Every year there are "snubs" when the nominations are announced. Given the dozens of channels with original programming (not to mention the websites), there's always going to be names, shows, episodes, ect. that are overlooked, some justly, some ignorantly, some predictably. The gut reaction is to go on about how the system is broken and offer up a host of ways to improve it. I stopped myself from writing a post about exactly that after some of my favorites were ignored yet again.
Instead, I decided to look into how badly the Emmy voters did botch the picks in the form of an alternate ballot with all the snubs. My thought: if I can make a stonger ballot than the actual one, then I can finally convince myself that there's no value in the Emmys. I'm calling this the Emmy B-Team for a reason though. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences do a better job than I give them credit for.
One final note: In some categories, I still couldn't fit all the deserving nominees so I approximated as best as I could, and I haven't seen everything, so I'm certain I missed some great ones.
And finally, we're here. The last day of this project and certainly the day with the most "prestige" and the most "snubs". Comedy yesterday was quite a shakeup. I don't expect today to be as turbulent. Check my thoughts at the end for my final assessment of this B-Team project.
Monday: Reality & the Scruff
Tuesday: Variety Series & Special
Wednesday: Mini-Series and TV Movie
Thursday: Comedy Series
Drama Series
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
Mad Men
True Detective
B-Team
The Americans
Boardwalk Empire
The Good Wife
Hannibal
Masters of Sex
Scandal
I don't even know Downton Abbey fans who think the fourth season should be nominated. It's also pretty ridiculous that House of Cards, which is more similar to Scandal than actual "prestige programming", is nominated again. The Good Wife had a hell of a comeback season. Hannibal and The Americans continue to be the most overlooked dramas on TV. Scandal is a legit ratings hit. You get the feeling that Showtime put too much effort into getting its comedies nominated and Masters of Sex got overlooked. Boardwalk Empire continues to have consistently strong seasons...And then there's Breaking Bad, True Detective, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones. This discussion is over.
Winner: A-Team. Even with a couple weak nominees, the strong ones propel it so far ahead that it doesn't matter.
Lead Actor - Drama
Breaking Bad - Bryan Cranston
House of Cards - Kevin Spacey
Mad Men - Jon Hamm
The Newsroom - Jeff Daniels
True Detective - Woody Harrellson
True Detective - Matthew McConaughey
B-Team
The Bridge - Demian Bichir
Boardwalk Empire - Steve Buscemi
Hannibal - Hugh Dancy
Hannibal - Mads Mikkelsen
The Americans - Matthew Rhys
Masters of Sex - Michael Sheen
The crazy thing is that Bichir, Buscemi, Dancy, Mikkelsen, Rhys, and Sheen all have strong cases to be made. I'd happily trade them out with Daniels, who felt more sidelined in season two of The Newsroom or Spacey, who simply isn't given good enough material. You don't pick against Cranston, McConaughey, Harrellson, and Hamm though.
Winner: A-Team, for the same reason as the Drama series field.
Lead Actress - Drama
Downton Abbey - Michelle Dockery
The Good Wife - Julianna Margulies
Homeland - Claire Danes
House of Cards - Robin Wright
Masters of Sex - Lizzy Caplan
Scandal - Kerry Washington
B-Team
Bates Model - Vera Famiga
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Mariska Hargitay
The Bridge - Diana Kruger
Orphan Black - Tatiana Maslany
Mad Men - Elisabeth Moss
The Americans - Keri Russell
This is where it gets interesting. Maslany would win if she could only get nominated. I feel secure saying that. She's that good. Moss is always top-tier in Mad Men. The only reason she wasn't nominated is that with only seven episodes this season, she couldn't afford to have a couple episodes that didn't give her much to do. The only thing more confusing about Russell's lack of Emmy nominations is her lack of Golden Globe nominations. Kruger's performance on The Bridge is divisive, but I fall in the camp of "it's damn impressive work". Hargitay is always solid on SVU and I hear she got a good arc this season. Farmiga was nominated last year and I didn't here that she was any worse this year. Meanwhile, Washington had to work around a pregnancy all year. Dockery doesn't have any business still being nominated. Wright got some showcase episodes, although she runs into Spacey's problem of not being given the material to match her skills most weeks. As good as Danes is, people have picked up on too many of the quirks of her performance. It sounds like Caplan by all means deserves to be nominated and my Good Wife fan friends tell me it was a killer season for Margulies.
Winner: B-Team. While both teams have some weaknesses, the B-Team's top tier is better than the A-Team's.
