LITTLE ROCK — It’s been a week and a half since the 2012 Emmy nominations were announced, so I’m betting it’s finally safe to have a civil discussion on the subject.
Judging by my e-mail, a number of you were miffed that your favorite show or actor was snubbed. I hear you, Justified and Walking Dead fans.
It’s that way every year as old favorites cling to spots that they no longer deserve while only a handful of newcomers break into the rarefied club of nominees.
In case you missed the July 19 announcements, here are the major “best” nods for the 2011-12 TV season:
Drama: Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men. Note: Not one of these is a network program.
Drama, Actress: Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law; Glenn Close, Damages; Claire Danes, Homeland; Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men.
Drama, Actor: Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey; Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Damian Lewis, Homeland.
Best Comedy: The Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Veep.
Comedy, Actress: Zooey Deschanel, New Girl; Lena Dunham, Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation.
Comedy, Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Louis C.K., Louie; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory.
Miniseries or Movie: American Horror Story, Game Change, Hatfields & McCoys, Hemingway & Gellhorn, Luther, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece).
DISSED AND SNUBBED
There are very few on the above list with which I would have much of an argument. I do confess that American Horror Story, which pulled in a top-ranked 17 nominations, never caught my fancy and I didn’t watch it.
The savvy strategy for the folks behind AHS was to nominate it as a miniseries (it technically fits the criteria) instead of a regular series. The strategy worked and it’s up against a weaker field.
As expected, perennial favorite Mad Men also pulled in 17 nominations. Mad Men has won Best Drama four years running, and the little watched AMC series has a decent shot of setting a record at five in a row despite outstanding competition from Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones and Homeland.
Coming in with 16 nominations each were PBS’s popular drama Downton Abbey and History’s record-breaking miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton.
Downton Abbey deserves to bring home the top drama prize. The series won an Emmy last year for best miniseries, but had to switch to drama when a second season was ordered.
Fans should pre-order their “Free Bates” T-shirts before Season 3 begins in January.
Another question is whether there is any competition strong enough to dethrone Modern Family as TV’s top comedy.
Don’t bet on it.
The ABC sitcom is a two time best comedy champ and raked in 14 nominations this year. In addition to its best comedy nod, all six leading adult cast members were nominated in the supporting categories: Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara.
So who got dissed or snubbed?
Shockingly (or not), TV’s No. 1 program, American Idol, was shut out of the reality competition in favor of The Voice. Maybe Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler bailed out while the bailing was good.
Survivor’s Jeff Probst was gone from the reality host list for the first time. Probst has won the category every year since it was created.
Ashton Kutcher also was shut out - and deservedly so. That’s OK. He can cry all the way to the bank to deposit the $17 million he was paid to take over Charlie Sheen’s slot on Two and a Half Men.
Also snubbed was House star Hugh Laurie in his final season, as well as Timothy Olyphant for Justified.
What about The Walking Dead? The Emmy folks just never have appreciated outstanding drama if it’s wrapped in science fiction. We’ll see how they react once the zombie apocalypse arrives.
Jimmy Kimmel will host when ABC airs the Emmy Awards on Sept. 23.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail: mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style, Pages 48 on 07/29/2012