Emmy Nominations 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 9:01AM 
Mad Men, The Film Experience's favorite show for five years running, and American Horror Story -- cheating with a "miniseries" categorization (like Downton Abbey in its debut year) -- led the nominations with 17 a piece.
The Emmys seem to be over genre shows... or perhaps American Horror Story and Game of Thrones hogged too much attention for the wealth to be spread. True Blood and Teen Wolf scored 0 nominations between them (and to think True Blood once was a nominee for "Best Drama Series") and The Walking Dead and Ocne Upon a Time scored only 3 nods apiece. Dexter somehow managed to keep Michael C Hall nominated for a really terrible season despite earning no other nominations.
- Boardwalk Empire (not my cuppa)
- Breaking Bad (the show I feel guiltiest about missing year after year)
- Downton Abbey (bliss. I'd be happy to see this win)
- Game of Thrones (wildly overrated)
- Homeland (so much better than I expected. a worthy nominee.)
- Mad Men (still the best show on television - my vote)
Snubbed Entirely and Not Just Here: REVENGE. How weird is that given the impact it made as a new show? It's the best nighttime soap since Dynasty. Respect!
- The Big Bang Theory (laugh track.noooooo)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (still. really?)
- Girls (yay! so individualistic)
- Modern Family (still funny. but not as strong as parks & recreation)
- 30 Rock (still hilarious. but not as strong as parks & recreation)
- Veep (often funny. but not as strong as parks & recreation which also lampoons government)
Snubbed: You guessed it!
"We demand a recount"
And the rest of the nominations play like those are the only 12 series the voters watch, if you ask me!
MORE after the jump including THREE UNFORGIVABLE SNUBS
- Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
- Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
- Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
- Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
- Jon Hamm (Mad Men) -my vote
- Damien Lewis (Homeland)
I think Michael C Hall is brilliant as Dexter but his best seasons are behind him and he's not finding anything new in the role at this point. Time to move on. Jon Hamm needs to win but never shall. (sigh)
- Kathy Bates (Harry's Law)
- Glenn Close (Damages)
- Claire Danes (Homeland) - my vote
- Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)
- Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
- Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Kathy Bates and Glenn Close. Love those ladies but one of them is phoning it in this time and the other one has played the character too long. Always pulling for Regina King to make a dent here for Southland but she won't.
Happiest surprise: Michelle Dockery has a tricky part that could be played with one note. She finds multiple variations.
UNFORGIVABLE SNUB #2: Madeleine Stowe not nominated for Revenge on which she is delicious and brilliant and riveting with every eye flicker and line reading.
Best Supporting Actress, Drama
- Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
- Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
- Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) -my vote if Christina Hendricks weren't around
- Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
- Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
- Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) - my vote
SNUBBED: Anjelica Huston (Smash)
Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Sibel Kekilli (who I ♥) and the great Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
- Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
- Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad)
- Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey)
- Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
- Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) - my vote and really he makes everyone think the show is better than it is.
- Jared Harris (Mad Men)
Best Guest Actress, Drama
- Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife)
- Loretta Devine (Grey's Anatomy)
- Jean Smart (Harry's Law)
- Julia Ormond (Mad Men) - the first time I've ever really dug her as an actor. she's just terrific on this show and I hope she's around next season.
- Joan Cusack (Shameless) -my vote. love love love her on this show.
- Uma Thurman (Smash) -yay!
Best Guest Actor, Drama
- Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad)
- Dylan Baker (The Good Wife)
- Michael J Fox (The Good Wife)
- Jeremy Davies (Justified)
- Ben Feldman (Mad Men)
- Jason Ritter (Parenthood) -nice surprise. he's so sweet on this show
- Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
- Don Cheadle (Luck)
- Louis CK (Louis) -my vote though the lineup is uninspiring
- Jon Cryer (Two and Half Men)
- Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
- Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory)
yawn. Seriously who is Jon Cryer blowing to get nominated without fail every single year? Sorry to be crass but seriously? Snubbed: Garrett Dillahunt on Raising Hope.
