DRAMA
THE NOMINEES:
* Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
* Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
* Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
* Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
* Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
* Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
* Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
* Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
* Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
* Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
SURPRISED SHE'S NOT NOMINATED: Michelle Monaghan (True Detective)
It's not that Michelle Monaghan is a good actress (she's not) or that she was good in the 8 episodes of True Detective (she wasn't), but she did have a solid Emmy submission episode. Plus, this is a weak field and it was a widely held belief that a rising True Detective tide would lift Monaghan's boat.
It's not that Michelle Monaghan is a good actress (she's not) or that she was good in the 8 episodes of True Detective (she wasn't), but she did have a solid Emmy submission episode. Plus, this is a weak field and it was a widely held belief that a rising True Detective tide would lift Monaghan's boat.
SHOULD BE NOMINATED: Molly Parker (House of Cards)
Out of the ten million undeserved House of Cards nominations the Netflix show received this year, a nomination for Parker would have given the show at least one deserving nomination.
Out of the ten million undeserved House of Cards nominations the Netflix show received this year, a nomination for Parker would have given the show at least one deserving nomination.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:
* Anna Gunn won this award last year and I see no reason why she shouldn't win it again this year. Not only was Gunn just on top of her game throughout the entire 8 episode run of Breaking Bad, her Emmy submission episode of "Ozymandias" is just incredible. The reaction of Skyler when Walt takes Holly alone is enough for Gunn to win this award, but you also have Walt and Skyler fighting plus Skyler's reaction at the very end of the episode when Walt is berating her to try to exonerate her. Walt yelling at his wife was such a powerful piece of art because of Gunn's facial expressions. Anna Gunn is a lock to win this category again this year.
* After years of lurking and just being an overall creeper on Game of Thrones, Lena Headey finally breaks free and earns her first Emmy nomination for her work on the HBO epic. Last year, Emilia Clarke became the first non-Peter Dinklage actor to receive major recognition, and now Headey follows suit. I have no idea what Cersei Lannister actually does on Game of Thrones, but I know that Lena Headey is great at doing it. In Season 4, she got to deal with the death of someone she loved dearly as well as maybe being raped by her brother. No matter what Lena Headey did on Game of Thrones this past season, this nomination for her is long overdue.
* "The Last Call" is a great Emmy submission episode for a lot of characters on The Good Wife, so it's no surprise that the staple in this category, Christine Baranski, used it as her Emmy submission episode. A lot of characters got to deal with the aftermath of That Thing That Happened To Will and Diane Lockhart's story line was one of the more memorable story lines in that episode. The Good Wife doesn't always give Baranski top notch story lines, and I feel the show is never seen through Diane's perspective, even in Diane-heavy episodes, but Christine Baranski always steps up to the plate when her number is called and hits it out of the park.
* Despite my hatred for Downton Abbey, I would always give a nomination to a former winner in this category Dame Maggie Smith. Her character is saucy and fabulous and I love it. I've been told that Smith's co-star Joanne Froggatt actually had a lot to do and did memorable things in this past season of the PBS period piece. While I would never endorse any Downton Abbey nominations outside of Maggie Smith, at least Emmy voters seemingly voted for Froggatt based upon the actual work she did on the show, and not out of laziness. After failing to earn a nomination last year, Froggatt is now back in the fold.
* An actress who has no right to be in this category, but is only here because Emmy voters probably couldn't think up of six supporting actresses and because they nominated her before is Christina Hendricks. I wrote in my Emmy Questions piece on Mad Men that there was no way Hendricks was going to earn a nomination just because she didn't do anything for 7 episodes! Here's what I wrote back on May 28th of this year:
* Anna Gunn won this award last year and I see no reason why she shouldn't win it again this year. Not only was Gunn just on top of her game throughout the entire 8 episode run of Breaking Bad, her Emmy submission episode of "Ozymandias" is just incredible. The reaction of Skyler when Walt takes Holly alone is enough for Gunn to win this award, but you also have Walt and Skyler fighting plus Skyler's reaction at the very end of the episode when Walt is berating her to try to exonerate her. Walt yelling at his wife was such a powerful piece of art because of Gunn's facial expressions. Anna Gunn is a lock to win this category again this year.
