The 2015 Emmy nominations were released Thursday with expanded nominees in the major categories — but, in several cases, it just looked like the TV Academy was slumming to fill these extra slots.
Let’s start with Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. They’re still nominating Amy Poehler, even though she’s never won and her series, NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” is OVER. And Lisa Kudrow? Aside from some nostalgic journalists who remember her in her prime on “Friends,” no one — not even Emmy voters — has ever seen Kudrow in HBO’s “The Comeback.” As for Lily Tomlin, it’s another nostalgia vote. God love her, but her Neflix show, “Grace and Frankie,” is appallingly unfunny.
Moving on to Lead Actor in a Drama Series. For several years now, Matthew Rhys has been overlooked for his fine work on “The Americans.” So, whom do they nominate instead? Jeff Daniels from “The Newsroom” — another low-rated show no one watches anymore (it’s also gone). And Rhys is certainly a better actor than the overhyped Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), who’s only here because Emmy voters still suffer from “Breaking Bad” Separation Anxiety. Ditto the show’s nomination for Best Drama Series over “The Americans.”
It was a big day for “House of Cards,” which received nominations in many categories, even though most people agree it was far from the series’ best season. Ditto Tatiana Maslany, who was finally nominated for her work in BBC America’s “Orphan Black,” even though the show has gone off the rails. Had Emmy voters been paying attention three years ago — when this show was really exciting and her work was first recognized — Maslany’s nomination would make sense.
The most egregious nomination? The dreadful “Grace of Monaco,” starring Nicole Kidman, for Outstanding Television Movie. It’s a film best watched with the sound off. There’s a reason it took several years for the movie to make it onto Lifetime.
The most egregious omission is “The Affair.” This fine Showtime drama should have been nominated in several categories, and the series and star Ruth Wilson won a Golden Globe in January. By the time the Emmy voters catch up to her, as they have with Maslany, the show will be in its third season and won’t be as good. Wilson could have easily taken the place of Claire Danes of “Homeland.” Talk about a show no one cares about anymore.
The funniest category? Outstanding Variety Talk Series. Basically, anybody who has a talk show was nominated: Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Letterman, Stewart and the one new guy, John Oliver. Where’s the punch line to this joke?
And I can now proclaim that “Girls” is officially over. Aside from minor acting nominations for Adam Driver and Gaby Hoffmann, the show was ignored — and rightfully so. Amy Schumer, with four nominations, including Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, has officially supplanted Lena Dunham as the go-to hip, funny girl on TV.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) and “Modern Family” deserve their own categories at this point. Stop torturing their competition because they’re not going to win.
Other mysterious nominations include Will Forte in “The Last Man on Earth” (Fox) and Emilia Clarke in “Game of Thrones.” And why, exactly, are there eight nominees for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series?
It was a very good day for first-time nominees Anthony Anderson of “Black-ish,” Khandi Alexander of “Scandal,” Taraji P. Henson of “Empire” (just give it to her already), Michael Kelly of “House of Cards,” Ben Mendelsohn of “Bloodline,” Niecy Nash of “Getting On” and Finn Wittrock of “American Horror Story: Freak Show.”
It was also a very good day for the limited series “American Crime,” which premiered in late spring and seemingly fell under the radar. A first-rate cast led by Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton may very well sneak past category favorite “Olive Kitteridge” to nab several statuettes.
The Emmys are always a mixed bag, with newcomers having a tough time making inroads while entrenched favorites cling to their categories like barnacles to slimy rocks. And the Emmy voters favor the California performers over the New York performers, for sure.
We’ll see how it all shakes out on Sunday, Sept. 20, on Fox. Your host is Andy Samberg of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
Let the games begin.