This has been the most volatile category the last two years and I expect that it will be again. Unlike Comedy series, the Drama nominees leave plenty to dispute and the approximately 57,000 original scripted dramas on TV leave plenty of good snubs. The Leftovers, Rectify, Hannibal, and plenty of other shows that no one watches.
(Final Note: I'm sure that I'll mention this more than a few times, but this is based on who is submitted and where. For example, Hugh Dancy did not submit for Hannibal, only submitting his name for The Path, so I cannot include him in the B-Team for Hannibal, even if I want to. Similarly, even though it aired episodes in the eligibility period, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was not submitted and won't be considered. Finally, there's the Rob Lowe Rule. Rob Lowe always submits for the lead role. Even when he was on Parks & Rec. he submitted as a lead, so that's the only thing I could consider him as.)
Previously:
The Scruff
Reality Shows
Variety Series and Special
Limited Series and TV Movie
Comedy Series
* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Drama Series
The Americans
Better Call Saul
*Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
#Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot
B-Team
Orange is the New Black
Rectify
Halt and Catch Fire
Hannibal
*Horace and Pete
The Leftovers
UnREAL
Drama Series is a tough category. The nominees are pretty entrenched at this point. More than even Comedy series, if you don't get a nomination in the first season, you aren't likely to ever be noticed. Proving to be the exception is FX's The Americans, finally breaking into the field after years of snubs. It is one of the two best dramas on TV as far as I'm concerned, so it's great to see it as a Nominee. Better Call Saul is back, continuing to be much better than anyone expected it would be. Game of Thrones is the king of TV right now, and after this last season, it's hard to argue with that. Mr. Robot made a highly acclaimed debut. I'm not quite as in love with it as others, but it should be in the discussion. House of Cards, Homeland, and Downton Abbey keep getting nominations because that's what they do.
The Leftovers is the best drama on TV right now. I'd only put The Americans in the discussion with it. Rectify isn't that far behind, although no one watches it. I know that a lot of people were down on the third season of Orange is the New Black. Personally, it was my favorite season but also the one that most belonged in the comedy field. Halt and Catch Fire had an uneven but improved second season that ended very strong. Most people have forgotten about Hannibal, but it aired last summer and it ended great. I still having seen Horace and Pete. If only for the boundary breaking release, I'd give it consideration. It helps that I'm about as pro-Louis CK as a person can be. Finally, UnREAL had a rough second season. This is for the first season though, which I think was the real breakout show of Summer 2015 (Sorry, Mr. Robot). It walked a tightrope all season and rarely stumbled.
Winner: B-Team. I disagree with too many of the Nominees. Also, the B-Team has The Leftovers, which should be on every list.
Lead Actress – Drama
Keri Russell (The Americans)
*Taraji P. Henson (Empire)
#Claire Danes (Homeland)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
*Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)
#Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
B-Team
Shiri Appleby (UnREAL)
#Hayley Atwell (Marvel's Agent Carter)
Kerry Bishe (Halt and Catch Fire)
Carrie Coon (The Leftovers)
*Juliana Margulies (The Good Wife)
*Eva Green (Penny Dreadful)
Not a lot of room for new faces in the Lead Actress field, except for Keri Russell finally. She or Maslany are the top of that field. Maslany probably deserves a win just for hours logged with all the characters she plays. Danes and Wright have been here forever. While Danes' work on Homeland is starting to get repetitive, Wright seems to keep getting better as House of Cards slowly realizes that she's every bit as vital to the show as Kevin Spacey. Davis and Henson's shows have taken dips this year but you can't blame that on either of their performances.
The B-Team is a weird group. Again, this is season one of UnREAL we're talking about, which Shirri Appleby was pretty terrific in. Every bit the anti-hero you hate while also loving her. Agent Carter doesn't work without Hayley Atwell and I don't just mean the name of the show. The reason why fans love that show is entirely her. Kerry Bishe and Carrie Coon were both so awesome on their shows in the first seasons that they basically took over in the second and no one had a problems with it. Margulies really did deserve a farewell nomination for The Good Wife. I've never seen Penny Dreadful, but the first sentence anyone ever says about it begins with "Eva Green" and ends with something like "awesome" or "incredible". Having seen Green in several movies, I have no trouble believing this.
Winner: Nominees. Keri Russell and Tatiana Maslany both made it in. That's enough for me. Too much of my B-Team could be called supporting characters too.
