2014 Emmy Predictions and Hopefuls: Outstanding Drama Series

Recently, the Emmy's released every person and show eligible in all of their categories for the 2014 Primetime Emmy's for their nomination ballot. This post is dedicated to everything related to Outstanding Drama Series category. It will be both who I think will actually earn a nomination as well as who I think deserves to earn a nomination. However, there is one main ground rule- I have to go off of the actual Emmy nomination ballot. Which means that if the series isn't actually eligible to earn a nomination in real life, then it's not eligible to be mentioned in this post. Makes sense, doesn't it? Let's begin!

DRAMA

WHO I THINK WILL GET A NOMINATION:

- Breaking Bad (AMC)
- Downton Abbey (PBS)
- Game of Thrones (HBO)
- House of Cards (Netflix)
- Mad Men (AMC)
- True Detective (HBO)

2014 Emmy Power Rankings (Drama)

Last Monday, the Emmy's released their nomination ballot for their voters to vote on. It's a comprehensive list of every single person and show that is eligible in each particular category. This list right here is a Power Rankings of the top contenders in each particular category and how I believe the nominations will play out in a month. Who do I think will get a nomination? Who do I think is in the running but will come up just short? How many major nominations will your favorite show get? Find out when you check out our 2014 Emmy Power Rankings for Drama Series:


OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

1) Breaking Bad (AMC)
2) True Detective (HBO)
3) Mad Men (AMC)
4) Downton Abbey (PBS)
5) Game of Thrones (HBO)
6) House of Cards (Netflix)
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7) Masters of Sex (Showtime)
8) The Good Wife (CBS)
9) Homeland (Showtime)
10) Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR

1) Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
2) Matthew McConaughey (True Detective)
3) Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom)
4) Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
5) Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
6) Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
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7) Woody Harrelson (True Detective)
8) Martin Sheen (Masters of Sex)
9) Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
10) James Spader (The Blacklist)
11) Damien Lewis (Homeland)


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS

1) Claire Danes (Homeland)
2) Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men)
3) Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)
4) Connie Britton (Nashville)
5) Kerry Washington (Scandal)
6) Robin Wright (House of Cards)
7) Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex)
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8) Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
9) Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel)
10) Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)

10 Quick Reactions To The 2014 Emmy Nomination Ballot

Throughout the entire month of May, I wrote many Emmy Questions pieces regarding many of the shows eligible and likely to be nominated for an Emmy in 2014 including House of Cards, Mad Men, Modern Family, Breaking Bad and many, many others. You can check out all of my articles here. A lot of the questions for these particular shows were regarding which categories certain actors would be nominated in. The Emmy's helped answer those questions today as they released every single show and person eligible in every single Primetime Emmy category. Here are 10 "Quick" Reaction to the 2014 Emmy Nomination Ballot that was released today.

1) True Detective

Click Here For Our True Detective Emmy Questions Post

The biggest question of all during this "Emmy pre-season" is what category would Woody Harrelson throw his hat into. HBO isn't ashamed to do what they can in order to maximize nominations and prestige, especially considering True Detective is a mini-series yet it's nominated in the Drama Series categories. Matthew McConaughey is a lock to earn a nomination, and is probably the favorite to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, so it was unclear whether Woody Harrelson would also be considered a Lead Actor as opposed to a Supporting Actor. The lead actor category is already crowded, and adding Woody Harrelson into the mix makes it almost impossible for anyone to get a nomination!

However, Woody Harrelson was clearly a co-lead with McConaughey and is eligible as such. Even though HBO probably could have maximized its nominations by submitting Harrelson as a supporting actor, the network seems so confident in the show, that Harrelson was submitted as a lead.

I was correct that Cary Joji Fukunaga submitted "Who Goes There" with its excellent oner at the end of the episode for Outstanding Directing, but I was incorrect as to what episode Nick Pizzolatto would submit in the writing category. I thought it would be the show's pilot, but it turned out to be Episode 5, "The Secret Fate of All Life." Since both Fukunaga and Pizzolatto directed and wrote, respectively, all eight episodes by themselves, they're only eligible for one nomination each.