* After years of lurking and just being an overall creeper on Game of Thrones, Lena Headey finally breaks free and earns her first Emmy nomination for her work on the HBO epic. Last year, Emilia Clarke became the first non-Peter Dinklage actor to receive major recognition, and now Headey follows suit. I have no idea what Cersei Lannister actually does on Game of Thrones, but I know that Lena Headey is great at doing it. In Season 4, she got to deal with the death of someone she loved dearly as well as maybe being raped by her brother. No matter what Lena Headey did on Game of Thrones this past season, this nomination for her is long overdue.
* "The Last Call" is a great Emmy submission episode for a lot of characters on The Good Wife, so it's no surprise that the staple in this category, Christine Baranski, used it as her Emmy submission episode. A lot of characters got to deal with the aftermath of That Thing That Happened To Will and Diane Lockhart's story line was one of the more memorable story lines in that episode. The Good Wife doesn't always give Baranski top notch story lines, and I feel the show is never seen through Diane's perspective, even in Diane-heavy episodes, but Christine Baranski always steps up to the plate when her number is called and hits it out of the park.
* Despite my hatred for Downton Abbey, I would always give a nomination to a former winner in this category Dame Maggie Smith. Her character is saucy and fabulous and I love it. I've been told that Smith's co-star Joanne Froggatt actually had a lot to do and did memorable things in this past season of the PBS period piece. While I would never endorse any Downton Abbey nominations outside of Maggie Smith, at least Emmy voters seemingly voted for Froggatt based upon the actual work she did on the show, and not out of laziness. After failing to earn a nomination last year, Froggatt is now back in the fold.
* An actress who has no right to be in this category, but is only here because Emmy voters probably couldn't think up of six supporting actresses and because they nominated her before is Christina Hendricks. I wrote in my Emmy Questions piece on Mad Men that there was no way Hendricks was going to earn a nomination just because she didn't do anything for 7 episodes! Here's what I wrote back on May 28th of this year:
Even though Elizabeth Moss now has a good chance to earn an Emmy nomination, I do not believe Christina Hendricks has a similar one. Hendricks plays Joan Harris, and that character has been essentially non-existant all year. And when Joannie does get story lines, they haven't given Hendricks the opportunity to shine like in year's past. Hendricks' submission episode is probably "The Strategy", and all she does is reject Bob Benson's marriage proposal.And guess what Hendricks' Emmy submission episode is? Yup! It's "The Strategy". Listen, Christina Hendricks is a good actress who deserved her previous nominations, but she didn't produce any work on Mad Men in 2014 that told us she's one of the six best supporting actresses in a drama.
WHO WILL WIN: Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
COMEDY
THE NOMINEES:
* Allison Janney (Mom)
* Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
* Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
* Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
* Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black)
* Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
* Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
* Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
* Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
* Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black)
* Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
SURPRISED SHE'S NOT NOMINATED: 2013 Winner Merritt Weaver (Nurse Jackie)
SHOULD BE NOMINATED: Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black)
Out of the three other females from OITNB who were eligible in this category, Danielle Brooks (who plays Taystee) was by far and away the most deserving. Laura Prepon is the worst actor on the show and Samira Wiley (who plays Poussey) has no business being in this category solely for her work in Season 1. Season 2? Definitely, but not Season 1.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:
* We're in an new era that's dominated by amazing females on Saturday Night Live. Between Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Nasim Pedrad, Aidy Bryant, and Kate McKinnon, I actually understand why Lorne Michaels made the controversial decision to hire five white dudes as featured players. I think the one person who is absolutely killing it on SNL is Cecily Strong who does double duty hosting Weekend Update and is in every other sketch, but it's hard to knock McKinnon. McKinnon has done some great impressions and characters like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Justin Bieber, and Russian peasant lady this past season, but her Emmy submission episode (host Anna Kendrick) was not a great showcase for her. Outside of the cold open, McKinnon had little to do in that episode. No matter, Kate McKinnon joins an excellent group, alongside Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig, of females from SNL to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination in this category.