Lead Actor – Drama
Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
#Kyle Chandler (Bloodline)
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
*Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
B-Team
*Steve Buscemi (Horace and Pete)
Justin Theroux (The Leftovers)
Bobby Cannavale (Vinyl)
Aden Young (Rectify)
Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal)
*Clive Owen (The Knick)
Neither the Nominees or the B-Team for this category are a very impressive collection. While men get more of the lead roles on TV, they sure haven't been doing as much with them. As good as Rami Malek is on Mr. Robot, I'd still rather have Justin Theroux's madness in The Leftovers. Aden Young does the quiet, contemplative thing in Rectify better than Kyle Chandler does in Bloodline. Bobby Cannavale couldn't overcome the writing is an otherwise strong lead performance on the so-so Vinyl. I'd pick Bob Odenkirk's constantly evolving work on Better Call Saul instead. I haven't seen Horace & Pete or Ray Donovan, but I'v heard better things about what Steve Buscemi is doing than Liev Schreiber. Kevin Spacey has Clive Owen beat in the battle of box office charisma. That leaves Mads Mikkelsen outmatched against Matthew Rhys when comparing the two characters with the highest body counts.
Winner: B-Team. Of my top three performances, two (Theroux, Young) are in the B-Team as opposed to the one (Rhys) from the Nominees.
Supporting Actress – Drama
*Maura Tierney (The Affair)
*Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Constance Zimmer (UnREAL)
B-Team
Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black)
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
Allison Wright (The Americans)
Holly Taylor (The Americans)
Ann Dowd (The Leftovers)
Regina King (The Leftovers)
This doesn't feel close. Maggie Smith has had this nomination listed in sharpie since Downton Abbey premiered. I'm sure Maura Tierney does good work on The Affair. I love the inclusion of Constance Zimmer for UnREAL since she is the actor most deserving of recognition on the show. I love Maisie Williams and Emilia Clarke, but Lean Headey is the only one of that trio who did enough throughout the season for the nomination to feel earned.
I had trouble winnowing the B-Team down to six. Ann Dowd found life after death on The Leftovers and Regina King fit right into that show without missing a beat. Holly Taylor is better than just about any child actor out there. I keep expecting Paige's story to ruin The Americans and it only enhances the storytelling. Allison Wright had some of the most gut-wrenching scenes on TV in the last year. Her character started off almost as a joke and she made the role into so much more than that. Rhea Seehorn is the heart of Better Call Saul. Whenever she's in a scene, I don't care how long it takes to get to Heisenberg if it means she gets to stay around. Finally, Laverne Cox had a tragic arc in the third season of OitNB. I could pick just about anyone from that show though. I definitely considered Lea DeLaria for her spotlight episode.
Winner: B-Team. No weak links there.
Supporting Actor – Drama
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
#Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones)
Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
*Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
B-Team
Noah Emmerich (The Americans)
Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire)
Christopher Eccleston (The Leftovers)
David Tennant (Marvel's Jessica Jones)
Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)
Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
This one is a little tougher than Supporting Actress. The Nominees are held up by Jonathan Banks who is always great and virtually the co-Lead on Better Call Saul and Peter Dinklage who drinks and knows things. I couldn't watch more Bloodline, but ghost-Ben Mendelsohn doesn't excite me at all. Kit Harrington has some big moments, but he's definitely the lesser pick from Game of Thrones. Jon Voight seems to be earning these nominations off name recognition. I don't get why Michael Kelly get so much Emmy love. I think he's fine and not much more on House of Cards.
Noah Emmerich is the counter-balance for Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys that The Americans needs. Toby Huss is the heart of Halt and Catch Fire. Even in limited use this season, he added so much. Michael McKean is one of the more interesting villains on TV. He's the personification of why people have issues with "the ends don't justify the means". Christian Slater is definitely the figmant of a character's imagination that I prefer (over Ben Mendelsohn), but I never really found him that interesting. Christopher Eccleston is a real life Job on The Leftovers. His spotlight episodes each season have been some of the best. The other Doctor on this list, David Tennant, is the perfect villain for the Marvel series he's in.
Winner: B-Team. Dinklage and Banks can only cover so many holes.
Guest Actress – Drama
Margo Martindale (The Americans)
*Carrie Preston (The Good Wife)
*Laurie Metcalf (Horace and Pete)
Ellen Burstyn (House of Cards)
Molly Parker (House of Cards)
*Allison Janney (Masters of Sex)
B-Team
*Aidy Bryant (Horace and Pete)
Rosario Dawson (Marvel's Daredevil)
Arielle Kebbel (UnREAL)
Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black)
Mary Steenburgen (Orange is the New Black)
Annet Mahendru (The Americans)
A lot of the Nominees are there because they are Emmy favorites (Margo Martindale, Laurie Metcalfe, Ellen Burstyn, Allison Janney). I had trouble filling my B-Team (Aidy Bryant, Arielle Kebbel), however there's a lot of power to it. Natasha Lyonne and Annet Mahendru were both essentially regulars on their series who were taken out mid-season. Rosario Dawson is too big of a name to still be doing so little on Daredevil.
Winner: B-Team. I love Margo Martindale. However, until she starts doing anything of note on The Americans, I can't sanction her nomination over someone like Annet Mahendru.
