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| Emmy Awards 2013 |
A Mad Man and a Mad Woman — that would be Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss — can justifiably feel jilted by Sunday night’s Emmy awards.
So can Bryan Cranston, who somehow didn’t get another statuette for “Breaking Bad.” So can everyone associated with “Downton Abbey.”
Mandy Patinkin of “Homeland” has a case for feeling snubbed and so does Kerry Washington from “Scandal.”
Jennifer Carpenter from “Dexter” can definitely feel snubbed and so can Katey Sagal from “Sons of Anarchy.”Neither Carpenter nor Sagal even got invited to the party. They weren’t nominated, a move as puzzling in both cases as the omission of, say, James Purefoy from “The Following.”
So the Emmys didn’t get everything right Sunday, though to be honest there were none of those totally inexplicable snubs that make viewers look up from their smartphones and say, “Huh?”
The drama categories, in particular, were so loaded with fine shows and performances that shows as good as “Boardwalk Empire” and “Justified” were shut out. None of the nominees was undeserving or even marginal.
Many predicted Kerry Washington would earn the Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for 'Scandal.'
That also explains why “House of Cards” wasn’t snubbed even though it didn’t win best drama, best actor or best actress.
Besides the fact that the winners in all those categories were a little better, “House of Cards” was also the new kid at this dance.
As a TV show that didn’t air on traditional TV, “House” won just by getting invited. It wasn’t reallly expecting to become king or queen quite yet.
Downton Abbey’ was a victim of category, getting lumped in a crowded drama series field as opposed to being treated as a miniseries.
The missteps Sunday started with lead actress in a movie/miniseries, where Laura Linney won for “The Big C.
Linney was fine. But the breakout performance in that category this year was Moss in “Top of the Lake.”
She’s a great Peggy Olson and “Top of the Lake” proved she can be great other characters.Jennifer Carpenter provided plenty of dramatic ammunition to be worthy of an Emmy for her turn on ‘Dexter,' but wasn’t even nominated.
It was also a little puzzling that “The Big C” was even in that category. It was a regular series all its life until it decided to finish with just four episodes. Does that suddenly make it a miniseries?
As for Hamm, it’s a crime — at least a misdemeanor, maybe bordering on felony — that he has not yet been honored for playing Don Draper on “Mad Men.”
Maybe some Emmy voters have been figuring they’ll finally give it to him when “Mad Men” wraps up its run, which will now be in 2015 instead of 2014.
Biker Chic: Katey Sagal (with Ron Perlman) also wasn’t nominated, despite turning in a powerful performance in ‘Sons of Anarchy.’
And that thinking might make sense if “best actor in a drama” had gone again this year to Cranston, as it should have.
But if the voters were going to give it to someone other than Cranston, Hamm should have been well ahead of Jeff Daniels in the line.
That’s not a knock on Daniels, a terrific actor who deserves a special Emmy just for getting his mouth around all those Aaron Sorkin monologues in “The Newsroom.”.
It’s the TV drama version of gymnastics. (“That’s a 9.6 from the Russian judge.”) But sorry, Hamm needs to be honored before Daniels.
“Downton Abbey” was another victim of categories. Were it considered a miniseries, as it was in the past, it would have easily taken another statuette. But facing the likes of “Breaking Bad” in the drama category, it got racked up just like Matthew in his ill-fated roadster.
It’s a shame not only because of the quality of “Downton Abbey,” but because this year’s list of Emmy winners suggests the only dramas people watch on TV these days are tough, macho, testosterone-driven odes to darkness.
In fact, there’s a huge audience for softer, friendlier TV, and a couple of honors for “Downton Abbey” would have made that point.
Though Kevin Spacey’s ‘House of Cards’ didn’t fare well in the major categories, the Netflix upstart definitely fits under the heading, ‘it’s an honor just to be nominated.’
Lesser oversights Sunday included not rewarding Mandy Patinkin for his splendid work on “Homeland,” though at least he finally got nominated this year.
It’s understandable, given the quality of drama actress nominees, that Kerry Washington didn’t win. It still would have been nice, and reminded us that all the great characters aren’t on cable.
Looking ahead, the final episode of “Dexter” — which aired opposite the Emmys — reminded us that there will be no excuse next year for Jennifer Carpenter not to get at least a nomination for best actress.
