2015 Emmy Snubs: 11 Shows That Should Have Been Nominated
THE AMERICANS
: This was the best season of one of the best series on television. Good on the Academy for nominating Margo Martindale for Guest Actress in a Drama and the outstanding "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" episode for Writing. But to continue to ignore the performances of Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys (the latter for Jeff Daniels?!) borders on criminal, and the series as a whole deserved one of those Best Drama slots. What other show can deliver an impromptu-oral-surgery scene that is tender, a little sexy, and horrifying, all at the same time?
GINA RODRIGUEZ (JANE THE VIRGIN):
A nod for JANE in the Best Comedy category was probably a long shot anyway. There was so much buzz surrounding Rodriguez after her Golden Globe win, though, that it really seemed she might get into the Best Actress in a Comedy club. JANE doesn't work without the grounded Rodriguez at its center.
EMPIRE: Popularity is not always a barometer for quality, but it is odd to shut the biggest, hottest new drama of the year out of the Best Drama category. Especially when something as staid and stale as DOWNTON ABBEY still worms its way in. Just as baffling: “Drip Drop” not being included in the Original Music/Lyrics category. Or any of the other songs from EMPIRE, really; take your pick, they’re pretty much all fantastic.
JUSTIFIED:
FX's modern Western finished its sixth and final season with a near-perfect run, and yet: bupkis. Walton Goggins' performance—by turns electrifying and deeply moving—goes unrecognized. Ditto Timothy Olyphant. No writing nominations to praise one of the few shows to nail the tone of the South without ever coming off as condescending (and staying true to Elmore Leonard's style, to boot). Absurd.
PENNY DREADFUL: With all the love heaped upon various other Showtime series, one would think PENNY would have at least scored a Best Costume nod, not only for the design, but for the fact that they probably have to make dozens of each piece, with all the gore that gets thrown around. They’re also absent from the Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) category, but don’t worry, they’re there in the Prosthetic one, at least. Oh, yeah: Eva Green deserved one of those Best Actress slots.
JULIE CHEN: What, no one at the Academy watches BIG BROTHER? You try making sense of the insanity that is full-grown adults playing bizarre games and scheming, three times a week, every single summer. Not as easy as you might think. She should’ve had a spot among the Reality Hosts.
2015 Emmy Nominations
- Who got a nod and what they had to say about it
- Critic’s Take: Nomination highs and lows
- Emmy Oddities: 14 things you didn’t know
- Full coverage
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services