THE USUAL SUSPECTS
With TV more diverse than ever, why do nominations for Emmy Awards look so familiar?
After a television season celebrated for diversity and exciting newcomers, the 2015 Emmy Award nominations ... look a lot like last year. And the year before that.
HBO’s hugely popular fantasy epic Game of Thrones racked up 24 nominations, the most of any show.
FX’s perennial hit American Horror Story: Freak Show landed close behind with 19 nods. ABC’s Modern Family and HBO’s Veep remain comedy favourites.
The final season of AMC’s sleek, exhausting Mad Men was rewarded with 11 nominations, tying Netflix favourite House of Cards and Amazon’s groundbreaking new series Transparent, which stars Jeffrey Tambor as a transgender woman.
Transparent was one of the freshman shows that made an impressive showing, along with Better Call Saul. Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the Tina Fey comedy originally slated for NBC, landed seven nods, mostly in the acting categories. And PBS’s new Wolf Hall garnered an impressive eight nominations.
But what about the slate of diverse shows that caused some serious reflection in the TV industry this past year as buzzy shows like Empire, Jane the Virgin, Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat and How to Get Away With Murder took off?
Empire star Taraji P. Henson got her expected drama actress nomination, joined by Viola Davis of How to Get Away With Murder, marking the first time two black women have ever been nominated in the category.
Anthony Anderson got a comedy actor nod for Black-ish.
Otherwise, the shows were largely shut out, and many fans were not pleased that Henson’s hip-hop drama — which shattered ratings records — was snubbed for best drama.
For what it’s worth, the Emmys ( known as the slowest of all award shows to recognize change), will pretty much always favour veteran shows and familiar names over newcomers — even with the deafening volume of social media attention and critical acclaim.
Case in point: Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany, who has dazzled audiences on BBC America’s niche clone conspiracy show Orphan Black, finally landed a nomination that (for many critics), comes about two years past its due.
Plus, the academy showed it doesn’t completely ignore all buzz: Amy Schumer, the comic who rocketed to movie stardom this past year, got a spot in the best comedy actress category (even though her Comedy Central show, Inside Amy Schumer, is technically considered a variety sketch show), alongside regulars Julia Louis- Dreyfus ( Veep); Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie); Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation); Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback); and Lily Tomlin (Netflix’s new Grace & Frankie).
Tomlin’s nod was just one of the 34 nominations earned by Netflix, still, no network can stack up to HBO, dominating with 126 nominations. Critically adored miniseries Olive Kitteridge nabbed an impressive 13 nominees, followed by TV movie Bessie, starring Queen Latifah, which landed 12. The final season of Boardwalk Empire netted 10 nods. The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst, the network’s documentary known for its newsworthy stunner that may have resulted in its subject going to jail, was rewarded with six nominations.