- Zooey Deschanel (The New Girl)
- Lena Dunham (Girls)
- Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
- Tina Fey (30 Rock)
- Julia Louis Dreyfuss (Veep)
- Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
- Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation) -my vote
Good lineup. But SEVEN NOMINEES?
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
- Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
- Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives)
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
- Merrit Wever (Nurse Jackie) - my vote
- Kristen Wiig (SNL)
UNFORGIVABLE SNUB #1: Jane Krakowski for arguably her all time best season on 30 Rock. The Emmys suck
Oh, Schmidt!Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
- Ed O'Neill (Modern Family)
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
- Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
- Erin Stonestreet (Modern Family)
- Max Greenfield (The New Girl) -my vote
- Bill Hader (SNL)
SNUBBED AGAIN: Adam Scott and Nick Offerman from Parks & Recreation who are both doing truly outstanding work.
Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy
- Dot Marie Jones (Glee)
- Maya Rudolph (SNL)
- Melissa McCarthy (SNL)
- Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock)
- Margaret Cho (30 Rock)
- Kathy Bates (Two and a Half Men)
Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy
- Michael J Fox (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
- Greg Kinnear (Modern Family)
- Bobby Cannavale (Nurse Jackie)
- Jimmy Fallon (SNL)
- Will Arnett (30 Rock)
- Jon Hamm (30 Rock)
Can't say I'm qualified to vote on the guest categories though I did love Kinnear on Modern Family. And for a second I thought Cannavale was nominated for his angry clown gig on Modern Family, too. But no. Nurse Jackie.
Best Miniseries/TV Movie
- American Horror Story
- Game Change
- Hatfields and McCoys
- Hemingway and Gelhorn
- Luther
- Sherlock
Best Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie - THIS IS THE ONE. SO MANY FAVORITES
- The Underappreciated Connie Britton (American Horror Story)
- God (Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in Game Change) -we'll finally get to see Julianne Moore receive an award on network television. It just never happens.
- #KIDMANIAFOREVER (Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn in Hemingway & Gelhorn)
- Ashley Judd (Missing)
- The One and Only Emma Thompson Who Needs To Be In Our Lives More (The Song of Lunch)
Best Actor, Miniseries/TV Movie
- Woody Harrelson (Game Change)
- Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys)
- Bill Paxton (Hatfields & McCoys)
- Clive Owen (Hemingway & Gelhorn)
- Idris Elba (Luther)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia)
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie
- Frances Conroy (American Horror Story)
- Jessica Lange (American Horror Story)
- Sarah Paulson (Game Change) -YES
- Mare Winningham (Hatfields & McCoys)
- Judy Davis (Page Eight)
American Horror Story is a miniseries? Thought it was a plain ol' regular series. Downton Abbey also pulled this trick in its first season.
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Miniseries/TV Movie
- Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story)
- Ed Harris (Game Change)
- Tom Berenger (Hatfields & McCoys)
- David Strathairn (Hemingway & Gelhorn)
- Martin Freeman (Sherlock: A Scandal)
There are millions of other nominations in technical categories and writing and directing and every thing under the sun. It's almost like the Grammys wither overload. You can see all the nominations here.
Outstanding Costumes for a Series
- John Dunn (Boardwalk Empire)
- Gabriella Pescussi (The Borgias)
- Susannah Buxton (Downton Abbey)
- Michele Clapton (Game of Thrones)
- Eduardo Castro (Once Upon a Time)
UNFORGIVABLE SNUB #3: No Janie Bryant for Mad Men. It's utterly shameful that she's lost every year and now this? Basically the costume category is very uninspired this year and went straight for MOST COSTUMES. No Smash or Revenge either? And none of them anywhere to be seen in favor of the straight-up gaudy camp of Once Upon a Time?
