The Annual Primetime Emmys - General Discussion

[phoenix780]

I should've trusted the Emmy voters more than I did. I was concerned they'd hurl awards at Netflix, but their love of the familiar trumped their need to validate the classification of non-televised programs as tv shows. Congratulations to all the previous winners for winning again.

 

I am sort of on the fence about Juliana's 22 episode comment. Yes that is harder but I also remember when network TV's show would air 35 episodes in a season. I imagine that was even harder quality to maintain.

 

I have all kinds of issues with basic cable, premium cable, broadcast networks, and not-on-television tv shows competing against each other to see who's best, but I hadn't even thought about the quantity element.  I'm glad she brought it up.

 

This was the first year I watched the show on DVR (though I caught up by the end). I saw most of the bits, could be selective with speeches, and it took way less time to get through.  I highly recommend it.

[Valny]

I was flipping channels so I missed one, what did The Normal Heart win for?

[peggy06]

What were Phillip Seymour Hoffman's and Lauren Bacall's ties to TV?

I just happened to read the other day that Phillip Seymour Hoffman's first screen credit was on an episode of Law and Order (the mothership). He played a teenager accused of gang rape. I think I remember the episode, but the name escapes me at the moment.

[Mindymoo]

I'm glad that purported Emmy-bait "The Normal Heart" lost in nearly every category. I found it to be a pretty masturbatory look at the one and only man who was fighting AIDS ever. I felt Ryan Murphy totally failed with it, that the performances were melodramatic, and the writing was subpar. "And the Band Played On" and "Angels in America" were a million times better.

 

Bummed about Alison Tolman and Billy Bob Thornton losing. Those were bullshit.

 

Hooray for "Breaking Bad" and their near sweep. And as happy as I am for Cary Joji Fukunaga's win, I sort of was rooting for Tim Van Patten for "Boardwalk Empire." Richard's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" ending was one of the most heartbreaking and moving things I saw on television all year, and I thought that finale was fantastic.

[FilmTVGeek80]

 

 

My frustration is that every category is this way.

5 in a row for Modern Family

4 out of the last 5 for Jim Parsons

the last 3 for Julia Louis-Dreyfus

the last 2 for Breaking Bad

It makes them meaningless because there is no way that this many shows and actors hold up year after year to be superior to everything else.

 

I definitely get the frustration. When I was thinking about all of the awards handed out, other than in the mini-series/movie categories, it was basically a checklist of past winners, even if those winners (like Allison Janney) were for new programs. Even when someone is deserving you do want to see them spread the wealth. I felt that way when Bryan Cranston won his last Emmy, and I wasn't exactly crazy about winning this one either. Feel the same way about Aaron Paul. 

 

A lot of these shows I don't watch. I've only seen one season of BB, but apparently BB is that good and is that superior. I've gotten tired of seeing Jim Parson win every year, but he is a brilliant actor, same goes Julia-Louis Dreyfuss. IMO most of the winners are not undeserving in the least. But it does get boring and predictable to see the same winners all the time. 

 

But like I said I enjoy seeing MF win, just because of how people lose their minds over it.

 

I kind of find the whole True Detective shot itself in the foot and 'how dare it put itself in the drama category' controversy kind of funny. Wasn't the controversy basically the other way around when American Horror Story first came out and submitted itself in the mini-series category? A lot of people said it was just a ploy to avoid the harder drama category. There were many, including myself, who didn't really consider it a mini-series. I still don't. I understand the reasons given for why AHS is put in the mini-series category, but this is probably a case of me being really old school and considering a mini-series one of those one time only event series, like North & South from years ago, or Bonnie & Clyde this year. So I really have no problem with TD submitting as a drama. Really, it's the Academy's own fault for not having hard and fast rules about this stuff.

 

What I find way more strange is Sherlock being in the TV movie category. I'm sure it was in the same category for the last series but I might have found it more jarring when I saw that Luther was in the mini-series category. I just recently watched that show and its format is very similar to Sherlock. The only difference is Luther's episodes are usually an hour or less. Is there some rule because of Sherlock's usually hour and a half running time, it can't submit in mini-series? And do they only choose one episode per season to represent the whole show?

[nowandlater]

This was the first year I watched the show on DVR (though I caught up by the end). I saw most of the bits, could be selective with speeches, and it took way less time to get through.  I highly recommend it.

