2015 Emmy Snubs: 11 Shows That Should Have Been Nominated

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Emmy-Statue
Paul Drinkwater/NBC/GettyImages
In a perfect world, every actor and writer and director (etc.) who deserved an Emmy nomination would get one. Unfortunately, we're stuck with this world, in which the members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences refuse to acknowledge many, many deserving potential nominees (steadfastly, in certain cases). Here are 11 of the most egregious snubs from the 2015 nominations.
The Americans Episode 4
Craig Blankenhorn/FX

THE AMERICANS

: This was the best season of one of the best series on television. Good on the Academy for nominating Margo Martindale for Guest Actress in a Drama and the outstanding "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" episode for Writing. But to continue to ignore the performances of Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys (the latter for Jeff Daniels?!) borders on criminal, and the series as a whole deserved one of those Best Drama slots. What other show can deliver an impromptu-oral-surgery scene that is tender, a little sexy, and horrifying, all at the same time?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Patrick Wymore/The CW

GINA RODRIGUEZ (JANE THE VIRGIN):

A nod for JANE in the Best Comedy category was probably a long shot anyway. There was so much buzz surrounding Rodriguez after her Golden Globe win, though, that it really seemed she might get into the Best Actress in a Comedy club. JANE doesn't work without the grounded Rodriguez at its center.
Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) share a moment in the
Chuck Hodes/FOX

EMPIRE: Popularity is not always a barometer for quality, but it is odd to shut the biggest, hottest new drama of the year out of the Best Drama category. Especially when something as staid and stale as DOWNTON ABBEY still worms its way in. Just as baffling: “Drip Drop” not being included in the Original Music/Lyrics category. Or any of the other songs from EMPIRE, really; take your pick, they’re pretty much all fantastic.

justified606
Prashant Gupta/FX

JUSTIFIED:


FX's modern Western finished its sixth and final season with a near-perfect run, and yet: bupkis. Walton Goggins' performance—by turns electrifying and deeply moving—goes unrecognized. Ditto Timothy Olyphant. No writing nominations to praise one of the few shows to nail the tone of the South without ever coming off as condescending (and staying true to Elmore Leonard's style, to boot). Absurd.
Eva Green in Penny Dreadful - Season 2 Episode 1
Jonathan Hession/Showtime

PENNY DREADFUL: With all the love heaped upon various other Showtime series, one would think PENNY would have at least scored a Best Costume nod, not only for the design, but for the fact that they probably have to make dozens of each piece, with all the gore that gets thrown around. They’re also absent from the Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) category, but don’t worry, they’re there in the Prosthetic one, at least. Oh, yeah: Eva Green deserved one of those Best Actress slots.

Masterchef Junior
Greg Gayne/Fox
MASTERCHEF JR: Some day, some scientist with too much time on their hands will find a way to bottle the joy that comes from watching tiny cheflets cook incredible meals, and no one will ever be depressed again. That kind of joy should be rewarded with at least a nomination, but no, the Academy have to go and be literal killjoys.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Courtesy of Netflix
ELLIE KEMPER (UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT): Let's try to figure this out. The Academy loved the show. They loved Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess and Jon Hamm and Tina Fey. KIMMY is even nominated for Best Casting. But Ellie Kemper, the heart of the show? Nah.
Julie Chen for Big Brother
Bill Inoshita/CBS

JULIE CHEN: What, no one at the Academy watches BIG BROTHER? You try making sense of the insanity that is full-grown adults playing bizarre games and scheming, three times a week, every single summer. Not as easy as you might think. She should’ve had a spot among the Reality Hosts.

Fresh Off The Boat Episode 7
Ron Tom/ABC
CONSTANCE WU (FRESH OFF THE BOAT): Wu is a damn national treasure, and how she escaped the notice of those voting for Lead Actress in a Comedy is a true head-scratcher, as Jessica Huang is one of the most fully realized Asian-American characters on TV (no matter how the real-life Eddie Huang feels about the show).
Silicon Valley
Frank Masi/HBO
TJ MILLER (SILICON VALLEY): We couldn't make room for one of the finest portrayals of Tech Douchebro out there? Ty Burrell has won the Supporting Actor in a Comedy category twice. Let's let some new blood in.
The-Flash-Arrow-Crossover
Diyah Pera/The CW
ARROW: This is the third year in a row the Academy has decided that the series that delivers some of the most intricate fight scenes we've ever witnessed on a weekly basis doesn't deserve even a nomination for Stunt Coordination. It's especially egregious this year, which had that genuinely epic Flash/Arrow fight.
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2015 Emmy Nominations