Jmunney's Blog

In picking my biggest Emmy snubs, I am not just considering my own feelings, but the overall buzz surrounding a show or a performer.  I cannot reasonably expect Emmy voters to nominate someone just because I was the only one who thought that actor was great.  But if there’s enough buzz being buzzed by critics and industry insiders along with the buzz that we lowly non-professionals are buzzing, then I feel that voters surely ought to take notice.  Thus, these choices are not necessarily my top picks in these categories.  If my top choice had much less buzz than another worthy choice, then I am angrier with the Emmys regarding the latter.  And when talking about snubs, you have to talk about the actual nominee that you think should be replaced, so I have done that for all of my selections.

(If there’s another egregious snub that I didn’t list here, it’s probably because I don’t watch the show.  Chime in about any other snubs in the comments!)

1. Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black for Lead Actress, Drama – We have all talked enough about how mind-blowing Tatiana Maslany’s multi-character performance is.  She may be on a little-watched show on a little-watched network, but sometimes some performances are so good that they just cannot be ignored.  WHO SHOULD SHE REPLACE? All 7

2. David Lynch, Louie for Guest Actor, Comedy – Was he just too weird for the Emmys?  It’s not like he’s any weirder than the show he was on.  True, though, he was weird in a different way. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? Nathan Lane on Modern Family

3. Lily Rabe, American Horror Story: Asylum for Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie – In other AHS: Asylum news, I’m happy that Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson were nominated, but they should really switch categories.  But the best performance this season was provided by Lily Rabe as meek Sister Mary Eunice and the decidedly un-meek demon who possesses her, getting crazier than even how crazy Ryan Murphy could have imagined. WHO SHOULD SHE REPLACE? I can’t fairly say she was more deserving than the performances in this category I didn’t see, but there were only 5 nominees.  I don’t see why there couldn’t have been a 6th.

4. Joel McHale, Community for Lead Actor, Comedy – Despite a down year for Community, Joel McHale may have had his best season thus far. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? Matt LeBlanc for Episodes

5. Jake Johnson, New Girl for Lead or Supporting Actor, Comedy – It was The Year of Nick Miller, but somehow the Emmys abandoned New Girl completely. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? Since Jake entered in Lead, Don Cheadle, House of Lies (If he had entered in Supporting, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family)

6. Jane Levy, Suburgatory for Lead Actress, Comedy – Her lack of name recognition and her show’s inconsistency probably held her back, but there was nothing inconsistent about her ability to ground the cartoonish trappings of Suburgatory with comedically dramatic chops. WHO SHOULD SHE REPLACE? Actually, though I personally would put Levy ahead of them, all of the nominated ladies probably deserve it.  But there were 7 nominees here last year.  Why not this year?

7. Arrested Development for Best Comedy – I will concede that Arrested Development Season 4 was not as strong as its original run, but we’re not comparing it to itself, we’re comparing it to other shows on now. WHAT SHOULD IT REPLACE? Modern Family!  (But since that’s not going to happen, The Big Bang Theory.)

8. Will Arnett, Arrested Development for Supporting Actor, Comedy – I would personally prefer Michael Cera.  And David Cross and Tony Hale (who opted to only submit for Veep) were great, too.  Jeffrey Tambor isn’t bad either, though the George, Sr. storylines were the weakest links of Season 4.  The point is, if there is a show that actually deserves to dominate the Comedy acting categories the way Modern Family has, it’s Arrested Development.  And Will Arnett is probably the most popular choice to get that going. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

9. Monica Potter, Parenthood for Supporting Actress, Drama – Prognosticators were describing Monica Potter’s cancer arc as shameless Emmy bait, but done really well.  I personally would prefer Mae Whitman (because she’s Mae Whitman), but Potter did nail it. WHO SHOULD SHE REPLACE? I don’t watch most of the shows here, but from what I’ve heard, Christine Baranski hasn’t done all that much special lately on The Good Wife.

10. The Middle for Best Comedy – This is the sort of show that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. WHAT SHOULD IT REPLACE? Modern Family!  The Middle is the weirder, better ABC Wednesday night comedy.