 

This was the first year I didn't watch directly in front of my TV. But I would love, love, love to watch on DVR time. But -- to me -- an essential part of the watching experience is Twitter (and, to a certain extent, live blogs). And there are like 150 tweets an hour during the Emmys on my Twitter feed. I didn't actually glue myself to Twitter. I would check it every half hour. But rather than take my laptop to near the TV screen and watch. I sat about 10 feet away on my desktop computer observing Twitter and live blogs (and this thread) while glancing at the broadcast out of the corner of my eye. I would, though, pause the DVR and go to the TV screen when I wanted to watch/rewatch something up close.

 

Bryan Cranston (who had not won an acting Emmy since 2010) won again because he was smart and submitted the right episode.  "Ozymandias" was stunningly good.  If he had selected the Breaking Bad finale episode, "Felina," I think he might have lost out to Matthew.  The fact is that "Ozymandias" was a stellar piece of work -- for Bryan, for Anna Gunn and for Aaron Paul (although Aaron submitted a different episode for his acting performance), as well as for Moira Walley-Beckett, the writer.  I would have been suspicious if that episode had not earned the show some of its final Emmys -- it was that good.

 

Also, last year's eight Breaking Bad episodes were a tour de force of gasp-inducing great television. It was totally deserving. It would be ashame if Breaking Bad ended with only 1 TV series drama win.

[peggy06]

Sherry67, I wholeheartedly agree with your post. It does seem that the Emmy voters often get stuck in a rut, hence the long strings of wins for certain sitcoms and actors, long after the shows ceased to be fresh or to stand out in their categories. In the case of Breaking Bad, it did still stand out. It started strong and ended just as strong. Maybe stronger. I wasn't a fan of splitting the last season, and still feel it would have made a killer single season - though it might have been too hard to take, watching those 16 episodes all in a row. I thought the split season would hurt them at awards time, considering all the buzz around Game of Thrones and, especially, True Detective. But it didn't. And, considering they won three acting awards, the writing award, AND Best Drama award, I don't think it was just voting by rote. And if it was, at least Breaking Bad was a worthy winner in all those categories. Granted that I haven't watched True Detective (I have watched GOT), never has there been a show that I looked forward to all week with anticipation and dread, and watched with my heart in my mouth, the way I watched Breaking Bad.

 

Being a huge fan of Allison Janney as well, I can say that this was an eminently satisfying Emmys for me. Allison Janney is the epitome of smart and classy, and she looked fabulous.

Edited August 26, 2014 by peggy06

[buttersister]

Ozymandias was an amazing piece of work, so hooray for everyone involved.

 

Jimmy Fallon annoys the crap out of me and speaking of someone who needs to make everything about him/her, get Julia Roberts off my TV and keep her off. She feels sorry for everyone who doesn't hug her in the next 10 seconds? Shout-outs to her movie star boyfriends? Drunk and disorderly is more like it. Also, classless and clueless.

 

Biggest disappointment was that neither Benedict nor Martin were there to accept their awards, but aren't they both in rehearsals for Hamlet? Or Hamlet and another Hobbit? Alas.

 

G'night, Seth. You don't need to host again.

[bmoore4026]

Whoever came up with the "Rotating Vergara pedestal" idea needs his ears boxed.

[Hava]

It was so funny/rude/awkward how Julia Roberts went from excitedly shouting Matthew McConaughey and Woodey Harrelson's names to deadpanning Kevin Spacey's name. 

[WendyCR72]

Someone mentioned how it's ridiculous that cable, internet, and broadcast shows now all compete for Emmys. I remember there used to be the Cable ACE awards, but that ended around the late '90s or so. Maybe they should have stuck around.

[Scout Finch]

 

Bryan Cranston (who had not won an acting Emmy since 2010) won again because he was smart and submitted the right episode.  "Ozymandias" was stunningly good.  If he had selected the Breaking Bad finale episode, "Felina," I think he might have lost out to Matthew.  The fact is that "Ozymandias" was a stellar piece of work -- for Bryan, for Anna Gunn and for Aaron Paul (although Aaron submitted a different episode for his acting performance), as well as for Moira Walley-Beckett, the writer.  I would have been suspicious if that episode had not earned the show some of its final Emmys -- it was that good.

 

It's probably the best hour of television I've ever seen. I was a wreck during it because horrible things just kept happening. I'd think, okay, I'm crying about Hank but the rest of the episode will be a little easier to watch. Nope.

