2014 Emmys: Who Got Snubbed

The 2014 Emmy Nominations were announced today, and there were a lot of things that academy voters got right. (Game of Thrones! Orange is the New Black! Mad Men!)

And then there's a whole lot of shows that got screwed.

Sure, you can't please anyone when it comes to awards voting. But these TV heavyweights got royally KO'd before they even stepped into the ring.

Outstanding Drama Series: "Boardwalk Empire" and "Sons of Anarchy"

The first isn't seem so much a snub on viewer's part as much as HBO promoting it's more buzzed about series. Which is a shame, because "Boardwalk Empire" has flown completely under the radar, a series that finally reached dramatic maturity and is utterly entertaining in every sense of the word. Excluding "Sons of Anarchy" though is just a crime. The gritty and harrowing series about power struggles within a Californian biker gang is some top notch television. FX has gotten plenty of praise for their comedies but have failed to get the attention they deserve for dramas.

Outstanding Comedy Series: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

The humor started off as pretty juvenile, but "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" found it's pacing and arrested plenty of viewers' attention with it's biting comedy. Switch this one in and take out "Silicon Valley."

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: James Spader, "The Blacklist"

Right now, you have six actors in the category who are either in "revolutionary, innovative shows" or in "the defining roles of their careers." Which Spader's role as Raymond "Red" Reddington in "The Blacklist" doesn't fall into either. "The Blacklist" is good, but not on the masterful production level of those HBO and AMC series. And even though Spader isn't putting on the role of a lifetime, he's still pretty damn good. So with no more "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" ending next year, expect some room to open up for Spader.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Keri Russell, "The Americans"

The Emmy's got it right by recognizing Lizzy Caplan's performance in "Masters of Sex" early on. But Keri Russell deserves much more attention for her role as KGB spy turned American nuclear family matriarch Elizabeth Jennings in "The Americans." This is bound to be one of those shows that gets really popular in its third season, and then everyone will claim they've been watching along the entire time. Hopefully then Keri will get some hot Emmy love for her Cold War character.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"

Lurking underneath "True Detective's" eerie and haunting criminal investigation were some much darker themes of the exploitation and dismissal of women. And Michelle Monaghan's emotionally tortured turn Maggie Hart was a magnificently complex performance. Watching Monaghan's stunning transformation through the course of those eight episodes is nearly as stunning as the Yellow King's himself.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Charles Dance, "Game of Thrones"

It's hard for any actor to make a name for themselves on a show with a cast of hundreds. But it's a royal crime that Charles Dance wasn't recognized for his role as the menacing and manipulating patriarch Tywin Lannister. Dance brings the brooding and calculating nature of Lannister to life, a menacing threat in the eyes of his enemies, and an emotionally absent daddy to the children who need him first. Emmy voters probably knew that Dance put on a phenomenal show, but saw how much love "Game of Thrones" was already getting and felt ok leaving Dance out of the Emmy royal ball.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"

Orange is the New Black suffers from being in that confusing genre category known as "dramedy." And with "Orange is the New Black" being recognized as a comedy rather than a drama, that means that those inmates who put on a great performance are likely to be ignored. Which is a shame because Uzo Aduba has proven for two seasons now to be the best part of "Orange is the New Black."

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"

The last season wasn't nearly as good, and many fans are still pretty pissed off about that finale, but Neil Patrick Harris was still at his comedic best as Barney Stinson. This snub was legen-, wait for it, dary.