Thursday, July 18, 2013

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actress in a Drama

Claire Danes - "Carrie Mathison", Homeland
Julianna Margulies - "Alicia Florrick", The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany - "Sarah/Beth/etc.", Orphan Black
Elisabeth Moss - "Peggy Olson", Mad Men
Keri Russell - "Elizabeth Jennings", The Americans
Kerry Washington - "Olivia Pope", Scandal

Claire Danes' season on Homeland is about both little moments - that smile erupting in flickers across her face after Carrie's market chase, her reaction to Brody's suicide video - and the broad emotional arc. If the first season showed Carrie at both her hyper-efficient best and her unmedicated worst, the second rested in the shaky middle, with Danes showing Carrie's fragility, uneasiness, and the cracks created by betrayal and electroshock therapy. The journey of Alicia Florrick is one of subtle shifts made visible by Margulies. The woman who once appeared as a naif in the world of corporate law has transformed into someone savvier at working the system, but Margulies showed the constant note of disappointment in everyone around her simmering under Alicia's titular facade. Critics have been praising Maslany over and over in the past few months, but her achievement across only ten episodes of television was so astounding that it doesn't even feel hyperbolic. It's not just the multitude of distinct, specific characters she played, but the nuance involved in something like marking the difference between Sarah pretending to be Alison and Alison pretending to be Sarah. Thinking back on Elisabeth Moss' performance in this season of Mad Men, I keep landing on Peggy's initial rejection of Don's offer to leave in "Shut the Door, Have a Seat." That suspicion that her relationship with Don would become an anchor, that apprehension of his making her a target for his own disappointment with himself. Even more than the series of events that lead to her deciding to leave SCDP in the first place, this season showed those fears made manifest. Moss shows Peggy's enduring disappointment warring with the professionalism she has fought so hard to acquire and maintain. In a television landscape that seems unsure of how to define the female opposite number to the male antihero, the stern pragmatism of Elizabeth Jennings immediately felt bracingly different. Russell's performance shows the different parts of Elizabeth she has locked away to be able to function within her double life - she knows and shows the difference between Elizabeth the spy and Elizabeth the reserved woman determined to scorn sentimentality and romanticism even in her daily lfie. The expansion from the brief seven episodes of Scandal's first season really showcased the depth and shading in Washington's performance. The "good at her job, shaky in her personal life" figure is somewhat of a cliche, but Washington excels at both the professional hyper-competence and caring that draws people to Olivia, as well as the emotional spiraling of her relationship with the President.


Honorable Mentions: Khandi Alexander, Treme; Connie Britton, Nashville; Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey; Lucy Liu, Elementary; Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy; Jessica Raine, Call the Midwife; Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy; Robin Wright, House of Cards

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Glenn Close, Damages; Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel; Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Mary McDonnell, Major Crimes; Anna Paquin, True Blood; Emmy Rossum, Shameless; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer; Emily Van Camp, Revenge

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actor in a Drama

Bryan Cranston - "Walter White", Breaking Bad
Hugh Dancy - "Will Graham", Hannibal
Jon Hamm - "Don Draper", Mad Men
Peter Krause - "Adam Braverman", Parenthood
Damian Lewis - "Nicholas Brody", Homeland
Clarke Peters - "Albert Lambreaux", Treme
Matthew Rhys - "Phillip Jennings", The Americans

In each successive season of Breaking Bad, Walt's adversaries feel less like villains and more like markers on an irreversible path away from his humanity. Sometimes I find the show hard to watch because Cranston lays the grasping core of Walt's boundless ambition so bare. He makes the journey into nihilism feel unnervingly fearless. Dancy's work is intensely physical, but restrained - he looks like he feels Will's hauntedness in his bones, like it's eating away at him from the inside out. In past seasons, I've been impressed with the way Jon Hamm marks differences between Dick Whitman and Don Draper. Here, the circumstances of life conspired to create situations where he couldn't stop Dick from showing through Don's cracks, and Hamm made that dissembling a disconcerting facet of this season. The maximum is supposed to be six, but I couldn't choose between Krause and Peters so I just put both. They're characters on different sides of a cancer diagnosis, and both have some king-of-my-castle, control freak tendencies. Adam tries to hold it together and be supportive as a spouse in a situation without a playbook, and Albert copes with an illness that threatens to derail his hard-won authority while he refuses to relinquish the stubborn energy that makes it feel like he will outlive everyone. Lewis holds different Brodies all together in one man, not only shrouding his intent but showing how at sea he is in trying to figure out which has primacy. Rhys presents a bit of a contradiction, as a spy whose heart constantly threatens to appear ever-stronger on his sleeve, then overwhelm his mission. 