 

In a following episode,  Aaron Paul did an absolutely incredible piece of acting as he watched what Todd did to Andrea. There was not one single second that felt false.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Scout Finch

[nowandlater]

Someone mentioned how it's ridiculous that cable, internet, and broadcast shows now all compete for Emmys. I remember there used to be the Cable ACE awards, but that ended around the late '90s or so. Maybe they should have stuck around.

 

Imagine if The Sopranos, Veep, Breaking Bad -- all the great shows, actors and writers from cable -- never won an Emmy because they were relegated to the Cable Ace Awards.

[WendyCR72]

Imagine if The Sopranos, Veep, Breaking Bad -- all the great shows, actors and writers from cable -- never won an Emmy because they were relegated to the Cable Ace Awards.

 

True. I actually agree they are worthy of Emmys. BUT there does seem to be a disparity going on, and one can say broadcast needs to up their quality, which also may be true.

 

But broadcast is beholden to many more regulations and rules than cable is, so in some respects, I understand the mentality that it isn't exactly a fair fight, too.

[nowandlater]

True. I actually agree they are worthy of Emmys. BUT there does seem to be a disparity going on, and one can say broadcast needs to up their quality, which also may be true.

 

But broadcast is beholden to many more regulations and rules than cable is, so in some respects, I understand the mentality that it isn't exactly a fair fight, too.

 

Well, broadcast is starting to ape cable with shorter seasons or "event series."

 

Anna Gunn, for instance, went from Breaking Bad filming 8 episodes in 1 year to Fox's Gracepoint, which is filming 10 episodes in a year.

[truthaboutluv]

My frustration is that every category is this way.

5 in a row for Modern Family

4 out of the last 5 for Jim Parsons

the last 3 for Julia Louis-Dreyfus

the last 2 for Breaking Bad

It makes them meaningless because there is no way that this many shows and actors hold up year after year to be superior to everything else.

 

 

And this is exactly why I look a lot more forward to and enjoy way more the Golden Globes every year because it has far more variety especially because they LOVE celebrating and rewarding freshman shows. One of my all time favorite Golden Globes moments was Keri Russell winning Best Actress in a Drama for Felicity, a show that was on the WB (now known as the CW). The Emmys would never have even nominated that show or really anything on that network and they never will. And speaking of Keri, hell they're not even nominating her now for the brilliant work she does on The Americans - a travesty in my opinion, especially when the likes of Keri Washington gets nominated for that hammy performance she does on Scandal.

 

Deserving winners or not, it is just incredibly boring to watch the same people win YEAR after YEAR. And the tired repetition is also probably the reason you have amazing actors/actresses who did fabulous work on successful shows but never won. See Steve Carrell for example and Jon Hamm seems to be on his way to the same path. It's my fault though because I should have known this would happen once the nominations came out and they turned out to be pretty lackluster - Tatiana Maslany for example getting snubbed AGAIN, WAY too many nominations for Downton Abbey AGAIN, the same faces in many of the categories save for maybe one or two surprises. 

 

As for Modern Family, I'll be honest, I watch the show regularly and it is a good show but I feel like that's just it - it's just good and more importantly, it's safe. It doesn't really deliver anything new or daring or innovative or bold. It's your standard family trope sitcom and in fairness maybe that's exactly it - the voters reward them for consistency. But for me, it's hard to enjoy a show that's merely good, winning five years in a row when there is so much great television out there with so much creativity, daring and wit. 

Edited August 26, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Scout Finch]

I watch both but think that The Middle is much better than Modern Family. Even though I can't relate to it--having never been married or had kids--Sue Heck is such an awesome character, as is Axel.

[Helena Dax]

 

I am real surprised Matt Bomer lost. I did not see The Normal Heart but every person who did raved about him.

He was robbed, imo. 

[roamyn]

I admit it, I was getting saddened by all the big names we lost thus year: Ralph Waite, Bob Hoskins, Lauren Bacall, Shirley Temple, Don Pardo, Sir Peter O'Toole, Mickey Rooney, etc etc (and Sir Richard Attenborough who passed away too late to be included)...

But it took Billy Crystal to put tears im my eyes.

Congratulations Seth for a job well done.

And as much as I love Jim & Bryan Larroquette....er Parsons & Cranston, it's time to let others ahine. And who deems Modern Family the best sitcçm? It's low brow at best (worst).

How did Game of Thrones get shut out?! At the least Peter should've won over Aaron Paul just on virtue of his trial scene. I'll give Best TV Drama to Breaking Bad because its final season was so phenomenal.

