Emmy snubs: What the Academy got right and wrong

What?! No best comedy series Emmy nomination for Parks and Recreation? Community? Nothing for Mad Men‘s John Slattery?

Okay, before we climb onto the highest of our high horses and give those dolts at the TV Academy our righteous online fury, let’s first note what Emmy voters got right this year:

– The best dramas: Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men. You can say a couple of other shows also deserve to be on this list, but you can’t really argue against these noms. Glad to see Emmy voters recognizing fantasy drama Thrones once again, and good for Downton Abbey for cracking the top series category. (It was in miniseries last year).

– Breaking Bad was rightfully nominated all over the place, including a supporting actor nod for Giancarlo Esposito (up against Aaron Paul, which feels wrong since Paul is more of a co-lead with Bryan Cranston than a supporting actor. But this is the show’s submission strategy).
– Some of the first-year role acting nods, like American Horror Story‘s Connie Britton, Girls‘ Lena Dunham, and New Girl star Zooey Deschanel. Plus, way to go Bill Hader, getting an acting nod for SNL.

– BBC’s Sherlock. The best crime drama on TV landed a miniseries nod, plus acting noms for Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Sherlock is up against American Horror Storyin the mini category as part of FX’s strategy to put the closed-ended first season of its series into this category instead of the much-tougher drama series category. As much as I thoughtAHS was a well-crafted and ballsy show, I’m rooting for the modestly budgeted three-episodeSherlock to trounce it — especially because of FX’s “let’s put our big splashy new series in the easy category” submission strategy. Go big or go home, FX; pick on shows your own size!

– Non-competition reality show: Some geeky and well-deserved cult-favorites in here likeMythBusters, Shark Tank, and the short-lived Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

And now, what you came here for. Here’s who wuz robbed:

– The comedy series category. Comedy tends to be more subjective than drama, so maybe it’s no surprise there’s a rift between TV Academy voters and online fandom/critics in this category. Many feel Parks & Recreation had its best season, and that Nick Offerman in particular should have been nominated. Instead the Academy nominated another quirky politics-tinged comedy, Veep, which most thought was merely mildly funny. Also, I thoughtCommunity might get a nomination for comedy series after Dan Harmon’s ouster, if only because people in the industry like to annoy NBC.

– Guess some actors on New Girl are worth nominating, but not the show itself? And same goes for Louis C.K., whose FX show Louie topped many critic lists. Why do I get the feeling that if Louie was on HBO like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Veep, it definitely would have been nominated? And look at the comedy writing category: Four of the five nominees are for Parks,Community and Louie — so were the jokes written funny, but the shows didn’t tell them right?

– Speaking of Louie: The missing FX dramas. No Sons of Anarchy or Justified? Hmm, maybe FX should make them “mini-series” next year?

– How did Survivor‘s Jeff Probst go from winning best reality show host the past couple years, to not even scoring a nomination? Was he all, “The tribe has… has… damn, what’s my line?”

– The supporting actor category is a pretty tough nut to crack this year. Still, would have been good to wedge in Mandy Patinkin from Homeland, John Slattery from Mad Men, or John Noble from Fringe. Maybe for its upcoming final season, Fringe will get some love next year?

– Not sure I’d call this a snub per se, but it’s interesting Fox’s The Simpsons, American Dadand even Bob’s Burgers were all nominated from the network’s Sunday block, but the most popular animated comedy on TV — Fox’s Family Guy — was not. Just not a great year for the show, or did Family Guy‘s controversy addressing its Emmy mailers to “Brentwood Jews” have an impact? Note that Family Guy submits for the tougher comedy series category and not the animated series category (it’s sort of the anti-American Horror Story strategy).

– Revenge, arguably snubbed. Madeleine Stowe in particular. And to nominate Kathy Bates (twice!) and not Lena Headey for Thrones, really?