Got my Emmy ballot. Can’t say that I’ve watched all the shows or seen all the Emmy screeners. ( In some cases, are you kidding? "For your consideration: ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA?") But of the true contenders, I have tried to sample a few.
What usually occurs is that Academy members ultimately write down the same names. So with apologies to Jon Hamm and Tony Shaloub (who will probably get nominated for MONK again even though it’s no longer even on the air) I would like to suggest a few worthy names you might not be considering.
Timothy Olyphant for JUSTIFIED. It’s amazing that someone can play a character who is so fucked up and yet so ultra cool. He does it with subtlety, charm, inner strength, and most impressive – a hat.
While we’re on JUSTIFIED, Walton Goggins deserves a nod as Boyd Crowder (red neck poet) as does Neal McDonough as a villain so mesmerizing and weird that they should have changed the title of this show set in Kentucky to BLUE GRASS VELVET.
Kelsey Grammer in BOSS leaves no piece of scenery unchewed, but he’s so commanding and displays so many sides of this complex evil-tragic-dynamic character that he is worth considering. It's like FRASIER meets THE SHINING.
Damian Lewis and Clair Danes of HOMELAND not only deserve to be nominated but also to win. Danes is the Meryl Streep of TV and Lewis can sure play a character who keeps secrets. Did you know he’s British?
It’s time for Christina Hendricks to finally get some Emmy love. She combines the best qualities of a fine actress and Jessica Rabbit.
Martha Plimpton raises RAISING HOPE. Oh, and give her one for Best Guest Star in THE GOOD WIFE.
Zoey Deschanel will get a nomination for THE NEW GIRL (deserved) but I’d like to see Krysten Ritter of DON’T TRUST THE B—IN APARTMENT 23 get a nod. Adorkable is fine but funny is better.
REVENGE is best served gold – Emily VanCamp wreaks delicious havoc.
For Best Supporting Actor & Actress in a Comedy: Just list the entire cast of PARKS & RECREATION.
And finally, dark horse of dark horses – Mary McCormick of IN PLAIN SIGHT. She tosses off one-liners with more ease and skill than most sitcom stars. And she too sometimes does it while wearing a hat.
Okay, those are some of mine. Who are some of yours?
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones). He is a wonderful actor who IMHO absolutely is the highlight of season 2.
ReplyDeleteSolid choices!
ReplyDeleteOlyphant is among the most underrated actors out there. Good call. He deserves a nod at the least.
And Neal McDonough...best creepy villain all year. I remember him in 1996's Star Trek: First Contact when a Borg killed him and thought, "We'll see this guy again."
I'd also like to say that not person from "The Walking Dead" should get a nomination. I love the show, but it's absurdly bad.
I just hope that my favorite former science teacher/newly crowned meth kingpin, Walter White, comes out swinging this year. Only a few more weeks to Breaking Bad!
I might as well sound like a troll: Chris D'Elia on "Whitney." He was always the best thing about the show, pulled off some very nice pieces of classical sitcom acting, and he's the main reason the show got better. He's got a tough part to play (basically, the male version of those understanding-wife characters married to horrible sitcom husbands) and pulled off the best new sitcom performance of the season.
ReplyDeleteWalton Goggins! Man, there's nobody better at playing a multi-layered bad guy... ever! He was incredible on The Shield, and he's just as good on Justified!
ReplyDeleteKiernan Shipka steals every scene of "Mad Men" that she's in...
ReplyDeleteI'll second that Krysten Ritter choice. She's given some good funny dialogue to work with, but she's got some kind of spark that's just fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI'd also nominate, from the same show, James Van Der Beek for playing himself. What a lucky bit of casting that turned out to be!
No love for Suburgatory then? If Jane Levy isn't up for a gong, that's a disappointment. Cheryl Hines too, perhaps, for the way her character freaks me out every time I see her. (She doesn't really look like that, does she?!)
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the last time that I was more impressed with an actor's performance than I was with Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring in AMC's "Breaking Bad." Benedict Cumberbatch is mesmerizing in the title role of "Sherlock" on PBS. Jason Issacs was terrific as Michael Britten in "Awake," which NBC sadly cancelled. Worst actor: Anna Chlumsky trying awkwardly to pull off a foul-mouthed aide in "Veep." Stick with good-girl roles!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the last time that I was more impressed with an actor's performance than I was with Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring in AMC's "Breaking Bad." Benedict Cumberbatch is mesmerizing in the title role of "Sherlock" on PBS. Jason Issacs was terrific as Michael Britten in "Awake," which NBC sadly cancelled. Worst actor: Anna Chlumsky trying awkwardly to pull off a foul-mouthed aide in "Veep." Stick with good-girl roles!