Honorable Mentions: Andre Braugher, Last Resort; Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Jonny Lee Miller, Elementary; Timothy Olyphant, Justified; Wendell Pierce, Treme; Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kevin Bacon, The Following; Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey; Michael Chiklis, Vegas; Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom; Michael Emerson, Person of Interest; Nathan Fillion, Castle; Kelsey Grammer, Boss; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jeremy Irons, The Borgias; Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead; William H. Macy, Shameless; Eric McCormack, Perception; Jeremy Piven, Mr. Selfridge; Dennis Quaid, Vegas; Tom Selleck, Blue Bloods; Aden Young, Rectify

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actress in a Comedy

Laura Dern - "Amy Jellicoe", Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel - "Jessica Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Tina Fey - "Liz Lemon", 30 Rock
Sutton Foster - "Michelle ", Bunheads
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Selina Meyer", Veep
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation

I hope to add to this later, but find comedy leads really difficult to write about for whatever reason. A cursory glance at last year's slate indicates a persistent issue there. I could not manage to narrow from seven to six.


Honorable Mentions: Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Portia DeRossi, Arrested Development; Dakota Johnson, Ben and Kate; Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Martha MacIsaac, 1600 Penn; Ashley Rickards, Awkward.; Krysten Ritter, Don't Trust the B* in Apt. 23; AnnaSophia Robb, The Carrie Diaries

Extra points to Robb for gamely taking on a role that might have had even more baggage attached than Mads Mikkelson in Hannibal.


I wouldn't be surprised to see: Jenna Elfman, 1600 Penn; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope

For a second, I forgot what Melissa McCarthy's show was called and I almost typed The Heat. I'm not sure the distinction makes a substantive difference to the television academy voters, anyway.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin - "Jack Donaghy", 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - "Michael Bluth", Arrested Development
Louis CK - "Louie", Louie
Jake Johnson - "Nick Miller", New Girl
Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community
Adam Scott - "Ben Wyatt", Parks and Recreation

Honorable Mentions: Justin Bartha, The New Normal; Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation; Josh Radnor, How I Met Your Mother; Andrew Rannells, The New Normal; Jeremy Sisto, Suburgatory


Honestly, I wonder sometimes if Rob Lowe might have been nominated for an Emmy if not for this bizarre insistence on being considered in the Lead category.


I wouldn't be surprised to see: Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Ashton Kutcher, Two and a Half Men; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Marc Maron, Maron; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Matthew Perry, Go On; Charlie Sheen, Anger Management

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Adam Driver - "Adam Sackler," Girls
Alex Karpovsky - "Ray Ploshansky", Girls
Timothy Simons - "Jonah Ryan", Veep
Damon Wayans, Jr. - "Brad Williams", Happy Endings
Mike White - "Tyler", Enlightened
Rainn Wilson - "Dwight Schrute", The Office

Driver and Karpovsky were both standouts last year, and built on those established character traits with surprising emotional depth - Adam in coming to terms with the wreckage Hannah left behind her and Ray in feeling his heart leap forward and struggling to force the rest of him to follow. Simons took a lot of verbal abuse in the second season of Veep, ostensibly about Jonah but pointedly remarking on physical attributes. He is great at both the obsequiousness of a mid-level bureaucrat, but also at playing someone who wants to give as good as he gets but can't quite keep up. As much as Happy Endings was ever governed by story arcs, Wayans really shone in the stories following Brad's loss of his job, especially in the episode where he becomes Jane's "trophy wife." In an ideal world, Mike White would get just as much recognition as network-mate Lena Dunham for everything he put into Enlightened. While Tyler's dreams may not be as expansive as Amy's, White's performance shows us that they're still there. The failure of the backdoor pilot may have been the best thing to happen to The Office, as Rainn Wilson became the MVP of the show's final episodes. Without letting up on the characteristics that made Dwight such a standout character, the show rooted a happy ending in Dwight finally getting the branch manager position and marrying Angela. 


Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, Arrested Development; Max Greenfield, New Girl; Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Tony Hale, Veep; Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live; Zachary Knighton, Happy Endings; John Krasinski, The Office: Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock; Chris Messina, The Mindy Project; Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock; Lamorne Morris, New Girl; Oscar Nunez, The Office; Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation; Adam Pally, Happy Endings; Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation; Jim Rash, Community; Reid Scott, Veep; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Matt Walsh, Veep; Luke Wilson, Enlightened

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Peter Facinelli, Nurse Jackie; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Brad Garrett, How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life; Nolan Gould, Modern Family; Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory; Ed Helms, The Office; Justin Kirk, Weeds; Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live; Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Rico Rodriguez, Modern Family; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development

I didn't watch Modern Family this season, so I don't have a specific opinion about it one way or the other. But it certainly wouldn't shock me if they just went all in, added the kids and filled the entire category with cast members from that show.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actor in a Drama

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - "Jamie Lannister", Game of Thrones
Noah Emmerich - "Stan Beeman", The Americans
Jack Huston - "Richard Harrow", Boardwalk Empire
Vincent Kartheiser - "Pete Campbell", Mad Men
Mads Mikkelson - "Hannibal Lecter", Hannibal
Corey Stoll - "Peter Russo", House of Cards

Anyone who's read A Storm of Swords suspected a standout year was coming for Jamie Lannister, but Coster-Waldau made one of those glorious adaptive leaps and delivered tenfold, seeming capable of accessing emotional spaces even Martin didn't know about. Emmerich's performance made The Americans a vitally three-part show instead of a duet. Stan was one of the most fascinatingly gray characters of this year in television - not an idealist but neither fully hardened by his experiences, dedicated to his job but undermined by his heart. Emmerich found a place right in the middle all its own. I feel like I gush about Huston and Kartheiser every year - they're my favorites in two stacked ensembles. What hasn't already been said? Huston, with his now-trademark low affect, drew the audience in to Richard's relationship with Julia and his quest to keep Tommy's parents alive in his memory, but never without the undercurrent of doom suggesting it could all fall apart as so many things have for him. Kartheiser spent the season at a low boil - Pete's impotent rage, barely contained behind a mask of civility, felt like it could suddenly blow up and take the whole agency, if not the entire Time-Life building, with it. Mikkelson proved another adaptive standout - it's not just that he formulated something entirely separate from the legacy of Anthony Hopkins, but the pairing of faux amiability and creeping chilliness that convinces you that no one would take too close a look at Dr. Lecter until it was already too late. In a show that could frequently feel too cold, too glossy, and too calculated, Corey Stoll's performance felt like a real, beating heart. Russo's earnestness alongside his inability to keep from defeating himself placed a real note of tragedy amid the endless strategizing of House of Cards.


Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad; Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire; Jim Carter, Downton Abbey; Josh Charles, The Good Wife; Kim Coates, Sons of Anarchy; Charlie Cox, Boardwalk Empire; Alan Cumming, The Good Wife; Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife; Guillermo Diaz, Scandal; Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones; Jay R. Ferguson, Mad Men; Jordan Gavaris, Orphan Black; Walton Goggins, Justified; Tony Goldwyn, Scandal; Stephen Graham, Boardwalk Empire; Rick Hoffman, Suits; Rob James-Collier, Downton Abbey; Michael Kelly, House of Cards; Dean Norris, Breaking Bad; Mandy Patinkin, Homeland; Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad; Jeff Perry, Scandal; Kevin Rahm, Mad Men; Nick Searcy, Justified; John Slattery, Mad Men; Eamonn Walker, Chicago Fire

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Michael Cudlitz, Southland; Larry Hagman, Dallas; Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel; Gabriel Mann, Revenge; David Morrissey, The Walking Dead; Ryan Philippe, Damages; Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead; Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Jenna Fischer - "Pam Beesley Halpert", The Office
Angela Kinsey - "Angela Lipton", The Office
Zosia Mamet - "Shoshanna Shapiro", Girls
Kate McKinnon - "Misc. Characters", Saturday Night Live
Alia Shawkat - "Maeby Funke", Arrested Development
Casey Wilson - "Penny Hartz", Happy Endings



