- The good: “Justified.” I’m so thrilled that Timothy Olyphant and Margo Martindale made the cut, but even more pleasantly shocked by the inclusion of Walton Goggins. After pulling for him in the final season of “The Shield” and for the first outing of “Justified” last year, I had all but given up hope. The best part about it is that he still deserves it.- More good: “The Good Wife” gets recognized for all the best cast members, including Josh Charles and Alan Cumming. After a strong second year, the show deservedly earned nine nominations, six of them for acting.
- How is it that a nomination for Best Comedy Series can still feel sort of like a snub? “Parks and Recreation” makes it in for Best Comedy Series but earns only two other nominations, one of which is not for supporting actor Nick Offerman? That’s this year’s biggest snub.
- Along the same lines but hardly as grievous, how does “Boardwalk Empire” earn eighteen nominations and among them it’s impossible to find any recognition for Michael Shannon or Michael Pitt? One reason it’s not as bad is that the other nominees are mostly deserving.
- “Game of Thrones” comes from out of nowhere to earn thirteen nominations, effectively slaying “The Walking Dead,” which got three nods, for makeup, sound editing, and visual effects. I imagine it will win all three.
- There are some nominees I’m excited for, even if I don’t like their shows or performances. Good for Mireille Enos for breaking in, Michelle Forbes and Melissa McCarthy for finally getting some recognition, Martha Plimpton for being the flagship for her show, and Louis C.K. for getting something. The same goes for “Friday Night Lights,” which isn’t one of the shows I regularly watch but whose inclusion in the Best Drama Series race I can still celebrate.
- I’m pleased that “Hot in Cleveland” didn’t dominate as it well could have, earning nominations only for Betty White and art direction.
- The most shocking snubs: Kyra Sedgwick and Neil Patrick Harris. I can understand her getting her due as a reason for Kyra’s omission, but Harris? He’s still way on top, and the fact that HIMYM scored a directing nod for the first time this year is just puzzling. Does Jon Cryer really need to be nominated again? That said, I’m thrilled that all six of the adults from “Modern Family” did get nominated.
- Talk about peculiar timing: Brenda Strong earns a nomination for Best Voice-Over Performance for “Desperate Housewives,” the show’s only mention.
- Some strong choices in one of my favorite categories, Best Main Title Theme Music: “The Borgias,” “Camelot,” “Mildred Pierce,” and especially the wonderful “Episodes.” Similarly, kudos to Best Main Title Design nominees “Boardwalk Empire,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Rubicon.” I’m less impressed by the nominees for Original Dramatic Underscore, a category populated by “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons,” and “30 Rock.” What about all the great dramas with superb scores?
- Looking only briefly at the Miniseries and TV Movie categories since I’ve barely seen anything, I’m excited by the nomination for Brian F. O’Byrne for “Mildred Pierce” in addition to the recognition for Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, Mare Winningham, and Evan Rachel Wood. I’m rather shocked that “The Kennedys” managed ten nominations, though I can’t judge too much since I only saw the first two parts. Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, and Tom Wilkinson didn’t seem too deserving of nods, and I would only recognize the first half of the main title theme music before it suddenly starts sounding like a thriller.
I’ll be starting to watch individual episodes submitted by the nominated performers and the six episodes submitted by each of the nominated series soon. I’ll also be getting to the 5th Annual AFT Television Awards at some point in early August. If you have any shows you’d like to be considered, please post in the comments, and offer any and all of your thoughts on the Emmy nominations below. Thanks for reading!
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