Emmy Nominations: The Good, The Bad, and The Snubbed

The Good:

-The best show currently on television is The Amercians. It's given us four solid seasons of increasing quality. It's inexplicably been snubbed for the Emmy awards, outside of Margo Martindale for Guest Actress (this will be her fourth time nominated in this category. Correct me if I'm wrong, but four years on one series should no longer qualify one as "guest actor", no? I think she's officially part of the cast) and one writing nod last year. Finally, this year, it's been recognized in the Drama category along with a nomination for both lead actors - Russell has been my favorite female performance for the past 4 years (and her competition is Maslany who slays at playing 328 characters). Russell's performance is understated and restrained and just oh so heartbreakingly stunning.

-Mr. Robot is definitely giving The Americans a run for its money as the best drama on television. However, it's only had one terrific season, so for me, The Americans, has the edge. I will be perfectly thrilled if Mr. Robot steals all of the awards, though. I mean, the pilot episode made me cry because it's so perfect. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect episode of television. I'm pulling for a win in the Writing category for this one.

-I knew The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story would get several nominations. The question was just how many. The answer: a WHOPPING 22 Emmy nominations (second to Game of Thrones). The limited series categories are the most competitive, with the ACS actors not only competing with each other, but also with the sublime actors of Fargo. 

-Thank the Lord, Lady Gaga did not receive an Emmy nomination. I have nothing against her, but she was nothing above mediocre in a terrible season of American Horror Story.

-The Good Wife deservedly got shut-out of the Drama category and for Julianna Margulies. Overall, it's a terrific series, but the final season was terrible. The more I think about it, the more I hate it. I'm glad they didn't give it a "final season" nomination, and instead opted for better quality.

-WAIT was The Big Bang Theory FINALLY shut-out?!!! YES! That show is fucking terrible. And yes, I've tried to watch it a few times (my mom thinks it's hilarious. My mom also watched Two and a Half Men. ENOUGH SAID.).

-Maura Tierney for The Affair! Although I think her role was largely increased during the second season - all four actors could consider themselves in the lead category, and I argue that all four of them should be nominated (yes, even Pacey!). I also think the writing for this show is brilliant.

The Bad: 

-Why is Homeland still being recognized?! I think the first season was good (I would still argue that it wasn't Emmy-worthy good, but at least it had some strengths), but now it is so dull and poorly edited. The actors, Claire Danes in particular, are all over-the-top. It's honestly almost hard to watch at this point.

-Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt had a better second season, but I don't think it's all that great. And I'm not convinced that Ellie Kemper isn't just playing a dumbed-down version of herself (and that doesn't deserve an Emmy nomination).

-When will The CW breakthrough to the Emmys? I think it was expected to this year with the heavily praised Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Rachel Bloom is fantastic and definitely could have replaced Kemper. If the show were on one of the major networks (or Netflix/Hulu), it surely would have been nominated.

-On a related note, when will superhero shows breakthrough? While Arrow and The Flash suffered terrible seasons, Daredevil and Jessica Jones had some incredibly solid seasons.

-I like Game of Thrones. Really, I do. But 23 nominations? I don't get it. I'm not fully caught up on the series (I'm on season 5. I think...), so I can't really comment on the last season, but I highly doubt Kit Harrington's acting ability increased that dramatically in the course of a year or two.

-The final episode of The Good Wife was nominated for a writing award? Um....LOL.

The Snubbed: 

-While I agree that season 3 was a weak season for Orange is the New Black (and season 4 rectifies all of it), the acting is still perfection. Uzo seems to be the go-to nomination, but even she was ignored this year (after winning last year). Surely one of them (actually any of them) could easily replace Maggie Smith. I'm only on season 4 of Downton Abbey, but the most acting Smith does is give a disapproving look and a sarcastic reply (sorry, Maggie, love you!).

-VERA FARMIGA. Seriously?! She could easily replace Claire Danes. I wouldn't even be mad if Freddie Highmore received a nomination, because he's been seriously fantastic for the past two seasons.

-I would love for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to get some recognition. It is still going strong after 11 seasons on the air, and it is largely ignored. It's easily the funniest show on television. Yes, funnier than Veep (and yes, I love Veep, too.). Also, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is towards the top of my list for comedies as well. I'm glad Andre Braugher was nominated, but the whole cast is fantastic and the show itself deserves a nod.

-I would have loved to see something for The Grinder. It was such a great, well-acted and well-written comedy. Actually, my personal Comedy picks would look very different from the nominations. It would look like this: It's Always Sunny, Veep, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Grinder, Mom (Janney for the win!), Modern Family, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Although, I have no issues with Master of None or Silicon Valley (I've only seen the first season so far, though).