Every year when Emmy nominations come out there are both surprise nominees and a slew of incredible TV programs that manage to get snubbed. This is a commonplace occurrence when the Emmy nominations get announced, but A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R.R. Martin, who also works on HBO’s Game of Thrones, said there were a few TV shows the Academy really missed the mark on this season. This includes Outlander and Justified.
It's great to see Better Call Saul and Orange Is The New Black on this list, but where is Masters of Sex? The Knick? Halt and Catch Fire? How about the Vikings? I really thought Justified might make it, for its final season. And Outlander, how in the world did they overlook Outlander, with its music and its costumes and its cinematography and the incredible performances of its three leads (especially Tobias Menzies in his double role)? Why is Nick Offermann not on the ballot for Parks and Recreation? How could Big Bang Theory possibly fall off? Truly, the Academy (of which I am a member) moves in mysterious ways.
We’d like to point out that Masters of Sex is closer to the Big Bang Theory, having been nominated at the Emmys in years prior. And The Knick is actually up for quite a few awards, most in the behind-the-scenes categories like production design and makeup, although Steven Soderburgh is also up for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Still, neither show was nominated in the best drama category, which is what Martin seems to be going on about over at his blog.
Plus, his key argument, that Justified and especially Outlander were left out of contention, rings strongly. With romance, period costumes and even time travel, Outlander has become a strong performer over at Starz. And while Justified had often been lauded for performances from Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins, this season the drama was kicked up a notch as Boyd and Raylan squared off for a final time. There are plenty of people out there who would have loved to have seen those shows get a nod or two--just not enough people to actually turn the tide and land either show an actual nomination.
Martin does point out that some non-frontrunners like Orange is the New Black and Better Call Saul did earn big Emmy nominations last week. In addition, Tatiana Maslany finally was given a nod for playing all of the female clones on BBC America’s Orphan Black. So, if Martin was impressed by Tobias Menzies playing two very different characters on Outlander, he should be triply impressed by Ms. Maslany’s efforts.
The Emmy Awards don’t always shake out to the viewers’ particular preferences, however. Or even some of the Academy voters' preferences, as Martin also mentions he does get to vote. Still, he should be pleased by the Game of Thrones turnout. HBO’s fantasy drama earned a total of 24 nominations across numerous categories and will hopefully pull a win or two out of that huge list.