11. Vincent Kartheiser, Mad Men for Supporting Actor, Drama – Pete Campbell has always been a slimeball, but Vincent Kartheiser clearly knows how to make him an interesting, even occasionally likable, slimeball. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? Actually, nobody.  Everyone in this field is great.  The supporting categories really need more like 10 slots, especially this one.

12. Walton Goggins, Justified for Supporting Actor, Drama – Justified needs more Emmy love.  Goggins might be the best option in that regard. WHO SHOULD HE REPLACE? See above.

EDIT: Here’s a bonus snub I forgot to include on the initial post:
13. Any song from Bob’s Burgers for Original Music and Lyrics – Bob’s Burgers is not a musical in name, but it is in spirit. WHAT SHOULD IT REPLACE? I didn’t watch the Tonys, Smash, or Nashville, so I don’t know how good those songs were, but I’m sure those from Bob’s were better.

-I knew that my easy choice for the best performance of the year –  Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black – was far from a sure thing, but the way Lead Actress in a Drama was blown up – half of last year’s nominees are gone, a seventh slot was added, three ladies are up in their shows’ first seasons and another in her show’s second season that feels more like a first – suggests the field may have actually been open enough for her to have a chance.  The lesson here is that it helps to be a familiar face.  I would’ve thought, though, that Tatiana’s chances compared favorably to those of Vera Farmiga, who isn’t that big a movie star – and if Emmy voters could turn their dials up to A&E, then I believe in them enough that they can make it up to BBC America.

-Lead Actor in a Comedy is an interesting category.  There are a few really deserving fellows, but overall it’s a light field.  Thankfully, last year’s way too safe winner, Jon Cryer, was left out.  But, seriously, Don Cheadle AND Matt LeBlanc?  I know Joel McHale (still excellent despite a down year for Community) and Neil Flynn (his and his show’s best years yet) were going to be ignored, but they shouldn’t have been.  What about Jake Johnson (even though I think he should have submitted as Supporting)?  New Girl was on Emmy’s radar last year (although this year it got zilch overall).  As long as Don or Matt don’t win, we’re good.  And since Alec and Jim have both won multiple times, let’s spread the wealth around to Louie or Jason.

-The Modern Family stranglehold is weakening!  Only 5 of the 6 adult cast members were nominated!  Interestingly enough, last year’s Supporting Actor winner, Eric Stonestreet was the one left off.  I’ll take that, because it made room for a stranger choice like Adam Driver.  (A lot of great guys were still left out of this field, but progress is progress.)

-No Guest Actor slot for David Lynch?!  The most egregious non-Tatiana Maslany snub of this year.

–Bob’s Burgers up for Outstanding Animated Program is great news, seeing as it had one of the best seasons of an animated series ever.  It deserved more recognition (Original Song several times over, hello!), but at least we know some voters are watching it.

-No Writing or Directing nods for Mad Men?  What is going on?

-Laura Dern for Lead Actress Comedy was the most pleasant surprise.  I’ve only watched Season 1 of Enlightened so far, but I hear Season 2 is even better, so I’m sure Laura is deserving in what remains one of the most unbelievably competitive categories.

-Didn’t we all decide that, despite how great Jane Lynch is, Sue Sylvester stopped being a great character – or really, good at all – after Season 1 of Glee?  Wasn’t that why she was not nominated the past two years?  We could have used the extra seventh Supporting Actress slot for a lot of ladies, but not Sue Sylvester.

-Look, I love Will Forte.  I probably love him more than anyone else.  But you don’t need to keep nominating him for Guest Actor for 30 Rock.  Especially if it means leaving out people like David Lynch for Louie.  Actually, now that I think about it, I love Will Forte.  He deserves all the nominations he can get.

-Does Louis C.K. hold the record for most Emmy nominations ever yet?

Apparently, some television actors don’t know how big or small their roles are on their shows.  Or they just don’t care.  Or they prefer to be in the category that they think has easier competition.  Whatever the reasons, every year, there are lead performers who submit in the supporting category, or vice versa.  I scoured the ballot (http://www.emmys.tv/ballots/2013) to find this year’s offenders. Here they are, listed in order of “Definitely Wrong Category” to “Probably The Right Category But An Argument Could Be Made Otherwise.”

