Now that the Emmy semifinalist lists for Supporting Actors and Actresses in dramas have been leaked, it’s time to vent. First, it’s clear there’s no love lost between Lost and the Emmy voters. Yeah, the cast is huge, but seriously, no room on the shortlist for Terry O’Quinn, who won the statuette last year? None for Henry Ian Cusick (upper left), who had the most emotionally satisfying character arc of season 4? None for Yunjin Kim (lower left), who had the most devastating arc? I’m also bummed that Robert Sean Leonard didn’t get noticed for his heartbreaking turn on House (but then, the Emmys have never given the lead actor prize to Hugh Laurie either, incredibly enough). And like Gold Derby’s Tom O’Neil, I’m irked that Friday Night Lights‘ Connie Britton isn’t there, nor January Jones from Mad Men, though her co-star, hot-to-trot office manager Christina Hendricks (lower right), deservingly made the cut. (As O’Neil bluntly puts it: "In: Floozies. Out: Whiny wives with emotional baggage and babies.")
Actually, what’s in, at least on the actress list, is Emmy royalty, women the Academy seems to recognize reflexively because of their pedigrees, regardless of whether they did extraordinary work this year. I enjoyed Rachel Griffiths on Brothers & Sisters and Jill Clayburgh on Dirty Sexy Money, but I’d toss them both overboard without remorse to get Britton or Kim on this list. There’s some of that on the men’s list, too (Shatner? Again? Really?), but I am happy to see Ted Danson (upper right) here for his chilly turn on Damages; Lost-ies Naveen Andrews and Michael Emerson; John Slattery for his Mad Men boss (and not, thankfully, his Desperate Housewives villain); Blair Underwood for his In Treatment patient (and not, thankfully, for his mysterious mogul on DSM); and Jake Weber for his understanding hubby on Medium. (Did I just see Michael Slezak doing a cartwheel past my office?)
Your turn, TV experts: Who are you pleased to see on these lists? Which of your favorites didn’t make the semifinals? (Hey, where’s cuddly Heroes standout Masi Oka?) And what else of interest do these lists reveal? (I’m glad Burn Notice mom Sharon Gless is in the running, but in the dramatic category? If Monk is a comedy, how is BN a drama?) Have at it, below.
I guess I can’t complain about Henry Ian Cusick because there are already two Lost men on the list. But YUNJIN KIM IS ONCE AGAIN LEFT OFF THE LIST? That is a travesty. It’s like the Emmy voters have a spot for only one Asian, and Sandra Oh always fills it, and probably always will. What a shame.
As long as Michael Emerson gets the nomination AND WINS (do you hear me, Emmy overlords?), I’m okay. I’ll never understand all the love for 2 1/2 Men and Boston Legal….
Ah, Nancy beat me to it. Sure, getting nominated is nice, but the fact is that Michael Emerson owns this year. Anything different is a travesty.
I’m crushed about the lack of Connie Britton. I also love January Jones. Sigh.
Yunjin Kim is without a doubt the biggest snub. Terri O’Quinn didn’t have an awesome year, but Yunjin had no less than 3 episodes worthy of nominations. I wonder which she submitted though. Ji Yeon or the finale were both Emmy worthy.
No Henry Ian Cusick? For shame. Each year I think the Emmys can’t disappoint me any further, and then they do just that.
What about Michael K Williams from the Wire. He is the best actors on one of the best TV shows out there.
NO YUNJIN??? what’s this, only one asian per category?
an atrocity!
How could they snub Henry Ian Cusick? Yet another reason why I don’t put serious stock into award shows.
No love for Michael Hogan on Battlestar? For shame, Emmys, for shame.
Every single spot on the Male Supporting list should be filled with a name from the Wire. I am a huge Lost fan and a huge Mad Men fan but not a single other actor on television can top Andre Royo, Wendell Pierce, Clarke Peters, Michael K. Williams, Jamie Hector, Aiden Gillen, Jermaine Crawford, Tristan Wilds, Lance Reddick and Seth Gilliam. Just to name a few.
The omissions of Henry Ian Cusick and Hugh Laurie are a perfect example of why the Emmy’s have zero credibility and nobody watches or cares about them anymore.
James Callis and Edward James Olmos. ‘Nuff said.
These shortlists aren’t great but better than I thought they’d be. I’m actually really happy they picked Hendricks over Jones; Jones’ performance has always been the weakest one in the ensemble whereas Hendricks peeled back the layers beneath her saucy secretary exterior over the course of the season.
I can’t believe Britton didn’t make the cut–did she submit an episode she wasn’t in or something?–but at least they recognizes some performances on shows that i expected the academy to overlook.