Emmy Nominees 2015: Drama Snags and Snubs

Just look at the differences between my suggestions in the Drama Series and Comedy Series categories and the actual Emmy nominees for both which can be read in their entirety along with nominees in every other category hereOn the subject of Drama Series Iamp8217m pleased that voting members of the Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences agreed with me that AMCamp8217s amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and Netflixamp8217s amp8220Orange is the New Blackamp8221 deserved recognition and Iamp8217m thrilled that they also acknowledged the enduring appeal of PBSamp8217 amp8220Downton Abbeyamp8221 a show the critical hive mind does not care to continue championing at this pointOn the other hand I canamp8217t agree that AMCamp8217s amp8220Better Call Saulamp8221 which was uneven at best during its freshman season Netflixamp8217s amp8220House of Cardsamp8221 which seemed to be spinning its wheels in its third season and Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Homelandamp8221 which was better in season four than it had been in seasons two and three but never came near the level of greatness it maintained in season one are more deserving of Emmy recognition than the sublime final season of FXamp8217s amp8220Justifiedamp8221 the same networkamp8217s consistently and egregiously ignored masterpiece of conspiratorial menace amp8220The Americansamp8221 and Foxamp8217s wildly entertaining amp8220Empireamp8221 which did more to get people excited about television than anything else this yearAs for HBOamp8217s nomination champ amp8220Game of Thronesamp8221 pictured at top Iamp8217ll admit that Iamp8217m beginning to lose interest in it But I canamp8217t really fault its nomination for Outstanding Drama Series given the epic scale of its production the quality of its acting its unparalleled attention to detail and those awesome dragonsMy choice for the win here would be amp8220Mad Menamp8221 or amp8220Downton Abbeyamp8221Meantime Iamp8217m good with nominations for Jon Hamm of amp8220Mad Menamp8221 pictured below and Bob Odenkirk of amp8220Better Call Saulamp8221 each of whom shone even in substandard episodes of their shows in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series I thought Matthew Rhys of amp8220The Americansamp8221 gave the performance of the year in this category but Emmy snubbed him once again along with his show and his costar Keri Russell so Iamp8217d really like to see Hamm take home the award No actor on amp8220Mad Menamp8221 has ever been honored with an Emmy so why not wrap it up with one for its very deserving leading manI thought Charlie Hunnam was riveting in the highly emotional final season of FXamp8217s amp8220Sons of Anarchyamp8221 and that Freddie Highmore was never less than fascinating as his psychotic character began to take on the characteristics of his manic mother in AampampEamp8217s amp8220Bates Motelamp8221 but Emmy didnamp8217t agree As for Sam Heughan of Starzamp8217 amp8220Outlanderamp8221 his devastating work in the last two episodes of the first season should have put him at the top of this list but perhaps those Emmy folks had not yet seen them when they chose their nominees If they did see those episodes I canamp8217t imagine how or why they overlooked himInstead we have Kyle Chandler of Netflixamp8217s amp8220Bloodlineamp8221 Jeff Daniels of HBOamp8217s amp8220The Newsroomamp8221 Liev Schreiber of Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Ray Donovanamp8221 and Kevin Spacey of amp8220House of Cardsamp8221 I wasnamp8217t knocked over by any of those guys as I was by Hunnam Highmore Heughan and Rhys They all gave performances I would describe as strong but unremarkable I wouldnamp8217t have cared if one of the actors I chose had been bumped in favor of Timothy Olyphant whose unfailingly compelling work throughout the final season of amp8220Justifiedamp8221 was so subtle it must have escaped the votersamp8217 noticeAmong the actresses the nomination for Tatiana Maslany of BBC Americaamp8217s amp8220Orphan Blackamp8221 pictured below is something of an embarrassment amp8211 not because she doesnamp8217t deserve recognition sheamp8217s brilliant in her portrayal of multiple clones but because she also deserved to be nominated for the showamp8217s first and second seasons when everything about it was better than its third the exception being Maslanyamp8217s fearless performance I wouldnamp8217t necessarily have acknowledged her work in season three but Iamp8217m not going to complainI will complain