Awards nominations are a thankless business. There are so few slots and so many options — seriously, so many options, especially when it comes to television — that even if you try your best and do a pretty good job, some aggrieved fan of some underwatched and underespected show is going to get all flustered about an omission, and then they’ll round up a few of their friends who are upset about their favorite shows and performances being omitted, and the next thing you know you have a blog post filled with snubs.
Which, conveniently, brings us to this. The Uproxx staff went over the 2016 Emmy nominations that were announced this morning and we have some notes. Below, please find the snubs from this year’s nominations that hurt us the most, Sansa Stark not included, because that hurt enough for its own post. We’re very sensitive.
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex Girlfriend
The winner of this year’s Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Television Series, Bloom seemed like a shoo-in for the same category at the Emmy Awards. As both co-creator, co-writer and star of The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, she brought to the screen a version of a familiar character (think Felicity) mashed-up and subverted through songs with dark lyrics that often belied their upbeat melodies. As Rebecca Bunch, Bloom combined rom-com tropes with musical theater and a wicked sense of humor to create one of the most unique, funny, frustrating, and heartbreaking characters on TV. — Dustin Rowles
Timothy Simons, Veep
Veep got a ton of Emmy nominations. This is fine, because Veep deserves a ton of Emmy nominations. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale should just have theirs rolled over every year until they specifically ask the committee to stop, even after the show is over. But even with all that recognition, Timothy Simons not getting a nomination still stings a little. I mean, Jonah!
I cannot stress to you strongly enough how much I enjoyed The New Hampshire Adventures of Jonah and Richard Splett. I’ve always enjoyed Jonah as a character (there’s something lovable about someone so unlikable), but spinning him off away from the ensemble and giving him his own little thing led to magic. But I’m a sucker for firearm accidents and swearing in front of children, so I’m biased. Still, though. — Brian Grubb
The Leftovers
I get why season one of The Leftovers was overlooked by the Emmys. It was overly stuffed with symbolism, probably due to a reliance on its source material. It actively avoided delving into why 2% of the world’s population disappeared, which is a fine idea in theory. We don’t need answers to tell a good story. But the jump from when the Sudden Departure occurred to three years after dropped the viewers into a confusing setting. It provided little reason for why the chainsmokers in white don’t talk, why the adolescents have all become sadomasochists, and why the hell deer are breaking into people’s homes. It was an acquired taste.
But every episode in season two of The Leftovers was a wrenching, astounding, hour of television. It took all that was intriguing about the first season and found ways to build upon what was successful, and left all the clunkiness of the first season behind. By striking the balance of exploring the human condition without being overt with the metaphors, it created a perfect example of postmodern television. The season began with a dialogue-free, 10-minute scene with a new character that would never be seen again, and it ended with a character being resurrected for the second time. There is no reason season two of The Leftovers should have worked, but it did. This show has the ability to drive a stake into the very marrow of viewers beings as it explores the darkest sides of humanity. (It also makes a great case for watching shows week-to-week.) So maybe it is still an acquired taste. But it’s worth it, and the Emmys messed up. — Angela Harmon
Alison Wright, The Americans
After four spectacular, stomach-churning seasons, the spy series The Americans finally earned some long-awaited love from the Emmys, snagging a nomination for Best Drama, and individual nods for its leads, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. This is unequivocally excellent news. And yet I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the lack of attention for Alison Wright, who plays Philip’s/Clark’s wife (well, “wife”), Martha. Wright’s heartbreaking work has earned her character the moniker Poor Martha for a reason, as she dug herself deeper and deeper into her role as Clark’s link to the FBI office; her unraveling this season as she was eventually found out by her superiors featured some of Wright’s best work yet.
The episode where Martha realizes she’s going to be sent off to Russia – without her husband — is a powerhouse hour for Wright, though it’s the un-showy moments of quiet desperation and resignation where she excels. “I’ll be alone,” Martha tells Philip. “Just the way it was before I met you.” That devastating line reading alone should have sewn up Wright’s nomination. Poor Martha, indeed. — Katie Roberts
Orange Is the New Black
Orange is the New Black is not The Americans. It hasn’t gotten snubbed year after year, and though there was some controversy concerning which category it should be nominated in, the Emmys have consistently recognized Jenji Kohan and the cast for their outstanding work. What’s disappointing about this year’s snub isn’t the fact that we won’t get to see Uzo Aduba take home another trophy; it’s that, because of some outdated schedules – the cutoff date for Emmy eligibility ended on May 31 – the show’s latest season, by far its bravest, timeliest and best written, will have to wait an entire year before it gets its due.
That’s not to say season three doesn’t deserve a nod or two. Aduba, Taylor Schilling and Laura Prepon all shined in, what admittedly was, a lackluster season for the show as a whole. The real outrage here is that Taryn Manning isn’t getting recognized for turning in what may just be the best performance of her career. Pennsatucky’s rape storyline in season three was easily the show’s most compelling, and Manning’s ability to bring humility and honesty to the role just made it that much more heartbreaking when Tiffany Doggett was eventually sexually abused at the hands of a prison guard she considered a friend. In a time when sexual assault and patriarchal abuse just isn’t portrayed on TV like it should be, it’s disappointing to not see a show rewarded for telling the stories that need to be told. — Jessica Toomer
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
I pushed hard for a Rhea Seehorn nomination yesterday, and I know Lead Actress is a stacked field, so rather than repeat my entire argument again today, I’m just going to post her Post-It filled “A Mi Manera” montage from this season and leave it at that. — Brian Grubb
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
The writing team behind Samantha Bee’s fantastic Monday night talk show on TBS scored a much-deserved Emmy nomination. (I mean, look at them. How could they not?) Yet the new series by the former Daily Show correspondent deserves more. Not just because it had a fantastic premiere in February, sparking an unstoppable (and still ongoing) run past the Academy’s eligibility time frame, but because it’s good. It’s really good.
From an interview with young Donald Trump supporters to a mega-viral hot take on the Orlando nightclub shooting (and Congress’ subsequent inaction), Full Frontal quickly surpassed the Trevor Noah-led Daily Show. In fact, Bee’s program now sits atop the pillars of late night television with Last Week Tonight (which was nominated) and Late Night with Seth Meyers (which wasn’t). That’s a heck of a start. — Andrew Husband
You’re the Worst
It makes perfect sense that You’re the Worst wasn’t nominated for anything. Season two of FX’s kind of comedy, kind of drama, for sure TV’s best representation of what it’s like to be in your late twenties/early thirties was largely about coping with depression. It was an honest, unflinching (but still hilarious) look at a serious mental health disease, which is a topic no one in Hollywood knows anything about. Everyone’s happy all the time in Tinsel Town! Then again: Modern Family was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, and you’d have to be insane to think that show’s better than You’re the Worst. Oh well, everything’s the worst, except You’re the Worst, which is the best. — Josh Kurp