Important Notes we didn't cover above... Smash's Joshua Bergasse was nominated for BEST CHOREOGRAPHY for "Let's Be Bad"/"National Passtime"/"Never Met a Wolf" and it damn well better win. Weirdly Smash only got one nomination for ORIGINAL MUSIC & LYRICS for "Let Me Be Your Star" which will compete with "The Heart of Christmas" a title song, "Welcome Back to Hope" from Raising Hope, "It's Not Just For Gays Anymore" from the Tony Awards, and "I Can't Believe I'm Hosting" from the Jason Segel episode of SNL. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY nominations are very strong with Glee's only great episode "Asian F" getting a nomination, Mad Men for "The Phantom" and Pan Am's "Pilot" --loved the bright color of that show -- all in the mix.
30 Rock, Emmy, Game Change, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Smash
Reader Comments (85)
STILL no John Noble! >:(
So happy for Nicole!
And still hoping some recognition to John Noble from FRINGE.
LMAO about Cryer comment.
Happiest for: Denis O'Hare & Julianne Moore
I knew it wasn't going to happen, but Courteney Cox still having no Emmy nomination makes me sad every year.
I was really hoping Naya Rivera could sneak in for Glee ... she was the only reason to watch that awful show.
Who actually watched Two and a Half Men? It's horrendously unfunny. And John Cryer is annoying.
Whoever said "Jessica Lange, get that EGOT girl!" she already has an Emmy for Grey Gardens...although it should've been Drew's.
And American Horror Story was eligible for both the Drama Series Category and Miniseries since it changes every season. I think they should've just stuck with Series.
It's going to be really hilarious/sad if there's an upset in Actress-Miniseries/Movie and Moore loses. Everyone is really counting on this to finally be her moment to actually receive an award on television that isn't a Broadcast Critics Award lol.
If Kidman beats her, can they officially become Swank and Bening 2.0 (though of course, Kidman is 10 times the actress that Swank is so it wouldn't be QUITE as tragic)?
Oh God, sammy don't even mention Moore losing. If that happens I really don't know what we'll all do. Go into mourning forever, I suppose. If she can't win an Emmy there's no hope of her winning anything else ever.
Jordan and Sammy, couldn't they both lose since it might go to awards-magnet Lange?
I think I'm probably the happiest about Girls getting recognition because it had such a horrible backlash, and I was sure that the Emmy's would ignore it, because while it was in my personal opinion, the best new show on television last year (yes including Homeland), it's also a show filled with difficult characters. And I've never known the Emmy's to be friends with the younger generations.
Incredibly angry that the only two truly great network shows were snubbed: Parks And Rec and The Good Wife. It hurts me to my core. As does the Ron Swanson snub.
Philip, that was me who was rooting on Jessica Lange for the EGOT. I blame selective memory loss. In my mind, that Emmy went to Drew (GOD, but she was brilliant in Grey Gardens!).
You have dredged up painful memories, sir. PAINFUL.
Hell Yeah! & WTF is wrong with these people? are the only ways I can describe this year nominations
HELL YEAH!:
-Comedy Series: Girls
-Supporting Actor - Comedy: Stefon aka Bill Hader!
-Girls, Community, Louie Parks and Recreation in the writing categories
- Breaking Bad's receiving more love in the acting categories: Anna Gunn, Mark Margolis & Giancarlo Esposito
- Breaking Bad best year in number of nominations (I think so)
- Jared Harris & Ben Feldman nominations
- Mad Men stills reigns
- NO Sue Sylvester
- A new category for best supporting visual effects
INTERESTING
- They really loved Nurse Jackie this season
- They really hated Jeff Probst this season
WTF IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?
- NO Parks and Recreations or Louie
- Melissa McCarthy again?
- NO Nick Offerman 4 seasons in a row
- Downton Abbey in the leading role categories
- HUGH BONNEVILLE???
- MICHAEL C. HALL???
- NO KELSEY GRAMMER???
- I get it, you hate Vincent Kartheiser but no John Slattery? c'mon
- Downton Abbey double dominations in the supporting categories (this is not Gosford Park)
- Shame on you for snubbing Louie Fletcher amazing turn in Shameless
- No Emily Watson
- No Matt Bomer in Glee
- No Mad Men's costume design
- Uma Thurman...