Weird Al should be on every awards show. In fact, let's put him on the news. Ricky Gervais, too.

Get fucking douchebag Matthew McConna-whatever OFF MY DAMN SCREEN FOREVER!

Edited August 26, 2014 by roamyn

[mojoween]

The issue I have with Breaking Bad is that IRL, and this just happened yesterday, is that I say I really did not like the series and I get "well how many episodes before you wrote it off?" like it's completely unfathomable that someone could just not like it even after watching ALL the episodes.

Also, I personally find Mad Men and GoT amazing and their constant losses in the Emmy's is sad.

I did not think for one second that Bryan Cranston was going to lose Best Actor to anyone.

I think I am just getting old and cranky but I no longer have patience for inanity. I thought Ty Burrell's and that lady who won for directing's speeches were cringeworthy.

Key and Peele also dragged it out too long but the tall one is very pretty.

[vibeology]

Deserving winners or not, it is just incredibly boring to watch the same people win YEAR after YEAR. And the tired repetition is also probably the reason you have amazing actors/actresses who did fabulous work on successful shows but never won. See Steve Carrell for example and Jon Hamm seems to be on his way to the same path. It's my fault though because I should have known this would happen once the nominations came out and they turned out to be pretty lackluster - Tatiana Maslany for example getting snubbed AGAIN, WAY too many nominations for Downton Abbey AGAIN, the same faces in many of the categories save for maybe one or two surprises. 

 

I should have known the show was going to go with stale and repetitive when the nominations came out. I have no problem with quality winning, but tell me, really that Ty Burrell is the best supporting actor in a comedy? That Downton Abbey isn't just a soap opera with accents? That Homeland didn't fall off the rails? 

 

I don't begrudge BB its wins even though everyone there has won before because the show was better in its last season than it was in any of the seasons before. BB stepped up its game, took creative risks and it paid off. Modern Family is the same thing week after week. Gloria yells, Hayley says something dumb, Cam and Mitchell disagree, rinse and repeat. 

 

Look at the people who weren't nominated this year who received so much praise from critics and fans and its shameful that the Emmys is so out of step. Tatiana Maslany, Nick Offerman, Elisabeth Moss, Keri Russell, Michael Sheen, Matthew Rhys, Hugh Dancy, Mads MIkkelsen, Amy Schumer, Andy Samberg, Jo Lo Truglio, Albert Tsai and Emmy Rossum. When there is so much unrecognized talent out there it sucks watching past winners win again. Did anyone who won in the drama or comedy categories not already have an Emmy for something?

[jah1986]

Well I checked out after Aaron Paul's win, I just can't even hate watch this. It is so disappointing to see the same people win over and over. I'm even including my beloved Amazing Race in this because last season just was not the best they can do and I can't believe no other reality show wasn't better.

 

I don't know what's going on with network shows and Emmy noms other than the perception that cable/streaming shows must be better because their not on network tv.  I don't think nudity, cursing and extreme violence make a show good, it's good writing and acting and that can be on any medium.

[Inquisitionist]

The issue I have with Breaking Bad is that IRL, and this just happened yesterday, is that I say I really did not like the series and I get "well how many episodes before you wrote it off?" like it's completely unfathomable that someone could just not like it even after watching ALL the episodes.

 

I watched the first season, but the extreme violence got to me in S2, and I couldn't continue.  I can see the show's quality and why many people like it, but it's just not for me.

[Constantinople]

This was perhaps the most boring awards show I've ever watched. I don't refer to past winners winning again, but the show itself. On the whole, the routines were not funny. The memorial and the tribute to Robin Williams were done well, but that was about it.

Still, props to the producers for getting this in on time.

 

The issue I have with Breaking Bad is that IRL, and this just happened yesterday, is that I say I really did not like the series and I get "well how many episodes before you wrote it off?" like it's completely unfathomable that someone could just not like it even after watching ALL the episodes.

Also, I personally find Mad Men and GoT amazing and their constant losses in the Emmy's is sad.

Mad Men won Best Drama 3 years in a row which, IMO, is one more time than it deserved and possibly 2, so I'm not feeling too bad for it. And recent seasons have been pretty ugh worthy, to the point where a nomination was as much as it deserved.

If anything, I think Breaking Bad should have won Best Drama for its third and fourth seasons, and not just the last two.