2014 Emmy Questions: Homeland

Click here for the introduction to The Cover 3's "2014 Emmy Questions" series

COLD, HARD LOCK NOMINATIONS: Best Actress (Claire Danes)

EDUCATED GUESS NOMINATION: Best Supporting Actor (Mandy Patinkin)

FULL DISCLAIMER: I have seen the first two seasons of Homeland, but I stopped watching its third season (the one that's Emmy eligible in 2014) four episodes into it because it was just not good anymore. I absolutely loved its rookie season and publicly applauded its Emmy wins, but Season 2 took a big step back for me and Season 3, well, you kind of know my thoughts on its third season. I'll do my best to make this post as objective, but...

QUESTION ONE: How many nominations will Homeland lose in 2014?

5 TV Shows That Failed To Capitalize On Great Storylines

5) Homeland- Brody Dies At The End Of Season 1

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: Brody tries to kill himself in a suicide bombing but his vest malfunctions, so Brody survives for 2 more dreadful seasons.

WHY THIS STORY LINE SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED: This is an easy one, so I'll get it out of the way first. I also don't fault Homeland's show runners Alex Gansa and Howard Gordan for wanting Damian Lewis (the actor who played Nicholas Brody) to stay on their show. Lewis won the Emmy for Best Actor at the Emmys in 2012, and he deserved it. He was fantastic in Homeland's rookie season, and if you were running Homeland, you'd probably want this great actor to stay on as long as possible. Vince Gilligan was planning on killing off Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman during Season 1 of Breaking Bad, but didn't because he realized what a great actor Paul was and what a gem he had on his hands. Gansa and Gordon probably thought they had the same thing with Lewis. And the fact that Brody didn't actually blow up didn't change how great Season 1 of Homeland was.

However, Brody's existence did change how "good" (a term I use very loosely) Seasons 2 & 3 of Homeland was. Now there were many problems with the later season of Homeland that have absolutely nothing to do with Brody, but the fact that he was around and the writers were shoehorning him with scenes with Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) didn't help anything either. Plus, the reason Lewis was such a great actor and performed so well in Season 1 was because you weren't sure what side he was on. After Season 1, not only was his side very clear, but he wasn't given any nuances to work with.

Putting The Odds On Outstanding Drama Series Nominations For The 2013 Emmys

Before you know it, the 2013 Primetime Emmy nominations will be released, and then we will be in full television swing. I decided to get the party started with my predictions for nominations. While there have always been great and amazing shows in recent years, it seems that now more than ever, the quantity of those great shows are increasing. That is why I decided to do my odds columns of who I think will and should earn a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2013 Emmys.

The Best Episodes Of Television in 2012

10) On My Way- Glee (FOX)
Season 3 / Episode 14
Directed By: Bradley Buecker / Written By: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Brief Description: As bad as Glee is, it is great at bringing to light social issues that high schoolers and today's youth struggle with. Glee is especially great at dealing with homosexuality in today's landscape. "On My Way" focused on the Karofsky story line to help bring awareness to the struggle that young gay kids unfortunately have to face with on an every day basis. Plus, the story line at the end dealing with texting while driving was very powerful as well.


9) Q&A- Homeland (Showtime)
Season 2 / Episode 5
Directed By: Lesli Linka Glatter / Written By: Henry Bromell

Brief Description: As crazy and out-of-control as Homeland got in 2012, it still stopped to take moments to highlight its best feature- Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody and all of their great chemistry together. Nothing was better this this year than having Carrie and Brody alone together in an interrogation room. Grantland's Andy Greenwald called that interrogation the Best 15 Minutes Of Television This Year.

