The Emmy nominations are out now! Let the surprises and snubs begin! Outstanding Drama Series Breaking Bad (AMC) Downton Abbey (PBS) Game of Thrones (HBO) House of Cards (Netflix) Mad Men (AMC) True Detective (HBO) Outstanding Comedy Series The Big Bang Theory (CBS) Louie (FX) [*]Modern Family (ABC) Orange is the New Black (Netflix) Silicon Valley (HBO) Veep (HBO) Outstanding Miniseries American Horror Story: Coven (FX) Bonnie & Clyde (Lifetime) [*]Fargo (FX) Luther (BBC America) The White Queen (Starz) Treme (HBO) Outstanding TV Movie Killing Kennedy (National Geographic) Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (HBO) Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS) [*]The Normal Heart (HBO) The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad Jeff Daniels - The Newsroom Jon Hamm - Mad Men Woody Harrelson - True Detective Matthew McConaughey - True Detective Kevin Spacey - House of Cards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Lizzy Caplan - Masters of Sex Claire Danes - Homeland Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey [*]Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife Kerry Washington - Scandal Robin Wright - House of Cards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Don Cheadle - House of Lies Louis C.K. - Louie Ricky Gervais - Derek Matt LeBlanc - Episodes William H. Macy - Shameless [*]Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Lena Dunham - Girls Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie [*]Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Veep Melissa McCarthy - Mike & Molly Amy Poehler - Parks & Recreation Taylor Schilling - Orange is the New Black Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Jim Carter - Downton Abbey Josh Charles - The Good Wife Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones Mandy Pantikin - Homeland [*]Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad Jon Voight - Ray Donovan Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Christine Baranski - The Good Wife Joanne Froggatt - Downton Abbey [*]Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad Lena Headey - Game of Thrones Christina Hendricks - Mad Men Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Fred Armisen - Portlandia Andre Braugher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine [*]Ty Burrell - Modern Family Adam Driver - Girls Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family Tony Hale - Veep Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory Julie Bowen - Modern Family Anna Chlumsky - Veep [*]Allison Janney - Mom Kate McKinnon - SNL Kate Mulgrew - Orange is the New Black The rest of the nominees can be found here: http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners
Outstanding Variety Series The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) Saturday Night Live (NBC) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) Outstanding Reality Competition Program The Amazing Race (CBS) Dancing with the Stars (ABC) Project Runway (Lifetime) So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) Top Chef (Bravo) The Voice (NBC) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Benedict Cumberbatch - Sherlock Chiwetel Ejoifor - Dancing on the Edge Idris Elba - Luther Martin Freeman - Fargo Mark Ruffalo - The Normal Heart Billy Bob Thornton - Fargo Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Helena Bonham Carter - Burton & Taylor Minnie Driver - Return to Zero Jessica Lange - American Horror Story: Coven Sarah Paulson - American Horror Story: Coven Cicely Tyson - The Trip to Bountiful Kristen Wiig - The Spoils of Babylon Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Matt Bomer - The Normal Heart Martin Freeman - Sherlock Colin Hanks - Fargo Joe Mantello - The Normal Heart Alfred Molina - The Normal Heart Jim Parsons - The Normal Heart Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Angela Bassett - American Horror Story: Coven Kathy Bates - American Horror Story: Coven Ellen Burstyn - Flowers in the Attic Frances Conroy - American Horror Story: Coven Julia Roberts - The Normal Heart Allison Tolman - Fargo Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series David Benioff & D.B. Weiss - "The Children" - Game of Thrones Vince Gilligan - "Felina" - Breaking Bad Nic Pizzolatto - "The Secret Fate of All Life" - True Detective Moira Walley-Beckett - "Ozymandias" - Breaking Bad Beau Willimon - "Chapter 14" - House of Cards Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Alec Berg - "Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency" - Silicon Valley Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche - "Special Relationship" - Veep Louis C.K. - "So Did the Fat Lady" - Louie David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik - "Episode Five" - Episodes Liz Friedman & Jenji Kohan - "I Wasn't Ready" - Orange is the New Black Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Neil Cross - Luther Noah Hawley - "The Crocodile's Dilemma" - Fargo Larry Kramer - The Normal Heart Steven Moffat - "His Last Vow" - Sherlock Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk - "Bitchcraft" - American Horror Story: Coven David Simon & Eric Overmyer - "...To Miss New Orleans" - Treme Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series David Evans - "Episode One" - Downton Abbey Carl Franklin - "Episode 14" - House of Cards Cary Joji Fukunaga - "Who Goes There" - True Detective Vince Gilligan - "Felina" - Breaking Bad Neil Marshall - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Game of Thrones Tim Van Patten - "Farewell Daddy Blues" - Boardwalk Empire Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Paris Barclay - "100" - Glee Louis C.K. - "Elevator, Part 6" - Louie Jodie Foster - "Lesbian Request Denied" - Orange is the New Black Mike Judge - "Minimum Viable Product" - Silicon Valley Iain B. MacDonald - "Episode Nine" - Episodes Gail Mancuso - "Las Vegas" - Modern Family Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Adam Bernstein - "The Crocodile Dilemma" - Fargo Colin Bucksey - "Buridan's Ass" - Fargo Stephen Frears - Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight Alfonso Gomez-Rejon - "Bitchcraft" - American Horror Story: Coven Nick Hurran - "His Last Vow" - Sherlock Ryan Murphy - The Normal Heart Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Rob Ashford & Beth McCarthy-Miller - The Sound of Music Live! Gregg Gelfand - The Beatles: The Night That Changed America Hamish Hamilton - 86th Academy Awards Louis J. Horvitz - The Kennedy Center Honors James Lapine - Six by Sondheim Gregg Weiss - 67th Tony Awards
Billy Bob Thornton should've won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries. Lorne Malvo is just simply one of the best TV villains ever; mostly thanks to his incredible acting and portrayal of the role.
I love Breaking Bad. I'm one of those people that has the series memorized after binging it tons of times front to back and knows all the different philosophical/visual theories attributed to the show. I have analyzed the characters to death. Season 5b did NOT deserve the accolades over True Detective. The last 8 episodes of Breaking Bad were safe. They almost felt like fan fiction at times, especially the finale episode. Breaking Bad did not get to be known as one of the greatest TV shows of all time by playing it safe. A safe ending made sure to not offend most viewers, but the series ended on a bit of a bland note. Jesse's role mostly gets reduced to weird emotional torture porn. Walt gets just what he wants in the end. There were no interesting visual motifs like the ones that the series became known for (pink bear, the fly, etc). In interviews after, the writers expressed some regret regarding the season 5 flash forwards (Dennys, ricin), because when they wrote and filmed those flash forwards they didn't know what they were leading to. They put themselves in too small of a box, and were too worried about tying up loose ends. They sacrificed interesting for fan service. True Detective, weirdly enough, also had an ending that was a bit more "conventional" than the episodes preceding it would have predicted. But the surprising optimism of the last episode was almost another way of keeping the fans on their toes like the other 7 episodes did. The visual beauty, the philosophy, the acting, the references to old "weird fiction," it was all just fantastic. It was kind of a shame to see it lose, even to a show I, overall, love more.