The Emmy nominations were announced Thursday. While I have no idea which way Emmy voters will go, there are a lot of great nominations – and, of course, a couple of favorites missing from the list. A look at the major categories:
Drama series:
“Breaking Bad”(AMC); “Downton Abbey” (PBS);“Game of Thrones” (HBO); “Homeland” (Showtime); “Mad Men” (AMC); and “House of Cards” (Netflix).
My take: I’m really rooting for “Breaking Bad” to win this as it heads into its final episodes. A couple of my favorites were omitted (“Good Wife” and “Walking Dead”), but I can’t find fault with the shows that did make the list. Most notable: Netflix’s nominations for original programming marks a first, since the episodes never aired on a TV network.
Drama actor:
Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”); Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”); Jeff Daniels (“Newsroom”); Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”); Damien Lewis (“Homeland”); and Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”).
My take: I’d replace Jeff Daniels with someone else…maybe Matthew Rhys of “The Americans”? There are a lot of great dramatic actors out there worthy of Daniels’ spot.
Drama actress:
Claire Danes (“Homeland”); Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”); Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”); Robin Wright (“House of Cards”); Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”); Connie Britton (“Nashville”); and Kerry Washington (“Scandal”).
My take: I miss the presence of Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife,” but I’m happily surprised to see Washington’s inclusion. She’s my sentimental favorite to win it, even though she’s facing stiff competition.
Supporting actor in a drama:
Bobby Cannavale (“Boardwalk Empire”); Jonathan Banks (“Breaking Bad”); Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”); Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”); Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”); and Many Patinkin (“Homeland”).
My take: Go, Jessie! (aka Aaron Paul). Although I’d never begrudge the always deserving Peter Dinklage a victory.
Supporting actress in a drama:
Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”); Maggie Smith (“Downton Abbey”); Emilia Clark (“Game of Thrones”); Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife”); Morena Baccarin (“Homeland”); and Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”).
My take: A lot of great actresses, and although I do love Clark’s portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen, I’d probably pick Gunn to win.
Comedy series:
“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS); “Girls” (HBO); “Louie” (FX); “Modern Family” (ABC); “30 Rock” (NBC); and “Veep” (HBO).
My take: Though both are great shows, “Girls” and “Modern Family” had uneven seasons. I would replace either with the snubbed “New Girl.”
Comedy actor:
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”); Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”); Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”); Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”); Louie C.K (“Louie”); and Don Cheadle (“House of Lies”).
My take: Having only seen a few episodes of only half the nominees, I’ll sit this one out.
Comedy actress:
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”); Laura Dern (“Enlightened”); Lena Dunham (“Girls”); Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”); Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”); and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”).
My take: It’s great to see “SNL” alums Fey and Poehler facing off, and it would be great to see either of them win. Then again, Louis-Dreyfus is consistently funny in “Veep.”There’s a reason she’s one of the most successful actresses of all time.
Supporting Actor in a Comedy:
Adam Driver (“Girls”); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”); Ed O’Neill (“Modern Family”); Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”); Bill Hader (“SNL”); and Tony Hale (“Veep”).
My take: This is when Emmy nominations get a little predictable. I’m a big fan of “Modern Family,” but were these the top comedic performances of the year? Probably not. I would’ve liked to see “New Girl’s” Max Greenfield recognized.
Supporting actress in a comedy:
Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”); Jane Lynch (“Glee”); Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”); Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”); Merritt Wever (“Nurse Jackie”); Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”); and Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”).
My take: I don’t know… maybe Krakowski to win?
Miniseries or movie:
“American Horror Story: Asylum” (FX); “Behind the Candelabra” (HBO); “The Bible” (History); “Phil Spector” (HBO); “Political Animals” (USA); and “Top of the Lake” (Sundance Channel).
My take: It feels a little odd to have “American Horror Story: Asylum” among this group of nominees… but that doesn’t mean I’m not hoping it will win.
Reality competition:
“The Amazing Race” (CBS); “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC); “Project Runway” (Lifetime); “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX); “Top Chef” (Bravo); and “The Voice” (NBC).
My take: I’ve been a regular viewer of four of these six (I’m not really into dancing), but “The Voice” is the only one I’ve watched in the past year. Still, I’d be happy if any of these won.
So which of your favorites are you rooting for? And which didn’t make the list?
— Heather Chavez
