The 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations were announced today and if you’re a fan of some of the fantastic television shows being made right now, their nominations for the best and brightest of the small screen seriously calls into question whether the actors in the Guild even own television sets.
Or is it more likely that the SAG voters have just gotten as lazy as their Emmy voting brethren?
In an industry where actors are always complaining about the lack of quality roles available, the SAG voters sure did align their television votes towards the bland, the expected, the repeatedly awarded and the mainstream shows that might get eyes but certainly aren’t making the watercoolers glug with excitement. With so many award shows celebrating the same actors, the SAG's should be a respite from the expected as actors get the chance to essentially say “See, THESE are the roles we should be fighting for!” Instead, their list makes me hopeful that the sycophantic Golden Globes will at least offer up some interesting, outside the box television nominees and winners come January. SAG, don’t you see how hurtful it is making me anticipate the Golden Globes in any way?
What exactly is so deficient in the TV category nominees? Let me highlight the most egregious omissions and inclusions...
[For clarity’s sake, SAG television nomination eligibility is open to any series that aired during primetime in the 2011 calendar year. Series must also have a SAG or AFTRA contracted cast.]
Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross - "SUITS"
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch "Nucky" Thomson - "BOARDWALK EMPIRE"
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor - "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS"
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - "BREAKING BAD"
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - "DEXTER"
Where’s Sean Bean? Bean’s portrayal of Eddard “Ned” Stark was the linchpin upon which the entire adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones book was cohesively crafted. It was from Ned’s world-weary eyes that audiences got an understanding of the vast lands and political machinations of Westeros. Without a sympathetic yet just character like Ned and Bean’s fine, understated performance, audiences could have easily been too confused or fractured to care. Plus [spoiler alert!], there are no more chances for the SAG voters to make this right in another season.
Homeland is the best new drama of the fall season and half of the reason it works so well is because of the terrific performance given by Damien Lewis as returning POW (and possible turned terrorist) Nicholas Brody. Initially an emotional enigma with plenty of residual issues leftover from his capture, Lewis’ Brody shed his layers as the season progressed and the audience was taken in by his human and sympathetic experience, even as it got more murky and complicated.
John Noble, who plays Walter Bishop in Fringe, is simply masterful. Some credit goes to the show’s writers for knowing they can throw anything at the man and get back from him incredible nuance, heart-breaking depth and comedic reactions that would easily win an award in the other category.
Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn - "HARRY'S LAW"
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes - "DAMAGES"
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - "AMERICAN HORROR STORY"
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - "THE GOOD WIFE"
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - "THE CLOSER"
I like Kathy Bates as much as the next person, but her often shrill, cornpone turn as gun-totin’ Harriet Korn on Harry's Law should not be on this list. She's showed off her talents far better in other shows and films.
However the other half of the performance equation responsible for Homeland’s knockout freshman season is Claire Danes’ bipolar, obsessive, brilliant Homeland Security anti-terrorist agent Carrie Mathison. Most shows would make their protagonist righteous, overly patriotic and an automaton for the mission. Instead Homeland’s EPs crafted a broken, flawed woman as desperate for a connection outside of her work as Brody is desperate to find someone as broken as he is. Danes is a revelation creating a character that manages to be a hot mess personally without compromising the fact that she possesses a keen intelligence and admirable dedication to the job that can’t be denied.
Where’s Connie Britton? How can the SAG’s honor Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights but not honor Britton’s Tami Taylor, the other half to that indelible onscreen couple who was the heart and soul of that show, not to mention an equal partner in the duo’s journey every single season? And no, nominating just one of them doesn’t count. If you want to use that argument, then Kyle should have been shut out and Connie nominated to equal the parity of his earlier wins this year. I’m loathe to shout sexism, but I’m literally a “Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can't lose” away from screaming it anyway.
Sci-fi never gets any respect, but it’s still a shame that Fringe’s Anna Torv is yet again overlooked when she did tremendous work in three roles. As Agent Dunham, Torv has crafted three distinct facets of the same character that exist in alternate realities. Her magic lies in her subtle reactions and unique movements which manage to create cohesion of character even when the alternate Olivias are clearly different. Not to mention that she also played Leonard Nimoy, complete with the actor’s matching voice-cadence and quirks, perfectly?
Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - "30 ROCK"
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - "MODERN FAMILY"
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - "THE OFFICE"
JON CRYER / Alan Harper - "TWO AND A HALF MEN"
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - "MODERN FAMILY"
Jon Cryer? Jon Cryer? First off, you don’t earn an acting award for starring opposite an ass. That bronze statuette is not akin to symbolic combat pay or a reward for suffering through the drug-addled exploits of Charlie Sheen. Two and a Half Men is not a good show and none of the actors deserves to be rewarded anything more than a paycheck for sticking around.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Carell are simply the “I can’t bother to look outside the same sitcoms that have been lauded for years” inclusions. Carell peaked as Michael Scott in the first four years of The Office not when he said goodbye to it. Baldwin is always fantastic as Jack Donaghy, but let’s be honest, 30 Rock wasn’t great at all last season. It was uneven and mired in too often absurd or just dumb storylines. Just because Baldwin makes the lame look good, also does not earn him a berth in this year’s nominations.
