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.
Monday: Reality & the Scruff
Tuesday: Variety Series & Special
I suppose this is where we find out whether as the visibility (or prestige) of the categories increases, will the B-Team put up more or less of a fight. So far it's been entirely one-sided. Let's see if Mini-Series and TV Movies change that.
Mini-Series
American Horror Story: Coven
Bonnie & Clyde
Fargo
Luther
Treme
The White Queen
B-Team
Dancing on the Edge
Fleming: The Man who Would Be Bond
Mob City
The Spoils of Babylon
Rosemary's Baby
Hostages
Well, this isn't close, is it? I don't know about The White Queen. It was on Starz, so that's not high praise. Bonnie & Clyde I actually watched because apparently I'll see anything with Sarah Hyland in it. It's hard to find anything in the B-Team that could beat anything else in the Mini-Series field. Dancing on the Edge is probably the best of the bunch. Nothing can even sniff Fargo and that's why this is easy.
Winner: A-Team in the most lopsided decision yet.
TV Movie
Killing Kennedy
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
The Normal Heart
Sherlock
The Trip to Bountiful
B-Team
Anna Nicole
Burton and Taylor
Clear History
Flowers in the Attic
Psych: The Musical
Yes, I included Psych: The Musical, because why not? It was fun and well done. I heard good things about Clear History and am a little surprised it didn't get a nomination, but that has nothing to do with assumed quality. I assumed something with Larry David and Jon Hamm would be Emmy bait. Nothing comes close to the Sherlock episode or The Normal Heart.
Winner: A-Team. Not as lopsided as Mini-Series, but still not close.
Lead Actor - Mini/Movie
Dancing on the Edge - Chiwetel Ejiofor
Fargo - Martin Freeman
Fargo - Billy Bob Thorton
Luther - Idris Elba
The Normal Hearth - Mark Ruffalo
Sherlock - Benedict Cumberbatch
B-Team
Clear History - Larry David
Killing Kennedy - Rob Lowe
Treme - Wendell Pierce
Dancing on the Edge - Matthew Goode
The Hollow Crown (Great Performances) - Tom Hiddleson
Psych: The Musical - James Roday
Elba takes Pierce in the battle of The Wire alumni. Hiddleston and Ejiofor cancel each other out as "those British actors who really don't need to be doing TV right now". And, the combined movie star power of Freeman, Thorton, Ruffalo, and Cumberbatch thwamp the TV power of David, Lowe, Goode, and Roday.
Winner: A-Team, handily.
Lead Actress - Mini/Movie
American Horror Story: Coven - Jessican Lange
American Horror Story: Coven - Sarah Paulson
Burton and Taylor - Helena Bonham Carter
Return to Zero - Minnie Driver
The Spoils of Babylon - Kristen Wiig
The Trip to Bountiful - Cicely Tyson
B-Team
Treme - Khandi Alexander
The Trials of Cate McCall - Kate Beckinsale
Bonnie & Clyde - Holliday Granger
Rosemary's Baby - Zoe Saldana
Flowers in the Attic - Kiernan Shipka
Lizzie Borden Took An Axl - Christina Ricci
Here's my way of picking the B-Team for this category: Who have I heard of? Name recognition alone gives the B-Team a serious edge. Kate Beckinsale did a TV Movie? Ricci isn't too big for TV but I can hardly call a Lizzie Borden movie an upward career decision. It's best to forget Saldana in Rosemary's Baby. I assume Shipka (Sally Draper) did well in Flowers in the Attic. Holliday Granger was the best thing about Bonnie & Clyde and would've been in my A-Team. Alexander has always done good work in Treme.
Winner: A-Team. I assume the combo of Lange and Paulson carries this. Someone could easily dispute this though.
Sup. Actor Mini/Movie
Fargo - Colin Hanks
The Normal Heart - Jim Parsons
The Normal Heart - Joe Mantello
The Normal Heart - Alfred Molina
The Normal Heart - Matt Bomer
Sherlock - Martin Freeman
B-Team
Fargo - Keith Carradine
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight - Danny Glover
Clear History - Jon Hamm
The Normal Heart - Taylor Kitsch
Treme - David Morse
American Horror Story: Coven - Evan Peters
Are you kidding me? Martin Freeman is a lead in Sherlock. Colin Hanks does his best work in a while if not ever in Fargo. The nominated Normal Heart guys all deserve it from what I hear. Keith Carradine is eclipsed by Hanks. I have to assume Taylor Kitsch was left out of The Normal Heart lovefest for a reason. Evan Peters is nice, as is David Morse. Danny Glover is finally getting too old for this shit and Jon Hamm is an Emmy darling. There's not enough to compete.
Winner: The Normal Heart. I mean, A-Team.
Sup. Actress - Mini/Movie
American Horror Story: Coven - Frances Conroy
American Horror Story: Coven - Kathy Bates
American Horror Story: Coven - Angela Bassett
Fargo - Allison Tolman
Flowers in the Attic - Ellen Burstyn
The Normal Heart - Julia Roberts
B-Team
Sherlock - Amanda Abbington
Clear History - Kate Hudson
Treme - Lucia Micarelli
American Horror Story: Coven - Emma Roberts
American Horror Story: Coven - Gabourey Sidibe
Fargo - Kate Walsh
That's cute. The kids want to play. The Conroy/Bates/Bassett trifecta is damn imposing. Allison Tolman would be my pick in any category she was in for this work. Ellen Burstyn is a legend. Julia Roberts is an Oscar winner and the only woman hanging with the boys in The Normal Heart.
Winner: A-Team by about three Oscars and three Primetime Emmys.
Writing - Mini/Movie
American Horror Story: Coven - "Bitchcraft"
Fargo - "The Crocodile's Dilemma"
Luther
The Normal Heart
Sherlock "His Last Vow"
Treme " ...To Miss New Orleans"
B-Team
Bonnie and Clyde
Clear History
Killing Kennedy
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
Psych The Musical
The Spoils of Babylon
The A-Team is a best of of the A-Teams of from TV Movie and Mini-Series that demolished the B-Teams. By some sort of ma thematic property, let's say transitive, that means the A-Team for writing Hulk Smashes the B-Team.
Winner: A-Team, because look at that A-Team.
Directing - Mini/Movie
American Horror Story: Coven "Bitchcraft"
Fargo "The Crocodile's Dilemma"
Fargo "Burdian's Ass"
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
The Normal Heart
Sherlock "His Last Vow"
B-Team
American Horror Story: Coven <any episode>
Clear History
Fargo "Moton's Fork"
Fargo "The Heap"
Killing Kennedy
Luther "Part One"
See the Writing category. The same principle applies. Although this does get interesting because multiple Fargo episodes that I liked better than Burdain's Ass are in the B-Team. Still, not enough here to compete.
Winner: A-Team for being awesome.
Casting - Mini/Movie
American Horror Story: Coven
Fargo
The Normal Heart
Sherlock
Treme
B-Team
Bonnie & Clyde
Clear History
Dancing on the Edge
Killing Kennedey
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
The entire A-Team is all-star and used for maximum effect. Maybe that could be said about one of the B-Teamers.
Winner: A-Team. Easily
I'll admit, I never expected this to be close. 1) I haven't seen enough of the movies/series in this category to know how to field a competitive B-Team. 2) These are some undeserved categories (hence, so many being combined) and it's hard to come up with even one good group from them.
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