ReplyDeleteMost people from COMMUNITY, but especially Danny Pudi and Donald Glover
ReplyDeleteI strongly second Giancarlo Esposito in Breaking Bad. For me, Gus goes down as one of the great bad guy characters of all time.
ReplyDeleteAlso:
John Hamm deserves to finally win an Emmy for Mad Men.
Really like Busy Phillips in Cougartown and Courtney Cox too.
As for "Don't Trust the B--", I actually think James Van Der Beek is amazingly funny, although I wonder if the show lasts the joke won't 'wear out' after awhile. I like Donald Glover on Community a lot too.
Ed O'Neill is about 3 years overdue for an Emmy nod on Modern Family. He really should be in the Lead Actor category, if only to avoid the other actors from MF in supporting roles.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, a third (or maybe 4th) vote for Giancarlo Esposito.
Jason Isaacs - Awake
ReplyDeleteNeil Flynn and Eden Sher - The Middle
Kathy Bates - Harry's Law
Finnally some one who realizes Krysten Ritter is funnier than Zooey Deschanel.
ReplyDeleteI wish all of you were on the Emmy committee because Ed O'Neill, Daniel Pudi, Donald Glover, Kiernan Shipka and Giancarlo Esposito all deserve Emmy love.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Emmy, why is it that the woman has a hot little body with a perfectly arched back but Oscar looks like the transformation midpoint of the Terminator 2000 as it goes from a blob of liquid metal to Robert Patrick?
John Noble on Fringe. His performance as Walter/Walternate is nothing short of amazing, even if I'm the only one watching it.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Jared Harris from Mad Men? Lane Pryce took a dark turn this season and Harris just about stole the show from its leads.
Seconds on Giancarlo Esposito, Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Noble. All created memorable characters (in Noble's case, two distinctly different characters) who elevated everything that happened around them. When the character's not even in a scene and you think, "Oh, I wonder how Gus/Sherlock/Walter will react to that!" I think that's an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteFor my money, the best comedic actress on television today is Eden Sher in "The Middle." Maybe it's because I raised two teenage girls, but Sue Heck makes me grin every moment she's on the screen.
Jason Isaacs for Awake...most underrated show this year. :(
ReplyDeleteWas Men Of A Certain Age eligible?
ReplyDeleteI think yours is one of the only mentions I've ever read of In Plain Sight. Just watched the series finale and Mary's acerbic wit flew so far under the radar for the duration of the series' run. It's a shame so few people saw it.
ReplyDeleteThe cast, crew and writers of P&R all deserve nominations.
Someone from Parenthood does, too.
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ReplyDeleteI tried watching In Plain Sight, because I love Mary McCormack. But I can't stand Leslie Ann Warren, who plays (played?) her mother. Warren makes it In Pain Sight, so I had to abandon it.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that Hamm is always nominated, but he truly deserves the award. Is there anyone else that does so much with silence and facial expressions, and goes through an array of emotions and moods in one scene?
ReplyDeleteThe writers of "Person of Interest." To me practically every script feels like a mini-movie.
ReplyDeleteBest Comedy and Best Actress Emmys are long overdue for "Parks 7 Recreation." And this was arguably its best season to date. Plus, to paraphrase Julia Roberts, I don't want to live in a world where Nick Offerman isn't even nominated!
ReplyDeleteI've hardly watched any TV this year besides a handful of sitcoms.
ReplyDelete"Parks & Recreation" has managed to create a solid gallery of recurring and semi-recurring characters, and this year's ongoing storyline about the mayoral election has been really well done. I hope Amy Poehler gets a win for best female actor (that she's nominated again is a no-brainer).
I also think "New Girl" has been a fantastic show, once it dropped the whole "adorkable" angle about 1/3 into the season and let the ensemble take a bigger part. Easily my favorite show of the year, actually. Writing has been heartfelt and funny, and avoided always taking the easy and predictable turns. If Max Greenfield who plays Schmidt (which went from just being "the douche" to a really well-rounded, quirky character with a solid backstory) doesn't get a nomination for supporting actor, I'll be really disappointed.
