Emmy nominations 2014: some surprises, just not the right ones

Lizzy Caplan, left, as Virginia Johnson and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Libby Masters in “Masters of Sex,” Photograph: Craig Blankenhorn/AP

The morning of Emmy nominations is a strange ritual, sort of like Bill Murray waking up in Groundhog Day. Everything is sort of exactly the same but also slightly different enough that it feels a little bit like progress. It’s true, they progress and change ever so slightly, like glaciers or the faces on our favorite actors. In each category one or two of the nominations change but everything else in each category is almost exactly as it was the year before.

Some new darlings arrive, like True Detective and Orange is the New Black, both earning much deserved first nominations. Old favorites fall out of favor, like Homeland which was shut out in outstanding drama and outstanding lead actor categories, trophies it has won in years past. Still, what is confounding is that the same narratives apply year after year, the biggest of which being that the Emmys never change.

The Emmys snubbed my favorite show

Television now has more channels than Meryl Streep has accents, so not everyone’s favorite show can be represented. But Emmy voters keep forgetting about some of the best quality on all of television.

The Good Wife, a show that has been nominated in the past, just had itsbest season ever in its fifth year, a time when most shows are falling apart at the seams (it only took former outstanding drama winner Homeland three seasons). For my money, it is the best show on television and one that churns out 22 episodes, nearly twice the standard cable order of 13, and almost three times as many as Breaking Bad and True Detective’s eight episodes.

This is a staggering amount of work and consistency that no one else is pulling off. What’s funny is that this show, on TV’s most watched network, is somehow a dark horse, as if the taint of the broadcast networks disqualifies it in some way. It is also far superior to Downton Abbey, whose quality has been as shaky as Matthew Crowley’s driving skills, and is the only show on a broadcast channel (and PBS at that) to get nominated.

Also the Emmys is turning Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany into the internet’s favorite martyr. The actress, who plays several different characters on the same show (it’s sci-fi, they’re clones) and set off a firestorm on the world wide web when she didn’t get nominated last year, an omission repeated today. The only thing worse than being on a network is being sci-fi, which is constantly overlooked. Just look for those old saws to be getting sharpened right now.

Wait, that’s not a miniseries

Just as our cable channels have proliferated, so have the types of programs that fill them, including miniseries, anthology series and “event series” (which is just a miniseries wrapped in marketing department clothing). So far the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences allows producers to enter their shows into whichever category they think best fits, which clearly isn’t working.

True Detective and American Horror Story are similar anthology series (different story, different characters, different cast each season), but one is nominated for outstanding drama the other for outstanding miniseries. The insanely prolific Martin Freeman is nominated in both the outstanding lead actor in a miniseries and outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries for one show that is clearly a miniseries (Fargo) and one that certainly is not (Sherlock).

Luther is clearly not a miniseries. It’s in its third season, using the same actors playing the same characters. That’s a series like everything else. Same goes for Treme, which is in its fourth season and seems to be exploiting the fluidity of the categories for its first ever nomination. This is especially egregious since it was nominated in 2010 for outstanding directing in a drama series. How does something go from a series to a miniseries? Hmm?

The Academy needs to man up and lay down some ground rules about the differentiation between what makes a drama, what makes a miniseries, and just where these anthology series should go. If the only distinction is producers going for whichever category they have the best shot in, then having categories at all seems completely worthless.

Oh, what a delightful surprise!

I will admit a big smile crawled over my face when Silicon Valley got nominated for outstanding comedy series, in a slot vacated by HBO’s buzzier but far more uneven Girls. Orange Is the New Black wasn’t a surprise (and since 30 Rock ended there was an opening in the crowded category), but Silicon Valley has less buzz than a programmer who just downed three 5 Hour Energy shots at once. Still, it is a delightful, funny show that wonderfully skewers a sector of American culture that so needs to be taken down a peg. I’m glad it’s getting its due.

Speaking of Orange Is the New Black, its great to see Uzo Aduba, Laverne Cox, and Natasha Lyonne all getting recognized for their work on the show. The Emmys could use some diversity in race, gender identity (Cox is transgender), and former 90s it girls who turned into junkies, got clean, and came back to television. Sure they’re all nominated in outstanding guest actress category, but that has more to do with their billing than it does their importance. While we’re on the subject of guest stars, isn’t it odd that none from Girls got any love?

Also cheers to Lizzy Caplan for her nominations for Masters of Sex (and the show’s recognition for great guest stars like Allison Janney and Beau Bridges too). Its wonderful to see a great actress get her due once Hollywood finally figured out just how to capitalize on her talents. Same goes for Sarah Silverman, whose HBO comedy special is in the running for outstanding variety special and Lena Heady for her steely turn as Circe in Game of Thrones. Diana Rigg has been famous since The Avengers, but its great to see her get another chance at a trophy for stealing every scene she’s in on Game of Thrones.

Thank God that Andre Braugher, who plays a tough gay cop on Brooklyn Nine Nine is up for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy. It also appears he has taken Eric Stonestreet, who plays the mincing Cam on Modern Family, out of the running. Finally some stereotypes are put to rest.

Praise be to whomever nominated Kristen Wiig for outstanding lead actress in a miniseries for Spoils of Babylon, the gonzo IFC satire of awful 80s TV miniseries. It’s like her nomination automatically takes the wind out of the sails of all the other overacting in all of the other categories.