Emmy Nominations: 7 That Won't Make The Cut (But Deserve It!!)

Emmy nominations are around the corner - instead of going through each category and choosing who I think deserve nominations I decided to write a post listing those who will likely be overlooked but are deserving. Here we go:

1. Candice Accola ('The Vampire diaries') – Season 1 focused on the 3 main stars- Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and the super sexy Paul Wesley. They did a fantastic job at turning another "vampire tale" into an incredible "must watch" show. Of course, all three were snubbed last awards season and the same thing will likely happen to the supporting cast who took on some major story arc’s this season – like Michael Trevino, Steven McQueen and Candice Accola. I chose Candice to represent all of the supporting cast on this show because I actually thought she was a weak actress in season 1 - definitely the weakest link on the show. She proved me wrong and I freaking LOVE it (I soooo want Dianna Agron to do the same thing on Glee but sadly she just keeps getting worse). A lot has happened to Caroline Forbes this season – gone is the spoiled, vapid girl whose only care was what she would be wearing to the spring fling. Literally – gone…as in dead…..because she became a vampire!! And the transition was gut-wrenching. Her character is also in a love triangle that is slightly more interesting than the Damon-Elena-Stefan triangle. She fell in love with Matt, but then forged a strong bond with Tyler Lockwood (who in theory is an enemy as he is now a werewolf). She had to convince me to care about her and her relationship with her mother and she succeeded brilliantly. Sadly, her work will go unnoticed by the “real” critics.

2. 'Southland' – I am really hoping that someone…anyone from the cast gets a nomination because I think it will at least be a nice validation for us Southland fans. I think based on Season 3, Shawn Hatosy has probably the strongest chance at a nomination (because he had an amazing story arc) but I could argue that Ben McKenzie (aka grown up Ryan Atwood) is the most consistent. I am really pulling for Hatosy because he is one of those actors that I grew up watching (The Faculty, Outside Providence) but he never really stood out until this show. He really holds his own amongst a strong cast of fantastic actors (Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, Kevin Alejandro). However, I think it is pretty close to a 0% chance that the show would receive a nomination – which is a damn shame. It is one of the strongest dramas on television – with conflicted characters, fast-paced action and drama that unfolds rather quickly (instead of dragging on forever…ahem…The Killing….ahem). The show is also filled with jaw dropping, WTF just happened moments like when Nate got killed – that episode will stay with me forever as one of the most unexpected deaths on t.v (the whole episode is set up to make you think something happened to Sammy’s unborn baby – it was a pure genius move). I really enjoy that they make all of the characters unlikable at some point – with very realistic human flaws (although I find it impossible to hate on Ben – he’s just too adorable). It's a shame that such a strong show will be overlooked.

3. Busy Phillips/Christa Miller ('Cougar Town') – I can't choose between the two - together they form hands down the best 'frenemy' relationship on television. While I am happy to see that Busy just won the Critics Choice award for Supporting Actress, I have a strong feeling that this won’t translate to the Emmy Awards. The supporting cast of Cougar Town is hilarious – all of them. However, Laurie stands out as one of those characters that I would usually dislike (annoying, dumb, insecure, desperate etc), but somehow Busy makes the character work. I actually like her and I want to give her a big hug and tell her to believe in herself…corny but oh so true. I love the tension between her character and Ellie (Jules’ other bff) – they hilariously tear each other apart but you know they secretly love each other. Christa is hilarious as the bitchy, snide but sometimes vulnerable woman - she has some of the best lines on the show and her delivery is always perfection. P.s - I am confident that Courtney Cox will make the cut this year.

4. Joel McHale ('The Soup') – Yes, he is fantastic as the cocky, sarcastic playboy Jeff Winger on Community, but I look forward to him every week as the host of The Soup – where he is self-deprecating, hilarious and still sarcastic. I know that most of The Soup’s hilariousness should be credited to the writing staff – but so can most “Variety” shows (Leno, Fallon, Stewart), we all know that the enjoyment factor comes right down to how lovable the host is….and McHale is swoon worthy.

5. Mae Whitman ('Parenthood') - How does she outshine one of the best actors on television (Peter Krause) every week? I have no idea - but she does and she deserves an Emmy nomination for it. It helps that her character is the one that I can relate to the most - she portrays teen angst with heartbreaking realism because she actually has a reason to have angst (unlike other teens on tv....). Her father is a fuck up and her mom has made a lot of mistakes, which causes her to be perpetually angry but then towards the end of the season she realizes that her mom is human and is doing the best she can - her transition from angry to self-reproachful was beautiful. Mae is a rare young actress that commands my attention when she is onscreen yet she is not dramatic and obvious - her acting is subtle yet penetrating.....Emmy worthy.

6. Cory Monteith ('Glee') – In my mind, Cory has already won the Emmy for his role as Finn Hudson on Glee. He has won a lot of other awards in my mind as well – like “most adorable man ever”, “hardest working actor on t.v” and the award for “most likely to get me to cook him breakfast the morning after…”. But, let us be serious for a second, on a series with such an amazingly talented ensemble cast – I think Cory has been the most consistent. He elevates what could very easily be a just another dumb jock role to a complicated, endearing and naive teenage boy – but more importantly a realistic one. In all honesty – the second season of Glee was a little shaky but every episode that relied heavily on “Finn” ended up being the strongest and most solid episodes of the season (Furt, Special Education, The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle..). He has that rare thing called "charisma", his ability to express emotion with his facial expressions always impresses the heck out of me, his singing has improved tremendously (because he works his ass off), even when he is in the background he is always doing something entertaining AND if you consider that his role is considered in the “comedy” category – he is hands down the funniest male character on the show (which is why Chris Colfer’s inevitable nomination for his role as Kurt is complicated – it is not exactly laugh out loud funny especially this past season). Sadly, he is guaranteed an Emmy snub so he will just have to settle for the awards I make up in my head....like "hottest former bad boy" or "best worst dancer on tv".


7. 'Fringe' - While I fully expect that Anna Torv and John Noble will be nominated for their work on the show, I doubt the series will make the cut. This past season was the best yet - with epic story lines about alternate universes that are at war with each other mixed with smaller 'fringe' cases that somehow turn science fiction into everyday events. The writing on the show is fantastic - presenting us with the alternate universe with alternate characters like "Altivia" and "Walternate" who are essentially the same characters but yet somehow different. To be able to pull that off - and make us actually care about this "other" world is beyond amazing. The show is grounded by its characters who are flawed but lovable and it presents us with plots that are completely unrealistic but somehow are given very realistic "scientific" explanations - so even if someone isn't all that interested in shows about supernatural events - I think they can still enjoy this one. I would say it is JJ's best attempt yet at creating a series that feels complete (unlike Lost and Alias - where he got too caught up in creating mystery and had too many good ideas shoved together). Forget the nomination - the show should win the freakin' Emmy (I only say this because Breaking Bad isn't eligible this year and I have not seen the past season of Dexter yet).