Best Supporting Actor in a sitcom is the fiercest competition (Offerman, everyone on Modern, apparently some Glee people, 30 Rock, HIMYM, etc., etc.). I kind of wish Danny Pudi would run for Best Actor. He's easily more central to Community than McHale's character at this point.
ReplyDeleteLouis C.K. doesn't get much acting credit for "Louie," because he's playing a version of himself in a show he writes himself... but his performance is really fantastic. So is Pamela Adlon's in all the episodes she appears in.
ReplyDeleteEmmy possibilities...Betsy Brandt (Marie) on Breaking Bad and, of course, Anna Gunn - Skyler as well. I'm not sure if they are nominated this year - or have been the past few seasons of the show, but, they are both supremely excellent on the show for their brilliant facial expressions.
ReplyDeleteKiernan Shipka as Sally on Mad Men certainly deserves a nomination exactly because she looks and sounds exactly like my 12 year old daughter Naomi (who only likes and watches the episodes when Sally is on). The two of them have a lot in common.
I agree with you on Krysten Ritter, and I think "Don't Trust the Bitch in Apt. 23" should also get a Best Comedy Series nomination, by the end of the TV year, it was my favorite show on TV, and the only thing, other than "Modern Family" on ABC, worth going outof your way to watch.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen most of the cable shows,so I'm a little more unsure on some of them, I get the DVDs. I'm just now catching up on "Boardwalk Empire," for instance. Although, it'd be nice for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" to finally get something from the Acadamy. I'm seeing no love for "The Office," and "30 Rock," this year, and I think that stinks. Elle Kemper should get a supporting nod, first of all, but mostly, just because the shows have fallen frm where they once were, they're still easily among the top 10 shows on TV, and some of these Awards (Not the Emmys usually, but especially the Critics Choice Awards) tend to have ADD and short memories, and think that if a show, at all falls from their zenith, that it's no longer worth watching, and the fact is, those shows should still be recognize for being better than most of the rest of TV. Sure "Parks and Rec", and "The Big Bang Theory" are better, but not by much.
Speaking of "The Big Bang Theory," if they don't nominate Mayim Bialik, I'm demanding a recount. That might be the second most difficult acting role on basic role to play on TV, after Jim Parsons's.
I'm not gonna pretend "Smash" was a great drama, but it was certainly good compare to everything else on network TV. I say, Megan Hilty, Katherine McPhee and Jack Davenport, should get supporting nods. (Although, I'll admit that part of my Davenport nomination is because of his work on the great British show "Coupling", on of my all-time favorite shows, but still...)
Oh and for realtiy TV, "The Voice," has to be nominated! Weak years for "Project Runway," and "Top Chef," and frankly, it's so much better than "American Idol," and "The X-Factor," (the "Duets, what the fuck is ABC thinking with that?), it's not even funny anymore.
I agree about D'Elia. Best person on terrible show.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the guy who plays Schmidt on New Girl is great.
I would like this to be The Year of Knope, but it'll probably go to Kat Dennings or some garbage like that. (That show is truly awful)
I'd also like to recognize Eliza, Elisha, and Casey on Happy Endings.
Can Fred Armisen get in on the action for Portlandia?
Donald Glover.
I'm finally catching up with Monk (2 episodes every Friday, channel 13) Fine with me if he gets the nomination again - wow, he is funny!
ReplyDeleteOlyphant and Goggins were nominated just last year, so it's a good bet they'll get in again. So were Louis C.K. and Ed O'Neill. Christina Hendricks has been nominated the last TWO years, and I'd bet my life she gets in again, and probably wins this time.
ReplyDeleteI suspect Esposito is a lock this, deservedly so, but it's almost criminal that Dean Norris hasn't yet been nominated for playing Hank.
Patrick J. Adams scored an unexpected SAG nod for his role on SUITS, but I'm guessing it will be harder to crack the Emmy list. I love that show, and he and Gabriel Macht do fine work on it.
Snowball's chance, but deserving:
ReplyDeleteOn a Syfy series called ALPHAS, Ryan Cartwright does a great job as an autistic character. He's also British, playing American. I didn't even recognize him from his role a couple of years ago on MAD MEN as Lane Pryce's secretary.
And, yeah, I agree with Terry above that Jared Harris is a strong possibility, especially after last week's episode.
Silas Weir Mitchell for best supporting actor in Grimm.
ReplyDeleteHe is the best part of the whole show.
I hope Community's "Remedial Chaos Theory" gets the nomination for Best Comedy Writing. Head and shoulders above everything else this season.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I would be happy with some variety in the comedy nominations beyond Modern Family. I'm not holding out much hope.