Sup. Actor - Drama
Breaking Bad - Aaron Paul
Downton Abbey - Jim Carter
Game of Thrones - Peter Dinklage
The Good Wife - Josh Charles
Homeland - Mandy Patinkin
Ray Donovan - Jon Voight
B-Team
Game of Thrones - Charles Dance
THe Americans - Noah Emmerich
Breaking Bad - Dean Norris
Mad Men - John Slattery
Boardwalk Empire - Michael Keneth Williams
Boardwalk Empire - Jeffrey Wright
Dance was dazzling on Game of Thrones. Dinklage is still the top man on Game of Thrones though. Norris deserved a nomination, but I'm ok with Paul getting it instead if only one Breaking Bad supporting man is going to be recognized. Let's quietly laugh off the Voight and Carter nominations while we wonder how Williams and Wright were both ignored for their work on Boardwalk Empire (Don't forget, Bobby Cannavale won here for Boardwalk last year). Company men Mandy Patinkin and Noah Emmerich did similar work, so the win goes to the better beard. I'm not sure why Slattery's work isn't getting Emmy love anymore and I get the sense that of the many notable performances on The Good Wife this season, the main thing that made Charles special is his death.
Winner: B-Team because it offers worthy substitutes without the weak links.
Sup. Actress - Drama
Breaking Bad - Anna Gunn
Downton Abbey - Maggie Smith
Downton Abbey - Joanne Froggatt
Game of Thrones - Lena Headey
The Good Wife - Christine Baranski
Mad Men - Christina Hendricks
B-Team
Breaking Bad - Betsy Brandt
Hannibal - Caroline Dhavernas
The Americans - Annet Mehendru
True Detective - Michelle Monaghan
Arrow - Emily Bett Rickards
Game of Thrones - Sophie Turner
Brandt would've been a nice show of Breaking Bad dominance. Gunn is the actress that was required to be nominated. Sophie Turner showed a lot of improvement this year but Lena Heady had so much to do. I hear that this is the first year that Baranski got a nomination entirely because of the work she did and not because she's "Emmy-favorite Christine Baranski". Monaghan and Dhavernas were both fine on their shows but existed more to play off the leading men. Annet Mehendru is the only snub here that bothers me, although people are making compelling cases for Emily Bett Rickards on Arrow.
Winner: A-Team. This category is light on top-tier candidates and they are all in the A-Team.
Guest Actor - Drama
Downton Abbey - Paul Giamatti
The Good Wife - Dylan Baker
House of Cards - Reg E. Cathey
Mad Men - Robert Morse
Masters of Sex - Beau Bridges
Scandal - Joe Morton
B-Team
Mad Men - Ben Feldman
Mad Men - Harry Hamlin
Eddie Izzard - Hannibal
The Good Wife - Anyone
Parenthood - Ray Romano
Mad Men - James Wolk
I mean, this is such a large list there isn't a "right" answer. I enjoy the Mad Men trifecta of Wolk, Feldman, and Hamlin, but a lot of that is because I like Mad Men. And, you know what? Morse is more deserving this season than them all. I liked Izzard on Hannibal but his scenery chewing didn't blow me away. I assume you could fill a list with just Good Wife guest stars. It's Ray Romano, who was a regular on Parenthood this season that tips it for me.
Winner: B-Team, thanks to Romano and Bob Benson.
Guest Actress - Drama
The Americans - Margo Martindale
Game of Thrones - Diana Rigg
House of Cards - Kate Mara
Masters of Sex - Allison Janney
The Newsroom - Jane Fonda
Scandal - Kate Burton
B-Team
Hannibal - Gillian Anderson
Mad Men - Alison Brie
Hannibal - Anna Chlumsky
True Detective - Alexandra Daddario
The Good Wife - Anyone
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Anyone
Similar to Guest Actor, I'm sure The Good Wife could fill this category. Guest Actress in a Drama used to be dominated by SVU. After that, Alexandra Daddario was pretty and naked. Gillian Anderson was understated in Hannibal. Allison Brie was underused on Mad Men. Anna Chlumsky was underfed on Hannibal.
Winner: B-Team, because I'm not rewarding Kate Mara for getting hit by a train, even though I hear that Alison Janney was spectacular on Masters of Sex.
