2014 TV Emmys form guide
WE’RE in the middle of a TV gold rush and on Tuesday some of the best line up for an Emmy. Let us give you the latest form guide.
Emmy Awards
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WELCOME to your 2014 Emmys form guide. You’ll be needing it to pick your winners. Because just like the Spring Racing Carnival, it’s likely there’ll be plenty of these stayers you won’t have seen in action before. (Silicon Valley? American Horror Story: Coven?)
The vast majority of nominated shows were on subscription TV here. Although you will be able to watch two of the comedy nominees, Modern Familyand The Big Bang Theory, on free-to-air TV before the Emmys replay on Tuesday night — 14 times, in fact.
Bit of a shame, some of the Emmys were handed out last week in a ceremony that wasn’t shown in Australia: Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special, Special and Visual Effects in a Supporting Role, Art Direction for Variety, Nonfiction, Reality or Reality Competition Program, about 75 others. But don’t panic, there are still around 26 trophies left. Yes, you can see why so many actors need to go to rehab for exhaustion.
It’s been a very strong year for television, but you’ll notice two things: the nominations are spread across a fairly limited range, and it’s likely some of those shows you really liked aren’t on any Emmys list. Eg: The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire, Vikings, Hannibal, Justified, Bates Motel, The Americans, True Blood, The Killing, The Bridge. By all means, add your own selection at the bottom ...
Outstanding Drama
True Detective $3.80 Moody, Southern, slow-moving, anchored by two movie stars playing cops in ruin: a near unbeatable combination. Although technically, it maybe should’ve been in the miniseries category.
Breaking Bad $4.20 The last opportunity for this rollicking story about the bored, dying middle aged man from the suburbs who became a drug lord to go home with the top prize. Close to universal praise from all who saw it. And how many Emmys voters is that?
Game of Thrones $12 There’s plenty of love for this exciting, epic fantasy and all its Shakespearean actors. On the other hand, incest.
Mad Men $17 At the halfway point of its final season, this 1960s series set in a New York ad agency remains one of the most potent shows on TV. Should win. Won’t.
House of Cards $14.75 The second season of this political thriller (essentially a longer, worse remake of a 24-year-old UK series) had more padding than Pillow Talk. It also felt as if Jacqui Lambie and Clive Palmer wrote it.
Downton Abbey $29 This dull British period drama now has as much currency and appeal as tongue in brine. A ludicrous inclusion as outstanding anything.
Outstanding Comedy
Silicon Valley $26 The guy behind Beavis and Butthead made this. “Outstanding” is what we call in newspapers a beat up.
Modern Family $5 The old favourite. The Emmys love a repeat as much as the rest of the TV industry.
Orange Is The New Black $4.90 Question of the day: should this be in the Comedy category? Or was this a strategy because Drama was too hot?
The Big Bang Theory $10 No. But once again we ask ourselves why so few comedies on TV?
Veep $3.50 The winner because it makes Emmys’ voters look witty and smart and not too old to get upset by swearing.
Louie $12 You just never know. He’s hip, but the show is probably a bit confusing — ie dark yet funny — for people.
Outstanding Miniseries
Fargo $3.90 The TV version of the movie. Five people watched this show here (SBS?) but quantity, as we know, has no relationship to quality.
American Horror Story: Coven $3.70 This could be Network Ten’s big victory — it ran on Eleven here, remember? no? — and was the least terrifying of all the Horror Story series so far.
Luther $4 Bit cheeky, putting this three-year-old show up in the miniseries category, where conceivably it could win. Whereas in the Drama section, against True Detective and Breaking Bad, well …
Bonnie and Clyde, $39 Bahahahahahahahahaha!
The White Queen, $21 A terrific show. You must watch it sometime. Had that humpback king in it, Richard — the one they found in the carpark in England 500 years later.
Treme, $25 A lot of music, a lot of politics, a lot of poppycock that it’s also nominated as a miniseries. From the people behind The Wire. Theory: with a better name more people would’ve watched it.
Lead Actor in a Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad $4 He may have overplayed his hand on the publicity circuit in pursuit of one last trophy for his — admittedly — great performance as Walter White, genius high school chemistry teacher turned millionaire meth cook/distributor.
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards $17 Even for a dog-strangling, journalist-killing, out-President manoeuvring American politician, Spacey was over-the-top.
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom $20 A dewy fairytale about journalism, Daniels won the Emmy last year in what was presumed to be a mix-up with the envelopes.
Jon Hamm, Mad Men $12 Don Draper: drinker, womaniser, good with words. Why doesn’t anybody love him? Emmys voters won’t give Hamm their love either.
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective $3 The one to beat. It helped that he and Harrelson were without the distraction of other actors for most of the time on screen and left alone to deliver speeches where they sounded like a losing football coach at a press conference.
Woody Harrelson, True Detective $18 The difference between his performance and his co-star Matthew McConaughey’s: McConaughey’s a bigger movie star.
Lead Actress in a Drama
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey $47 Lady Mary Crawley (nee Lady Mary Crawley) spent the season test driving possible new husbands. She may have also ridden a horse. Meanwhile, Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany played eight different characters and failed to get a nomination.
Claire Danes, Homeland $15 Carrie Mathison should be Emmys bait because a. bipolar b. CIA but the show had a polarising storyline that culminated in an American’s public execution in the Middle East, which is likely to have put off some Emmys voters.
Robin Wright, House of Cards $3 Her character Claire Underwood is as lethal as her husband Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) only she doesn’t look at the camera all the time. This may be enough to get her over the line.
Kerry Washington, Scandal $30 The real scandal is that Washington was nominated. Her wardrobe, however, is fabulous. And the show, full of soapy political intrigue set inside Washington (as in Washington the capital of the United States …) is tremendous fun.
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife $5 The Emmys like her, and Alicia Florrick had a hectic year. But she wasn’t even in the race last year. And the show, even after what was probably its best season, is maybe seen as bit old hat.
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex $3 Bosoms. And not in a sleazy show either. Michael Sheen was her co-star, so there were legitimate reasons for people/Emmys voters to see them.
Lead Actor in a Comedy
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory $3.50 One thing you can say about Parsons’ work on this alleged comedy — you can certainly see the acting.
Ricky Gervais, Derek $11 The weakest work Gervais has maybe ever done, but he did it with an under-bite.
Louis CK, Louie $9.50 This is an unusual comedy in that it’s funny and it doesn’t take a team of 27 writers to make it. Not a hope of winning.
William H Macy, Shameless $4 Macy could win this. Two things: controversially, he can act. And he’s famous.
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes $22 Not a good idea, laughing at the TV industry the way this show does. Not when you’re so close to it. Who does he think he is, Ricky Gervais?
Don Cheadle, House of Lies $25 A wonderfully grubby show about management consultants. Nobody watches it. Also against it: that other show with House of in its name.
Lead Actress in a Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep $2.80 Start clapping now. JLD is the grasping, half mad US vice-president. She’s never been better, funnier, prettier.
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black $7 If this show (like the Foxtel prison drama Wentworth only Wentworth’s better) is going to cause an upset, it won’t be here.
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation $18 Hard not to think this is because she did such a great job hosting the Golden Globes.
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie $15 On the pills, off the pills, on the pills … one of the fattest roles on TV. But it’s been around for a while now.
Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly $28 Hilarious actress, terrible show.
Lena Dunham, Girls $16 But is it acting?
66th Primetime Emmy Awards Fox8 9.30am/7.30pm Tuesday
Originally published as 2014 TV Emmys form guide
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