The Emmy B-Team: The Scruff

It looks like I have yet another tradition on my blog. Last year, I had the idea of coming up with what I called my Emmy B-Team. The idea was to create an alternate ballot of all the leftover shows and people from the nomination list that weren't nominated by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Last year, I did this as an experiment to determine how badly the Academy picked their nominees. As it turns out, the B-Teams were altogether embarrassed by the actual nominees and I learned that the Academy doesn't do such a bad job. I've decided to make this list again this year. The main difference this time is that the goal is to highlight other deserving names that were submitted to the list more than proving that the B-Team is better, although that will still be a part of it. Thankfully, the Academy did a pretty good job picking this year, so my job is even harder this time.

There's a lot of categories that the Emmys don't know what to do with. Messy programs with nebulous categories that have changed a lot over the years. They are given names as vague as "Special Class" or as specific as "Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment". There aren't the wealth of options for them as the more marquee categories. As TV has expanded, these categories increasingly include programs that really must get mentioned. In the coming days, I'll be getting to the more familiar fields, but I figure I'll start with a random assortment of "Creative Arts Emmy"-level awards that I find interesting enough to mention.

* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, but not this season.

Animated Program

Actual Nominees:
Archer
#Bob's Burgers
*Over The Garden Wall
#The Simpsons
#South Park

B-Team:
#American Dad
*BoJack Horseman
#Family Guy
*Gravity Falls
*Star Wars Rebels

This is a great way to start, because the B-Team really does look like the programs on the bench for the actual nominees. American Dad and Family Guy are the less critically acclaimed Fox stablemates of The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers. South Park is an institution and Archer had another strong season. I can't speak about the quality of Gravity Falls or Star Wars Rebels other than saying that there could've been a little room devoted to kid's programs in the animation field. The only two choices that give me pause are BoJack Horseman (which I've heard great things about) and Over the Garden Wall (which I've never heard of).
Winner: Actual Nominees. The B-Team offers some interesting alternatives, but that's exactly what they feel like: alternatives. Name recognition goes far here.

Short-Format Animated Program

Actual Nominees:
#Adventure Time "Jake the Brick"
*Disney Mickey Mouse "Mumbai Madness"
*Regular Show "White Elephant Gift Exchange"
#Robot Chicken "Chipotle Miserable"
*Steven Universe "Lion 3: Straight to Video"
*Wander Over Yonder "The Gift 2: The Giftening"

B-Team:
*Blank on Blank "Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness"
*Mike Tyson Mysteries "Ty-Stunned"
*Star Wars Rebels Shorts "The Machine in the Ghost"
*Teen Titans Go! "Let's Get Serious"

I figure that if I include Animated Series, I might as well cover short-format animation as well. I couldn't come up with six other potential nominees to fill a B-team though. That, and the fact that I at least assume that Robot Chicken, Mickey Mouse, and Adventure Time class up the nominees too much makes this a runaway.
Winner: Actual Nominees. Because the B-Team can't even fill a line-up.

Children's Program

Actual Nominees:
*Alan Alda And The Actor Within You: A YoungArts Masterclass
#Degrassi
*Dog With A Blog
Girl Meets World
*Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Coming Out

B-Team:
*Austin & Ally
*Jessie
*K.C. Undercover
*Liv & Maddie
*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Invasion

This isn't even close. The actual nominees include Degrassi, which is just a good teen drama even with its best days behind it, something with "Alan Alda" and "Masterclass" in the title (enough said), yet another Nick News (yeah, it's still on the air at some time), the weirdest Disney Channel show out there in Dog with a Blog, and the sincerely good Girl Meets World. The best the B-Team can muster is a few lesser Disney Channel shows and another iteration of TMNT.
Winner: Actual Nominees. Not only is there more name recognition. There's shows I would actually recommend watching.

Special Class Program

Actual Nominees:
*Beyonce and Jay Z On the Run
The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
The Oscars
*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (Live From Lincoln Center
*68th Annual Tony Awards

B-Team:
*2014 ESPY Awards
*57th Annual Grammy Awards
*2015 MTV Movie Awards
*The Nance
Peter Pan Live!

