Emmy Ballots Due: Which old fav would you sacrifice for a newbie?
Monday, June 27, 2016 at 2:35PM 
Emmy nomination balloting ends today for the 68th annual Emmy Awards. Cross your fingers that we actually get a few shakeups this year. Yes, cross your fingers even if you love all 10 of the shows that are normally swimming in nominations. Why? Well, the Emmys really should reflect how competitive television is and not suggest that there have only been 10ish good shows on the air for the past half decade plus.
Comment Party! On that note please do tell us in the comments which 3 of your old favorites that you still love you'd be willing to sacrifice for 3 who have not been recognized. Make your Sophie's Choice in the comments and let us all pray that Emmy voters do the same. Nobody deserves 5+ nominations for the same thing when that means someone else can't even get ONE for something arguably just as good! The catch is that you can't ditch someone you don't love or think is unworthy who is always nominated. I'll go first as truly painful as this is:
I'd be willing to trade Michelle Dockery on Downton Abbey (who I totally think is the MVP of that entire series (if you blend all seasons together - otherwise there are different MVPs each year as there are for most quality shows) for Shiri Appleby's deep-digging as ambitious self-destructive Rachel on UnReal; Hell, I'd even be willing to trade Taraji P Henson (my preferred winner last year for Empire) if it meant I could have Eva Green's genre genius in Penny Dreadful in the mix (my winner this year). I'd even be willing to trade my beloved Titus Burggess on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (who I thought should have easily stormed to the win last year) if we could give a chance to another delusional show-stealer like Jamie Cavill in Jane the Virgin (who should have been Titus' main competition last year) or another outspoken gay like Noah Galvin from The Real O'Neals both because he's brilliant on his show and to stick it to ABC for even threatening to cancel that gem. (Yes, I know they think Noah is entitled and 'difficult' and yadda yadda yadda but they would never think of threatening and publicly humiliating a straight actor who was the MVP of a similarly acclaimed show.)
I expect zero nominations for THE REAL O'NEALS but I legit think it deserves multiple nods
The point is that many previously nominated shows and people are still deserving but it makes so much more sense to spread the wealth each year. If you don't spread the wealth it sends two messages ... 1) That you're not paying attention to what's eligible or even what happened on your favorite show that year and merely voting based on loyalty to your "favorites" and... 2) That TV's 'golden age' is really just a clever PR campaign for 10 shows and history won't mark it as anything particularly special.
ICYMI Our Emmy Balloting Pieces
SHOWS: Emmy Drama Ballots | Emmy Comedy Ballots | Girls | The People vs OJ Simpson; PERFORMANCES: Amy Landecker in "Transparent" | Donna Lynn Champlin "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" | Eva Green & Helen McRory in "Penny Dreadful" | Constance Zimmer "UnREAL" | Boyd Holbrook "Narcos" | Noah Galvin "The Real O'Neals" | Gillian Jacobs "Love" | Riley Keough "The Girlfriend Experience" | Jeremy Allen White "Shameless" ; MISCELLANIA: "Mr Robot" leads TCA Nominations | Ten Nominees? | More TV MVPs (earlier in the season)
Downton Abbey, Emmy, FYC, Penny Dreadful, TV, The Real O'Neals, UnReal, comedy
Reader Comments (16)
Now that Mad Men is no longer eligible, I have very few favorites among the repeat nominees. So I'd be willing to trade *anyone* for Alison Wright from The Americans, Jaime Camil from Jane the Virgin, and Andre Holland from The Knick (or really any high-profile recognition for their three shows).
I would be absolutely fine with Modern Family being shut out completely. Was overrated even in its debut season but now I see no reason to keep nominating it. Plenty of shows could take its place that have been overlooked.
Not sacrificing anything since there's so little I actually champion. I need my Veep in competition. I rely on the TV Academy to keep Kathy Bates a perennial nominee. Both Davis and Henson deserve their slot in Lead Actress Drama. You want to shake up that category get rid of the white girls who won't leave and replace them with more worthier ones. I need OJ to dominate its categories and earn Paulson her overdue Emmy.
I would not mind Orange is the New Black being shutout completely for its third season. And as you said the actress playing Black Cindy is not even eligible. House of Cards which I do not care about because it's a Kevin Spacey vehicle and he certainly could wait longer on his inevitable coronation into the triple crown of acting.
