This year’s Emmy Award nominations were announced last Thursday, and they marked a customary mix of the old, the new, and the unexpected.
Certain award categories and shows have weathered a new year in television with little change. Game of Thrones leads the way with the most nominations, and HBO is once again the most successful network. Other shows racking up multiple nods include Mad Men, House of Cards, Modern Family and Veep. The continuing dominance of such established shows is reflected in the lead drama category, where the only difference from last year is that True Detective has displaced Homeland.
More Emmy continuity comes in the form of Jim Parsons, who is nominated again for his portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory. This means he has been nominated every year for this role since 2009. This year, however, he could potentially come away with two awards after also being nominated for supporting actor in a miniseries or movie in the critically acclaimed The Normal Heart. This made-for-television movie about the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in the early 1980s received nine nominations in total, including a first Emmy nomination for Mark Ruffalo, as well as nods for Julia Roberts, Matt Bomer and director Ryan Murphy.
The Normal Heart is among several nominees that illustrate an emerging shift towards new drama. Fargo and True Detective, both having completed their first seasons, took the Emmys by storm and could potentially come away with multiple accolades on the night. Fargo ensures that Martin Freeman will compete with his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch for lead actor in a miniseries or movie. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey will likewise battle each other for lead actor in a drama for their portrayals of Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle respectively in True Detective. And, to the delight of fans, Orange is the New Black has been duly rewarded for its first season that went unnominated last year as a result of airing after the eligibility period . Aside from outstanding comedy series, it received a number of nominations for its acting talent, including for lead actress Taylor Schilling, supporting actress Kate Mulgrew, and guest actress Laverne Cox, who has become the first transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy.
But annual awards are nothing without their snubs, and this year is no different. The lack of recognition for The Good Wife, as well as Orphan Black actress, Tatiana Maslany, has been heavily criticised by fans. Maslany’s portrayal of multiple characters in the Canadian sci-fi show has now been omitted for the second year running. Other shows that have been overlooked include The Mindy Project, Hannibal, and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Masters of Sex. While the latter did garner nominations for Lizzie Caplan, Beau Bridges and Allison Janney, it failed to secure nominations for lead actor Michael Sheen or for outstanding drama series. These snubs aside, there also seems to be some serious inconsistencies in the categorisation of shows — Fargo, with ten episodes, has been classified as a miniseries while True Detective, with eight, has been included as a full drama series. The apparent reason behind this is rooted in the pedantic official definition of a miniseries. True Detective cannot run in the miniseries category, unless an appeal is made, because it features a “created by” credit in its title sequence. Fargo, which uses marginally different wording, escapes this problem. The absurdity of such criteria carrying so much weight must raise questions as to whether revised categorical definitions should be adhered to in the future.
But although certain improvements could be wished for in the selection of nominees, this year’s blend of established and upcoming television means that the awards will be more difficult to predict than ever, and will make for tough and exciting competition on the night.
The Emmys will be presented by Seth Meyers on August 25.