Honorable Mentions: Vanessa Bayer, Saturday Night Live; Sufe Bradshaw, Veep; Carly Chaikin, Suburgatory; Anna Chlumsky, Veep; Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings; Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings; Ana Gasteyer, Suburgatory; Allie Grant, Suburgatory; Rashida Jones, Parks and Recreation; Ellie Kemper, The Office; Jemima Kirke, Girls; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Christa Miller, Cougar Town; Busy Philipps, Cougar Town; Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation; Retta, Parks and Recreation; Hannah Simone, New Girl; Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live; Jessica Walter, Arrested Development; Allison Williams, Girls; Bebe Wood, The New Normal

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Ellen Barkin, The New Normal; Kristen Bell, House of Lies; Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Carrie Brownstein, Portlandia; Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory; Sarah Hyland, Modern Family; Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope; Jane Lynch, Glee; Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory; Maya Rudolph, Up All Night; Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer; Eden Sher, The Middle; Anna Deavere Smith, Nurse Jackie; Lily Tomlin, Malibu Country; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Julie White, Go On; Ariel Winter, Modern Family

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actress in a Drama

Troian Bellisario - "Spencer Hastings", Pretty Little Liars
Jessica Capshaw - "Arizona Robbins", Grey's Anatomy
Anna Gunn - "Skyler White", Breaking Bad
Annet Mahandru - "Nina ", The Americans
Monica Potter - "Kristina Braverman", Parenthood
Bellamy Young - "Mellie Grant", Scandal


Honorable Mentions: Morena Baccarin, Homeland; Christine Baranski, The Good Wife; Laura Carmichael, Downton Abbey; Joelle Carter, Justified; Erika Christenson, Parenthood; Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones; Kristen Connolly, House of Cards; Caroline Dhavernas, Hannibal; Kim Dickens, Treme; Natalie Dormer, Game of Thrones; Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones; Miranda Hart, Call the Midwife; Lena Headey, Game of Thrones; Christina Hendricks, Mad Men; January Jones, Mad Men; Melissa Leo, Treme; Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire; Kate Mara, House of Cards; Susan Misner, The AMericans; Gretchen Mol, Boardwalk Empire; Olivia Munn, The Newsroom; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy; Hayden Panettiere, Nashville; Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife; Jessica Pare, Mad Men; Morgan Saylor, Homeland; Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men; Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy; Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey; Mae Whitman, Parenthood; Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Rose Byrne, Damages; Jennifer Carpenter, Dexter; Linda Gray, Dallas; Laurie Holden, The Walking Dead; Anjelica Huston, Smash; Regina King, Southland; Mary McDonnell, The Closer; Debra Messing, Smash; Annie Parisse, The Following; Alison Pill, The Newsroom; Abigail Spencer, Rectify; Madeline Stowe, Revenge; Lauren Velez, Dexter

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Benedict Cumberbatch - "Christopher Tietjens", Parade's End
Matt Damon - "Scott Thorson", Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas - "Liberace", Behind the Candelabra
Dominic West - "Hector Madden", The Hour
Ben Whishaw - "Freddie Lyon", The Hour

While Sherlock has been a standout in the past few years, this seems to be the year where Benedict Cumberbatch is determined to get as many shades as he's capable of captured for posterity. I'm not familiar with Ford Madox Ford's novels, but Cumberbatch made Tietjens real as a man clinging to notions of civility and propriety in a world seemingly determined to cast them aside, and the character feels both noble and frustratingly weak-willed at turns. The performances of Damon and Douglas form one of those tandem leads where it seems unfair that only one can win. While Damon is playing a character much younger than him, he makes Scott's innocence believable, his hunger for love, both paternal and romantic, palpable, and his eventual hardening into a lonely adulthood tragic. Douglas never shies away from Liberace's capacity for vanity, or the fundamental callousness that lies at the heart of his pursuit of ever-younger paramours. But neither is his performance cynical - he certainly believes in the rapturous potential of love, if not the intractability of soul mates. West plays Hector as a man painfully aware of his weaknesses, especially as he lets down his wife and coworkers in as public a fashion as possible, but always striving to live up to the full potential he knows is there too. His desire to do good always wars with the mercenary attitude he's supposed to affect as a man in his position. Even so, it's Whishaw's performance as Freddie that makes me so disappointed that The Hour won't be returning. The Hour took what The Newsroom expresses through endless speeches on the value of journalistic inquiry and just showed it, embodied in Freddie's determination to follow the season's story even unto his doom.