I do want Martha Plimpton to return to Lead Comedy Actress. She is so symbolic of the 80's that not recognizing her face means you didn't actually experience the decade. She was a character actress as a teen and deserves a resurgence making her a prime candidate for a possibly late career supporting actress Oscar nomination / hell I'd accept a win even if it meant one and done. She could become a triple crowner with the right vehicles. The narrative would write itself.
Yeah and I hate when an actor gets snubbed because of being difficult. I know a lot of actors (not Hollywood, of course) and at least half of them are difficult. But you're right, when an actor is difficult and gay (a Rupert Everett) he never gets the pass that they give to a straight and difficult actor like Edward Norton.
How do you feel about Martha Plimpton? Would you nominate her as Lead Actress in a Comedy Series?
Sarah Paulson deserves to win the Emmy this year, and I sure hope she does.
That Galvin kid is privileged alright. Like a gay version of Bieber.
I need my Veep and Game of Thrones.
But I would trade The Big Bang Theory and Orange is the New Black for more Grace & Frankie and The Good Wife love.
Second season of G&F is amazing imo and Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin deserves a nomination at least.
The Good Wife's final season is not wholly great, but it sure as hell gets its due to be lastly rewarded.
None of those perennials are "favorites" of mine, except maybe Edie Falco, Louis C.K. and Ty Burrell, and I'd give Burrell's spot to Duplass or anyone on black-ish or It's Always Sunny, why not.
Mareko -- my comedy ballot is here and yes, she's on it.
so what i've learned from this post is people are definitely not willing to give up their favorites for newbies. which is why the emmys stay stuck so much. I prefer the Globe's fetish for new shows -- a happy medium would be ideal but better the constant shift than the rut.
I don't know in which category American Crime is competing, but I am hoping that the two young male leads grab a nomination. They were brilliant. Too bad I don't remember their names.
Constance Wu also should steal a nomination from whoever is regularly nominated in the comedy category.
Loved JLD this year, but would gladly give up her win for a statue for either Abbi Jacobson of Broad City (who had some incredible episodes this time around) or Lily Tomlin (whose yam lube story line got both deep and hilarious).
I love her and the show to pieces, but Julianna Margulies already has two Emmys for The Good Wife. Please, let her go EVEN THOUGH this is the show's last year and GIVE EVA GREEN HER GODDAMN DUE! Claire Danes has also won (and been nominated) enough, so let her go and put in Keri Russell, who has been brilliant for three four seasons and not gotten one shred of awards attention for The Americans.
Along the same lines, I could let Christine Baranski go for Helen McCrory's brilliant evil genius or Billie Piper's flat-out stunningly layered work on Penny Dreadful.
Actually, the only one of my Emmy perennial favorites that I wouldn't let go this year would be Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I wouldn't give her the win, to be honest (RACHEL BLOOM! RACHEL BLOOM!), but as if she wasn't already giving the best performance on TV regardless of genre, she got to SERIOUSLY step up her game this season, turning in the most sublime work I've ever seen on a comedy. She was acting on a whole other level from anyone else this year.
Agree about Louie-Dreyfuss. I wouldn't mind her getting another nom because she's incredible but I hope someone else wins.
@ denny
Margulies only got nominated one of the past three times. Unless they really love her submission, I doubt she'll be back.
I'm willing to give up Julianna Margulies. That performance is strangely under-appreciated among critics and viewers even though she has two Emmys now for it, but two is enough and I'd also switch in Shiri Appleby.
I'd also move Claire Danes, who is in a similar situation to Margulies in that she's been amply rewarded by the Emmys for her performance, but critics seemed to have become steadily chillier. She's still wonderful on Homeland, but let's switch her for Sarah Lancashire on Happy Valley (who should win).
And my final one...I'd bump Tony Hale. He's wonderful on Veep, but that show has a very deep ensemble and I'd like to spread the wealth elsewhere. Either Randall Park, who I think is wonderful on Fresh Off The Boat, or Glenn Powell for Scream Queens.
I would trade Taraji P Henson for eva greene in penny dreadful.I would trade anyone for vanessa ives.The best character in a horror tv series.