As with every awards show, there’s always going to be a list of major snubs that emerge after nominations day. Most of the time, the snubs list is filled with fan favorites and cult classics – shows and actors who gets a lot of love, but not necessarily a lot of critical praise. But this year, the list of Emmy’s ignored nominees has me hella confused!
Sure, some snubs I’m okay with. You won’t see me throwing a fit about last year’s Best Actress in a Drama winner Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) not getting a nod. Or long-time nominees Toni Collette (The United States of Tara), or Mary Louise Parker (Weeds) for that matter. Love them all, but kind of sick of them. I’m also not pissed about the lack of nominations for crowd-pleasing shows like Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, The Waking Dead, Big Love, Community, or Raising Hope. No offense to any of those programs, but I don’t think they delivered the best work of the year.
But the others? Talk about some serious misses! Here’s the few that have me up in arms.
Cougar Town, Busy Phillips, and Courtney Cox
I know, I know. It’s the name – it completely turns you off. But let me tell you what: Cougar Town is one of the funniest shows on television, thanks to its quick-witted writing and phenomenal performances. And it has nothing to do with older women sleeping with younger men either! This is a family comedy – maybe not in the same reign as Modern Family, but believe me – just as dysfunctional. Watch a few episodes and you’ll see – the Emmy voters are clearly blind.
Then there’s Busy Phillips. Busy Phillips has stolen just about every show she’s been in. Popular, Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks. So it’s no surprise she’s doing the same thing over on CougarTown each week. We can’t begin to say how much we love Phillips’ Laurie, who has grown over the past two seasons from ditsy trainwreck to sassy party girl. Laurie’s hilarious one-liners and complete lack of insecurity make her the most valuable member of the cul-de-sac crew. Now if only Emmy would get with the picture.
But as Courtney Cox will tell you, sometimes they never do. If you didn’t know, after 10 seasons of playing Monica Geller on Friends, Courtney Cox was the only member of the cast who didn’t receive an Emmy nomination. Now, she’s heading up the crew over on ABC’s hysterical CougarTown, and she still can’t catch a break. Why Emmy voters don’t get behind Cox I’ll never understand. Her character Jules is a neurotic, self-obsessed, over-bearing mother – who surprisingly is nothing like the neurotic, self-obsessed, over-bearing friend she used to play. Is it David Arquette? Are they holding that against her?
Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Look, I love Modern Family just as much as the next guy. And I was delighted to see that Ed O’Neil, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, and Ty Burrell received nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series catagory. But if it means Nick Offerman couldn’t receive a nomination for playing the outstanding Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation, then I think we could have lost a Modern Family man here and there.
The Voice
It’s early still in The Voice’s hopefully long run, so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised that the Emmys wouldn’t notice the fantastic new singing competition. But for a show that took such a stale formula and completely revived the reality singing competition genre, you have to give it some credit. I would have rather seen The Voice in the running for Outstanding Competition Reality Program than say, American Idol. In protest, I say we all turn our chairs around during this category come Emmy night.
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
So Katey Sagal is good enough in Sons of Anarchy to win a 2011 Golden Globe for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, but she can’t get an Emmy nomination?!? What the hell are they thinking?!
Southland and Regina King
When TNT picked up NBC’s cancelled Southland, I hoped that it’s cable-network status would give it some more attention come Emmy season. Sadly, Southland got the shaft once again. I’m not sure why either. The cop-drama is so gritty, so honest, and so different from any other cop show on television that I thought Emmy voters would jump all over it. I know I couldn’t look away all year.
At the center of Southland’s pulse is Regina King, who put in one of the best performances by an actor I’ve ever seen. King gives Det. Lydia Adams a hard, cold edge that the job demands, while still letting her heart shine through now and then. It’s a layered, nuanced performance, and one of the main reasons I come back week after week.
How I Met Your Mother and Neil Patrick Harris
Six seasons in, I’m still not giving up the desire to see How I Met Your Mother up there with the Best Comedy Series nominees. Sure, the show has won Emmys before (for Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series three years in a row). But it deserves Outstanding Comedy Series praise for its strong ensemble, layered storytelling, and overall hysterical moments.
As for the lack of nomination for Neil Patrick Harris – well, to say I’m shocked would be an understatement. Having been nominated for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series every year since 2007, I thought for sure this would be the year NPK finally got up to the podium. After all, his Barney Stinson finally had a decent storyline to chew on this year. Alas, I suppose last year’s Emmy-win for Outstanding guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Glee) is as good as Neil’s gonna get.
Fringe
Emmy voters don’t usually get behind sci-fi shows – and even when they do, they can only support one show at a time. So it’s no wonder that with the buzz behind Game of Thrones, there was no way Fringe was getting love this year. It’s sad too – this past “holy shit I can’t believe they did that” season was clearly Fringe’s best. Better luck next year.
Lauren Graham
It’s not just that Lauren Graham has never won an Emmy. It’s that she’s never even been nominated. You’d think that after seven seasons as Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, she would have gotten at least one nomination. But alas, Emmy never gave her love. Now, Graham’s turning in one of the best performances of her career over on NBC’s Parenthood, and again she’s 0:2. I would have easily swapped her for Kathy Bates in the awful Harry’s Law, wouldn’t you?
Survivor
I know it’s seemingly been on the air since the birth of time, but Survivor getting snubbed for Outstanding Reality Competition Program completely blows my mind. Not only is it consistently better than Dancing with the Stars and The Amazing Race, but its just coming off one of it’s best season’s yet (ahhh Boston Rob!). It deserved to be up there – though I can’t be too mad since So You Think You Can Dance took it’s spot (go Cat Deeley!).
Any snubs I missed that you’re totally pissed off about? Let’s hear it in the comments section!