That's a wrap!
We’re bowing out with a final piece that wraps up Hannah Ellis-Petersen’s piece about the UK success at the Emmy nominations, and Brian Moylan’s piece:
Once again, Downton Abbey received the most nominations of any British drama, continuing the series’ long-running awards success in the US. The fourth series saw nominations for Jim Carter for best supporting actor and Joanne Froggatt for best supporting actress.
The ITV show, which has earned the most Emmy nominations of any non-US show in history, will again compete against glossy American dramas such as House of Cards, Game of Thrones and Mad Men for the accolade of outstanding drama series.
It was also a night of success for the BBC, which outperformed all its British rivals mainly thanks to their celebrated adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was nominated for outstanding limited series. Rylance will also compete against fellow Brits Oyelowo and Gervais to win best actor in a mini-series or movie for his role as Thomas Cromwell.
Brian Moylan’s comprehensive analysis is here and it was well worth the wait. This is how it starts:
The biggest surprise at the announcement of the 2015 Emmy Awards nomination ceremony on Thursday morning was one of inclusion. Tatiana Maslany, the constant also-ran whose snub from the list in years past caused fans on Twitter to vociferously lament her being overlooked, finally got the attention she deserves for playing a coterie of different character on Orphan Black. However, like always, the Emmys are loathe to change with nominations in major categories staying mostly the same from year to year with the addition of two or three new names in most categories.
Thanks for reading and staying with us as we tried to keep on top of the nominations. We’ll see if Game of Thrones, HBO and the BBC can turn their nominations into victory come September. Until then.
Emmys gallery
For those looking for a visual refresher of the potential winners; here’s a gallery for you.
The BBC didn't do badly either
As I pointed out before, a lot of British shows and actors did well this morning, but the BBC as an organisation really delivered.
It managed to get 14 nominations altogether, and hugely out performed it’s British rivals, which might not be surprising considering drama budgets have been slashed by 44% over the last six years by British broadcasters:
Despite the recent success of high-profile, big-budget dramas such as Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Doctor Who, overall spending on the genre has fallen dramatically as UK channels try to save money.
Between them, the four public service broadcasters – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – have reduced the amount they spent on drama by 44% since 2008.
The amount of UK drama shown on terrestrial TV has dropped by 41% over the same period from 627 hours in 2008 to 371 hours in 2014.
However, the beeb’s top brass were perhaps understandably defiant:
The decline comes despite recent boasts by senior BBC executives that UK drama is just as good as US series such as Game of Thrones or House of Cards.
Last year, the corporation’s head of television, Danny Cohen, insisted British shows have “huge respect and kudos” around the world, and the BBC promised to inject another £30m a year into drama on BBC1.
However, Ofcom warned that, overall, channel heads are wary of investing in high-risk, expensive projects and are more likely to commission shows with international appeal that can be sold abroad after being shown on terrestrial TV.
It said: “In drama, the cost and risk of high quality drama, which is expensive to make, has to be weighed against the commercial case.
“For drama, our understanding is that the potential for international revenue is an increasingly important consideration in commissioning.”
HBO is the real winner (again)
Bloomberg have taken a data approach to this year’s nominations, breaking down who wins according to network/cable channel. ABC and Netflix have narrowed the gaping gap between the networks and HBO, but the cable giant still leads the way with more than 120 nominations.
Among individual networks, perennial leader HBO towered over all others with 126 nominations, according to an academy tally. Walt Disney Co.’s ABC was second with 42, while CBS and Comcast Corp.’s NBC followed with 41 each. Netflix garnered 34 nominations and Amazon Instant Video got 12.
Here’s a bit more on why the British might be doing so well this year, according to ABC boss Paul Lee, we’re just too good. This is what he said in a profile we did on him back in November 2014.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of UK shows and actors in the US, doors have been thrown wide open. So much so, says Lee, that “if [House star] Hugh Laurie was cast again, I doubt he’d be given an American accent”.
He has observed the competition for British talent, programmes and formats grow appreciably in the decade since he joined ABC from his final BBC job, running US cable channel BBC America.
“We knew England better than anyone else and we could smell a hit before it became famous enough for others to take across the Atlantic. That has changed dramatically in the 10 years since I left,” Lee says. “There are so many agencies and companies who understand how rich the talent is and for some, it’s not just about having scouts but having ownership of talent and producers in the UK.”
