5 Biggest Emmy Snubs

by Julian Spivey

1. ”Parenthood” and Ray Romano
“Parenthood” has been the best drama on network television (like the Emmy voters care about network dramas) for its entire five season run, but when the incredible Monica Potter performance from season four failed to garner a Best Supporting Actress in a Drama nomination last year I knew that this series would never get its Emmy due. That still doesn’t mean it’s not being incredibly and unfortunately snubbed. Perhaps even bigger than a series snub is the fact that Ray Romano has been snubbed for the season straight season in the guest actor category. Romano, who was an Emmy darling on his ‘90s sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” winning two awards, has shown an incredible talent for dramatic work on “Parenthood.” It’s the biggest acting growth I’ve ever seen from an actor on television and it’s completely being disrespected.

2. “Late Show with David Letterman”The “Late Show with David Letterman” is one of the most awarded variety shows in Emmy history, but stopped receiving nominations a few years back. I thought Letterman’s retirement announcement would get the attention of the Emmy voting committee, but it hasn’t. The sad thing is Letterman’s show still remains the grandest of network late night talk shows – being better than buzzier shows like “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Tonight.” The real miscue here is that “Saturday Night Live” received a nomination over the ‘Late Show’ … did these people actually pay attention to ‘SNL’ last season? It was one of the worst seasons I can remember from the long-running sketch comedy series. Oh well, Letterman will be eligible for one last season. Hopefully he’ll get his due respect in 2015.
 
3. “The Mindy Project”/Mindy Kaling
“The Mindy Project” is currently the best comedy on network television and putting to shame the nominated likes of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and ABC’s “Modern Family,” which is about three seasons past its glory, but still isn’t getting any respect from the Emmy voting committee. The critically acclaimed show is a thing of pop culture beauty with creator/writer/star Mindy Kaling being able to lampoon and pay homage to things like chick flicks all at the same time. Not only was the show greatly snubbed, but Kaling, who reminds me a lot of Tina Fey with “30 Rock,” should’ve also been nominated as Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and for her incredibly witty writing.

4. “Hannibal”/Mads Mikkelsen 
I’ve read numerous critics who claim that NBC’s “Hannibal” is the best series currently on network television and many have remarked that if it was on cable it’d be something everybody was raving about instead of barely hanging on with a cult following on NBC. It seems almost impossible for a non-cable or premium channel drama to receive a nomination these days, but “Hannibal” really should’ve had a shot. Even more so of a snub is likely the fact that Dr. Hannibal Lecter himself, Mads Mikkelsen, couldn’t get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. As a huge fan of “The Silence of the Lambs” I never thought anybody should ever be Hannibal Lecter besides Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins, but Mikkelsen has been a marvel to watch in the role of a younger Lecter.
 
5. Matt Smith
I know full well that “Doctor Who” is not the kind of show that’s ever going to receive Emmy nominations, but I would have loved for Matt Smith, my personal favorite Doctor, to receive a nomination for his parting series. I’d argue that his performance is one of the best on the entirety of television, because it’s truly one of a kind ranging from moments of dark drama to slapstick humor in a matter of minutes.