Throughout the entire month of May, I wrote many Emmy Questions pieces regarding many of the shows eligible and likely to be nominated for an Emmy in 2014 including House of Cards, Mad Men, Modern Family, Breaking Bad and many, many others. You can check out all of my articles here. A lot of the questions for these particular shows were regarding which categories certain actors would be nominated in. The Emmy's helped answer those questions today as they released every single show and person eligible in every single Primetime Emmy category. Here are 10 "Quick" Reaction to the 2014 Emmy Nomination Ballot that was released today.
1) True Detective
Click Here For Our True Detective Emmy Questions Post
The biggest question of all during this "Emmy pre-season" is what category would Woody Harrelson throw his hat into. HBO isn't ashamed to do what they can in order to maximize nominations and prestige, especially considering True Detective is a mini-series yet it's nominated in the Drama Series categories. Matthew McConaughey is a lock to earn a nomination, and is probably the favorite to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, so it was unclear whether Woody Harrelson would also be considered a Lead Actor as opposed to a Supporting Actor. The lead actor category is already crowded, and adding Woody Harrelson into the mix makes it almost impossible for anyone to get a nomination!
However, Woody Harrelson was clearly a co-lead with McConaughey and is eligible as such. Even though HBO probably could have maximized its nominations by submitting Harrelson as a supporting actor, the network seems so confident in the show, that Harrelson was submitted as a lead.
I was correct that Cary Joji Fukunaga submitted "Who Goes There" with its excellent oner at the end of the episode for Outstanding Directing, but I was incorrect as to what episode Nick Pizzolatto would submit in the writing category. I thought it would be the show's pilot, but it turned out to be Episode 5, "The Secret Fate of All Life." Since both Fukunaga and Pizzolatto directed and wrote, respectively, all eight episodes by themselves, they're only eligible for one nomination each.
2) Orange Is The New Black
Click Here For Our Orange Is The New Black Emmy Questions Post
Taylor Schilling is guaranteed to get an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination and Kate Mulgrew was guaranteed to throw her hat into the Supporting Actress ring considering she's on the borderline to get a nomination. Everybody else though was up in the air.
Jason Biggs and Michael J. Harney threw their name in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series bin, but both men have their name in the credits so that's not a shock. However, Pablo Schreiber (the actor who plays Pornstache) was submitted as a Guest Actor and not a Supporting Actor. Considering he was *the* break out star of the show, I thought Netflix should have risked it putting Schreiber up against Adam Driver (Girls), Andre Baugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Tony Hale (Veep), and the 4 Modern Family adults because talent tends to win out, and Schreiber was great. I could easily envision a scenario where Schrieber earned a Supporting Actor nomination.
However, the biggest surprise of all was the four actresses Netflix decided to submit as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Two of them (Laura Prepon and Kate Mulgrew) are in the opening credits, so that's not a big deal, but Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Samira Wiley (Poussey) are eye opening. Brooks popped on the screen and was so good in Season 1 that she got promoted to the main cast in Season 2. While she didn't have a flashback episode in Season 1, she was great. Still a surprise she was not considered a Guest Actress, but I appreciate the boldness. Samira Wiley on the other hand, what was Netflix thinking? OITNB has a vast array of characters to choose from, and Wiley's Poussey was not even on my list of actresses to consider. I would have been shocked if Wiley even was eligible in the Guest Actress category. Speaking of Guest Actresses, Uzo Adubo (Crazy Eyes), Natasha Lyonne (Nichols), and Taryn Manning (Pennsatucky) were all very deserving of a Supporting Actress eligibility as opposed to the Guest Actress eligibility they received. All 3 were so good in Season 1 that they were promoted to the main cast in Season 2, and all would have been more deserving candidates to take Samira Wiley's (and Laura Prepon for that matter) Supporting Actress eligibility.
3) Comedy Supporting Actor Shenanigans
Many shows with five to eight characters in the main cast decided to not nominate anyone in a lead category, and just throw everybody they had into the supporting actor categories. Modern Family has been doing this for the past three years as Ed O'Neill got punished after the show's rookie season when he was the only adult actor to get snubbed for a nomination because he was the only actor to not submit himself as a supporting actor and instead submitted himself as a lead. The League, Saturday Night Live, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia also didn't submit anyone in the lead actor or actress category. I don't have a problem with what those shows did; however, some shows got too cute.