Yes, Men of a Certain Age is eligible and Andre Braugher and Ray Romano should both be nominated.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more about Timothy Olyphant. Would also love to see Jare Burns get a guest nod. He has the best 'reactions'.
Aaron Paul won a couple of years ago but deserves to win again.
Damien Lewis is amazing - he should have gotten an emmy for Band of Brothers and deserves on for Homeland.
Damon Wayans Jr. and the entire female cast of Happy Endings deserve supporting nominations.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices. In my opinion, Grammer's character on BOSS might be one of the best characters on television right now and I definitely thing he deserves some serious accolades for that role. HOMELAND has an amazing ensemble and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'd disagree with Danes and Lewis being nominated -- and probably winning -- in their respective categories. That show definitely deserves some writing awards as well... Parks & Rec is a true ensemble show and I'd also like to see Poehler and Offerman nominated in their respective categories. Wondering whether EPISODES is eligible. It's a bit of a quirky show but I've been really enjoying it and I think there are some really strong performers in the ensemble.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices. In my opinion, Grammer's character on BOSS might be one of the best characters on television right now and I definitely thing he deserves some serious accolades for that role. HOMELAND has an amazing ensemble and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'd disagree with Danes and Lewis being nominated -- and probably winning -- in their respective categories. That show definitely deserves some writing awards as well... Parks & Rec is a true ensemble show and I'd also like to see Poehler and Offerman nominated in their respective categories. Wondering whether EPISODES is eligible. It's a bit of a quirky show but I've been really enjoying it and I think there are some really strong performers in the ensemble.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of outstanding acting talent on TV these days, and I think it's a shame that so few great actors are recognized. If I were king--or Grover Norquist--I'd make a rule change to the effect that you can win only once for a given role. Maybe then we'd avoid having the admittedly amazing James Gandolfini winning three Emmys for The Sopranos while the also amazing Martin Sheen wins none for West Wing.
ReplyDeleteSomeone from Community and Breaking Bad deserve nods.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you like The B in Apt 23. I thought that show was only a little bit better than Two Broke Girls and Whitney.
I'd like to see Sharon Gless get another nomination for Burn Notice, she always delivers quality on that show. For Justified, while I adored Neal McDonough's turn, for me Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy was outstanding. He held his own in all the scenes with McDonough and Olyphant and that takes doing. I'd really like to see him nominated.
ReplyDeleteLong shot nom - Linda Hunt in NCIS: LA. The show is standard fare but Hunt is always (like Gless) outstanding, even when forced to deliver less than stellar dialogue.
I stopped watching the Emmys when they snubbed Hugh Laurie for "House" for eight straight years while repeatedly honoring various trendy flavors of the month. To me, the fact that Huge Laurie never won an Emmy for "House" ranks up there with Alfred Hitchcock never winning a "Best Director" Oscar. If they don't finally give it to him this year (which they won't), then the Emmy listing in TV Guide should have to come with an asterisk, leading to a footnote that reads "Not to be taken seriously."
ReplyDeleteSpelling correction: "Huge" = "Hugh." Sorry, I try to make my spelling errors more creative and less cliched, but that one slipped by me.
ReplyDeleteJane Leeves as Joy on Hot in Cleveland. Playing a character that is totally opposite from Daphne on Frasier, and being absolutely hilarious doing it, deserves some love. Of course, since she not only did not win any much deserved Emmys from her work on Frasier, but was only nominated once during a brilliant eleven year run, makes it unlikely for this to happen. Man, do I sound bitter.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo Esposito, Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Noble are all fantastic. Krystin Ritter does a great job as well -- her show is what "Samantha Who?" could have been like, if it weren't family-friendly.
ReplyDeleteI know scene-chewing isn't always appreciated by Emmys, but if it is, Robert Carlyle for "Once Upon a Time" deserves a nod/win for Rumpelstiltskin.
KaDee Strickland is an amazing actress and steads head-and-shoulders above her castmates, but, since she's on "Private Practice," I doubt she'll feel Emmy love before the show is done. Hopefully she gets hitched up with a Emmy-bait show, so she gets the recognition she deserves.
Sorry, I don't watch dramas or comedies anymore. My only nomination is Chumley on Pawn Stars. (Or is it Chumlee?)
