Five freshman dramas earned nominations Thursday for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, but among the surprises were many snubs.
Below you will find my list of snubs and surprises, which means some of your snubs will not be on the list. The lack of “Girls” nominations, for example, doesn’t phase me; not a favorite of mine.
Please leave your snubs and surprises in the comments. Here is a list of nominations announced Thursday.
Emmy snubs, surprises
Snubs
First off, the late start of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and BBC America’s “Orphan Black” rendered them ineligible, so relax fans of those shows.
- FX’s “Legion” was a mind-bleep like nothing else on TV, and several of its actors (Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza) were worthy of notice.
- Several actors turned in Emmy-worthy performances in AT&T Audience Network’s series “Kingdom,” but were snubbed again.
- Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys of FX’s “The Americans” were nominated, but the show was not.
- Issa Rae, the co-creator and star of HBO’s “Insecure,” and her show were left out of the running.
- “The Good Fight,” airing on CBS All-Access, was overlooked despite how much the Emmys loved its parent, “The Good Wife.” Worse still is the snub of past Emmy winner Christine Baranski.
- Vera Farmiga, aka a personal favorite, was not nominated for her trippy performance in the final season of “Bates Motel.”
- Rupert Friend has been consistently compelling in Showtime’s “Homeland,” especially in the latest season.
- The “Sense8” performances of Brian J. Smith and Doona Bae stand equal to other acting nominees.
Surprises
- Pamela Adlon, star of FX’s “Better Things,” earned a much-deserved acting nomination for the show she created.
- “Westworld” seems to have filled the fantasy/sci-fi spot left open by “Game of Thrones,” earning 22 nominations.
- A resurgent “Saturday Night Live” grabbed 22 nominations, too.
- Butt-baring Milo Ventimiglia earned his first-ever Emmy nod playing super dad in NBC’s “This Is Us.” The show and several of its actors were expected to get nominations, but Ventimiglia’s is a pleasant surprise. Congrats Milo!
- This is just fun: Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are co-nominees as hosts of “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party.”
- Despite the cancellation of ABC’s “American Crime,” Felicity Huffman and Regina King earned nominations for their acting in the excellent series.
Stephen Colbert will host the Sept. 17 Emmy Awards program on CBS.