- Half nominations in the Miniseries categories are for canceled series, british series, even american full series but no actual miniseries
Anyway I'm happy for Girls, Louis C.K., Max Greenfield, Bill Hader, Community, Damian Lewis, BREAKING BAD & Ben Feldman even they don't stand a chance but watching Julianne's Moore winning an award is going to be epic
VINCENT KARTHEISER GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR EVERY CATEGORY, MOVIES AND TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Sorry, but I had to scream that really loud.
The lack of Southland nominations is ridiculous - it's the only police-based show worth watching.
Michael Cudlitz and Lucy Liu both gave incredible performances this season.
Also, where are Community and Parks and Rec?
LAURA DERN! LAURA DERN! LAURA DERN! LAURA DERN!
So delighted about many of the nominees--and forlorn for many snubees (or really just Jane Krakowski, who doesn't have an Emmy but JON DUCKIE CRYER does!?)--but I was especially surprised by Julia Ormond's nom. She was absolutely delightful in both of her episodes. Still astounded by the scenes at Don's award ceremony, where she's literally doing quadruple time as she scowls at her husband, knowingly flirts with Don, impatiently sighs at Megan, and makes some serious eyes at Roger. All of this from Julia FUCKING Ormond? The more I linger on her performance, the more impressed by it. She's like a French-Canadian Mrs. Robinson. If someone were to ever remake The Graduate... wait, no, awful idea. But nonetheless: More Julia Ormond please!
I do not watch a lot of tv shows ... do watch Downton Abbey and love everything about it .... also the worst nom for me was Kidman ( a mess of a performance ) so hope Moore wins ... I think she will.
Was Really hoping Happy Endings got something :(
The reason only Let Me Be Your Star was nominated was because the rules stipulated that only one song could be submitted for consideration per composer, so they submitted their best (imo). Touch Me was also eligible (as it was written by Ryan Tedder, not Marc Shaiman), but was thankfully snubbed.
Favourite nomination: Michelle Dockery
Most egregious snub: Mandy Patinkin
Nathaniel, do you watch Damages? No matter how long running that show is, Close did some great work in year four. Especially as the show dived into her emotional relationship with both Ellen, but especially her granddaughter.
Jesus, the Emmys have WAY too mane categories. Why not Best Craft Service or Best Stage Cleaner?
I can't help but chortle at the series-masquerading-as-miniseries phenomenon, which I don't recall happening before Downton Abbey. (The Starter Wife maybe?)
Ashley Judd's Best Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie nomination for a *cancelled* series is the kicker and may be the most brilliant Emmy awards strategy ever. (If your show doesn't get renewed, just pretend it was a limited series only meant to run that number of episodes!)
By the way, if Hamm, Moss and Hendricks submitted The Other Woman as their pièce de résistance of this season, they each should win their respective categories *easily* based on their performances in the last five minutes of that episode *alone*.
JOE -- thanks for the reminder. Mandy Patinkin is great on that
I watch Game of Thrones DESPITE Dinklage's character who annoys the shit out of me. (I don't mind the performance)
I love Lena Headey in that show by the way.
My turn,
1.- You SHOULD watch breaking bad immediately. Mad Men is marvelous but if you watch Bad, you shouldn't considered it the best show on tv.
2.- I hate that Jessica Pare, Laura Dern and Debra Messing were snubbed. Emmys suck!
3.- This season of Downton Abbey doesn't deserved so many nominations. They made it more soap and less risqué. Boring.
4.- I do thing AHS is a miniseries. It ended. Second season will be a whole new story.
Rest my case.
I second everyone urging you to watch Breaking Bad. In my opinion it's not quite as good as Mad Men, since its first season and a half are very good rather than excellent, and it has a lot of trouble with Anna Gunn's character, but Aaron Paul is giving the best performance on television at the moment in my opinion.
Downton Abbey...eurgh. Michelle Dockery and Joanne Froggett are giving good performances, but I honestly thought the second season was just a huge mess, so I don't understand why the Emmy love is this substantial.
I would have liked to see Vincent Kartheiser, Kiernan Shipka, Megan Hilty and Madeleine Stowe get nods, along with Community, Happy Endings and Spartacus get some more love. I'm mildly surprised that, given who they did nominate, that Kerry Washington couldn't get in for Scandal.
I like Game of Thrones very much. I have always liked both medieval stories and medieval history, so this is an easy bait for me. The production is outstanding, visually its beyond stunning, the costumes and locations are a visual dream. The text can be sharp, witty, deep and reflexive all at once. The story is interesting enough. There are some amazing actors delivering really really good performances- Dinklage, Lena Headey (stunningly beautiful and wonderful as Cersei, very unlikable character), Alfie Allen was great as Theon Greyjoy, another extremely unlikable but very layered, complex, complicated and wounded character- Allen was amazing in Season 2.- the young man playing Joffrey (forgot his name), Maisie Williams and others.
But Season 2 was not as good as the almost perfect Season 1. There are like a billion character and at least 694 new characters are introduced every new episode, each story feels disconected to every other-even though they should all be interconected to some degree- and the violence was a bit too much sometimes. There were a few episodes that made me feel nauseated and left me feeling really down.
Blackwater was one of the best hours of tv I have ever seen. I still think the show is very good, but hopefully it will trim a bit of its excesses and be back to season 1 brilliancy.
Homeland and Breaking Bad are great (the others don't really deserve it IMO), but I really want Mad Men to win Emmy #5, just to stick it to all the naysayers who were so critical of this season. This season was pretty near flawless.
I'm really rooting for Amy Poehler and Christina Hendricks, I thought they gave the best performances on tv this season. Hendricks's category is jam-packed, but if someone like Zooey or what'shername from Girls beats Amy, I'll pull my hair out.
I have to laugh at the paucity of nods for Smash and Glee, my favorite shows to hate-watch. I'm sure sometime, someone will create a good musical tv show, but these shows are bad, bad, bad.
In comedy, also sad to see no nods for Happy Endings and the cast, The Middle (surprisingly funny on network TV), and Up All Night.
Homeland was amazing.
I've started Breaking Bad when it first came out, and I have to say it was painful to watch. A month ago, I've started from season 1 again, got through the so-so first season, and wow, the 2nd season is simply amazing, a huge leap. I'm in the middle of season 3 (I don't think it's as strong as season 2 though), and I've found the actors amazing, from Cranston, to Paul, to Gunn, and even Norris (Hank), and of course Esposito.
If you have not watched Breaking Bad (and you REALLY should), none of your drama pics account for anything. Sorry. I watch Mad Men and most of the other shows, but Breaking Bad is by far, hands down, the BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION, bar none. Bryan Cranston has deserved every award he's gotten so far and definitely deserves the one he's going to win in a few months from now ...as do many of the other actors (especially Giancarlo Esposito and Anna Gunn). You owe it to yourself to catch up with this series. Truly. As a lover of cinema and good tv, this series will rock your world.
^ amen
My random guess as to why Jon Cryer keeps getting nominated is that it's not for the performance, but for the stalwart perseverance in working day after day, year after year, with an impossible co-worker in a poisonous workplace, and yet still maintain a professional pleasant outward demeanor. That's acting of another kind, that everyone can empathize with.
I'm so glad the wonderful Damian Lewis has another series.
Any episode of "Park and Recreation" is funnier than the entire season of "Veep".
No! How did this happen to Parks and Rec? Maybe the Academy has never seen the show, because one episode is funnier than the whole season of Girls! I seriously almost chucked my computer when I read this list of nominees, which would not have been good since it would’ve surely hit my boss at Dish square on the head! It’s just that Parks and Rec has that timeless funniness to it that makes even repeat episodes just as hilarious as new ones. Heck, I keep a hoard of past episodes saved on my DVR that I dig into all the time! I’m lucky I have the Hopper DVR that has loads of memory space because I could never choose an episode to delete to make room for new recordings! When a show is funny time after time and season after season, it deserves at least a spot in the nominees for the Outstanding Comedy Series award!