning, but I guess having three ladies recognized is better than none. Cox definitely had an outside shot, but Lyonne is pretty unexpected, although she's a riot on the show. We follow this up with two "SNL" hosts: Fey was one of the better hosts this season (although the highlight was really her "Girls" promo where she played Blerta the Albanian refugee), but McCarthy's episode was a little disappointing (but maybe because I hold her first "SNL" episode, for which she was nominated last year, to such a high standard). Finally, the category rounds out with Cusack, who keeps her nomination for a fourth year in a row despite her show switching from drama to comedy. She's a dark horse for a win here since she's definitely more comedic. But Fey and Aduba could also win. This is a great category. And for those playing at home, I only predicted 3 out of 6, but I'm content to be wrong in this scenario.
Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Paul Giamatti for Downton Abbey, Reg E. Cathy for House of Cards, Robert Morse for Mad Men, Beau Bridges for Masters of Sex, Joe Morton for Scandal, Dylan Baker for The Good Wife
Interesting category. I once again went 3 for 6. I predicted Morse (who apparently has a good submission episode), Bridges (who is certainly a threat for the win with a baity storyline), and Morton (whose role is Emmy bait in monologue form). Giamatti isn't surprising given the "Downton Abbey" love, although this is their first nominated guest star. Cathy is a big surprise, but what a great one. Go Freddy!!! Maybe I'm still bitter about Corey Stoll's snub last year, but Cathy is a good nominee. And finally, Baker is a great nominee. I loved his episode this season, and while I was expecting another "TGW" guest star to be nominated instead (Nathan Lane), I'm happy we got at least one. I think Morton, Bridges and Morse are the frontrunners, but this could be a total crapshoot. After all, last year's winner (Dan Bucatinsky from Scandal) is missing despite a baitier storyline, and we're also missing a well talked about guest star in Pedro Pascal from "Game of Thrones." Anything could happen here.
Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Diana Rigg for Game of Thrones, Kate Mara for House of Cards, Allison Janney for Masters of Sex, Kate Burton for Scandal, Margo Martindale for The Americans, Jane Fonda for The Newsroom
When the Emmys love something (or someone), they refuse to let go. That's the lesson learned in this category. Rigg, Martindale, and Fonda are back for nominations in the same roles this year, although whether they deserve to be back is your call (the only one I watch is "GoT" and Rigg did next to nothing this season). I've also heard Martindale wasn't as impressive this go around as last year, but I haven't heard about Fonda yet. And while we're on the track of "things Emmy voters love," this category sees Janney's second nomination of the year, and really, she's so good in both performances that she could be a double winner. Burton gets a well-deserved nom for "Scandal" after a huge season, surpassing another guest star who was better favored, Lisa Kudrow. Burton is a previous Emmy nominee for "Grey's Anatomy," but she didn't win...can that change this time around? One last competitor, and this one is just...intriguing...is Mara, who couldn't get a Supporting Actress nom last year, but her one episode this season apparently sealed the deal for voters. I still think this is Janney's to win, but the guest categories are literally the weirdest so it could be anyone. Also, I went 3 for 6 here (and in all guest categories), predicting Kudrow, last year's winner Carrie Preston for "The Good Wife" (sad face), and Julianne Nicholson for "Masters of Sex."
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