This year’s Emmy nominations were announced on July 14th. While there were some clear sweeps in the drama and miniseries categories, there were still some surprises and shocking snubs that deserve to be acknowledged. Below are 12 highlights and snubs with this year’s Emmy nominations.
Highlight: Game of Thrones dominates the Drama categories
Everyone rightly assumed that Game of Thrones would be the clear frontrunner and the nominations have clearly indicated that the Best Drama Series award is Game of Throne’s to lose. Of its nominations, six actors are nominated in the acting categories (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, and Max von Sydow), has gotten two directing nominations, and two writing nominations. If any show seriously thinks it’s going to beat Game of Thrones, they are deluding themselves…or it will be one of the biggest Emmy upsets in the history of television.
Snub: No nomination for Lady Gaga for Lead Actress in American Horror Story: Hotel
I said it countless times, while Lady Gaga’s acting in AHS: Hotel was decent enough, it was not worthy of any real praise. Her Golden Globe win was more due to name recognition than actual talent. Her Emmy snub reaffirms that belief.
Highlight: Maura Tierney’s supporting actress nomination for The Affair
I said it earlier this year that Tierney’s incredible performance in the second season of The Affair should not be underestimated. With Her Golden Globe win back in January for the performance, she stands as the frontrunner in her category and the question is, can someone stop her from winning the Emmy as well?
Snub: Diana Rigg for Guest Actress in Game of Thrones
Having been nominated the last three years in the guest category for her scene-stealing role as The Queen of Thorns, Diana Riggs, for the first time, doesn’t have a nomination.
Highlight: Larry David nominated as Guest Actor in a comedy series
This shouldn’t be any surprise, but still, it deserves acknowledgement. Larry David’s hilarious impersonation of Bernie Sanders has been the most memorable thing about SNL this past year. This nomination hopefully will translate into a win.
Snub: Patrick Wilson for Lead Actor in Fargo
Despite excellent reviews and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Fargo’s second season, Patrick Wilson was shockingly snubbed. Considering the entire second season centered around him, this is one of this year’s most glaring Emmy snubs.
Highlight: Sarah Paulson is a double nominee!
This is an extraordinary achievement that rarely occurs outside of the guest acting categories. Paulson is nominated in the Supporting Actress category for her frightening performance as “Hypodermic Sally” in American Horror Story: Hotel and in the Lead Actress for her magnificent performance as real-life prosecutor Marcia Clark in The People Versus O.J. Simpson. A major congratulations to a tremendous year for this extraordinary actress.
Snub: Denis O’Hare for American Horror Story: Hotel
The one redemptive component of a clearly inferior season of AHS was Denis O’Hare. He was considered a major frontrunner in the Supporting Actor category earlier this year, but that hype unfortunately did not garner him a nomination that would have been worthy.
Highlight: The Americans finally get some recognition
The show is very popular, but has been snubbed for years. That has finally changed this year with it being a contender in the major drama categories this year.
Snub: Timothy Simons for Supporting Actor in Veep
The latest season of Veep was a step down in quality from its previous season, but the one person who managed to grab the most laughs was Simons in his hilarious role as Jonah. Not being nominated is a very unfortunate oversight.
Highlight: Major love for The People Versus O.J. Simpson
Just like Game of Thrones, The People Versus O.J. Simpson deserves a ton of praise and is clearly the frontrunner to win in the Limited Series categories. The Show has managed to grab a total of 13 nominations in major categories: six for acting, three for direction, and another three for writing. This miniseries will be a force to be reckoned with come Emmy night.
Snub: No nomination for Christian Slater in the Supporting Actor category for Mr. Robot
This is THE snub of the year! Christian Slater was considered an automatic shoo-in and the frontrunner in the supporting actor category for his mysterious performance in Mr. Robot. This assumption was especially believed considering Slater won the Golden Globe for his performance earlier this year. This is a SHOCKING snub that many will likely call out.
The 68th Primetime Emmys will air on September 18th, 2016 at 8:00 PM EST.
Play it Again, Dan 