Honorable Mentions: Toby Jones, The Girl; Rufus Sewell, Restless

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: An Event in Autumn; Diego Morgado, The Bible; Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Romola Garai - "Bel Rowley", The Hour
Rebecca Hall - "Sylvia Tietjens", Parade's End
Jessica Lange - "Sister Jude Martin", American Horror Story: Asylum
Elisabeth Moss - "Robin ", Top of the Lake
Sigourney Weaver - "Elaine Barrish", Political Animals

I love the way The Hour depicts its profession, showing Bel as the determined producer mediating between wary executives and reporters begging to be let off the leash. Garai demonstrates the balance of a woman's professional life in the nebulous period between World War II and the rise of the second wave in showing the value Bel places in doing a good job even as she struggles to keep her heart in check. Hall as Sylvia is mesmerizingly vain, a woman determined to challenge and laugh at the world, but constantly thwarted when she tries to bring others along with her on what some part of her fears might be the road to hell. Lange's performance brought an unexpected depth to the emotional and redemptive arc across the season of American Horror Story, bridging from the flinty sternness of Sister Jude to the deep-seated pain of Judy Martin. It's difficult not to compare Elisabeth Moss' two major performances this year, but each makes the other stand out in contrast because they're so different and together indicate a startling range. The interiority of Moss as Robin makes other "cop who takes it personally" roles feel awfully histrionic. And as acting in single scenes within the year goes, Robin telling the story of her rape is a heartrending high mark. Weaver resists imitating Hillary Clinton in a role obviously inspired by her, and instead finds an authoritative voice of her own without which Political Animals would not have worked.


Honorable Mentions: Hayley Atwell, Restless; Queen Latifah, Steel Magnolias; Sienna Miller, The Girl

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Angela Bassett, Betty & Coretta; Brenda Blethyn, Mary & Martha; Mary J. Blige, Betty & Coretta; Jewel, Ring of Fire; Laura Linney, The Big C: Hereafter; Lindsay Lohan, Liz & Dick; Helen Mirren, Phil Spector; Hilary Swank, Mary & Martha

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Peter Capaldi - "Randall Brown", The Hour
Rob Lowe - "Dr. Jack Startz", Behind the Candelabra
Zachary Quinto - "Dr. Oliver Thredson", American Horror Story: Asylum
David Wenham - "Al", Top of the Lake
Thomas M. Wright - "Johnno", Top of the Lake

Capaldi is so notoriously skilled with the rapid-fire profanity of the Iannucci oeuvre that his understated news executive proved unexpectedly to be a highlight of The Hour's second season. In addition to playing well off of Anna Chancellor, Capaldi took a potentially cliche-heavy story of a parent searching for a child placed for adoption and rooted in an emotionally honest, quietly devastated performance. Something about Rob Lowe in Behind the Candelabra felt grounded in his decades of experience in Hollywood - how many people who feed on the vanity of others in a youth-obsessed town may have crossed his path and wound up even partially represented in his chillingly blithe performance? I said last year that Quinto "was perfectly tuned to Murphy's particular wavelength," and his different role in the new incarnation of American Horror Story did the same with a more overtly villainous cast. The second season of AHS tapped into the same vein that made Quinto so magnetic in the early seasons of Heroes. I waffled about who to take from Top of the Lake, but had to ultimately make Peter Mullan my #6. Wenham's performance is creepy the way people in real life are creepy - many performances on TV can't leave it as subtext, but Wenham signals subtly that there's just something off about Al where another actor might have overplayed their hand. And Wright impressed me even before I realized that that nagging feeling of familiarity came from a goofy old Disney Channel movie. Within Johnno's reserved nature, Wright shows both his frustration with his inaction and the fact that he still can't push himself past it.


Honorable Mentions: Scott Bakula, Behind the Candelabra; James Cromwell, American Horror Story: Asylum; Rupert Everett, Parade's End; Joseph Fiennes, American Horror Story: Asylum; Michael Gambon, Restless; Stephen Graham, Parade's End; Peter Mullan, Top of the Lake; Evan Peters, American Horror Story: Asylum; Sebastian Stan, Political Animals; James Wolk, Political Animals


I wouldn't be surprised to see: Dan Aykroyd, Behind the Candelabra; Billy Campbell, Killing Lincoln; Ciaran Hinds, Political Animals; Lindsay Owen Pierre, Betty & Coretta; Oliver Platt, The Big C: Hereafter; Matt Ross, Ring of Fire; Jeffrey Tambor, Phil Spector; James Woods, Mary and Martha; Malik Yoba, Betty & Coretta