Scott Aukerman, who created and is the host of Comedy Bang! Bang! submitted himself as a Supporting Actor as opposed to a Lead Actor and Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen created and are in every sketch of Portlandia yet aren't considered leads. As bad as that is, Comedy Central is the worst offender. Amy Schumer, Keegan Michael-Key, and Jordan Peele all have their names in the title of their own show (Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele, respectively) yet aren't considered lead actors. Their names are in the title of the fucking show! They are God damn lead actors, and not supporting actors like they're eligible for.
4) Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Click Here For Our Brooklyn Nine-Nine Emmy Questions Post
Louis C.K. (Louie), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Don Chedle (House of Lies), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) are all repeat Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nominees who will likely get a nomination in 2014. Andy Samberg from this show is also probably going to get a nomination this year as well. But the sixth spot? That's completely up in the air. Andre Braugher from this show had a good chance to get that sixth spot, but he's not going to get it now considering he made himself eligible as a Supporting Actor instead. Braugher still might get a nomination, but he made it harder for himself (see: Pablo Schrieber in OITNB).
Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz also submitted themselves as supporting actresses and neither submitted themselves as a lead. One of them had an outside chance to earn an Emmy nomination if they were a lead because there's also an open spot there. However, now neither are going to get an Emmy nomination in the extremely crowded Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category.
5) Homeland
Click Here For Our Homeland Emmy Questions Post
Even though Damien Lewis won an Emmy two years ago as a lead actor for his work on this show, Homeland is clearly a shell of its former self after its third season, and Damien Lewis' Sgt Brody is also not the same great character he used to be. In Homeland's third season, Brody failed to become a lead actor as he was barely in the show. So the fact that Damien Lewis is still considered a lead actor now is pretty ridiculous. Brody was a supporting character in Homeland's third season, and as such, Damien Lewis should be in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, and not in the Lead category like he's eligible for.
Also, Jackson Pace, the actor who plays Chris Brody submitted himself as a Supporting Actor. I know there's no downside to throwing your hat in the ring (outside of money). But come on. In this case, why even try.
6) Orphan Black
Click Here For Our Orphan Black Questions Post
I just think it's funny that the character Tatiana Maslany plays is "Sarah, Beth, Cosima, Rachel (and more)" And more. That's putting it mildly.
7) Psych
During Psych's final season, they released a two hour long musical episode. For some reason, that's considered a "TV Movie" and thus the entire cast is now eligible in the "Mini Series and TV Movie" categories. Every year, shows do even more slippery tactics to try and earn an Emmy nomination. I guess this is the same model and reasoning that Sherlock continues to get nominations within the past few years. Both Psych and Sherlock are actual TV series, but due to extremely lax Emmy eligibility rules, both are able to slip into the Mini-Series/Movie category instead.
8) Bryan Cranston
Even though Bryan Cranston already has three Emmy wins under his belt for portraying Walter White, and even though he won a Tony last night, he's eligible to win three Emmy's in 2014. One for acting (Breaking Bad), one for directing Breaking Bad's "Blood Money" and for directing a Modern Family episode entitled "The Old Man and The Tree". Cranston was nominated for two Director's Guild of America awards for directing those two episodes in 2013.
9) Louie
The show submitted two episodes "Pamela 3" and "So Did The Fat Lady" in the writing categories. These episodes haven't even aired yet. Cahones!
10) Game of Thrones
The show only made one of its episodes, the finale entitled "The Children," eligible in the writing category, and only three of its episodes, Alex Graves for "The Children", Neil Marshall for "The Watchers on the Wall," and Alik Sakharov for "The Laws of Gods and Men", eligible in the directing categories. Not only is Emmy favorite and long-time Breaking Bad alum Michelle MacLaren not eligible for her work directing two Game of Thrones episodes this season (although to be fair, they are probably the two weakest episodes this season), but the show is putting all their eggs into the "The Children" basket for Alex Graves. Graves directed the excellent "The Lion and The Rose" (aka The Purple Wedding) as well as a very good "Breaker of Chains" and he probably could have won the whole she-bang for "The Lion and The Rose," however, "The Children" must be so God damn good and we just don't know it yet.