ABC has talent and development deals with the likes of British director Julie Anne Robinson (Scandal, Nurse Jackie) and Hayley Atwell, star of the upcoming Marvel’s Agent Carter. Galavant, a medieval comedy musical filmed in Bristol, features appearances from Ricky Gervais and Vinnie Jones. More deals with Brits are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. “It’s more important than ever to be quicker to the punch,” notes Lee, “to have better scouts and have a better line in to what’s buzzworthy in the UK.”
Some interesting observations in the comment thread. Quite a bit of disappointment, mostly around the lack of nominations for Dare Devil.
Broad City not getting a nod has peeved a few people as well, although as Brian Moylan tells me “it’s way too young and hip” for the Emmys voters. However, Jim Parsons didn’t dominate again, so every cloud, etc …
Nothing for Broad City?? Either actresses or show?
At least the infatuation with Jim Parsons has finally worn off
Full list of nominees
Nigel Smith has compiled a full (neat) list of nominees for those who aren’t enamoured with the live blog format. You can have a look here.
It reveals that Game of Thrones has bagged a huge 24 nominations.
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Outstanding Television Movie
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case
Bessie
Grace Of Monaco
Hello Ladies: The Movie
Killing Jesus
Nightingale
The Brits are coming …
It’s the perennial call whenever award season comes around, but this year British shows and actors have done well. As TV editor Richard Vine points out, this lot will be in with a shout come September’s main show.
Wolf Hall
The Honorable Woman
Downton Abbey
David Oyelowo
Mark Rylance
Ricky Gervais
Emma Thompson
Hugh Bonneville
Not a bad show at all.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Michael Kelly, House Of Cards
The new classifications have caused a bit of a stir, with some commenters not really understanding one nomination in particular …
So there’s a wait for the full list to be announced. Brian Moylan will have a quick reaction post shortly, and we’ll be posting the full list (including supporting roles) when we have it. Some interesting calls …
Outstanding Actor in a Mini-series or Movie
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Adrien Brody, Houdini
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Ricky Gervias, Derek
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Louis CK, Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
William H. Macy, Shameless
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Outstanding Actress in a Mini-series or Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Queen Latifah, Bessie
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Emma Thompson, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Live from Lincoln Center
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men
Orange Is the New Black
Outstanding Comedy Series
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
Outstanding Limited Series
American Crime
American Horror Story: Freak Show
Olive Kitteridge
The Honorable Woman
Wolf Hall
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Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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Outstanding Reality Competition Series
The Voice
Top Chef
Dancing With the Stars
The Amazing Race
So You Think You Can Dance
Project Runway
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Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
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Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Robin Wright, House of Cards
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Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Liev Schrieber, Ray Donovan
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HOLY CRAP!! Tatiana Maslany finally got the Emmy nomination she deserves. The Academy finally listened to Twitter!
Moments away now. Just a final bit of chat before the first nominations begin …
There’s going to be a five-minute gap now before Cat Deeley and Uzo Aduba reel off the nominees. Sit tight. We’re eating brownies here in preparation …
The preamble has started now. There’s going to be a ten-minute period of chat about the show and the press are currently being told NOT to rush the stage.
The nominations are ten minutes away now and the live feed is currently a blank screen with a load of background noise as people shuffle around. This is show business folks …
What should I be looking out for?
For those who want to sound well informed while discussing the nominations with colleagues, relatives or people on Twitter, here is Brian’s quick-fire run down of where shocks and surprises could come from.
Finales domination
Yes, there was Mad Men, of course. But also The Newsroom, Nurse Jackie, Boardwalk Empire, Parks and Recreation, and a few others might get more nominations than usual since they’re going off the air. The same goes for Letterman, Jon Stewart and Colbert.
Streaming takeover
I think House of Cards and Orange is the New Black could both get nominated in drama, which would be a first (I think) to have two streaming shows in the big category. The same goes for comedy, where I think Transparent and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (and possibly Grace and Frankie) will get nominated, which means one for Netflix and one for Amazon.
Freshman shows
I think we’re going to see a lot of new shows get nominations: Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Empire, American Crime (in the miniseries category), maybe Bloodline, possibly Blackish, and Grace and Frankie could get a nod. I think this is great for the Emmys to keep it from getting stale. I also bet John Oliver will get a first-time nomination in variety.
Rule changes
There will now be seven shows in the best drama and best comedy categories. Also there have been some changes around guest stars, comedy v drama, limited series, and a few other things. (Here’s a refresher.) I think one of the big ones will be adding sketch shows to the variety category, and I think Amy Schumer and maybe Key & Peele and SNL might end up with nominations instead of something like Real Time with Bill Maher.