Writing - Drama
Breaking Bad - Ozymandias
Breaking Bad - Felina
Game of Thrones - The Children
House of Cards - Chapter 14
True Detective - The Secret Fate of All of Life
B-Team
The Americans - Marital Eagle
Breaking Bad - Granite State
Hannibal - Takiwase
Mad Men - Waterloo
Mad Men - The Strategy
This is very hard. True Detective at its best had some of the best writing of the year. Both Breaking Bad episodes are all-timers. The Game of Thrones episode is not the one I'd pick and any House of Cards episode isn't deserving. It's hard to take this category seriously without a Mad Men episode or two. If "Granite State" isn't as good as the two nominated Breaking Bad episodes, then it's not far behind. Both The Americans and Hannibal deserve some love here too.
Winner: A-Team. True Detective and Breaking Bad x2 prop that group up enough.
Directing - Drama
Boardwalk Empire - Farewell Daddy Blues
Breaking Bad - Felina
Downton Abbey - Episode 1
Game of Thrones - The Watchers on the Wall
House of Cards - Chapter 14
True Detective - Who Goes There
B-Team
The Americans - Echo
Breaking Bad - Granite State
Breaking Bad - Ozymandias
Hannibal - Takiawase
Mad Men - The Strategy
Mad Men - Waterloo
"Ozymandias" and "Granite State" are master classes in direction. "The Strategy" and "Waterloo" saved what had been a tepid season of Mad Men up to that point. "Echo" was an impressively constructed finale for The Americans and "Takiawase" was simply a pretty episode of Hannibal. Still, the one thing everyone agrees on about Boardwalk Empire is that they know how to construct a finale. Writing aside, "The Watchers on the Wall" is an impressive feat for an episode of TV. "Felina" is an incredibly solid episode of Breaking Bad. I assume the Downton Abbey and House of Cards were fine. Oh, and "Who Goes There" is the episode of True Detective with that giant tracking shot.
Winner: B-Team. You could ask me this every day and get a different answer but at this moment, "Ozymandias" pushing the B-Team over the edge.
Casting - Drama
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards
True Detective
B-Team
The Americans
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Mad Men
Masters of Sex
Like comedy, I don't know what to make of this category. Here's what I do know. Breaking Bad has the best veteran cast on TV. The Good Wife does the best per-episode casting. Game of Thrones manages the largest cast. True Detective and House of Cards get the biggest names. So, regardless of your metric. I think the A-Team has it.
Winner: A-Team, by any metric I can think of.
Final Thoughts
To my surprise, today was another draw. I honestly thought that with True Detective and Breaking Bad, the A-Team would be able to trump almost any B-Team. It just goes to show you that the roster of quality shows on TV is deeper than ever.
So, what does this overly thorough, almost narcissistic exercise I've put you all through mean?
The first lesson I take away from this is that picking Emmy nominees is a lot harder than it looks. You could give a hundred people a ballot and get nearly that many combinations for a single category. There's never going to be a "correct" ballot.
Second is that they get a lot more right than they get wrong. You have to get to some high profile categories before there's much debating the picks.
Third, they need to find a way to recognize more in Drama and Comedy. The first three days of this were pretty cut and dry, because there's not a lot of great Variety programming, TV movies and mini-series, or Reality TV. The sheer nominee pool in Drama and Comedy is so much bigger that it is statistically expected there will be a bunch of snubs. I don't know what the fix is here. I've heard the idea to create a Dramedy category. That could work. That opens up comedy a lot, with Orange, Louie, and Shameless moving there. What dramas get moved though? From the A or B team, Scandal is the closest thing and that's still not right. There's the ability to get creative by stepping on SAG's toes and adding ensemble categories or creating a "Best Comedy Duo" field for characters like Troy and Abed that get tied together. I'd be fine with expanding the nominations to 10. It went from 5 to 6 about a decade ago when the Emmys accepted that it wasn't just the networks anymore. With dozens of networks doing original programming and web sites, further expansion would make sense. I don't think it cheapens the nomination much. People will still only remember the winners and the repeated bridesmaids. There's the idea to split between Cable and Networks. That's a stupid idea because cable dominates these days, and in a decade the networks may barely even exist. Something needs to be done though, if the Emmys want to continue holding more esteem than the Golden Globes.
Ok, that was fun. I hope that if you did get through it all that you enjoyed it and I don't come away sounding like an idiot. If nothing else I hope what you take away from this is that, as much as we like to complain about the snubs, the Emmys don't do such a bad job with the nominations. Maybe next year we'll break down why the process of picking the winner is awful but a necessary evil. Next up, my Emmy picks.
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