loudly and for as long as anyone cares to listen about the boneheaded snub of the breathtaking Eva Green in Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Penny Dreadfulamp8221 I thought hers was the best performance by any actress in any television series during the last year Maybe sheamp8217s in a special class with Maslany and will have to continue killing it in every episode for another season or two before voting members of the Academy finally understand what sheamp8217s doingItamp8217s also upsetting that Vera Farmiga isnamp8217t among the nominees in this category given the mammoth complexity of her role and her performance on amp8220Bates Motelamp8221 Also how do they not nominate Julianna Margulies for amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 after awarding her the Emmy last year Her work was equally powerful this past season if not more soThe bottom line is that this is an impossible category Maslanyamp8217s fellow nominees amp8211 Claire Danes of Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Homelandamp8221 Viola Davis of ABCamp8217s amp8220How to Get Away with Murderamp8221 Taraji P Henson of amp8220Empireamp8221 Elisabeth Moss of amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and Robin Wright of amp8220House of Cardsamp8221 without doubt the best reason to keep watching that show amp8211 were all brilliant I think this one comes down to Davis or Henson but Maslany really ought to be honored for her work in all three seasons of amp8220Orphan Blackamp8221In the Outstanding Supporting Actor category Iamp8217m reasonably sure that Jonathan Banks of amp8220Better Call Saulamp8221 pictured below or Ben Mendelsohn of amp8220Bloodlineamp8221 will take home the award Iamp8217m good with either My preference would be Mendelsohn but my prediction is BanksI had hoped to see Mandy Patinkin and Rupert Friend nominated for their searing performances in amp8220Homelandamp8221 as both did the best work they have ever done on this show Instead the show itself and star Danes were favored Tobias Menzies was electrifying in amp8220Outlanderamp8221 especially in his scenes with Heughan and Walton Goggins was his usual extraordinary self in amp8220Justifiedamp8221 The final scene between Olyphantamp8217s Raylan Givens and Gogginsamp8217 Boyd Crowder in the series finale was a master class in dramatic acting on a par with the codependent performances of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in amp8220The Kingamp8217s Speechamp8221 But the Emmy nominators didnamp8217t agree instead choosing Jim Carter of amp8220Downton Abbeyamp8221 Peter Dinklage of amp8220Game of Thronesamp8221 Alan Cumming of amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 and Michael Kelly of amp8220House of Cardsamp8221 as their actors of choice in this categoryChristine Baranski of amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 is the only nominee in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series who was also one of my choices She certainly belongs there but so do the other actresses I singled out Joelle Carter of amp8220Justifiedamp8221 Jane Fonda of amp8220The Newsroomamp8221 Charlotte Rampling of BBC Americaamp8217s amp8220Broadchurchamp8221 Maggie Smith of amp8220Downton Abbeyamp8221 and Lorraine Toussaint of amp8220Orange is the New Blackamp8221 Iamp8217m good with Christina Hendricks of amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and Uzo Aduba of amp8220Orangeamp8221 making the cut in place of Fonda Toussaint andor Smith but much less comfortable with Joanna Froggatt of amp8220Downtonamp8221 who didnamp8217t really have much to do last season on amp8220Downtonamp8221 and Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke pictured below of amp8220Game of Thronesamp8221 being chosen over Rampling and especially Carter who like costars Olyphant and Goggins was simply sensational in every wayApparently Emmy decided there would be no justice for amp8220Justifiedamp8221 Room wasnamp8217t even made for guest actors Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen both widely praised just about everywhere for the drama they brought to the show amp8220Justifiedamp8221 was one of the best series of the last ten years and its cast one of the best on television What a bummer to see it ignored at the lastNext A look at the Comedy Series nominationsThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage management or associated bloggers

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Emmy Nominees 2015: Drama Snags and Snubs

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