So how does the nomination process work?
Here’s Brian’s explainer on the Emmys nomination process:
Shows are submitted for consideration to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in each of the categories. They can be submitted by the producer of the show, an agent, the network, or the person who is eligible for the award (the actor, writer, director, etc). Once all the submitted shows are compiled, they are whittled down by the members of the Academy. Each person votes in the category in which they are enrolled, so the writers vote for the writers, the actors for the actors, and so on.
Most categories have five nominees except comedy and drama program categories, which now have seven nominees, and the acting, writing, directing, variety and reality categories, which have six nominees. If there is a less than 2% difference between the final selection and the next selection then both will be nominated, raising the category to six, seven or eight nominees. No category can have more than nine nominees.
The Academy is expecting about 7,000 entries, including 143 drama series entries, 26 limited series entries, and 1,838 total performer entries. There will be approximately 525 total nominees, which means only about 9% of all entries end up getting on the official Emmy ballot.
Got it? Good.
The LA Times also shed some light on how voters get access to shows. Surely it’s via some sort of sophisticated Blu-ray beamed in from outer space off the face of Pluto? Nope, just a load of DVDs in fancy packaging. Although, they are trying to modernise this year:
The organization, which presents the Primetime Emmy Awards, announced Tuesday that it is doing away with DVD screeners and teaming up with Google Chromecast to make shows available to stream to its 18,500 voting members.
As part of the multi-year deal, Emmy voters will now stream nominated shows on a members-only streaming app on the Chromecast devices. Chromecast, a USB drive device, plugs into any tablet, smartphone or computer.
But some will just ignore that move completely …
Might the stacks upon stacks of DVDs be a thing of the past for TV Academy members? Eh, not quite. The first round of the Emmy-voting process will likely still consist of studios sending out elaborate packages outfitted with DVD screeners so their shows will be considered.
Will Modern Family finally lose its Midas touch?
As promised here are Gwilym Mumford’s thoughts on Modern Family’s chances this year. Oh, and if you’re not doing so already you should check out his True Detective recaps (they really are very good).
It’s been half a decade since a show that wasn’t Modern Family won best comedy series at the Emmys. But might this finally be the year that someone prises the golden statuette from the Pritchett family’s clammy grip?
The betting markets certainly don’t think so: Betfair has Modern Family as comfortable favourite to win the Emmy, while the vast majority of Emmy prognosticators have also backed the show to triumph. On the other hand history isn’t on Modern Family’s side: no show has ever won best comedy more than five times in a row - Modern Family’s five wins ties with Frasier for the current record.
For my part, I’d certainly like to see someone else take home the Emmy. While Modern Family in its early years did genuinely feel refreshing, with its shrewd updating of the family sitcom norms, and smart, understated use of the mockumentary format, the show has been in a holding pattern for far too long.
Meanwhile, the rest of comedy has moved on: Louie and Girls have expanded the structural form of the 30-minute TV comedy. Transparent, Fresh Off The Boat and Looking have expanded its subject matter. Broad City is arguably the most joyous show on television (though Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt pushes it close). Meanwhile, Veep continues to pack a staggeringly high gag-rate into its short run time, and that’s not even considering the excellent work being done on other less attention-grabbing comedies like The Middle or Togetherness. All of these shows would make refreshing alternatives to the usual Modern Family procession.
Of course there’s every chance that sentiment might push the Pritchetts over the line; the chance to reward Modern Family with that record sixth Emmy might prove too irrestistible for some. But if we’re talking about sentiment, then how about recognising Parks And Recreation, which just finished its final season and has provided some of the warmest and wittiest comedy of recent years?
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What's up for grabs?
As we wait for Uzo and Cat to get into place, here’s a list of all the prizes that will be up for grabs and the 26 categories that showrunners and actors will be hoping they get a slot in. We’ve also included the winners from last year.
We’ll have more from Gwilym Mumford shortly, on how some of those – looking at you, Modern Family – might finally be knocked off their perch this year.
