Recently, the Emmy's released every person and show eligible in all of their categories for the 2014 Primetime Emmy's for their nomination ballot. This post is dedicated to everything related to Outstanding Supporting Actor in both the comedy and drama series categories. It will be both who I think will actually earn a nomination as well as who I think deserves to earn a nomination. However, there is one main ground rule- I have to go off of the actual Emmy nomination ballot. Which means that if the actor isn't actually eligible to earn a nomination in real life, then he's not eligible to be mentioned in this post. Makes sense, doesn't it? Let's begin!
DRAMA
WHO I THINK WILL GET A NOMINATION:
- Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
- Dean Norris (Breaking Bad)
- Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire)
- Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
- Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
- Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
ACTOR WHO COULD PLAY SPOILER: Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
COLD HARD LOCKS: Dinklage, Paul, Carter, Patinkin
STRONG EDUCATED GUESSES: Dean Norris, Jeffrey Wright
WHAT I'M PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT: Jon Voight (Ray Donovan) not earning a nomination.
Paul and Dinklage are both former winners and the only reason they won't get a nomination is because their show will stop airing (or in Paul's case, did stop airing). Jim Carter was nominated here for the past two years, and unless his character died and I didn't know about it (although that seems improbable considering he's eligible for a nomination this year), he's going to get nominated again.
Over the past 2 years, Breaking Bad has had two nominations in this category- Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fringe) and Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut), respectively along with Aaron Paul. With neither Esposito nor Banks eligible this year and Dean Norris stepping up in a big way this past season, I think he makes it three in a row for Breaking Bad double dipping in this category.
Last year's winner in this category was Bobby Cannavale from Boardwalk Empire. He's the first actor from the show to earn a nomination in this category, so it's not like there is a "Boardwalk Empire spot" the way there seemingly is "two Breaking Bad spots". However, there still is an opening with Cannavale not eligible this year, and I think Jeffrey Wright who plays Valentin Narcisse on the show gets a nomination. I'm worried Wright doesn't have a great Emmy submission episode because he plays such a toned-down and level headed character as opposed to Cannavale who was over the top and made an indelible impression from just one screening. But with that being said, Wright did some phenomenal acting while being a prominent player in Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire, and I think he gets rewarded for doing so.
Lastly, we have Mandy Patinkin. While I didn't watch most of Season 3 of Homeland, I would have given Patinkin a nomination for his work in both Season 1 and Season 2 of the show, so I can't imagine he doesn't deserve one for Season 3 of the show as well. Plus, Damien Lewis wrongly throwing his hat in the Best Actor race despite being a supporting actor during Season 3 of Homeland helps Patinkin's chances of being nominated for the second straight year.
IF I HAD AN EMMY BALLOT:
- Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad)
- Dean Norris (Breaking Bad)
- Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire)
- Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire)
- Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
- Walton Goggins (Justified)
POTENTIAL OBVIOUS SNUB: Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire)
Jack Huston's Richard Harrow is just one of the best characters on television during this modern era. It's not only the way he looks with that creepy tin mask he's forced to wear, but the way he walks and talks. He's struggled living in this world without Jimmy Darmody and he does what he can just to get by. His role was only supposed to be an episode or two, but considering how amazing of a character he turned out to be, he lasted four seasons. While Richard Harrow was always on the fringe of where the action was during Season 4, he was always fun to watch during his run on Boardwalk Empire.
- Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
- Dean Norris (Breaking Bad)
- Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire)
- Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
- Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
- Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
ACTOR WHO COULD PLAY SPOILER: Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
COLD HARD LOCKS: Dinklage, Paul, Carter, Patinkin
STRONG EDUCATED GUESSES: Dean Norris, Jeffrey Wright
WHAT I'M PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT: Jon Voight (Ray Donovan) not earning a nomination.
Paul and Dinklage are both former winners and the only reason they won't get a nomination is because their show will stop airing (or in Paul's case, did stop airing). Jim Carter was nominated here for the past two years, and unless his character died and I didn't know about it (although that seems improbable considering he's eligible for a nomination this year), he's going to get nominated again.
Over the past 2 years, Breaking Bad has had two nominations in this category- Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fringe) and Jonathan Banks (Mike Ehrmantraut), respectively along with Aaron Paul. With neither Esposito nor Banks eligible this year and Dean Norris stepping up in a big way this past season, I think he makes it three in a row for Breaking Bad double dipping in this category.
Last year's winner in this category was Bobby Cannavale from Boardwalk Empire. He's the first actor from the show to earn a nomination in this category, so it's not like there is a "Boardwalk Empire spot" the way there seemingly is "two Breaking Bad spots". However, there still is an opening with Cannavale not eligible this year, and I think Jeffrey Wright who plays Valentin Narcisse on the show gets a nomination. I'm worried Wright doesn't have a great Emmy submission episode because he plays such a toned-down and level headed character as opposed to Cannavale who was over the top and made an indelible impression from just one screening. But with that being said, Wright did some phenomenal acting while being a prominent player in Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire, and I think he gets rewarded for doing so.
