So the 2013 Emmy nominees were announced this morning. Poor Kate Mara had engine trouble (her plane, not her) in New Mexico and so Emmys host Neil Patrick Harris filled in at the last minute to announce the lucky names alongside “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul.
Looking over the nominees, yeah, okay, right, that’s expected, oh that show’s still on?, etc., etc. I rarely find much to get excited about in an Emmy announcement, I mean. I had all my hopes on Rob Lowe’s facelift getting a supporting actor nomination for “Behind the Candelabra” and somehow they spring for the window dressing of Scott Bakula. Huh?
My favorite notices, however, came for HBO’s “Veep,” my favorite comedy show on television right now. Last year it got a handful of looks including, naturally, leading lady Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but this year Tony Hale and (this next part is so awesome) Anna Chlumsky got to tag along in the supporting ranks and that’s just awesome.
I’m also a huge fan of Netflix’s “House of Cards,” which picked up nine nominations including Best Actor for Kevin Spacey (richly deserved), Robin Wright for Best Actress (perhaps even more so) and David Fincher. That’s right, David Fincher is a first-time Emmy nominee, and who can argue when amazing filmmaking talent gets noticed? (So, too, for that matter, is Steven Soderberg, nominated three times as director, cinematographer and film editor — the latter two under pseudonyms — for “Behind the Candelabra.”) I wish Corey Stoll could have been along for the “House of Cards” ride, though, as his work on the show was fantastic.
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The rest is just pretty much the usual, right? “Mad Men,” “Modern Family,” “The Amazing Race,” “Homeland,” “Downton Abbey,” etc., etc. Though I will say I’m happy Jonathan Banks made it to the table for his work in “Breaking Bad.” He’s back in the hunt for an Emmy for the first time since the 1980s series “Wiseguy” and he’s been amazing since he first stepped on the screen. Bring on the final season of that show but fast.
Oh, two more. While I wish “The Newsroom” had been more widely accepted (I get the detractors but eventually, the show hooked me, so I’m fully on board at this point), I’m happy Jeff Daniels managed a nomination. Here’s hoping for more than three nominations next year. Meanwhile, I did not like the direction “Girls” went this last season much at all, but the best part of the series remains, for me, Adam Driver. So I’m glad he got a nomination.
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That’s my quick take. Feel free to tell us your favorite nominee from today’s announcement in the comments section below.
The 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, September 22.