* Normally, Modern Family has two nominees in this category, but for the first time in five years, it's just Julie Bowen. I'm actually OK with that. While I'd like to see Sophia Vergara finally win an Emmy for once considering Bowen has two wins, is there any denying that Bowen and her character are both better? Bowen's Emmy submission episode, "The Feud", is a pretty good one for her as she gets to play broad physical comedy when Claire gets lice in front of a major client.
* Allison Janney is an Emmy darling who has six Primetime Emmy nominations and four wins for her work on The West Wing and she's going to win another one this year for her work on Masters of Sex. Of course she was going to get nominated this year for her work on the CBS sitcom Mom.
* Like Janney, another newcomer in this category is Kate Mulgrew from Orange Is The New Black. Mulgrew plays Red, the head cook who essentially runs the prison. Mulgrew could have played Red extremely broad that it bordered on stereotypical, but there's so much nuance and heartbreak in this character, that this industry veteran absolutely deserved this nomination. Her Emmy submission episode, "Tit Punch" is Red's first flashback episode that really displays Mulgrew's range.
* I've seen about half of the episodes of Veep, and I have no idea if Anna Chlumsky is doing good acting or not.
* I personally can't stand Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory so I most certainly can't stand the female version of him- Amy Farrah-Fowler played by Mayim Bialik. Blossom is probably doing great acting playing a character I despise this much, but I also don't believe in rewarding characters and story lines like the ones Sheldon and Amy get on the CBS sitcom either.
Out of the three other females from OITNB who were eligible in this category, Danielle Brooks (who plays Taystee) was by far and away the most deserving. Laura Prepon is the worst actor on the show and Samira Wiley (who plays Poussey) has no business being in this category solely for her work in Season 1. Season 2? Definitely, but not Season 1.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:
* We're in an new era that's dominated by amazing females on Saturday Night Live. Between Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Nasim Pedrad, Aidy Bryant, and Kate McKinnon, I actually understand why Lorne Michaels made the controversial decision to hire five white dudes as featured players. I think the one person who is absolutely killing it on SNL is Cecily Strong who does double duty hosting Weekend Update and is in every other sketch, but it's hard to knock McKinnon. McKinnon has done some great impressions and characters like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Justin Bieber, and Russian peasant lady this past season, but her Emmy submission episode (host Anna Kendrick) was not a great showcase for her. Outside of the cold open, McKinnon had little to do in that episode. No matter, Kate McKinnon joins an excellent group, alongside Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig, of females from SNL to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination in this category.
* Normally, Modern Family has two nominees in this category, but for the first time in five years, it's just Julie Bowen. I'm actually OK with that. While I'd like to see Sophia Vergara finally win an Emmy for once considering Bowen has two wins, is there any denying that Bowen and her character are both better? Bowen's Emmy submission episode, "The Feud", is a pretty good one for her as she gets to play broad physical comedy when Claire gets lice in front of a major client.
* Allison Janney is an Emmy darling who has six Primetime Emmy nominations and four wins for her work on The West Wing and she's going to win another one this year for her work on Masters of Sex. Of course she was going to get nominated this year for her work on the CBS sitcom Mom.
* Like Janney, another newcomer in this category is Kate Mulgrew from Orange Is The New Black. Mulgrew plays Red, the head cook who essentially runs the prison. Mulgrew could have played Red extremely broad that it bordered on stereotypical, but there's so much nuance and heartbreak in this character, that this industry veteran absolutely deserved this nomination. Her Emmy submission episode, "Tit Punch" is Red's first flashback episode that really displays Mulgrew's range.
* I've seen about half of the episodes of Veep, and I have no idea if Anna Chlumsky is doing good acting or not.
* I personally can't stand Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory so I most certainly can't stand the female version of him- Amy Farrah-Fowler played by Mayim Bialik. Blossom is probably doing great acting playing a character I despise this much, but I also don't believe in rewarding characters and story lines like the ones Sheldon and Amy get on the CBS sitcom either.
WHO WILL WIN: Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black)
WHO SHOULD WIN: Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black)
WHICH SUPPORTING ACTRESS DELIVERED THE BEST PERFORMANCE DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS? LET US KNOW ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!
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