Nominations for television’s biggest night, the Emmys, were announced Thursday. As usual, some series raked in the acclades while others were outright snubbed.
It seems as though for every right decision made by the academy voters, they made an equally outlandish one. Judging by reactions I’ve read on numerous websites, I’m not the only television devotee questioning the voter’s decisions.
I’m glad people recognize quality programming like “Mad Men,” “Justified” and “Friday Night Lights,” the latter nominated for its final season after regularly being shut out. I’m not a regular viewer of these shows, but even though they’re not my cup of tea, there’s little denying they know how to tell a story.
However, the voters also made some outrageous decisions. For example, “The Walking Dead” and “Community” were completely snubbed in major categories while shows that had weak seasons like “Glee” and “Dexter” were over-nominated. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes upon seeing Julia Stiles nominated for “Dexter” as her character helped to make the fifth season of the show lackluster.
By snubbing Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison (both of whom were nominated last year), voters obviously saw a bit of a sophomore slump in “Glee,” but yet it was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The material this year doesn’t warrant this award, both due to a decline in quality and comedy (since the show tends to be more dramatic).
The same complaint about a decline in quality also applies to “30 Rock” and “Modern Family.” First of all, do all of the adult males on “Modern Family” really deserve nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor? They dominate four of the six positions in the category, which seems incredibly excessive.
The show was rather hit-or-miss this season and yet it still received 17 nominations. Since the Emmys obviously aren’t looking at a season as a whole, why couldn’t “Community,” another show that had a hit-or-miss season, also garner some nominations?
Danny Pudi, in particular, deserves one for his equally hilarious and heartbreaking portrayal of the socially awkward, television-obsessed Abed Nadir (confession: I may be biased since Abed reminds me of myself). “Modern Family” won Outstanding Comedy Series last year for a reason but, as with “Glee,” this outing just doesn’t warrant all those accolades.
My biggest gripe, though, is the lack of nominations for “Parks and Recreation.” After receiving critical acclaim for its near perfect third season, it rightfully received an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination; its star, Amy Poehler, was once again nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Yet the show received no writing nominations which, given the hilarity of the scripts, is robbery, pure and simple.
Nick Offerman was also snubbed for his portrayal of Poehler’s gruff libertarian boss, Ron Swanson. Critics and many in Hollywood objected to this oversight and, as Poehler bluntly and accurately told TVLine.com, “… It’s a hot load of bulls*** that he didn’t get a nomination, and you can quote me on that.” It will be heartbreaking if this brilliant show loses to the also-rans it’s up against.
Of course, such oversights aren’t surprising. The Emmys only nominated what is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest television series of all time, “the Wire,” for the occasional writing award. They certainly aren’t perfect, and they annoy television fans like me.
Yet those of us who live and breathe television are anxious to see who walks home with the awards Sept. 18.