Tonys beat Grammys for mattering more to their industry although both are the best award shows. The Tina Fey/Amy Poehler Golden Globes have a little more gravitas than the MTV Movies Awards and ESPYs. I'm not sure what The Nance is, but I'll go with Sweeney Todd over it any day. I'm certain the Beyonce/Jay Z program is better than Peter Pan Live! (which I watched 100% for Allison Williams).
Winner: Actual Nominees. There's a better alternative in the nominees for every B-Team item.

Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Actual Nominees:
*American Masters
*Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
The Jinx: The Lide and Deaths of Robert Durst
*The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
*The Sixties

B-Team:
*Building Wonders (NOVA)
*The Fighting Season
*The Runner-Up
*Shakespeare Uncovered: Series 2
*Unsung

Only one group has The Jinx.
Winner: Actual Nominees. I was going to skip this category until I saw that it would give me a chance to mention The Jinx. Watch The Jinx. It's really good.

Interactive Program

Actual Nominees:
@Midnight with Chris Hardwick
Last Week Tonight
SNL
#Talking Dead
#The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

B-Team:
*Dancing with the Stars
*Night of Too Many Stars
*Sports Jeopardy! Second Screen Experience
*The Vampire Diaries Rehash
*The Voice

Chris Hardwick certainly has a niche, doesn't he? Well, @Midnight is the most interactive program. Talking Dead is up there and Last Week Tonight too. (Note: I am equating "Interactive Program" to "anything with nightly hashtags"). I guess The Voice and Dancing with the Stars have voting, but that's about it.
Winner: Actual nominees. They are more in the spirit of the category.

Short-Format Live -Action Entertainment

Actual Nominees:
*Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt
*Billy On The Street With First Lady Michelle Obama, Big Bird And Elena!!!
*Children's Hospital "Just Like Cyrano de Bergerac"
*Key & Peele Presents Van And Mike: The Ascension "Episode 5"
Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Starring Katy Perry

B-Team:
*Broad City: Hack Into Broad City
#If Google Was A Guy
*Play It Again, Dick
*73 Questions With Reese Witherspoon
Too Many Cooks

This is tough. Both groups have a variety of quality choices. Let's narrow this down. Between Two Ferns is more established and I'm fine with blindly assuming it's better that 73 Questions. Billy on the Street is funnier than what I've seen of If Google Was a Guy. I've heard good enough things to believe that Play It Again, Dick is every bit as good as Children's Hospital, if not better. The Key & Peele Presents is roughly comparable to Broad City. The difference maker has gotta be the Katy Perry Superbowl Show and Too Many Cooks. I like Katy Perry and Too Many Cooks annoyed me, although I won't deny the appeal.
Winner: Actual Nominees. This is very close. I'm no better than the Academy when I say that I'm going to go with the nominees over the B-Team, because I recognize more of them as things of established quality.

Stunt Coordination - Drama

Actual Nominees:
#The Blacklist
#Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
Sons of Anarchy
The Walking Dead

B-Team:
Arrow
The Flash
Marvel's Agent Carter
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
Marvel's Daredevil

There's a couple others I can put in the B-Team too. These five happen to be shows that I watch. You might notice a trend. Look, I wouldn't dare try to take anything away from what Game of Thrones did this season. The Walking Dead too. It's just pretty embarrassing that stunt-heavy (and proficient) shows are completely ignored, seemingly just because they are DC or Marvel affiliated. Blacklist, Sons, and Boardwalk have fine stunt work. But, leaving out the CW shows or Daredevil invalidates the category.
Winner: B-Team. There's just too many snubs for Game of Thrones, which very well may be the best overall to make up for.

Stunt Coordination - Comedy

Actual Nominees:
Brooklyn Nine Nine
Community
#It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
SNL
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

B-Team:
*The Goldbergs
*Jane the Virgin
Looking
*Man Seeking Woman
*Workaholics

Where else will you ever see Community and It's Always Sunny facing off for an Emmy? You've got the return of paintball for Comminty, Brooklyn Nine Nine with the police action, SNL in the Digital Shorts, Kimmy Schmidt with its slapstick, and It's Always Sunny with more need for stunts than you think. This is a really good nomination field. Besides. I can't say I even remember Looking having any stunts.
Winner: Actual Nominees. Because it's correct.

For those keeping count, that puts us at 8-1 in favor of the Actual Nominees (although one of the 8 was close). There's not much to say that I didn't above. Anyone who remembers this from last year knows that it's be this one sided a lot of the time.