Monday, July 22, 2013

Emmy Nominees 2013 (Or "A Parade of Angry GIFs")


Every year, the Emmy nominations prove exactly one thing and one thing only: I can never have too many rage-related GIFs in my collection.

The nominations were announced last week, inciting some glee, but mostly rage from me. I’ve come to expect this each year from the Emmys, so I really shouldn’t be as surprised as I am to find myself writing about how much I loathe hearing the comedy nominations, in particular, read aloud each year. And most years I lament the lack of Community nominations (especially ones for Joel McHale), the lack of The Office or Parks and Recreation acknowledgments and the ovewhelming presence of The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family (shouldn’t we just start calling them Modern Families instead of Emmys?)

But this year was different: this year I was rooting for New Girl, whose second season didn’t suffer through a sophomore slump, but rather rose above every other comedy I watched. The effortless chemistry between all of the cast members, the emotional weight that the writers juggled in this year’s storylines made me appreciate the little sitcom even more than I had during its first season. And truly, New Girl grew leaps and bounds between its first and second seasons, thanks in part to the progression of the Nick/Jess romance. To me (and to Liz, Dave, Brett, and the writers), that is where the heart of the story is found. The second season did a brilliant job at tapping into this heart, from tense emotional episodes like “Chicago” to equally tense, passion-filled ones like “Quick Hardening Caulk,” and to – of course – the most awe-worthy kiss on television this year at the end of “Cooler.”

Jake Johnson deserved an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Nick Miller this year. You can tell, as a viewer, that Jake completely and utterly understood who, at his core, Nick was – he knew what frightened him, motivated him, and he played that effortlessly. He was New Girl’s leading man and we fell in love because of that.

Of course, I should have expected that the Emmy nominations would take everything I love about television and tear it to shreds in front of my face.

It’s cool.

That’s what rage GIFs are for, right?

So below the cut I’ve basically decided to do something a little different (but very reminiscent of the BRILLIANT Head Over Feels #SmashBash GIF Caps), since I talked about these categories extensively in our second episode of Hot Switch. All of my feelings about this year’s nominations can be summed up in GIF form and that’s EXACTLY what I plan to do.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the parade of angry GIFS! ;)

How I feel about 5/6 of the Comedy Series nominations being the same as last year:


It’s actually quite entertaining to go back and read my 2012 nominations list because every single comedy on here (with the exception of Louie, which took Curb Your Enthusiasm’s place) was also nominated last year. I think this is actually really telling, because it exemplifies how much emphasis the Emmy voters place on familiarity over quality. And we gripe and complain as viewers constantly when our favorite television shows aren’t nominated for awards. (Being a Community fan, I’ve gotten to the point now where I’ve become numb to the prospect of the show winning anything or even being nominated.) 

How I feel about the lack of Parks and Recreation and New Girl nominations in Comedy Series:


How I feel about Jon Cryer's name not being found on the Lead Actor category (and how I feel about the lack of Two and a Half Men nominations in the Comedy category in general):


How I feel about Jim Parsons and Alec Baldwin's nominations:


I’m not surprised that Jim Parsons is on the list. I do adore him as Sheldon Cooper, in spite of the irregularity with which I watch The Big Bang Theory these days. I just always wish Johnny Galecki would be nominated, because I find his character more consistently funny than Jim’s. Alec is nominated and will likely win for his final season on 30 Rock because let’s face it, the Emmy voters honor that sort of sentimentality. Otherwise, I have not seen House of Lies, Louie, or Episodes so I cannot give my accurate judgement.

How I feel about Jake Johnson not being nominated in Lead Actor:


I had my hopes pretty high for Jake Johnson in this category. And, yet again, four out of the six nominees in this category were also nominated in 2012. (Come on, Emmy voters. You can do better than this.) I admit that I AM extremely relieved not to see Jon Cryer’s name on the list of nominees and instead see Jason Bateman. I also, however, have not watched Arrested Development so it’s difficult for me to judge how much he deserves his nomination for the most recent season of the series, especially because I have read quite mixed reviews about it as a whole.

Nevertheless, Jason is nominated but Jake is not. Which… you know, I just don’t understand. The only reasonable explanation that I can provide is that the Emmy voters were collectively rendered unconscious and have no recollection of anything in this season’s New Girl. Because really, voters? Jake’s performance wasn’t outstanding enough for you in “Chicago”? Or “Cooler”? Or “Quick Hardening Caulk”? Jake Johnson has stolen the hearts of everyone on New Girl this season – including Jess’ – and in return, I can only give him MY love since the Emmy voters refuse to.

Whatever. My love is better!

How I feel about the fact that it's been four years and Joel McHale still hasn't been nominated for/won anything for his role as Jeff Winger:


How I feel about the Lead Actress in a Comedy category as a whole:


Much like the Comedy Actor category above, not much changed in the Comedy Actress category between 2012 and 2013. Last year, there was a tie (as Kim kindly reminded me) which resulted in seven nominees as opposed to six. This year, Zooey Deschanel and Melissa McCarthy got the boot, while Laura Dern was added to the list of nominees resulting in five out of six of the nominees remaining unchanged.

As I noted last year, I don’t watch the vast majority of the Emmy-baited shows. I have, however, heard wonderful things about Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep and enjoy her as a comedic actress, so I believe she more than deserves her nomination. I’ve heard whisperings of Enlightened and Nurse Jackie, but have watched neither of the series. 

How we feel about Amy Poehler never winning an Emmy for Leslie Knope:


Of course, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are QUEENS, but it always saddens me that Amy never wins any awards for Leslie Knope.

I’ll just make her an Emmy out of waffles, shall I?

How I feel about all of the Modern Family nominations in Supporting Actor:


Until Modern Family goes off the air, its actors and actresses will overrun the categories they are nominated in each and every time, leaving very few slots (half or less than half) to the plethora of other talented supporting actors. This is the only category I struggle with each year to NARROW nominations and prospective nominations into because there are SO many amazingly talented men in ensemble shows and otherwise on television.

That said, it is interesting to note that Eric Stonestreet – two-time winner – is NOT nominated in this category, leaving Adam Driver, Bill Hader, and Tony Hale to sneak in. While I’m thrilled that there is one more spot open this year for a third non-Modern Family nominee to snag, I’m surprised that it didn’t go to Max Greenfield, who was nominated last year.

(As an aside, I don’t hate Modern Family. What I DO hate is the fact that the Emmy voters ONLY seem to concentrate on that show and very few other talented actors in television.) 

How I feel about the Supporting Actress in a Comedy nominations:


How I feel about Jane Lynch's nomination:


NO.

NO. NOT FOR THAT STUPID “SPECIAL” EPISODE THAT WAS OFFENSIVE AND TERRIBLE.

How I feel about Glee being nominated for FOUR Emmys:


How I feel about Glee:


…. I have a lot of pent-up anger directed at Glee.

How I feel about all of the Drama Series and Actor/Actress nominations:


Surprisingly, I watch very few dramas on network or cable television. Each week during its run, I’ll settle in to watch Suits. I enjoy Graceland. I watched Downton Abbey until season three and Once Upon a Time until half-way through season two. (I suppose I just have difficulty committing to drama series.

I’ve never seen Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones (I feel like both would be too intense for my taste), but I hear that they’re astounding shows. Kim absolutely loves Scandal but I’ve never gotten into it. I have never seen an episode of Homeland or Justified, The Walking Dead or Orphan Black or Hannibal or Mad Men.

… I’m really a sorry excuse for a well-rounded television audience member. And I have nothing against dramatic series, honestly. I suppose that in the end I am just more drawn to the comedic shows on television. There are a few BBC series (Doctor Who and Sherlock) that I am a huge fan of, but perhaps the truth boils down to this: I usually watch television to escape the drama and intensity of everyday life. Watching a drama series requires a level of emotional investment that stretches far beyond the necessity of a comedy series. As you might be able to tell from my lack of coherent thoughts regarding the Drama Series, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress categories,

I do believe that all of these individuals are deserving of their awards – I have heard nothing but amazing things in regards to Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Jon Hamm, Claire Danes, etc. – but apart from a congratulatory “yay!” in their directions, I can’t offer any further thoughts.

So, in a nutshell, these are essentially my thoughts about this year’s Emmy nominees. Be sure to check out Hot Switch’s second podcast when it is uploaded soon. In it, you’ll hear me, Sage, Kim, and Jaime discuss these nominees and our snubs in depth! (Also: there’s a bit of yelling involved.)

Trust me, you will NOT want to miss this episode! Until then, folks. :)

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