The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards show released its full list of nominations today. In a year where Game of Thrones’s delayed airing made the show ineligible to continue it’s dramatically satisfying never-ending tyranny over the dramatic categories, there was a lot of hope and excitement over what would fill the hole left with its absence. I scanned this list anxious to see what the Emmys would do myself.
So how did things shake out? Here’s the full list. Below you’ll find some of the high-profile categories:
Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
House of Cards
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
Comedy Series
Atlanta
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Anthony Hopkins, Westworld
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Claire Foy, The Crown
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Keri Russell, The Americans
Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Jane Fonda, Grace & Frankie
Allison Janney, Mom
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Lily Tomlin, Grace & Frankie
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Zach Galifianakis, Baskets
Donald Glover, Atlanta
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Writing for a Drama Series
Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields (“The Americans”)
Gordon Smith (“Better Call Saul”)
Peter Morgan (“The Crown”)
Bruce Miller (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
The Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”)
Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan (“Westworld”)
Animated Program
“Archer” (FX Networks)
“Bob’s Burgers” (FOX)
“Elena and the Secret of Avalor (Sofia the First)” (Disney Channel)
“The Simpsons” (FOX)
“South Park” (Comedy Central)
Short Form Animated Program
“Adventure Time” (Cartoon Network)
“Disney Mickey Mouse” (Disney Channel)
Marvel’s Rocket & Groot (“Disney XD App)
“Steven Universe” (Cartoon Network)
“Teen Titans Go!” (Cartoon Network)
Now before I go into my rant, I will say the Emmys got some of these right. Atlanta earned well-deserved noms for its brilliant first season. Despite a down year, The Americans repeated most of its nominations after receiving breakthrough nominations last year. Elisabeth Moss gets yet another chance to win the award somehow eluding her amazing run on Mad Men for her work in The Handmaid’s Tale.
However, the Emmys got things stunningly, depressingly wrong this year. This is nothing new. Anyone who pays attention over the years knows how bad the Emmys can be. The Wire, the closest thing to a consensus best drama ever, never won and was only nominated for two writing awards. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has never been nominated. Emilia Clarke somehow got nominated for Best Supporting Actress while Alfie Allen has none for Best Supporting Actor.
This year, though, was particularly unforgivable for many reasons. Chief among those reasons; the absolutely brilliant final season of The Leftovers received no nominations, leaving the incredible show with nothing over its 3 seasons. This was an oversight ranking right up there with The Wire’s snubs. Imagine if neither Jon Hamm or Elisabeth Moss were never even nominated for their roles in Mad Men. That’s the level of travesty were talking with the snubs of Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon for their remarkable performances.
A few other inexcusable snubs exist throughout the Emmys this year. Bojack Horseman was somehow ignored. Jonathan Banks was somehow nominated for his role in Better Call Saul instead of cast-mate Michael McKean, who delivered arguably the best moment of television this year. The Americans was somehow snubbed for Best Drama while House of Cards somehow made the list. David Thewlis was nominated for the worst villain in Fargo history, while Mary-Elizabeth Winstead was ignored.
And I know it was never going to happen, but Black Sails should have at least gotten a nomination for Toby Stephens.
Yet as awful as these and other snubs are, none of them stand out compared to the completely indefensible snub of The Leftovers. I have to wonder how this happened even in a year without Game of Thrones. Given that the Emmys gave the two worst seasons of Thrones every award under the sun, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised they got this so wrong.
I suppose I just hoped HBO would do right by their show. Instead we get yet another reason to question the credibility of the entire process. The Emmys got this one historically wrong.