In any case, no one need worry about Breaking Bad winning any more Emmys, but perhaps Better Call Saul will knock Modern Family off of its perch next year.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Constantinople

[stafford]

So Lena Dunham is clearly the "it" girl with her Hollywood gal pals. I assume she is very nice and generous to her friends and seems genuine in her interviews but she had to have know that wearing that dress was going to land her on everyone's worst dress list. I guess in Hollywood it's better to be talked about even in a negative manner then forgotten. Clearly she will never end up on the best dressed list because she isn't a size zero so she goes for the outrageous. Maybe it's her own inside joke?

Speaking of fashion I hate E!'s focus on fashion and not the work. The clutch cam, mani cam, 360 cam and all the other references to jewelry, designers, hair styles really got to me last night. Gulliana inserts herself in any interview almost as much as Al Roker. I say bring Kathy Griffen back on to show the absurdity of the fixation on how one looks and not on what a person does.

And I ask you why is anybody listening to anything Kelly Osbourn says about fashion? She seems to have terrible taste and when she proudly announces that her custom dress took the last five months of sewing (I immediately thought of sweat shops with nine year old girls working on her dress).

I also hate how cruel they will be tonight on Fashion Police to those who didn't "cut" it as if they were terrorists. Crimes against humanity I guess. Give me a fucking break.

[tominboston]

I watch both but think that The Middle is much better than Modern Family. Even though I can't relate to it--having never been married or had kids--Sue Heck is such an awesome character, as is Axel.

 

Total agreement here on The Middle, which deserved at least a nomination for Best Comedy and Eden Sher for Best Supporting Comedy Actress. I guess the show gets ignored by the Emmys because it isn't edgy or controversial enough, but it's one of my two favorite current comedies (along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine).

 

As for the endless repetition of awards for certain shows, I think it's just laziness on the part of voters who don't have the time or the interest to watch all of the submissions each year and so they vote for something familiar.

[RealityCowgirl]

Re the latest E "cam" nonsense:

I was only half-watching but noticed (when I WAS paying attention) that no one knew who "did" their clutch. To a person, they had to yell back to some assistant while the world waited with baited breath - not - for the answer.

A "cam" too far, E. They don't know, and we don't care.

Edited August 26, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[Princess Sparkle]

I just happened to read the other day that Phillip Seymour Hoffman's first screen credit was on an episode of Law and Order (the mothership). He played a teenager accused of gang rape. I think I remember the episode, but the name escapes me at the moment.

It was The Violence of Summer (also one of Gil Bellows first on-screen roles I believe).  He was also nominated for an Emmy.  The person who I had a harder time connecting to a tv show was Paul Walker, because I think of him as strictly a movie actor (not that I'm mad about the inclusion.  Just took me by surprise).

[Inquisitionist]

Mad Men won Best Drama 3 years in a row which, IMO, is one more time than it deserved and possibly 2, so I'm not feeling too bad for it.

 

MM won best drama in each of its first four seasons, all deserved, IMHO.  None of its regular cast members has ever won an individual acting award, however, and that's puzzling indeed.  Thought for sure Hamm would have taken it in S4, when he submitted The Suitcase, and Cranston was not in the running, but Kyle Chandler won instead.

[Hanahope]

I think BB was getting all the love, with Cranston, Paul and Gunn because it was the last season.  I predict that the next Emmy, with Mad Men's last season, it will get the love and Hamm will finally get an Emmy.

 

I agree that while MF is ok, there are several other very good comedies that deserve to get some recognition.  Same with the 'consecutive' wins for the actors.

 

I wonder if George Martin was annoyed that yet another person is bitching at him to write faster.  He's sure getting it from all sides.

 

I see why they had to do the Emmys on a different night than the VMAs, since there was a lot of overlap of attendees/presenters.  Seth's joke about MTV/playing videos and Emmys on network TV with awards to cable was very spot on.

 

Can't wait to see Stephen Colbert report on his win on his show. 

[KerleyQ]

Julia Roberts was obnoxious and tacky.  The way she perked up at reading MM and WH's names on the nominee list and deadpanned everyone else's was just so inappropriate.  I'm sure many of the presenters would have loved to be presenting an award to a friend, but she was the only one who let her disappointment show when the winner was not one of her buddies.  

 

And I just laughed during the red carpet show on E! when they were blathering on about how sweet and wonderful Julia is, when she's pretty well known for being a class A bitch. 