How can they forget Louis C.K.? Is it the standup? Do his peers watch a nomination reel with a standup sequence and poo-poo it as not really acting? Then I have to ask did they see the poker episode or the Joan Rivers episode? How about the Iraq episode with C.K.’s reaction to a baby duck in his shoebox and the lengths he went to save it? Or how about him just trying to make time with a much younger woman also on the USO tour that had no time for his old man moves? Hysterical and it’s a crime he’s not included here.
Outstanding Performance by Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy - "MODERN FAMILY"
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - "NURSE JACKIE"
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - "30 ROCK"
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - "MODERN FAMILY"
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - "HOT IN CLEVELAND"
Listen, I don’t care how many times I have to say this before someone at a awards show listens – Nurse Jackie is not a comedy. It’s a dark drama with some black comedy scattered throughout mostly from Edie Falco’s snarky mouth. Yes, she’s exceptional at throwing out the wilting observations but the show is not a comedy so it’s not fair to the other nominated actresses to act like Nurse Jackie’s heavy dramatic moments don’t stack the deck in Falco’s favor. Stop it, Hollywood!
I think it’s time Tina Fey recuse herself from this category. Just like Baldwin, Fey always knocks her character Liz Lemon out of the park but that’s not saying much when the show isn’t as strong as it once was. She’s written herself better material in previous seasons and now she’s taking up a valuable spot for someone new.
Someone that should be included is Gillian Jacob for her perfect portrayal of self-absorbed, feminist hypocrite Britta Perry on Community. Her character is an absurdist highlight every week. Whether she’s spouting off on some militant issue that immediately knocks everyone in her Greendale study group into a coma or creating the dorkiest pizza hungry dance known to man, Jacobs puts herself out there fearlessly. Despite Britta being a killjoy in theory, Jacobs constantly moderates her character’s vulnerability with her eye rolling obnoxiousness so the audience can’t help but love her.
One of the unsung heroes of The Big Bang Theory is Kaley Cuoco’s waitress/nerd wrangler, Penny. Jim Parsons and company get more of the spotlight because of their extreme neurotic tendencies and hang-up’s, so Cuoco is the taken for granted MVP of the series. Her reactions are priceless and often help land jokes more strongly than they sometimes even deserve. Penny’s got a terrific, distinct rapport with all of the leads and she’s helped transition new cast members Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch into the fold beautifully too. That’s a comedy all-star.
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"BOARDWALK EMPIRE"
"BREAKING BAD"
"DEXTER"
"GAME OF THRONES"
"THE GOOD WIFE"
I won’t quibble too much with this category except to say that Dexter is a pale shadow of what it once was. The cast is worn out doing the same shtick just with a different seasonal villain. Homeland would have been a much more forward-thinking, and deserving inclusion this year to honor the incredible performances of Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin.
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"30 ROCK"
"THE BIG BANG THEORY"
"GLEE"
"MODERN FAMILY"
"THE OFFICE"
Oh, Glee is a comedy all right, but not in a good way. The show has devolved into a cringe-worthy melodrama that occasionally rises to fantastic levels only to dive down into disappointing chaos once again. None of its ensemble is strong enough to save it.
30 Rock and The Office have also seen much better days.
Parks and Recreation has an ensemble that’s working on all cylinders and just getting better every week.
Community is able to explore its flights of fancy because of the strength of its ensemble. Each member of its cast is talented enough to dial in the right amount of pathos, absurdity and comedic chops to make the high-concept work and more importantly, excel.
What do you think? What mistakes did SAG make with their nominations?
Why would you use pics of Community and not nominate them for anything?
These are SAG's nominees, Eric... think Tara is conveying that Community and its cast may have been better options.
And I'm agreed! The last four to six episodes have been extremely strong, nearly as good as Parks and Recreation, which is clearly the best comedy on television today.
And... no P&R nominations. Baffling.
"Nurse Jackie is not a comedy."
Then why do the people who submit the show for consideration do so in that category?
I literally drew a sharp intake of breath when I got to the last section and saw that Community didn't make the ensemble comedy category. What does that show have to do to get recognised?
They are wrong! Nurse Jackie ain't funny even as "dark comedy" material.
Niki -- that's part of the reason why these nominations are weak sauce, as we used to say back in the day.
@El Bicho, SAG allows them to include it because it's a half hour format shows which is the sitcom length. The show categorizes itself as a dramedy so technically it is eligible, thematically it is not the voters should know that and vote accordingly. Plus SHO pushes the show in the comedy categories because it's easier to get Edie into that category because of her talent.
Thank you for your comments on Anna Torv, the most underrated actress it seems, not only by the awards, also by many critics who always only credit John Noble.
Anna Torv has created many versions of Olivia, based on a few facts, where as John Noble has mostly played the one Walter, one of the best written characters on tv. Olivia Dunham is a difficult character to play, especiallywhen not much is given by the writers, but Anna was great from the start.
This season again Anna has created another Olivia, where in subtle differences we can tell what changed Olivia in this timeline having lived with Nina after the death of her mother
I guess the only way to getting recgnition for Fringe for Anna Torv will be playing Walter, and the only way to getting major award recognition will be a lead in a drama series on cable.
I totally agree with you Observations. Torv has really come into her own the last two seasons of Fringe and she's doing things other actors would never dream of in their respective series. She absolutely deserves to be listed with the fearless work of Claire Danes, Katey Segal or Connie Britton.
No Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope? Uhh...