Logo

Emmy Nominations Fallout: Who Got Snubbed?

Jul 10, 2014  •  Post A Comment

This morning's Emmy nominations announcement had some glaring oversights and left some deserving contenders out in the cold, Meredith Blake writes in the Los Angeles Times.

High on her list: "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany.

"Perhaps no group was more outraged than fans of BBC America’s 'Orphan Black,' who were reaching for their pitchforks when Tatiana Maslany, who plays close to a dozen different parts in the sci-fi series, was overlooked in the drama actress category for the second straight year," Blake writes. "The Canadian actress has won fervent critical acclaim for her chameleonic performance as a group of wildly different clones, as well as smaller prizes such as the Critics’ Choice Television Award, but has yet to earn recognition from the famously habit-prone voters of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences."

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, James Hibberd also singled out the omission of Maslany. "How many different characters does Tatiana Maslany have to play to score an Emmy nomination?" Hibberd wrote.

With the drama actress category dominated by recent perennials — notably two-time defending honoree Claire Danes of "Homeland," along with Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Kerry Washington (“Scandal”), Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”) and Robin Wright (“House of Cards”) — the exclusion of Maslany opened the door for "one entirely fresh face," Blake writes, citing the inclusion of Lizzy Caplan for “Masters of Sex.”

The list "left an unusually talented field of casualties by the wayside, including Keri Russell, whose steely performance as a covert Soviet spy in the FX drama 'The Americans' has (almost) made viewers forget her days as America’s sweetheart on 'Felicity,' and Elisabeth Moss, a previous nominee for her role as Peggy Olson on 'Mad Men,'" Blake adds.

In the potent — and deep — drama series category, Hibberd singles out the omission of CBS's "The Good Wife," noting: "Not one broadcast network show broke into the best drama ranks. But critics say 'The Good Wife' had a creatively strong season and deserved recognition — plus had a crafty Emmy campaign that pointed out the show has to make 22 episodes a season compared to other dramas like 'True Detective' and 'Breaking Bad' making only eight. What does this show have to do, shockingly kill off Josh Charles? Oh wait, it did that too!"

Blake notes the category's omission of “The Americans” — "a critical favorite that has yet to see its glowing reviews translate to awards recognition. (Lead actor Matthew Rhys was also snubbed.)" Among the contenders also left out of the category: “Homeland” and “Boardwalk Empire,” along with "Masters of Sex," "Scandal" and "The Walking Dead."

On the comedy side, both writers cited the absence of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." "You can argue about whether Fox’s new comedy deserves a spot on the list," Hibberd writes, "but after winning the Golden Globe for best comedy of the year, it definitely feels like a rebuke to not make the nomination cut. Same goes for star Andy Samberg — won the Golden Globe for best comedy actor, yet nothing here. Perhaps Academy voters felt the show was over-honored by the Globes?"

Please click on the links near the top of this story to find out which other omissions pinged the TV insiders' radar. And you can click here to see the full list of Emmy nominees.

tatiana-maslany.png

Tatiana Maslany

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)