ReplyDeleteI don't watch much TV but I agree with you on Timothy Olyphant. He's pretty good in portraying eccentric characters. I especially liked him in the movie A Perfect Getaway.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for Eden Sher of "The Middle".
ReplyDeleteDanny Pudi of Community. Best character/work on TV today.
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree with the John Noble love, but disagree that he has played two roles on Fringe. Someone counted it up recently and it was stunning -- at least a half-dozen. But you'd have to be watching to follow the conversation. It involves two universes, then the younger selves in those two universes, then an alternate timeline that features two universes.... The important thing is no matter which Walter iteration he is, he will break your heart in 30 seconds flat.
ReplyDeleteSorry Ken...Didn't mean to be anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree with the John Noble love, but disagree that he has played two roles on Fringe. Someone counted it up recently and it was stunning -- at least a half-dozen. But you'd have to be watching to follow the conversation. It involves two universes, then the younger selves in those two universes, then an alternate timeline that features two universes.... The important thing is no matter which Walter iteration he is, he will break your heart in 30 seconds flat.
Agree about olyphant and Walton Goggins. Totally agree about krysten Ritter - she's got this spark that reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in breakfast at Tiffany's but funnier. Also everyone on downton abbey.
ReplyDeleteWould like to see some Parks & Rec and New Girl love on the comedy side, along with Garrett Dillahunt & Martha Plimpton.
ReplyDeleteOn the drama side, Claire & Damien for sure, would also love to see Sophie Turner or Maisie Williams for Game of Thrones.
Christine Baranski as god is my witness better win Supporting Actress for TGW.
I so agree with your nominataions for Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and Neal McDonough for Justified. Also Mary McCormick for In Plain Sight. Her voiceovers at the end of each show were darn near worth watching for that reason alone. She is a skillful actress. I do wish the Emmys would stop rubber stamping the same actors time and again.
ReplyDeleteDarn! I totally forgot to mention John Noble on Fringe. What a delight to watch.
ReplyDeleteI liked David Cross in "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret."
ReplyDeleteUgh. I also forgot John Noble. That's not a good sign, since Fringe is the only hour drama that I still watch. Anna Torv has also had to play different versions of her character, and has done so quite well, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice if Hugh Laurie finally got an Emmy, if only to recognize the body of work on House. I bailed on the show a couple of years ago, but it wasn't because of his performance.
Mayim Bialik, Aubrey Plaza and Eden Sher all come up strong with difficult characters to play that require a lot of nuance. Jane Krakowski had her second banner year in a row and really deserves the nod again. All three ladies of Community have amazing developed material to work with and bring it to life in interesting, dynamic ways. Those would be my six for supporting actresses in a comedy.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of what you think about 2 BROKE GIRLS, you gotta admit Kat Dennings snaps out the one-liners like a seasoned pro. She's definitely deserving, as is Poppy Montgomery, who took a bizarre premise and made it believable, and Kristen Chenoweth for taking that character to the moon and then beyond.
ReplyDeleteI'd also love to see Bates and HARRY'S LAW pick up some noms as a giant F-You to NBC. C'mon, older voters, stand up for your demographic!
Finally, Sarah Shahi on FAIRLY LEGAL. Not only is she terrific for someone so young, but--I was astonished to learn English is not her first language!
I'd like to nominate Mark Margolis for portraying bell-ringing Hector Salamanca (Uncle Tio) in Breaking Bad.
ReplyDeleteSome others:
ReplyDeleteJonathan Banks for BREAKING BAD (that show could OWN Sup. Actor: Paul, Esposito, Norris, Margolis, Banks...).
Jack Huston for BOARDWALK EMPIRE
Vincent Kartheiser for MAD MEN
Mehcad Brooks for NECESSARY ROUGHNESS
Maria Bello for PRIME SUSPECT
I second (or third) the love for Jere Burns on JUSTIFIED--no offense to McDonough, but I wouldn't mind if he were snubbed in favor of Burns.
One of my favorite characters this season was Gabriel Mann's Nolan Ross on REVENGE. I'd be quite happy if he made the cut.
Not sure if the season 1 of THE HOUR and season 2 of LUTHER are eligible or not (they aired here on BBC2, and I think Idris Elba was nominated for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie last year). If so, then Ben Wishaw, Romola Garai, Dominic West and especially Anton Lesser for THE HOUR and Elba and Ruth Wilson for LUTHER.
Amy Poehler! Amy Poehler! Amy Poehler!
ReplyDeleteDid I mention Amy Poehler?