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Anna Chancellor - "Lix Storm", The Hour
Oona Chaplin - "Marnie Madden", The Hour
Holly Hunter - "G.J.", Top of the Lake
Sarah Paulson - "Lana Winters", American Horror Story: Asylum
Lily Rabe - "Sister Mary Eunice", American Horror Story: Asylum



Honorable Mentions: Ellen Burstyn, Political Animals; Adelaide Clemons, Parade's End; Frances Conroy, American Horror Story: Asylum; Michelle Dockery, Restless; Carla Gugino, Political Animals; Charlotte Rampling, Restless; Phylicia Rashad, Steel Magnolias; Miranda Richardson, Parade's End; Jill Scott, Steel Magnolias; Imelda Staunton, The Girl; Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias

Wouldn't be surprised to see: Roma Downey, The Bible; Janet McTeer, Parade's End; Condola Rashad, Steel Magnolias

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Guest Actress in a Drama

Kate Burton - "Sally Langston", Scandal
Laura Fraser - "Lydia Rodarte-Quayle", Breaking Bad
Abby Miller - "Ellen May", Justified
Debra Mooney - "Verna Thornton", Scandal
Carrie Preston - "Elsbeth Tascioni", The Good Wife
Allison Wright - "Martha Westerfeld", The Americans


Honorable Mentions: Debbie Allen, Grey's Anatomy; Gillian Anderson, Hannibal; Linda Cardellini, Mad Men; Stockard Channing, The Good Wife; Anna Chlumsky, Law and Order: SVU; Lisa Edelstein, Scandal; Jane Fonda, The Newsroom; Beth Grant, Justified; Marin Ireland, Homeland; Sylvia Jeffries, Nashville; Shirley MacLaine, Downton Abbey; Margo Martindale, The Americans; Julia Ormond, Mad Men; Bernadette Peters, Smash; Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones; Kacey Rohl, Hannibal; Meg Chambers Steedle, Boardwalk Empire; Jess Weixler, The Good Wife

Wouldn't be surprised to see: Patricia Arquette, Law and Order: SVU; Kristin Chenoweth, The Good Wife; Joan Cusack, Shameless; Hope Davis, Law and Order: SVU; Jenna Elfman, Damages; Marcia Gay Harden, Law and Order: SVU; Judith Light, Dallas; Marlee Matlin, Switched at Birth; Janet McTeer, Damages; Liza Minnelli, Smash; Yvonne Strahovski, Dexter; Maura Tierney, The Good Wife; Rita Wilson, The Good Wife; Alfre Woodard, True Blood; Constance Zimmer, House of Cards

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Guest Actress in a Comedy

Maria Bamford - "DeBrie Bardeaux", Arrested Development
Parker Posey - "Liz", Louie
Molly Shannon - "Eileen Foliente", Enlightened
Jenny Slate - "Mona Lisa", Parks and Recreation
Octavia Spencer - "Herself", 30 Rock
Kristen Wiig - "Young Lucille Bluth", Arrested Development



Honorable Mentions: Shiri Appleby, Girls; Melissa Benoist, Glee; Christie Brinkley, Parks and Recreation; Patty Duke, Glee; Melora Hardin, The Office; Kate Hudson, Glee; Lucy Lawless, Parks and Recreation; Melissa Leo, Louie; Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live; Liza Minnelli, Arrested Development; Olivia Munn, New Girl; Lauren Potter, Glee; Bunnie Rivera, Suburgatory; Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

Wouldn't be surprised to see: Maria Bamford, Louie; Elizabeth Banks, Modern Family; Rosanne Barr, The Office; Courteney Cox, Go On; Miley Cyrus, Two and a Half Men; Isla Fisher, Arrested Development; Lauren Graham, Go On; Judy Greer, Arrested Development; Marilu Henner, Two and a Half Men; Dot-Marie Jones, Glee; Jennifer Jason Leigh, Weeds; Shelley Long, Modern Family; Kate Micucci, The Big Bang Theory; Catherine O'Hara, 30 Rock; Sarah Jessica Parker, Glee; Chloe Sevigny, Louie; Courney Thorne-Smith, Two and a Half Men; Mae Whitman, Arrested Development; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Guest Actor in a Drama