Game of Thrones submitted nine of its performers in the Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama Series categories. The two most surprising are Natalie Dormer (who plays Margaery Tyrell) and Charles Dance (who plays Tywin Lannister) as they probably are more suitable in the Guest Actor categories.
1) True Detective
Click Here For Our True Detective Emmy Questions Post
The biggest question of all during this "Emmy pre-season" is what category would Woody Harrelson throw his hat into. HBO isn't ashamed to do what they can in order to maximize nominations and prestige, especially considering True Detective is a mini-series yet it's nominated in the Drama Series categories. Matthew McConaughey is a lock to earn a nomination, and is probably the favorite to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, so it was unclear whether Woody Harrelson would also be considered a Lead Actor as opposed to a Supporting Actor. The lead actor category is already crowded, and adding Woody Harrelson into the mix makes it almost impossible for anyone to get a nomination!
However, Woody Harrelson was clearly a co-lead with McConaughey and is eligible as such. Even though HBO probably could have maximized its nominations by submitting Harrelson as a supporting actor, the network seems so confident in the show, that Harrelson was submitted as a lead.
I was correct that Cary Joji Fukunaga submitted "Who Goes There" with its excellent oner at the end of the episode for Outstanding Directing, but I was incorrect as to what episode Nick Pizzolatto would submit in the writing category. I thought it would be the show's pilot, but it turned out to be Episode 5, "The Secret Fate of All Life." Since both Fukunaga and Pizzolatto directed and wrote, respectively, all eight episodes by themselves, they're only eligible for one nomination each.
2) Orange Is The New Black
Click Here For Our Orange Is The New Black Emmy Questions Post
Taylor Schilling is guaranteed to get an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination and Kate Mulgrew was guaranteed to throw her hat into the Supporting Actress ring considering she's on the borderline to get a nomination. Everybody else though was up in the air.
Jason Biggs and Michael J. Harney threw their name in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series bin, but both men have their name in the credits so that's not a shock. However, Pablo Schreiber (the actor who plays Pornstache) was submitted as a Guest Actor and not a Supporting Actor. Considering he was *the* break out star of the show, I thought Netflix should have risked it putting Schreiber up against Adam Driver (Girls), Andre Baugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Tony Hale (Veep), and the 4 Modern Family adults because talent tends to win out, and Schreiber was great. I could easily envision a scenario where Schrieber earned a Supporting Actor nomination.
However, the biggest surprise of all was the four actresses Netflix decided to submit as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Two of them (Laura Prepon and Kate Mulgrew) are in the opening credits, so that's not a big deal, but Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Samira Wiley (Poussey) are eye opening. Brooks popped on the screen and was so good in Season 1 that she got promoted to the main cast in Season 2. While she didn't have a flashback episode in Season 1, she was great. Still a surprise she was not considered a Guest Actress, but I appreciate the boldness. Samira Wiley on the other hand, what was Netflix thinking? OITNB has a vast array of characters to choose from, and Wiley's Poussey was not even on my list of actresses to consider. I would have been shocked if Wiley even was eligible in the Guest Actress category. Speaking of Guest Actresses, Uzo Adubo (Crazy Eyes), Natasha Lyonne (Nichols), and Taryn Manning (Pennsatucky) were all very deserving of a Supporting Actress eligibility as opposed to the Guest Actress eligibility they received. All 3 were so good in Season 1 that they were promoted to the main cast in Season 2, and all would have been more deserving candidates to take Samira Wiley's (and Laura Prepon for that matter) Supporting Actress eligibility.
3) Comedy Supporting Actor Shenanigans
Many shows with five to eight characters in the main cast decided to not nominate anyone in a lead category, and just throw everybody they had into the supporting actor categories. Modern Family has been doing this for the past three years as Ed O'Neill got punished after the show's rookie season when he was the only adult actor to get snubbed for a nomination because he was the only actor to not submit himself as a supporting actor and instead submitted himself as a lead. The League, Saturday Night Live, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia also didn't submit anyone in the lead actor or actress category. I don't have a problem with what those shows did; however, some shows got too cute.
Scott Aukerman, who created and is the host of Comedy Bang! Bang! submitted himself as a Supporting Actor as opposed to a Lead Actor and Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen created and are in every sketch of Portlandia yet aren't considered leads. As bad as that is, Comedy Central is the worst offender. Amy Schumer, Keegan Michael-Key, and Jordan Peele all have their names in the title of their own show (Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele, respectively) yet aren't considered lead actors. Their names are in the title of the fucking show! They are God damn lead actors, and not supporting actors like they're eligible for.
4) Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Click Here For Our Brooklyn Nine-Nine Emmy Questions Post
Louis C.K. (Louie), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Don Chedle (House of Lies), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) are all repeat Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nominees who will likely get a nomination in 2014. Andy Samberg from this show is also probably going to get a nomination this year as well. But the sixth spot? That's completely up in the air. Andre Braugher from this show had a good chance to get that sixth spot, but he's not going to get it now considering he made himself eligible as a Supporting Actor instead. Braugher still might get a nomination, but he made it harder for himself (see: Pablo Schrieber in OITNB).
Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz also submitted themselves as supporting actresses and neither submitted themselves as a lead. One of them had an outside chance to earn an Emmy nomination if they were a lead because there's also an open spot there. However, now neither are going to get an Emmy nomination in the extremely crowded Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category.
5) Homeland
Click Here For Our Homeland Emmy Questions Post
Even though Damien Lewis won an Emmy two years ago as a lead actor for his work on this show, Homeland is clearly a shell of its former self after its third season, and Damien Lewis' Sgt Brody is also not the same great character he used to be. In Homeland's third season, Brody failed to become a lead actor as he was barely in the show. So the fact that Damien Lewis is still considered a lead actor now is pretty ridiculous. Brody was a supporting character in Homeland's third season, and as such, Damien Lewis should be in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, and not in the Lead category like he's eligible for.
Also, Jackson Pace, the actor who plays Chris Brody submitted himself as a Supporting Actor. I know there's no downside to throwing your hat in the ring (outside of money). But come on. In this case, why even try.
6) Orphan Black
Click Here For Our Orphan Black Questions Post
I just think it's funny that the character Tatiana Maslany plays is "Sarah, Beth, Cosima, Rachel (and more)" And more. That's putting it mildly.
7) Psych
During Psych's final season, they released a two hour long musical episode. For some reason, that's considered a "TV Movie" and thus the entire cast is now eligible in the "Mini Series and TV Movie" categories. Every year, shows do even more slippery tactics to try and earn an Emmy nomination. I guess this is the same model and reasoning that Sherlock continues to get nominations within the past few years. Both Psych and Sherlock are actual TV series, but due to extremely lax Emmy eligibility rules, both are able to slip into the Mini-Series/Movie category instead.
8) Bryan Cranston
Even though Bryan Cranston already has three Emmy wins under his belt for portraying Walter White, and even though he won a Tony last night, he's eligible to win three Emmy's in 2014. One for acting (Breaking Bad), one for directing Breaking Bad's "Blood Money" and for directing a Modern Family episode entitled "The Old Man and The Tree". Cranston was nominated for two Director's Guild of America awards for directing those two episodes in 2013.
9) Louie
The show submitted two episodes "Pamela 3" and "So Did The Fat Lady" in the writing categories. These episodes haven't even aired yet. Cahones!
10) Game of Thrones
The show only made one of its episodes, the finale entitled "The Children," eligible in the writing category, and only three of its episodes, Alex Graves for "The Children", Neil Marshall for "The Watchers on the Wall," and Alik Sakharov for "The Laws of Gods and Men", eligible in the directing categories. Not only is Emmy favorite and long-time Breaking Bad alum Michelle MacLaren not eligible for her work directing two Game of Thrones episodes this season (although to be fair, they are probably the two weakest episodes this season), but the show is putting all their eggs into the "The Children" basket for Alex Graves. Graves directed the excellent "The Lion and The Rose" (aka The Purple Wedding) as well as a very good "Breaker of Chains" and he probably could have won the whole she-bang for "The Lion and The Rose," however, "The Children" must be so God damn good and we just don't know it yet.
Game of Thrones submitted nine of its performers in the Outstanding Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama Series categories. The two most surprising are Natalie Dormer (who plays Margaery Tyrell) and Charles Dance (who plays Tywin Lannister) as they probably are more suitable in the Guest Actor categories.
AFTER LOOKING AT WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A 2014 PRIMETIME EMMY, WHICH ACTOR'S ELIGIBILITY SURPRISES YOU THE MOST? LET US KNOW ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!
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