Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

Newsflash: Emmy Nominations 2012

It's that time of year again, when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveils the nominations for this year's Emmy Awards, and we all slap our heads in frustration at everything they got wrong.

While it is fair to say that the Emmys did get quite a bit right this year, that still doesn't make up for everything they continue to get wrong year after year, especially in the comedy categories. The Emmys is probably the most infuriating of the major awards. The Oscars may get things spectacularly wrong sometimes, but they can only snub Pulp Fiction once. The Emmys can snubs The Wire for it's entire run.

This year's nominations were more of the same. There was a some things that made me smile. A few things I was indifferent towards. And a lot that made me want to rip off my shirt, run into the street and scream at the heavens “Seriously? What the hell is this crap? Jon Cryer? Are you having a laugh? Oh, hello, Mrs Lancaster. Yes, it is a surprisingly lovely day. I have been working out, thank you.”

OUTSTANDING DRAMA

Mad Men
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Downton Abbey

This is the only category where I managed to guess every single nominee before it was announced. I would've liked for Justified to score a nomination, but I knew that nothing would stop the Downton juggernaut. Of course, the big question is whether Mad Man can win again. Does it really need another Emmy? Isn't four enough? Personally, I hope Breaking Bad wins (or maybe Game of Thrones).

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Damian Lewis (Homeland)

No Timothy Olyphant? BOO! Not that I thought he had even the slightest chance of beating Bryan Cranston, but it still would've been nice to see him nominated again.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

Why the hell is Kathy Bates there again? Surely Fringe's Anna Torv, Sons of Anarchy's Katey Sagal or Revenge's Madeleine Stowe are more deserving?

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad)
Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey)
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Jared Harris (Mad Men)

The Downton lovefest continues with noms for Brendan Coyle and Jim Carter, meaning no love for Mandy Patkin, Alan Cumming, John Slattery, Walton Goggins or John Noble. But it is great to see Peter Dinklage, Aaron Paul and Giancarlo Esposito in there. I'm praying for Esposito to win, but I would be okay if Paul or Dinklage won instead.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

Okay, we get it. You really, really like Downton Abbey. But that is still no excuse for shunning Maisie Williams. A man is not happy about this. A man is not happy about this at all.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY

The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep

Err, where are Community, Parks and Recreation and Cougar Town? Granted, I never expected all of them to be nominated, but I thought that at least one of them would make the list. The most frustrating thing is both Parks and Community are up for Best Writing in a Comedy, along with Girls and Louie. Emmy logic does not resemble our Earth logic.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Zoey Deschanel (New Girl)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Can't fault this list. I just hope all the Emmy voters out there have the good sense to finally vote Knope this year.

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Louis CK (Louie)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)

Seriously, Jon Cryer over Joel McHale? Am I going to have to start abducting you lot in groups and force you to watch Community? Because I will!

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live)

What do Danny Pudi and Nick Offerman need to do to be recognised? Besides joining the cast of Modern Family, that is.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie)
Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)

No Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie or Gillian Jacobs. Well, they sure as hell Britta'd this one.

OUTSTANDING TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

American Horror Story
Game Change
Hatfields & McCoys
Hemingway and Gellhorn
Luther
Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

Happy for Sherlock and Luther but a little shocked that The Hour has been snubbed. Considering all the acclaim it received I figured it was a shoe-in for a nomination.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Woody Harrelson (Game Change)
Clive Owen (Hemingway and Gellhorn)
Bill Paxton (Hatfields & McCoys)

I'm of two minds about this one. I like Idris Elba. But I also like Benedict Cumberbatch. But which is best? There's only one way to find out... FIGHT!!!!

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Connie Britton (American Horror Story)
Ashley Judd (Missing)
Nicole Kidman (Hemingway and Gellhorn)
Julianne Moore (Game Change)
Emma Thompson (The Song of Lunch)

Why did they even bother nominating anyone else? We all known Julianne Moore is going to win.

Full list of nominations can be found here.

So, faithful readers, what do you think of this year's nominations? What are you happy about? Are you bitter that your favourite show has been snubbed again? Let us know below.

11 comments:

  1. As you say, Mark. Things to love, things not to love.

    I'm thrilled about all the Breaking Bad nods, especially the "surprise" nods for Anna Gunn and Mark Margolis (as guest actor). Also happy to see Jared Harris and Mayim Bialik get nods. Both were great on their respective series this year. And I'm glad that if they couldn't recognize Parks and Recreation as one of the Best Comedies, at least they gave it two writing nominations.

    Nice to see Louie CK in the mix for acting, writing, and directing. He does so much on his show, and I'm glad to see him recognized for all his hats.

    I don't really know who to root for in that damned Supporting Actor in a Drama category. Too many excellent choices! Probably I lean towards Aaron Paul, but it is good to know that four out of six would make me completely happy. (I didn't watch Downton Abbey.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mayim Bialik is great in The Big Bang Theory, though I suspect Kathryn Joosten will get that one postumously.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my....here it goes again...the Emmy´s are giving me headaches every year.

