Emmy Reactions: Why Wasn't This Nominated?!
Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 10:00PM 
Now that we have had a little bit of time for the Emmy nominations to sink in, the afterglow of our favorite nominees has faded enough to reflect on what missed out. This year had quite a few stings for what we expected to be a more open playing field. Recurrent outsiders like The Leftovers and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend have long been on our lips here at The Film Experience as criminally ignored by awards bodies, and this year was no different! Here's what missed out this morning that has us lamenting:
JORGE - Rita Moreno is destined to win an EGOT twice and they just delayed it. Truly upset about her snub for One Day at a Time.
DENNY - It's clear the voting body watched Black Mirror: San Junipero. So why wasn't Bryce Dallas Howard nominated for her tremendous, go-for-broke performance in Nosedive? The arc the episode traces for her character (desperately trying to boost her favorability rating to attend a wedding) is hilarious, terrifying, and all too relatable, and Howard's mad commitment is key to the episode working as well as it does. For my money, she probably should have WON the trophy.
BEN - Where is any love for The Leftovers?
ERIC - Twin nominations for Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon, as well as supporting player Amy Brenneman, for The Leftovers is a major boner move by the Emmy academy. It's probably a little too deep and esoteric for the average voter.
SEAN - As imperfect as The Young Pope is, it's a little shocking the Emmys somehow found six men more worthy of attention than Jude Law. The ridiculous show enabled Law to return to his flirtier, pre-prestige days of Wilde and The Talented Mr. Ripley, and this viewer thoroughly appreciated it.
CHRIS - Someone explain to me how Insecure lands not a single nomination. Maybe this one stings a bit more because Issa Rae was expected among the Comedy Actress lineup at least, and her voice was the freshest among television's new voices in the last season. And with so many Comedies nominated for the big prize for weaker seasons? It doesn't compute.
LYNN - Guerrilla, Showtime's limited series about the radicalization of a group of Black Power activists in 1970s London, got virtually no attention when it aired earlier this year other than for a controversy about creator John Ridley's decision to make the main female lead (played by Freida Pinto) Indian rather than black. It deserved so much more: taut, suspenseful, and well acted, it's also a fascinating window on a period of history probably unfamiliar to most Americans that both echoes and departs from the equivalent period in our own, and a remarkably nuanced treatment of political and racial issues that still very much resonate today.
MARGARET - I was staggered to see Ted Danson miss for The Good Place. He's a TV Academy darling, with two statues and a full 15 nominations, and he gave a delightful and surprising performance on an admired network show. For this moment alone (GIF) he should have gotten in. Perhaps voters also assumed he was safe?
JASON - Danielle Brooks has been giving the best performance on Orange is the New Black since the first season from where I've been standing, so when I saw some people saying that "These nominations are for Season 4 - Season 5 will be Taystee's time" it reads like gibberish to me. IT IS ALWAYS TAYSTEE'S TIME. It especially feels egregious to me since I think the Emmys keep nominating the weakest two links on the show when there are literally dozens of better options. But Brooks' snubs years after year are easily the most egregious. #justicefortaystee
KIM - The one that steams me the most is the complete lack of love for Speechless. It is the best comedy on TV, you guys. And Minnie Driver's overbearing mama bear Maya DiMeo should have been complete Emmy bait.
What missed out that has you most irked?
Reader Comments (34)
Billy Bob Thornton and Nina Arianda for Goliath...
Rachel Bloom for "Crazy Ex Girfriend" and Michael McKean for "Better Call Saul".
Survivor for "Reality Competition" is still a much fresher show than "The Amazing Race" the past 4 or 5 years, not just seasons.
Issa Rae and Insecure missing out was such a bummer for me. I never would've thought she had a chance until everyone started predicting her, and I bought into the idea. And now I'm disappointed, lol.
Rachel Bloom & Gina Rodriguez in Best Actressif these shows were on HBO instead of The CW they'd be battling for the win.
@John T
Issa Rae and Oprah had the HBO stamp. Neither woman showed in their expected categories.
MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD IN FARGO!!! and they choose to instead nominate Regina King again.
THE LEFTOVERS AND JUSTIN THEROUX AND OF COURSE CARRIE COON! Christopher Eccleston and Amy Brenneman also.
Oprah goddamn Winfrey. LMAO good god those people love American Crime.
Jane Krakowski, Winona Ryder, and Christine Baranski.
The Leftovers
What's the opposite of ageism? Ask Lena Dunham.
No Rita, No Gina, No Justina.
Andrew Rannells. I still want the Elijah spinoff!
Mary Elizabeth Winstead. One of the most charismatic young actresses and easily the best thing in Fargo S3.
The fact that Jonathan Banks got nominated for Better Call Saul instead of Michael McKean proves what we all suspect: they don't really watch the shows.
Where's Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph for UKS? For shame, Emmys.... :/
This year was their last chance to give Frank Langella a nomination for his heartbreaking turn in The Americans and they blew it. Maybe next year if he appears in one or two episodes they'll give him a Guest Actor nom just like they did for Allison Wright (so glad for her by the way : it was about time they noticed her !!!)
Also i just can't buy the "Supporting" nomination for Regina King as she was clearly a co-lead this year with Huffman : they both deserved a Leading nom and leave the supporting spot to Lily Taylor. But i love American Crime and i'm glad they keep giving this show the recognition it deserves for its amazing acting.
Definitely Bryce Dallas Howard.
Rita Moreno for sure ... Saturday Night Live is so overrated and it's taking the spot of well deserved actresses ...
The Leftovers
Rami Malek
And even though Vanessa Kirby was never in contention, I thought she was the best part of The Crown.