Guest Actor – Drama
Max von Sydow (Game of Thrones)
*Michael J. Fox (The Good Wife)
Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards)
Mahershala Ali (House of Cards)
Paul Sparks (House of Cards)
*Hank Azaria (Ray Donovan)
B-Team
Richard Armitage (Hannibal)
#Dominic Cooper (Marvel's Agent Carter)
Vincent D'Onofrio (Marvel's Daredevil)
John Carroll Lynch (The Walking Dead)
Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black)
BD Wong (Mr. Robot)
The Nominees are dominated by a bunch of House of Cards performances that I didn't find all that impressive. Max von Sydow was fine on Game of Thrones. I'll admit that my B-Team is pretty shaky though. Richard Armitage made for a good Red Dragon. D'Onofrio is great on Daredevil. I had a lot of issues with John Carroll Lynch's episode of The Walking Dead, but his performance wasn't one of them.
Winner: B-Team. I'd rather go with neither. There was a little more to what the B-Team was doing though.
Writing – Drama Series
The Americans ("Persona Non Grata")
*Downton Abbey ("Episode 8")
Game of Thrones ("Battle of the Bastards")
*The Good Wife ("End")
Mr. Robot ("eps1.0_hellofriend.mov")
UnREAL ("Return")
B-Team
The Leftovers ("International Assassin")
Better Call Saul ("Nailed")
Rectify ("Sown with Salt")
UnREAL ("Truth")
Orange is the New Black ("Mother's Day")
Hannibal ("The Wrath of the Lamb")
The Nominees cover a lot of checklists. They recognize the Mr. Robot and UnREAL pilots. They have the Good Wife finale and a later Downton Abbey episode. There's the Game of Thrones event episode and even an episode of The Americans.
My B-Team fits in a lesser UnREAL episode. There's a lot of good options for Better Call Saul. "Nailed" is essentially my dart board pick. "Mother's Day" was one of the best written episodes of a sadly overlooked season of OitNB. I've gotta include the Hannibal finale. And, Rectify has never made watching paint dry more interesting. Then there's "International Assassin", my favorite hour from the last TV season.
Winner: B-Team. As much as I respect the symbolic choices of the Nominees, the Mr. Robot premiere was a little overrated and "Battle of the Bastards" is much more of a director's showcase, whereas the B-Team has Rectify and The Leftovers. So, how can I argue with that?
Directing – Drama Series
*Downton Abbey ("Episode 9")
Game of Thrones ("Battle of the Bastards")
Game of Thrones ("The Door")
*Homeland ("The Tradition of Hospitality")
*The Knick ("This Is All We Are")
*Ray Donovan ("Exsuscito")
B-Team
The Leftovers ("International Assassin")
Mr. Robot ("eps1.0_hellofriend.mov")
The Americans ("The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears")
Better Call Saul ("Fifi")
UnREAL ("Return")
Rectify ("Girl Jesus")
They did an impressive job of picking shows I haven't seen for the Nominees. I loved those Game of Thrones episodes though. I have many issues with Homeland but directing is rarely one of them. I always hear good things about The Knick as well.
I liked the Mr. Robot premiere's direction more than its writing. It seems crazy to not include The Americans here or Better Call Saul's stunt-y single-take opening. UnREAL has a really good pilot that pulls you in immediately, so some additional attention to that would be nice. Again, I'm going to petition for Rectify and The Leftovers even if it's in vain. Two of the best shows of this or last season.
Winner: B-Team. Honestly, I just have a hard time picking that many things I haven't seen over things that I know were great.
Casting – Drama Series
*Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
House of Cards
Mr. Robot
Orange is the New Black
B-Team
The Americans
Rectify
Better Call Saul
UnREAL
The Leftovers
It's hard to argue with the Nominees list. Orange is the New Black and Game of Thrones are two of the gold standards of casting right now. House of Cards certainly has a lot of casting and I've never looked at a Downton Abbey character and thought "She looks out of place". I never know what to do with a first season show like Mr. Robot. They got the right people though.
Better Call Saul and The Leftovers are the top of the B-Team for casting. Saul constantly employs actors who fit perfectly in the long established Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe. The Leftovers literally moved the show from New York to Texas and didn't miss a beat in finding people to fill the world with. UnREAL always looks like it was populated with a bunch of people on the set of a reality show. The Americans and Rectify...I'll admit those are there just because I wanted to mention the shows one more time.
Winner: Nominees. Until I can actually explain what casting means, I have to cede this to the Academy voters.
On the final day, the B-Team goes 8-2. I don't know if a day has ever swung that much in favor of the B-Team. Here I thought comedy was fragmented, when it's actually the drama field that I'm disputing. Despite The Americans making the cut, I'm still too irked by the Television Academy's love of House of Cards and Homeland over shows like The Leftovers and Rectify.
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