    Downton Abbey is good, but I think that all the supporting nominees are too much. Coyle and Carter better than Michael Pitt (outstanding in Boardwalk Empire), Walton Goggins, Mandy Patkin or John Slattery? I don´t think so - seriously. Frogatt could be replaced too - Maggie Siff and Masie Williams come to mind.

    Instead of Bonneville and Hall I would have liked to see Charlie Hunnam and Timothy Olyphant being nominated.

    No love for Katey Sagal is once more disapointing. I don´t understand why Moss submitted herself for lead actress. She had so little screentime this season.

    I´m happy for Breaking Bad, Homeland and Boardwalk Empire. Every nomination well deserved!

    I hope they´ll award the right ones when they did already so much mistakes with the nominations.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love
    - Writing noms for Mad Men's "Far Away Places", "The Other Woman" and "Commissions and Fees", the former two being my favorites of the year.
    - Julia Ormond (ridiculously good), Amy Poehler, Margaret Cho, Curb's "Palestinian Chicken", Christina Hendricks, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton, Dylan Baker, Frances Conroy, Julianne Moore, Sarah Paulson and Woody Harrelson.

    Eh
    - They need to stop nominating shows just because they were at one point great. They seem to have gotten the hint with Glee, but Modern Family is still getting a ton of nods, even though last season was horrible and the performances are consistently one-note.

    - See also: anything for Nurse Jackie, Dexter.

    - It feels strange to give Kathryn Joosten a Supporting nod, when there's not a ton of on-screen material that really justified it.

    Snubs
    Vincent Kartheiser had a spectacular year and his absence is ridiculous. Same with anything for Enlightened. Also: John Slattery, Anna Torv, John Noble, Madeleine Stowe, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker.

    Great commentary, Mark.

    ReplyDelete
  5. TRUE BLOOD snubbed! Say it ain't so!

    THE WALKING DEAD snubbed?

    While the actors playing Shane and Rick are the WORST actors currently on TV, Marita Covarrubias, Daryl and Dale deserved supporting noms.

    Why is AMERICAN HORROR STORY in the mini-series field?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my

    a) G of T deserves one. Come on. Season 2 better than the first, and I can imagine only that it'll just get better and better (haven't read the books)

    B) Not surprised to see Community not nominated. What do they usually say in South Park when Kenny is killed ? Yes, exactly. Thank you. I rest my case.

    c) Having posted recently about Mo So Called Life, I'm therefore giving my vote to Claire Danes.

    d) The first 2 seasons of Modern Family made me LMAO. The 3rd one made me...smile and occasionally LOL. They've become....cute. I love you cast, but hey, too many nominations (but ok for you Julie B. LOL)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unlike so many of the rest of you, I think Downton Abbey is the best thing since sliced bread. By far, my favourite show in the past year, but that's probably because I love romance in period costume. Do I think that the nominations were right? No, but I don't think they'll win either.

    I completely agree that Justified should have been nominated. My vote would go to Homeland which I thought was superb.

    Kathy Bates? Really? A dull show that I managed to sit through twice before giving up. Madeline Stowe was amazing and certainly deserves a gong.

    I'm surprised that Dinklage is only up for Supporting Actor. He did, after all, have top billing in the second series. My money is on him to win again. He is bloody brilliant in the role he is playing.

    I hated Luther but loved Sherlock, so my vote goes goes to Benedict. I think Idris Elba deserves recognition, but it should have been for The Wire.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I used to really like Modern Family, but now I just think they need to stop being nominated in things. I'm really hoping Hader or Greenfield win their category because I'm tired of everyone "missing out" to MF.

    Also, no nomination for Matt Bomer? He was on the short-list twice, once for Glee and once for White Collar

    Chris Colfer should at least had been nominated. Although he's too good for Glee.

    Disappointed that Maisie was snubbed as well as Lena Headey. Very disappointed.

    I honestly think I'm just disappointed with the entire lists.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "It's a Tiara!"

    She'd better win! Wouldn't it be fun if both Bialik and Parsons took home the Emmy? ;o)

    Much as I like Downton, I can't understand all the nominations over better candidates! Timmothy Olyphant can act circles around Hugh Bonneville!!! :o(

    I think there should be a rule: if you won one year, you don't get to be nominated the next. Perhaps that way we'd start seeing a bit more variety in the Emmys...

    ReplyDelete
  10. "Why is AMERICAN HORROR STORY in the mini-series field?"

    Their reasoning is that it's an anthology show, so every season equals something of a "mini-series". I'm not sure it's entirely fair, though, so it'll probably change next year maybe.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Damian Lewis and Claire Danes deserve to win..Both were stellar. Too bad about the comedy stuff..someone from two and a half men? Um..okay if that makes the jury laugh I feel bad for them.
    A woman would like to see more nominations for Game of Thrones.
    Anna

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.