-Amy Schumer (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for Inside Amy Schumer) – The show’s named after you, you’re in every sketch, and at least 90% of the sketches revolve around your character…
-Anthony Jeselnik (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for The Jeselnik Offensive) – Umm, again, look at your show title.
-Rob Lowe (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for Parks and Recreation) – Rob Lowe, you are not a lead.  You’re just not.  There are four others (Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones) with bigger roles than yours, two of whom submitted as Supporting.  And there are three others (Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt) whose roles are at least as big as yours.
-Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein/Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for Portlandia/Key and Peele) – Guys, these are your shows.  Keegan and Jordan, it’s your eponymous show.  You can support each other as co-leads.  Also, Fred, you’re competing with yourself on the Supporting ballot (SNL) instead of spreading yourself around!
-Portia De Rossi (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for Arrested Development) – I don’t know if you could really say that anyone had enough screen time in AD S4 to be considered a lead.  We can accept Jason Bateman, because everything more or less still goes through Michael, but other than that, I don’t see the justification.
-Sarah Wayne Callies (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for The Walking Dead) – When you die about halfway through the season, that kind of makes it hard to be a lead.
-Katie Cassidy (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for Arrow) – This is not a show with multiple leads.
-Sarah Paulson (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for American Horror Story: Asylum) – There were a lot of characters in AHS: Asylum, and somehow just about everything went through Lana.
-Jim Beaver (submitted as Guest instead of Supporting for Justified) – The whole seasonlong storyarc kind of revolved around him.
-Jake Johnson (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for New Girl) – Yeah, his screen time was aplenty, but this is still Zooey Deschanel’s show.
-Adam Scott (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for Parks and Recreation) – Despite being the husband of the main character, I would argue he is at most the third most significant character.
-Freddie Highmore (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for Bates Motel) – Apparently the focus is more on Mrs. Bates, but I’m hearing this is just the latest example of a child actor apparently not being old enough to enter in the lead field.
-Jessica Lange (submitted as Lead instead of Supporting for American Horror Story: Asylum) – She could maybe make a case as a secondary lead.
-Mike O’Malley (submitted as Guest instead of Supporting for Justified) – He may have been in only half the episodes, but he was the season’s main villain.
-Walton Goggins (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for Justified) – He had about as much screen time as Timothy Olyphant.  Who says the antagonist can’t be considered a lead?
-Mads Mikkelsen (submitted as Supporting instead of Lead for Hannibal) – I haven’t started watching yet, but I hear this may actually be the right choice despite his name being in the title.
-Garret Dillahunt (sumbitted as Lead instead of Supporting for Raising Hope) – You gotta call Lucas Neff the top lead, but I guess he, Dillahunt, and Martha Plimpton all have enough screen time for there to be 3 leads.  Apparently Lucas Neff didn’t even submit himself anyway.
-Tatiana Maslany (submitted as Lead instead of Everything for Orphan Black)

We’re well into 2012-13 television season, and the Emmy competition for Best Comedy Series is as deep and varied as I can ever remember it being.  Here’s how who I believe should be the contenders are shaping up:

Safe Bets
Happy Endings
Louie
The Middle
New Girl
30 Rock

This Was a Safe Bet Last Year, and I Feel Like it Should Be a Safe Bet This Year, But it Isn’t as Good as Last Year, But It Mixes Things Up a Lot, And Isn’t That a Mark of a Good Show? So Maybe it is as Good as Last Year
Girls

Not Enough Episodes Have Aired to Say for Sure
Community

When These Shows Are at Their Best, They’re the Best on TV, But Too Often This Season They Haven’t Been at Their Best (Their Own Fault Division)
Parks and Recreation
Suburgatory

When This Shows is at Its Best, It’s the Best on TV, But Too Often This Season It Hasn’t Been at Its Best (Not Its Fault Division)
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23

This Show Doesn’t Seem to Fit Any of My Categories, But It’s Good, Isn’t It?
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

One Show I Don’t Watch That is Possibly the Best Show on Television
Enlightened

2 Animated Shows That Will Probably Enter the Animated Field But Would Easily Be in the Running if They Were to Enter the Comedy Field
Archer
Bob’s Burgers

And here are my current Number One contenders in the acting categories:

Lead Actor
Joel McHale, Community

Lead Actress
Jane Levy, Suburgatory

Supporting Actor
Jake Johnson, New Girl

Supporting Actress
Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings