After poring over the 2013 Emmy nominations, I have a just a few observations, objections, musings, congratulations, speculations, and ramblings.
- American Horror Story has quickly become one of my all-time favorites, so I’m gratified that Emmy voters share my love for it and awarded it 17 nominations this year, more than any other program.
- Game of Thrones leads the dramas with 16 nods, and 30 Rock reigns over the comedies one last time with 13.
- Saturday Night Live holds the record for having the highest total of nominations for a variety show — or any show — with its 171 nods. But considering it’s been Emmy-eligible for 38 years now and has thus received average of 4.5 nominations per year, its longevity is more impressive than its nomination history.
- That said, SNL earned 15 nominations this year, more than thrice its average. This is the show’s second most-nominated year, second only to 2011’s 16 noms. That should silence the haters!
- 30 Rock, meanwhile, gained 103 nominations over its seven seasons — an average of nearly 15 nominations per year.
- Mad Men has reaped 97 nods over the six years it’s aired so far, resulting in an average of just over 16 noms per year.
- The West Wing holds two records from 2000: the show with the most Emmy wins for a single season, and the show with the most Emmy wins for its first season. No series this year stands to break that record, but House of Cards could tie it.
- HBO remains the most-recognized TV network with 108 nominations, which is 27 more than last year, over two times as many as its closest competitors (CBS and NBC, which both have 53), and over three times as many as its closest cable competitor (Showtime, which landed 31).
- And welcome to the Emmy-verse, Netflix! 14 nominations in your first year is nothing to scoff at.
- The Big Bang Theory is the only nominated veteran comedy to receive a successively greater number of nominations each year, which suggests that the show — which I admittedly don’t watch — simply gets better and better.
- On the drama side, Breaking Bad can make the same claim, save for 2011, when it wasn’t nominated only because it hadn’t aired during the eligible timeframe.
- And on the reality side, The Amazing Race just this year gave up that upward trend, having dropped from 7 last year to 5 this year. That’s alright — I still think you’re Amazing!
- Congrats to the first-time nominees in the acting categories: Morena Baccarin (Homeland), Linda Cardellini (Mad Men), Anna Chlumsky (Veep), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Adam Driver (Girls), Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel), Rupert Friend (Homeland), Tony Hale (Veep), Harry Hamlin (Mad Men), John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C: Hereafter), Toby Jones (The Girl), Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake), Carrie Preston (The Good Wife), Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story: Asylum), Charlotte Rampling (Restless), Imelda Staunton (The Girl), Kerry Washington (Scandal), and Robin Wright (House of Cards).
- Connie Britton is a flawless human being, so it’s only fitting that she get all the nominations in the world, including this year’s nod for her work on Nashville. (If there were an award for Outstanding Legs Nearing 50 Years Old, she’d be a shoo-in.)
- If Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones wins over Connie, I’d object mightily. I love Daenerys, and I do think Emilia does do an “outstanding” job, but I can’t remember any particularly Emmy-worthy moments this year.
- Much as I bow to the Bryan Cranston throne every time I watching Breaking Bad, I am starting to feel a little bad for Jon Hamm, who’s been nominated ten times — six of which for his work on Mad Men — and hasn’t yet won once.
- Kudos to his co-star Elisabeth Moss, who is double-nominated in “lead” categories: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Mad Men and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for Top of the Lake.
- I’m also delighted to see Breaking Bad‘s Jonathan Banks recognized for his performance as the prickly (and often prick-ish) fixer Mike Ehrmantraut.
- Carrie Preston recently said that she’s game for a Good Wife spin-off of her character, Elsbeth Tascioni, who disarms legal opponents with her quirky charm before eviscerating them. I’m in full support of an off-shoot, as I am of her Emmy nom.
- It’s no surprise that the infamous Red Wedding episode of Game of Thrones, “The Rains of Castamere,” was recognized for its writing, but I am surprised the same installment wasn’t recognized for its directing.
- Girls‘ Adam Driver certainly deserves his Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination, though I would argue that his best work is the show’s dramatic moments.
- Last year, the entire adult cast of Modern Family was nominated; this year, the voters nominated all of them except for Eric Stonestreet, which seems a bit unfair since he took home an Emmy for his performance last year.
- I’m so gratified to see John Benjamin Hickey finally recognized for his work alongside Laura Linney on The Big C: Hereafter. Both actors are superb — as are all the actors on that show, for that matter.
- Weirdly, a song from Nashville seems to have actually lost its nomination between when I first started writing this article and today. “Nothing in This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again” was nominated for Outstanding Music and Lyrics — as verified here — but now appears nowhere on the list of nominees.
- This is the first time I’m noticing the Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role category. Guess actors aren’t the only supporting players now!
- Congrats again to cameraman Hector Ramirez, who just received his 71st nomination. But the winningest person in Emmy history is still Sheila Nevins, who could win her 24th Emmy this year.