Jim Beaver - "Shelby Parlow", Justified
William Daniels - "Dr. Thomas", Grey's Anatomy
Rupert Friend - "Peter Quinn", Homeland
Gregg Henry - "Hollis Doyle", Scandal
Derek Luke - "Gregory", The Americans
Patton Oswalt - "Bob Sweeney", Justified


Honorable Mentions: Dylan Baker, The Good Wife; Raymond J. Barry, Justified; Dan Bucatinsky, Scandal; Jere Burns, Justified; David Costabile, Suits; Ron Eldard, Justified; Scott Foley, Scandal; Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife; Walton Goggins, Sons of Anarchy; Harry Hamlin, Mad Men; Eddie Izzard, Hannibal; Nathan Lane, The Good Wife; Matt Lauria, Parenthood; Norm Lewis, Scandal; Gerald McRaney, House of Cards; Mike O'Malley, Justified; Harold Perrineau, Sons of Anarchy; Matthew Perry, The Good Wife; Jesse Plemons, Breaking Bad; Nick Robinson, Boardwalk Empire; Stephen Root, Boardwalk Empire; Jimmy Smits, Sons of Anarchy; Richard Thomas, The Americans

Wouldn't be surprised to see: Andre Braugher, Law and Order: SVU; Ciaran Hinds, Game of Thrones; Hal Holbrook, Monday Mornings; Lennie James, The Walking Dead; Gerald McRaney, Southland; Chris Messina, The Newsroom; Dallas Roberts, The Walking Dead

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Guest Actor in a Comedy

Terry Crews - "Herbert Love", Arrested Development
Dermot Mulroney - "Jeff Flender", Enlightened
Chris O'Dowd - "Thomas-John", Girls
Patton Oswalt - "Garth Blundin", Parks and Recreation
Andrew Rannells - "Elijah", Girls
Ben Stiller - "Tony Wonder", Arrested Development

Trust me when I say there's text already written to go with this but I've realized that I vastly overestimated my typing speed and thus will leave this as a placeholder for the future. Maybe not too distantly!

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, 30 Rock; Chris Diamantopoulos, Arrested Development; Mark Duplass, The Mindy Project; Dennis Farina, New Girl; Will Forte, 30 Rock; Anders Holm, The Mindy Project; Nick Kroll, Parks and Recreation; Jason Mantzoukas, Parks and Recreation; James Marsden, 30 Rock; Rob Reiner, New Girl; Seth Rogen, The Mindy Project; Jason Schwartzman, Parks and Recreation; David Walton, New Girl; Patrick Wilson, Girls; Henry Winkler, Arrested Development; Dean Winters, 30 Rock

Wouldn't be surprised to see: F. Murray Abraham, Louie; Benjamin Bratt, Modern Family; Matthew Broderick, Modern Family; Louis CK, Saturday Night Live; Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie; Matt Damon, House of Lies; Kevin Hart, Saturday Night Live; Judd Hirsch, Maron; Ron Howard, Arrested Development; Nathan Lane, Modern Family; Jay Leno, Louie; David Lynch, Louie; Kyle McLachlan, Portlandia; Garry Marshall, Louie; Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory; Mike O'Malley, Glee; Seth Rogen, Arrested Development; Martin Short, Saturday Night Live; John Slattery, Arrested Development; Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live; Fred Willard, Modern Family; Robin Williams, Louie

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: The Unsubmitted

Post dump! I've been so delinquent about posting this entire calendar year that I really wanted to try to get these in under the wire, pre-nomination announcement.

Natalie Dormer - "Irene Adler", Elementary

I don't expect Elementary to make a big showing among the nominees this year, but was still disappointed to see her name only in play for Game of Thrones. Coming at the end of the season, long after Lucy Liu's Watson had disproved initial suspicions of gimmickry in the show's gender swap, Dormer's performance reinforced the extent to which Elementary is gloriously doing their own thing. For the twist to work, Dormer had to present herself as equally self-assured in Irene's banter-heavy chemistry with Sherlock, and Moriarty's egomaniacal delight in presenting herself as the criminal mastermind. 


