5. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: John Noble, Fringe
Fringe needed to be on this list, and it was either a spot for Best Drama or for one of the leading stars. Any of those could have made it, but on Twitter you were calling for John Noble, so here he is!
While season 4 of Fringe was very much Peter’s season, and focused more on his relationship with Olivia than with Walter, that didn’t stop John Noble from bringing his usual A+ game. His struggle to accept a Peter that wasn’t his own after having witnessed his son die twice as a child in this new reality was heartbreaking, and when the two Walters finally reconciled in “Worlds Apart” it was one of the best moments of the season.
Noble’s performance in “Letters of Transit” when Walter had lost part of his brain was also outstanding. There is just no lack of praise to give this actor, and we can only hope that Fringe‘s final season will earn the show some long overdue recognition.
4. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Parks and Rec had a rocky start, but season 4 was phenomenal. The shift in focus to Leslie’s campaign for city council gave the show a fresh feel, and gave the old cast members some breathing room.
Nick Offerman has always been one of the standout stars on the show, but season 4 really gave him a chance to shine. On the surface, Ron is all about the refusal to see the value in government, but his appreciation for Leslie and willingness to help her is one of the most touching things about the series.
This year we saw Ron in a variety of new situations; competing with Leslie’s girl scout group for members, fighting both Tammy 1 and his mother, and helping with Leslie’s campaign. Although arguably he had more to do last season, it would have been fitting to give him the nod this year, considering last year’s forceful outcry both from fans and fellow actors (including Modern Family‘s Ty Burell, who won the award) that he was snubbed.
3. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Robert Carlyle, Once Upon a Time
The general snubbing of Once Upon a Time cannot be ignored. But looking at the very cable-dominated nomination lists for Outstanding Drama and Actor/Actress, maybe its family friendly tone just disqualified the show from those categories this year.
However, Robert Carlyle not receiving even a nomination is completely baffling. Not only does he tick all the boxes in terms of being “worthy” with his resume and reputation, but few Once fans would disagree with the fact that his performance on the show has been astounding.
Once Upon a Time picked up a few nominations for makeup, prosthetics and visual effects, and fans should appreciate that the show at least got a bit of recognition. But if any one person from this show could have expected a nomination for their standout performance, it was Carlyle. Did they not see “Skin Deep” or “The Return”?!
2. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones picked up two significant nominations this year: Outstanding Drama, and Peter Dinklage for Supporting Actor. That’s awesome, but Dinklage is far from the only actor on that show worthy of mainstream recognition.
There were many standout performances this year: Gwendoline Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Charles Dance and Richard Madden come to mind right off the bat. But perhaps above all the rest, the 16-year-old Maisie Williams portrayed such a wonderfully complex Arya, who started her journey this season on her way to the Wall and ended up right under Tywin Lannister’s thumb, torn between wanting to feel safe and wanting to do what she could to help her brother.
On Twitter, a lot of you were calling for Maisie to receive a nomination, and while it’s hard to pick just one actor from the incredible Game of Thrones cast, Arya was featured very heavily in season 2, and this really seemed like her year.
1. Outstanding Comedy Series: Community
This is probably the snub for which the Emmy nominators are taking the most heat this year, yet it’s not really that surprising. Community is continuously snubbed at the big award ceremonies (you could call it the Harry Potter of comedy), gets low ratings, yet remains consistently loved by fans and continues to push the borders of scripted television.
The comedy nominations this year very much went to the old faithfuls like Modern Family and 30 Rock, which have both managed to keep up their consistently high quality, yet didn’t do anything extraordinary this year. Community did.
The episode “Remedial Chaos Theory” did receive a writing nod, but what about “Virtual Systems Analysis” and the incredible 8-bit episode “Digital Estate Planning”? This has been an extraordinary season, and fans are arguably especially vexed by this year’s snub considering it’s Dan Harmon’s last as showrunner.
Share your own disappointments about the Emmy nominations in the comments! What shows and actors did the voters overlook?
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