Ellen Barkin ANIMAL KINGDOM!!! Is anyone watching this show??
She is such a badass in it and I prefer it even more than Jackie Weaver's take.
Michael McKean for Better Call Saul. This was the nomination I most wanted to see. He should have been nominated instead of Jonathan Banks (or better yet, Michael Kelly, who hasn't moved his face for 5 seasons on House of Cards).
Also agree regarding Rita Moreno, Ted Danson, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jude Law, who wasn't helped by being on HBO either and was way better than Ewan (I love Ewan, but that Fargo performance was kind of bad).
I totally agree with Jason. I always thought Danielle Brooks was best in show. I like Uzo Aduba and she has great affecting scenes but I always felt that Taystee was one of the most integral characters to multiple storylines and to the show as a whole. Brooks is hilarious, smart, and heartbreaking all the time. I felt she was especially robbed in season 2 where she made a large impact in every episode as opposed to Aduba who had only a couple of standout episodes. If Brooks wasn't tour de force enough in S2 E2, then she'll never be Emmy nominated.
Also, I thought that Samira Wiley should have been nommed for her work in OITNB, so at least she got recognized this year for something. Also IMO Selenis Leyva is more deserving than Aduba; she was a standout in Season 2 and even the kind of disastrous Season 3. Of course the Emmy's blew their chances with Lorraine Toussaint last year.
how could they nominate the worst performance in fargo [david thewlis] and ignore the best [mary elizabeth winstead]??
also, ignoring the smart comedy of the good place and its many many excellent performances was also a huge disappointment
not that i ever heard their song for the flash but i'm a little sad for the song writers from la la land and dear evan hanson having their EGOT-within-a-year hopes dashed
Someone - the Hollywood Reporter, say - needs to put Bloom and Rodriguez on their cover with the headline "Why Do the Emmys Hate the CW?"
Michael mckean and rhea seehorn should have been nominated. Jonathan banks is awesome, but why is it alway him who should be nominated? Did the voters even watched the show? How come they nominated episode 5 for writing but passed the actor?
WINONA RYDER is the best part of Stranger Things!
Poor Noni. If Millie Bobby Brown—I always want to call her Being Bobby Brown—wins the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, will we have to endure the bittersweet reaction shot of Winona Ryder, among the onlookers in the audience, as we did when Angelina Jolie won her Oscar? Because that might be painful.
Speaking of painful, Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer were very good in The Wizard of Lies, but the movie itself is not best material. Looking: The Movie would've been a better choice, but of course there was no way the Emmys would go for that when Modern Family still tickles their fancy (if no one else's).
Nicole Kidman FTW!
I didn't see a ton, but was hoping for a Guest Actress nom in LS for Franka Potente, who was awesome in Taboo.
Lori Petty had a great arc on S4 of Orange is the New Black as a convict who was both a) severely mentally ill and b) hiding a major secret. They didn't even submit her as a nominee!
I wish Baskets would have snuck in for Best Comedy or a writing for comedy nomination. It's such an exceptionally weird, sad, and funny show.
The Emmys just don't understand Orange is the New Black. WTF?!
Their nominations are bizarre and far too few.
Leslie Jones is hugely charismatic & a great comedian but as an actress? Lots of breaking and fucking up her lines. Granted it is live but did really do anything to warrrnt an Emmy nom? Rita Moreno deserves her spot.
Ellie Kemper feels like lazy nom to me. Her acting in Kimmy Schmidt is cringe worthy at times. What about the Justina Machado? (Yes, I liked One Day at a Time)
Anyone who thinks "The Young Pope" is ridiculous, shouldn't be allowed to write anything that might sound as film criticism. If you don't get art, don't even try.
Jesus Alonso
Why do you seem so angry?
re: choog
One Day at a Time is the old fashioned sitcom done right. Yes, cheesy at times but it works incredibly well with plenty of moving and smart moments. It def. deserved nominations in lead and supporting actress!
@norman - yep. "old-fashioned sitcom done right" is the perfect description for it.
So sad for Donna Lynn Champlin:(
She was tremendous in "Maybe this Dream" in Crazy Ex Girlfriend
Jane and CEG are great shows from CW that I'm sure if they are on HBO they'll be nominated....
Frank Langella, The Americans
"Michael McKean, Better Call Saul
Rupert Friend, Homeland
Paul Giamatti, Billions
I'm not sure if it's shown in the US, but if it's eligible then clearly Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley should be nominated in whatever actress category she's eligible. It's the best work I've seen anyone do on television recently, two series on the trot, and I was pleased she got the Best Actress BAFTA for the second series.
This was definitely the most zeitgeist-y year for SNL in terms of ratings and material and guest stars...I'm totally fine with Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin's nomination (I think he's likely to win), but the Vanessa Bayer/Leslie Jones nominations are weird. I mean, nice on Bayer since it was her final year (and I did love the Totinos/Kristen Stewart commercial. Hilarious), but seriously, what about Jane Krakowski or Gaby Hoffman?
The Moonlight men: Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage) and Barry Jenkins (Dear White People).
natalie:
because I'm so tired of people thinking they can write film criticism WITHOUT even trying to know what film criticism is. I learnt in the university, history of arts (3 years), history and technique of photography and cinema (1 year) and when a MASTERPIECE as The Young Pope is just labelled as "ridiculous" without further explanation, it's a pure insult to my intelligence coming from someone with unknown background. I'm tired of reading nonsense from random people in the internet, and The Young Pope, is one of the biggest - and most daring - achievements in the history of TV, by one of the most amazing directors at work today.
so many actors beyond crazy eyes - who hams it up WAY too much - should get Emmy nominations in OITNB. Kate Mulgrew, Healy, Taystee, Caputo, Alex.