[jjj]

This morning, the tune running through my head is "Have a BACK-up, Have a BACK-up, Have a BACK-up," so thanks for the memory implant, Weird Al!  And I don't even watch GoT!

 

So glad to see the comments here dissing Downton Abbey, and I normally love period dramas from Britain.  But DA seems to think if they have enough pretty, pretty costumes and a lovely manor, we won't notice the flimsy plots or their too-often reach for a convenient death to "write" their way out of a corner.  I stopped watching a season ago. 

[Chaos Theory]

Well what i learned from the Emmys is thst i really do need to watch Sherlock and i am glad i watched Fargo afterall even though i didnt really like the movie.

Go Breaking Bad!!!!

Surprised The Normal Heart didn't make an Emmy run. It really was that good.

Modern Family is overated but i actually like most of the actors so.....ok

Actual emmys better then some. Worse then others. Genuinely inoffensive but lightweight jokes. Still not a bad night.

[Amethyst]

Wish I'd known about this thread yesterday.  This show was so boring.  It just dragged.  The jokes fell flat, there were no real surprises. Count me in with those who are sick of the same people winning over and over.  Jim Parsons...ugh.  Modern Family...double ugh.  Jessica Lange for that AHS mess...no words.  I was ok with Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning because hers is the only show I watched in that category, and this was Cranston's last year, so that was fine.  Anyone but McConaughey.

 

Fashion-wise, just meh.  Lena Dunham looked awful.  The hair, the dress, none of it worked.  Sarah Paulson's wasn't much better. Was it Kate Walsh or Debra Messing who wore a peplum?  Ugh.  I have yet to see anyone successfully rock one.  Peplums need to go away.

 

But Uzo Aduba's dress?  Gorgeous.  The color, the way it drifted to the bottom?  Now, that was a dress.  She nailed it.  Best one of the night, IMO.

 

Awards shows have really gone downhill, so I was happy that Sarah Silverman won Best Variety Special.  The others are just so dull.

 

Stop making everything about you, Julia Roberts.  Quit demanding hugs and sit your ass down.

[briochetwist]

Well, broadcast is starting to ape cable with shorter seasons or "event series."

 

Anna Gunn, for instance, went from Breaking Bad filming 8 episodes in 1 year to Fox's Gracepoint, which is filming 10 episodes in a year.

 

Gracepoint is based on the British series Broadchurch which was only 8 episodes.  

[KLovestoShop]

Since network TV is under constraints from the FCC, perhaps there needs to be Network Emmys and Cable Emmys.  Cable shows can be more in your face, and therefore they can be edgy and can tackle subjects that network TV cannot, and also edgy performances and performances that would never be allowed on networks are all on cable.  Even if a network show has brilliant writing and acting, they are never acknowledged because Emmy voters are all in love with cable. 

 

Not a fan of Modern Family, but I do love The Middle.  I don't get why Burrell even gets nominated as I don't see his performances as anything special.  JT Ferguson does a better job than Burrell, imho.  And why isn't Patricia Heaton ever nominated?  Is it because of an unwritten Hollywood blacklist because she's conservative and a Republican?  I also don't get this love fest for Jim Parsons, Juliana Margolis and JL Dreyfus---all good performers, but nothing truly special.  

 

Loved the Kathy Bates and Jessica Lang wins.  American Horror Story is an amazing bit of writing and acting.  And why does Kerry Washington always get nominated but never a win?  She's excellent.  

[anyanka323]

HBO did not have a good night.  Julia Louis-Dreyfrus, Normal Heart, and Cary Fukunaga were the only wins from the primetime broadcast.  Game of Thrones got shut out, something I was expecting.  I didn't expect Lena Headey to win - next year is probably her best chance if Cersei's big scene goes over well with Emmy voters and Peter Dinklage lost to a very deserving Aaron Paul.  I wasn't a fan of HBO putting True Detective in drama series and was very pleased in backfired on them with no acting wins and losing to Breaking Bad in series.  I wonder if True Detective had stayed in miniseries if it would have won.

 

I'm also on the Downton Abbey is insufferable and overrated train.  Just because it's British, doesn't mean it's good TV.  There's as much dreck produced in the UK as there is in the US.  The acting nominations in particular are frustrating when none of the soap operish shows on network TV (Revenge, Gossip Girl, the OC) got nominations.  It's sad when Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Leighton Meister, and Ben McKenzie all have done better work than most of the nominated actors from Downton and never got nominated.  McKenzie did the grieving spouse/partner better than Michelle Dockery IMO. 