Lastly, we have Mandy Patinkin. While I didn't watch most of Season 3 of Homeland, I would have given Patinkin a nomination for his work in both Season 1 and Season 2 of the show, so I can't imagine he doesn't deserve one for Season 3 of the show as well. Plus, Damien Lewis wrongly throwing his hat in the Best Actor race despite being a supporting actor during Season 3 of Homeland helps Patinkin's chances of being nominated for the second straight year.
IF I HAD AN EMMY BALLOT:
- Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad)
- Dean Norris (Breaking Bad)
- Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire)
- Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire)
- Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
- Walton Goggins (Justified)
POTENTIAL OBVIOUS SNUB: Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire)
Jack Huston's Richard Harrow is just one of the best characters on television during this modern era. It's not only the way he looks with that creepy tin mask he's forced to wear, but the way he walks and talks. He's struggled living in this world without Jimmy Darmody and he does what he can just to get by. His role was only supposed to be an episode or two, but considering how amazing of a character he turned out to be, he lasted four seasons. While Richard Harrow was always on the fringe of where the action was during Season 4, he was always fun to watch during his run on Boardwalk Empire.
COMEDY
WHO I THINK WILL GET A NOMINATION:
- Adam Driver (Girls)
- Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
- Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
- Ed O'Neill (Modern Family)
- Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
- Tony Hale (Veep)
- Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
ACTOR WHO COULD PLAY SPOILER: Christopher Evan Welch (Silicon Valley)
ACTOR WHO COULD PLAY SPOILER: Christopher Evan Welch (Silicon Valley)
COLD HARD LOCKS: Driver, O'Neill, Hale, Burrell
STRONG EDUCATED GUESSES: Eric Stonestreet, Andre Braugher
WHAT I'M PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT: Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) not earning a nomination.
WHAT I'M PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT: Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) not earning a nomination.
If you replace Andre Braugher's name with Jesse Tyler Ferguson then you get the exact same nominees as you did last year. However, having the exact same people being nominated two years in a row at the Emmy's is extremely rare and almost never happens. Therefore, I'm pretty confident that Andre Braugher gets a nomination this year. The only problem is I have absolutely no idea who to knock off. The four Modern Family guys are absolute locks so none of them, Tony Hale won this category last year so not him, and the Emmy's love Girls and Adam Driver's character- plus he's becoming huge in Hollywood in the movies- so not him either. Fuck.
Ultimately, I chose Jesse Tyler Ferguson to knock off because a) two-time winner Eric Stonestreet failing to earn a nomination last year means no Modern Family actor is safe and b) Jesse Tyler Ferguson always seems right on the border of earning a nomination every year and it just feels right in my gut that 2014 is the year he finally gets booted. Plus, out of the four Modern Family adult males, he's clearly last on that Totem pole. Right?
Ultimately, I chose Jesse Tyler Ferguson to knock off because a) two-time winner Eric Stonestreet failing to earn a nomination last year means no Modern Family actor is safe and b) Jesse Tyler Ferguson always seems right on the border of earning a nomination every year and it just feels right in my gut that 2014 is the year he finally gets booted. Plus, out of the four Modern Family adult males, he's clearly last on that Totem pole. Right?
IF I HAD AN EMMY BALLOT:
- Adam Pally (The Mindy Project)
- Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
- Danny Pudi (Community)
- Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele)
- Jordan Peele (Key & Peele)
- Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele)
- Jordan Peele (Key & Peele)
- Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live)
The fact that Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are both considered supporting actors in a show that's fucking named after them is ridiculous. They both are lead actors and should have been considered as such. However, they made themselves eligible in the supporting actor category and I need to treat them as such. Key & Peele is probably the funniest show on television and the two actors are so damn good that their talent should be rewarded.
The fact that Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are both considered supporting actors in a show that's fucking named after them is ridiculous. They both are lead actors and should have been considered as such. However, they made themselves eligible in the supporting actor category and I need to treat them as such. Key & Peele is probably the funniest show on television and the two actors are so damn good that their talent should be rewarded.
POTENTIAL OBVIOUS SNUB: Adam Pally (The Mindy Project)
I'm not that big of a fan of The Mindy Project, but Adam Pally (formerly of Happy Endings) is by far and away the best thing on it. He's the only character I consistently laugh it, and while his character is supposed to be a douchebag, the show still finds just the right amount of heart for him to be likable. I tune in to the show just for him (and the fact that my wife loves the show).
WHICH SUPPORTING ACTOR DO YOU THINK GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR? LET US KNOW ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!
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