Supporting actor, comedy series: Ty Burrell, Modern Family, ABC
Writing, comedy series: Louie, FX
Supporting actress, comedy series: Allison Janney, Mom, CBS
Directing, comedy series: Gail Mancuso, Modern Family, ABC
Actor, comedy series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Actress, comedy series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, HBO
Reality-competition program: The Amazing Race, CBS
Writing, miniseries or movie: Steven Moffat, Sherlock, Masterpiece
Supporting actress, miniseries or movie: Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven, FX
Supporting actor, miniseries or movie: Martin Freeman, Sherlock, Masterpiece
Directing, miniseries or movie: Colin Bucksey, Fargo, FX
Actor, miniseries or movie: Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, Masterpiece
Actress, miniseries or movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven, FX
Miniseries: Fargo, FX
Television movie: The Normal Heart, HBO
Writing, variety series: Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles, HBO
Directing, variety series: 67th annual Tony awards, Glenn Weiss, CBS
Variety series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
Supporting actor, drama series: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad, AMC
Directing, drama series: Cary Joji Fukunaga, True Detective, HBO
Supporting actress, drama series: Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad, AMC
Writing, drama series: Moira Walley-Beckett, Breaking Bad, AMC
Actress, drama series: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS
Actor, drama series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC
Comedy series: Modern Family, ABC
Drama series: Breaking Bad, AMC
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Can Mad Men make an impact?
Mark Lawson has written about Mad Men’s chances ahead of the nominations.
Mad Men stormed out of the gates, taking the Emmy for outstanding drama series in each of its first four seasons, amid several other prizes, but has failed to convert any of its nominations into gongs in the past three years.
So one of the main areas of interest when the 2015 Emmy awards are handed out is whether the advertising industry series – which will surely receive several shortlistings for its final season – can make it to the podium and end with a flourish. Or will it be marked down as a show that made most impact early on, similar to The West Wing, which claimed the main long-form fiction prize in each of its first five years, but was left empty-handed in the final two.
The question for voters could come down to whether they want to recognise longevity or originality in a drama field that’s got a lot of the latter. Also, despite all the noise around the finale it only brought in around 3 million viewers; which is chump change compared to bit hitters like The Walking Dead that pull in around 15 million for a weekly dose of zombie smashing.
The question of whether Mad Men will be given a gold-plated send-off touches on the question of whether awards are best used to recognise originality or to honour longevity. There would be a sentimental satisfaction in Matthew Weiner’s series getting a valedictory gift – a sort of retirement gold watch – but the judges would also have to consider as objectively as possible if the last tranche of the drama matches up to the perky earlier stages of, say, House of Cards or True Detective.
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Welcome to the Emmy nominations live blog
Hello all,
Lanre Bakare and Brian Moylan here. We’ll be desperately trying to keep up with guiding you through all the nominations for the Emmys this year. There are loads of categories to get through and this year a lot of pre-nom chat has been around whether those different sections still work with so many shows bordering two or sometimes more of them (hi, Orange is the New Black).
There could be quite the pileup when it comes to drama, for example. This is what Brian had to say about it earlier in the week:
The best drama category is naturally going to be the most crowded, especially after a rule change that means hour-long shows like Orange is the New Black have to compete in this category. Expect for that show to get a nod, even if the third season was a little bit shaky. This is also the last chance to honor Mad Men, and its bow was certainly worthy of scoring a record-breaking fifth Emmy win. Better Call Saul started slow but had an impressive first season, as did The Leftovers. The Americans continues to be a bright spot in the television calendar, though it doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The Knick was one of the most daring things on TV this year, and if its soundtrack doesn’t win something, there is no justice in the world. Game of Thrones’s fifth season was a bit slow and uneven, but just in terms of the spectacle it certainly earned the Emmy attention it will get.
House of Cards is a shoo-in for some love, but its third season was far too over-the-top and not nearly as interesting as the first two. The same goes for Downton Abbey, which is now a straight-up soap opera and has given up any of the trappings of being a serious drama it once had.
The newcomer to this race is going to be ratings juggernaut Empire, but I have a feeling Emmy voters might overlook it in the series category and instead recognise it with actors. How to Get Away with Murder, Halt and Catch Fire and The Affair are all worthy of nominations, but sadly are long shots, as is The Good Wife, which, for my money, is still the best show on television.
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yeah Better Call Saul got nominated. Tatiana Maslany should win, but no The Americans? How they neglected The Americans? Is it just me who think that Game of Thrones is overreated? I just stand watch its 2 seasons and then decided not to continue it anymore. GoT is basically a soap-opera tv shows, but with hugh budgets and fantasy genre. There's nothing new in conflict development.
I think Netflix’s DareDevil should get nominated. It is a really really good tv show. Next year Emmy should give Mr, Robot a lot nomination. It’s an outstanding and smart tv series. If you haven’t watched Mr. Robot, go watch it..!