[truthaboutluv]

MM won best drama in each of its first four seasons, all deserved, IMHO.  None of its regular cast members has ever won an individual acting award, however, and that's puzzling indeed.

 

 

And interestingly, that was the opposite of Breaking Bad - Bryan  Cranston and Aaron Paul were being rewarded but the show didn't win Best Drama until last year.

 

Even if a network show has brilliant writing and acting, they are never acknowledged because Emmy voters are all in love with cable.

 

 

Well that is clearly not the case in the Comedy categories - see the repeated wins of Parsons and the Modern Family cast and crew. 

[QuinnM]

Aaron Paul (although Aaron submitted a different episode for his acting performance)

AARRRGGGHH, I keep reading this but no one tells me what he submitted. Yes, I've googled it. No luck. Does anyone know the episode? Doesn't surprise me that Ozymandias won it for so many.

[Shermie]

What a dull show. Even Weird Al's song - which had some funny moments - was lacklustre and toneless. 

 

I like Julianne Margulis, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Jim Parsons, so were okay with their wins, although I'm sure Parsons could step aside at this point. JM had a great year on TGW, so well-deserved, and it was nice to see some network love. I enjoy Modern Family for a few laughs, but it is getting stale and this was not its best year - definitely not Emmy-worthy. I agree that Eden Sher at least needs a nomination.

 

It's impossible to watch everything, and you can't get a handle on a show's quality or actor's performance by watching one submitted episode (assuming Emmy voters actually watch all the submitted shows, which I doubt).

 

I think they look at their ballots and think, "Oh yeah, everybody was talking about The Good Wife and how shocking it was this year, so it must have been really good." Check!  "Hmmmm, comedy. I don't watch these shows, but Modern Family has so many acting nominations, it must be really good." Check! And so on. 

 

Not that I think all Emmy voters are mindless drones, but clearly many are. And not that I think that just because I don't care for a certain show that it doesn't deserve awards, either. It just seems pretty common consensus that there are too many snubs, too many same-o noms, too many repeat awards, not enough variety - something has to change.

 

As for the show itself, it's ridiculous that they let the early winners prattle on and on and then rush the big winners at the end so they can end on time. Is it fair to think best drama actor should get to talk longer than best supporting actor in a mini-series? Yeah, I think it is. Or maybe they should have been quicker on the piano-playout on the early winners' speeches.

[thuganomics85]

 

AARRRGGGHH, I keep reading this but no one tells me what he submitted. Yes, I've googled it. No luck. Does anyone know the episode? Doesn't surprise me that Ozymandias won it for so many.

On Golden Derby, it says  that Aaron Paul submitted "Confessions" for his category.  Probably was the right move.  It allowed Aaron to have a lot of quite moments, but when he finds out about Walt poisoning Brock, he got to do all the big dramatic, yelling, angry scenes, as well.  I'm sure voters loved it.  Not sure Saul Goodman did (Jesse took out a lot his anger on him)!

[ebk57]

The Washington Post's TV critic solves the Emmy problems!  Or something...

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/08/26/all-those-jokes-about-cable-vs-streaming-make-me-think-it-really-is-time-for-some-emmy-reform/?hpid=z2

[Constantinople]

MM won best drama in each of its first four seasons, all deserved, IMHO.

Thanks for the correction, but we'll just have to agree to disagree about whether they're all deserved. 4 Best Dramas make me even less inclined fret over MM's recent Emmy shutouts, particularly since MM has won Best Drama 2x as many times as Breaking Bad.

 

 

I wonder if George Martin was annoyed that yet another person is bitching at him to write faster.  He's sure getting it from all sides.

If so, the solution is within his control.

 

 

I'm also on the Downton Abbey is insufferable and overrated train.  Just because it's British, doesn't mean it's good TV.  There's as much dreck produced in the UK as there is in the US.  The acting nominations in particular are frustrating when none of the soap operish shows on network TV (Revenge, Gossip Girl, the OC) got nominations.  It's sad when Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Leighton Meister, and Ben McKenzie all have done better work than most of the nominated actors from Downton and never got nominated.  McKenzie did the grieving spouse/partner better than Michelle Dockery IMO.

That may be, but I suspect Ben McKenzie wasn't eligible for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series.

