The nominees for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced this morning and the absence of Breaking Bad was certainly felt in a number of categories – though some trends (like The CW being ignored) continued.
Following the jump, a list of the major nominations and the occasional bit of commentary. The 2015 Emmy Awards will be given out live, on FOX, on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA (2014 winner: Breaking Bad)
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men
Orange Is the New Black
Better Call Saul slipped neatly into the Breaking slot. Who didn’t see that coming? Homeland was, somehow, nominated despite being less than half the show it once was (yes, Orphan Black would have been a better choice – but so would The Americans and Justified’s brilliant final season!).
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Bryan Cranston)
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Cut Live Schreiber and insert Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and this list would have been much better. Come to think of it, Timothy Olyphant (Justified) would have been a better choice than Jeff Daniels.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Julianna Margulies)
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Tatiana got a nomination! Woo-hoo! (Which doesn’t explain how The Americans’ Keri Russell was overlooked and Claire Danes got in…)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Anna Gunn)
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Strong, strong category. I’d love to see Lena Headey win, but every nominee here could win and it wouldn’t really be a surprise.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Aaron Paul)
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Exit Aaron Paul, enter Jonathan Banks. Any of Banks, Ben Mendelson, Peter Dinklage or Alan Cumming could win and this category would I would not be surprised. What did surprise me was that Walton Goggins was not nominated over Jim Carter, but I guess a Harlan County drawl just isn’t as sexy as a posh English accent (yes, I’m bitter!).
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Allison Janney)
Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones
Rachel Brosnahan, House of Cards
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Khandi Alexander, Scandal
Margo Martindale, The Americans
Will Allison Janney pull off the repeat? Personally, I’d like to see Diana Rigg or Margo Martindale take home the golden girl, but again, no matter who does get the EMMY, it won’t be much of a surprise. This is a very strong category.
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA (2014 winner: Joe Morton)
Alan Alda, The Blacklist
Michael J Fox, The Good Wife
- Murray Abraham, Homeland
Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards
Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex
Pablo Schreiber, Orange Is the New Black
Alda made such a great villain on The Blacklist that I’d love to see him win.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY (2014 winner: Modern Family)
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
Jane the Virgin should be on this list. I just can’t decide between the tired Modern Family and Parks and Recreation as the show it should have replaced. Someday the Academy will nominate a CW show for Best Comedy (or Drama) and the shock will be so great that world will implode.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Jackie is a dramatic role in a show that leans 75% to the dramatic. Putting her on this list is just wrong. Anna Faris would have been a better (and far more appropriate choice – as would Fresh Off The Boat’s Constance Wu, or black-ish’s Tracee Ellis Ross)).
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Jim Parsons)
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Louis C.K., Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Will Forte, Last Man on Earth
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
No complaints here.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Allison Janney)
Niecy Nash, Getting On
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Wow! Great category!
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Ty Burrell)
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Driver, Girls
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale, Veep
No complaints here.
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Uzo Aduba)
Gaby Hoffmann, Girls
Pamela Adlon, Louie
Elizabeth Banks, Modern Family
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory
Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Again, no complaints here.
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY (2014 winner: Jimmy Fallon, SNL)
Mel Brooks, The Comedians
Paul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
Bradley Whitford, Transparent
Jon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Great choices here – and wouldn’t it be ironic if Jon Hamm won an EMMY for his guest starring role on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and not Mad Men?
REALITY SHOW HOST (2014 winner: Jane Lynch)
Tom Bergeron, DWTS
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
Cat Deeley, SYTYCD
Anthony Bourdain, The Taste
Bergeron is the still the class of this category.
REALITY SHOW COMPETITION (2014 winner: Amazing Race)
The Amazing Race
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef
The Voice
I have no horse in this race.
VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES (2014 winner: Colbert Report)
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight
Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Last Week Tonight. And The Late Late Show with James Corden should have been nominated.
LIMITED SERIES
American Crime
American Horror Story: Freak Show
The Honourable Woman
Olive Kitterridge
Wolf Hall
Wonderful choices all – but I have to admit to a slight preference for The Honourable Woman (best thing Maggie Gyllenhaal has ever done, and that’s saying something!).
TV MOVIE
Agatha Christie’s Poirot — Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case
Bessie
Grace of Monaco
Hello Ladies: The Movie
Killing Jesus
Nightingale
I have no horse in this race, but hope Killing Jesus finished dead last in the voting.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE (2014 winner: Jessica Lange)
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Queen Latifah, Bessie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Emma Thompson, Sweeney Todd
Brilliant choices – but again, The Honourable Woman is Gyllenhaal’s best work, so…
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE (2014 winner: Benedict Cumberbatch)
Timothy Hutton, American Crime
Ricky Gervais, Derek Special
Adrien Brody, Houdini
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Timothy Hutton is never less than great, but he hasn’t been this good since he won the Oscar for Ordinary People.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE (2014 winner: Kathy Bates)
Regina King, American Crime
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Angela Bassett, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Mo’Nique, Bessie
Zoe Kazan, Olive Kitteridge
I am seeing a lot of coin tossing here.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE (2014 winner: Martin Freeman)
Richard Cabral, American Crime
Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Finn Wittrock, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Michael Kenneth Williams, Bessie
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
What Finn Wittrock did in Freak Show is not something I’ve ever seen before.