Raymond J. Barry - "Old Nick", New Girl
Merritt Wever - "Elizabeth", New Girl

Both were standouts in a season where New Girl made a big leap forward in their use of guest stars. Barry's crabby energy made it believable that Nick would entertain the idea that a future version of himself had travelled back through time. And Wever's skill with her particular combination of enthusiasm and deadpan - if there's such a thing as acerbic joie de vivre, she might be the master of it - played perfectly against Max Greenfield in working to undercut Schmidt's vainest tendencies.

Chris Coy - "LP Everett", Treme

Michiel Huisman - "Sonny", Treme

Treme
 has regrettably never been a big Emmy contender, but still draws upon a number of affecting performances to travel down different paths in the show's New Orleans. Coy's non-native investigative reporter spoke to an enduring belief in the potential for the press as a vehicle for change in the face of an entrenched system designed to resist any accusation of corruption or malfeasance. Huisman, like Andre Royo on The Wire before him, shone in the addiction-downfall-and-redeption storyline this year, something most Treme viewers probably couldn't imagine at the end of the show's first season.

James Wolk - "Bob Benson", Mad Men


I actually flipped back and forth between the Supporting and Guest Actor pdfs a few times because I was so shocked not to see Wolk listed. Among viewers of Mad Men, his performance was the buzziest of the season. As the season progressed, the unrelenting cheeriness of Bob's public face grew more unsettling among the increasingly cynical cast of Mad Men characters, and Wolk excelled in the season's later episodes, letting Bob's mask drop by only millimeters and showing in flickers how fast and hard his mental gears were always turning.

Tony Hale - "Buster Bluth", Arrested Development


I can't have been the only Arrested Development season 4 viewer who felt by the middle of the season like they were constantly wondering, "Where's Buster?" Hale's absence from much of the season was the clearest failure of the show's "film whoever's available" model, and even coming near the end the Buster-focused episode was one of the season's best and most narratively cohesive. The Bluths' maniacal egotism needs Buster's guilelessness to be easier to handle in the aggregate.

Nat Faxon - "Ben Fox", Ben & Kate

Lucy Punch - "BJ", Ben & Kate

Again, I don't blame them for sitting this one out, as Ben & Kate was gone by midseason, left only to the fond memories of its fans. But Faxon and Punch's manic irreverence was key to what made the show unique. I was also disappointed not to see Faxon because I always have trouble filling a full slate in the Lead Actor in a Comedy category.

Cheyenne Jackson - "Billy", Behind the Candelabra


Coming at the beginning of Behind the Candelabra, Jackson's performance quietly signals to film's arc largely through body language. Jackson as Billy refuses to be ignored - it's through his hostile looks and defensive postures that we can see Scott's downfall as Liberace's romantic cycle clicks back to the start again in the last third of the movie.

Jessica Brown Findlay - "Sybil Branson", Downton Abbey

Allen Leech - "Tom Branson", Downton Abbey

I hope Julian Fellowes varies his m.o. a little and kills off fewer characters played by departing actors in future seasons. But it's difficult to quibble with his tactics when they result in an episode as heartbreaking as the one in which Sybil dies in childbirth. In a season where the dramatic engine behind Downton Abbey's storylines often felt rote and uninspired, the unexpected tragedy was affecting, and more, felt historically honest.

Misc. Cast of Bunheads (Bailey Buntain, Emma Dumont, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Telles)


The young cast of Bunheads are not only skilled, emotive dancers, but jumped in feet-first with Amy Sherman-Palladino's notoriously quick patter and formed the show's strong emotional core.

Misc. Cast of Call the Midwife (Jenny Agutter, Laura Main, Stephen McGann)

Misc. Cast of The Bletchley Circle (Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Stirling, Julie Graham, Sophie Rundle)

I'm not surprised that PBS seems to be throwing whatever campaign muscle they have behind Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge, but I'd have liked to see more names from Call the Midwife, and any names from The Bletchley Circle. Together, the two shows portrayed a vibrant and complex range of post-World War II womanhood. Sister Bernadette's story in falling in love with Dr. Turner and deciding to leave the order was Call the Midwife's best story arc across its second season. And Anna Maxwell Martin seems able to jump in at any point across the last 200 years of British history with portrayals of quiet yet strong women.

As an addendum, I'll say that I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of returning players from last year's post show up on the ballot this year. I like to think that the post made it to the eyes of some beleaguered intern toiling in the bowels of a talent agency somewhere tasked with collecting favorable notices of their clients.