[mojoween]

I unabashedly like "Silicon Valley" and wanted "The Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency" to win SO BAD. I haven't laughed that hard in a loooong time.

I also still love TBBT, have since the first ep regardless of its faults so I'm ok with Jim's win. Apparently I'm fickle when it comes to shows I like.

[aradia22]

 

 

This was perhaps the most boring awards show I've ever watched. I don't refer to past winners winning again, but the show itself. On the whole, the routines were not funny. The memorial and the tribute to Robin Williams were done well, but that was about it.

Still, props to the producers for getting this in on time.

I think Seth was fine as a host. And by that I mean not great not terrible. Really not enough of anything to make an impression. Some of the segments like Billy on the Street were cute. None of the banter or skits that the presenters engaged in were truly painful. Basically, I've seen worse. Anne Hathaway/James Franco? I think Melissa McCarthy/Will Ferrell stand out as a bad presenting duo but I may be getting the people mixed up. I'd actually say Seth did better than Ellen at the Oscars because he wasn't trying that hard. I think the longest bit he had on stage was that thing with him and Amy riffing on McConnaughey's and Harrelson's names and that wasn't too bad. I personally didn't enjoy the Q&A but I think it just fell flat. It was otherwise relatively painless. So yeah, if you can't knock it out of the park at least be comfortably bland and keep things going at at a good pace.

 

Of course, it may have helped that I was on here snarking with you guys. I find awards shows go faster that way.

 

I also agree that Brooklyn Nine Nine deserved to be nominated. It's one of those shows where you forget how good it is until you start watching again and it's so funny. All the Downton Abbey hate makes me a little sad because I'm waiting for it to be over so I can binge watch it and admire all the costumes. Then again, soap opera has never been an evil phrase for me. 

 

As for the E! coverage, I just wish they were better at it after all this time. I really only care about the fashion since I know they're terrible interviewers. So trot them onto the platform, let them show off all their fashion, congratulate them on their work (what they're nominated for) or any developments (new movie, baby, marriage, new house, etc.) in their life that you know because you stalk them and then send them on their way. What annoys me is that they're terrible at interviewing and they make Sofia Vergara talk about the guy she's been dating for two months (I know his name I just don't want to try and spell it) and then try to talk to the guys about their work because their fashion is really boring because most of the guys show up in the same bland Armani tuxes. I only care about the fashion. Just keep it quick so you can get everyone in and out of the booth. 

[Inquisitionist]

I think they look at their ballots and think, "Oh yeah, everybody was talking about The Good Wife and how shocking it was this year, so it must have been really good."

 

The Emmy voting process is quite different from the Oscars. Not every ATAS member votes for every category; in fact, they are limited to five categories.  Here are some interesting articles (one, two, three) about the procedures.  Notice that voters have to sign an affidavit saying they have watched the Emmy screeners with the nominated episodes/performances in the category(ies) they are judging.  No doubt, some people lie, but I get the sense that most voters take that responsibility rather seriously.

 

ETA:  Just found this on the Emmy web-site:

 

Television Academy members apply to serve on panels.  The Awards Department carefully selects the volunteers to avoid conflicts of interest.

 

I have often wondered if this means that, e.g., actors cannot vote in their own categories or in any categories in which their program competes.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Inquisitionist

[merylinkid]

So basically  it is like Homeowner's Association Boards.   You get the type of people who like to serve on panels.   And you see how well that works with HOAs.  

[Inquisitionist]

And with the Oscars, you get voters who give their ballots to their gardeners or grandchildren to fill out.  No system is perfect.  Groups that don't like the Emmy outcomes can give their own awards, e.g., Television Critics Awards, People's Choice Awards.

[photo fox]

Besides being miffed at all the not-that-deserving repeat winners, the show itself was just boring, IMO.  When the two biggest moments of the night are the (admittedly touching) memorium and a bit about a sitcom from two decades ago, you've got a problem.

 

I thought Seth Meyers was fine in that he didn't try to make the night be all about himself (hello, Julia Roberts!), but he didn't really add anything, either.  Of course, that's also my impression of him on Late Night.

[jjj]

This morning, it occurred to me that there should be a recognition of characters who have been killed off.  Not in any way to disrespect "In Memoriam," but to note that characters we are attached to, are no longer with us.  "Look Who's Gone!"  Of course, it would be dominated by Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, with a sprinkling of Good Wife, but would provide some onstage presence for Downton Abbey.   And no intrusion of "Modern Family," so everyone wins.