Well, the Primetime Emmy nominations are in! For the most part, there are a whole lot of perennial, “no, duh” picks: Mad Men, Lost, 30 Rock, True Blood… But it is nice to see some great new shows (Glee, Modern Family) get the recognition they deserve. We’re also pretty satisfied that Conan snagged a nom while Leno remained conspicuously absent. Still, because we are total TV wanks, we can’t help but do some griping about the selections. After the jump, we choose five nominees who we don’t think deserve the honor and five actors and series we think were snubbed. Weigh in with your own Emmy peeves in the comments.
5 nominees who didn’t deserve the nod: 1. The Office (Comedy Series): Listen, we too used to adore this show. But, as Steve Carell — who recently announced that the next season will be his last — understands, his Michael Scott character has totally run its course. And since the will-they-or-won’t-they tension between Jim and Pam is long gone, they’re no longer compelling, either. Poor Rainn Wilson is still fun to watch, but he can’t carry an entire ensemble comedy on his back. The result? Infinite boredom. 2. Lost (Drama Series): Fans are still split over the show’s frustrating finale, but we know we’re not the only ones who found the show’s final season uninspiring. We watched it because it was addictive, not because it was good. 3. Larry David (Actor in a Comedy Series): We can’t get enough of Curb Your Enthusiasm. And yet, we can’t justify nominating Larry David just for being himself. 4. Saturday Night Live (Variety, Music, or Comedy Series): SNL made a fantastic comeback in the fall of 2008, mostly due to Tina Fey’s wonderful Sarah Palin impression. But in the 2009-10 season, it’s reverted back to the kind of filler former fans have been deriding for years. 5. American Idol (Reality – Competition Program): Given how we feel about Ellen DeGeneres and Paula Abdul as people, we never would have guessed we’d say this, but… Paula may have been a trainwreck, but not knowing what was going to come out of her mouth next was part of what made AI fun. The show was already in a downward spiral, but this last season was just unforgivable.
5 criminal Emmy oversights: 1. Mary-Louise Parker (Lead Actress in a Comedy Series): Yes, she’s been nominated before. And yes, Weeds has spent the last few seasons jumping sharks like they’re hurdles. None of that negates the need to just give MLP a statue already for her portrayal of a crazy, wide-eyed widow addicted to danger. 2. Jorge Garcia (Supporting Actor in a Drama Series): Lost‘s Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) and Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus) both received well-deserved nominations in this category this year. But they’ve both already won, while Jorge Garcia (Hurley) quietly chugged through six season, playing his slacker-schizophrenic character to subtle perfection without earning a single nod. As Hurley himself might say, “Dude, what gives?” 3. Idina Menzel (Guest Actress in a Comedy Series): As Rachel’s long-lost birth mother and the director of Vocal Adrenaline, the main competition of New Directions, Idina Menzel brought just as much Broadway cred to Glee as her former Wicked co-star Kristin Chenowith — who did score a nod. Maybe the role of Shelby wasn’t as developed as it could have been, but we think she should have been nominated for that “I Dreamed a Dream” duet with Lea Michele alone. 4. RuPaul’s Drag Race (Reality – Competition Program): Give the show a try before you scoff! A campy combination of Top Model (which is totally fitting, seeing as we believe Tyra and Ru were separated at birth), Project Runway, and every dance show ever, this Logo series was pure fun. If you’re watching reality TV for the backbiting one-liners but still haven’t seen Drag Race, you are missing out. 5. Nelsan Ellis (Supporting Actor in a Drama Series): Can anyone deny that, amid all the Anna Paquin hyperactivity and the Stephen Moyer bellowing “SOOKEH,” Lafayette is the most wonderful character on True Blood?