8) Louie C.K. / fun.- Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Season 38 / Episode 6
Head Writer: Seth Meyers

Brief Description: Despite SNL not being any good since Tina Fey left the show, I still continue to watch it on a weekly basis for some unknown reason. It's probably because you get amazing gems like this episode. When you get the best comedian on the planet to host your show, great things ensue. His Lincoln sketch is one of the funniest things you'll ever see.

7) Far Away Places- Mad Men (AMC)
Season 5 / Episode 6
Directed By: Scott Hornbacher / Written By: Semi Chellas

Brief Description: Despite my constant public bashing of Mad Men, it did have some incredible moments. I saw TIME choose "At The Codfish Ball" as the best Mad Men episode in 2012 and it's hard to argue with that selection. I chose "Far Away Places" because it had Roger Sterling's (the show's most charismatic character) take an incredible LSD trip. It just seemed for fitting for this season of Mad Men because the entire season felt like an acid trip.



6)  Win, Lose, or Draw- Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Season 4 / Episode 22
Written and Directed By: Michael Schur

Brief Description: For four long seasons we have sat beside and cared for Leslie Knope. We knew it was a huge dream of hers to become a city counsel woman (as a stepping stone to eventually becoming President) and in the Season 4 finale "Win, Lose, or Draw" we finally got to see if Leslie's dream came true or not.

5) Two Imposters- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Season 3 / Episode 11
Directed By: Allen Coulter / Written By: Howard Korder

Brief Description: The last three episodes of Boardwalk Empire were incredible. B.E. took a giant leap this year to become one of TV's elite and best dramas. If I could choose all three I would. While the finale had the incredible rampaging of Richard Harrow, I ultimately chose the show's penultimate episode because the episode narrowed in on two of its most amazing characters (Nucky Thompson and Chalky White) and that was it. Despite the big cast, it is nice to settle down and focus on the show's best characters.

4) Pillows and Blankets- Community (NBC)
Season 3 / Episode 14
Directed By: Tristham Shapeero / Written By: Andy Bobrow

Brief Description: I am a Community fan but I hated Season 3 and thought the show imploded on itself. I was glad to see Dan Harmon leave. But during this implosion, we did get greatness like "Pillows and Blankets"- an episode mocking War documentaries such as the ones Ken Burns makes. Community was always at its best when it was doing parodies or poking fun at pop culture and "Pillows and Blankets" was the perfect representation of that in 2012.

3) Eggs- New Girl (FOX)
Season 2 / Episode 9
Directed By: Neal Brennan / Written By: Kay Cannon

Brief Description: "Eggs" was probably THE funniest episode that aired this year. I was literally laughing out loud and Schmidt's scene describing his sexual moves was incredible. Despite the amazing laughs and the frequency of them, the show never lost its heart and still had its characters at the core of the episode. Plus, writer Kay Cannon (30 Rock, Pitch Perfect) makes a wonderful cameo at the beginning. Great all around.

2) Dead Freight- Breaking Bad (AMC)
Season 5 / Episode 5
Written and Directed By: George Mastras

Brief Description: The beginning of the episode was just a kid on a dirt bike riding around in the desert and you think, "That was weird". And then the very last moment of the episode brings everything full circle and makes you scream, "Oh, Shit!" at the top of lungs and you can't wait for more. The Great Train Robbery was one of the best scenes Breaking Bad has ever done. And that's saying something considering this is Breaking freaking Bad.


1) Blackwater- Game of Thrones (HBO)
Season 2 / Episode 9
Directed By: Neil Marshall / Written By: George R.R. Martin

Brief Description: Even though I thought GOT was only the fourth best show in 2012, it without a doubt, aired the single greatest episode of 2012. This episode was solely about the Battle of Blackwater- when Stannis Baratheon finally comes to King's Landing and the great Tyrion Lannister attempts to fight him off. Because Game of Thrones has the biggest freaking cast in the world, we normally see about 10 different scenes with about 20 different characters on any given week. But the show's penultimate episode was solely about this one battle with the vast majority of the cast never to be seen. The limited storytelling made for the best episode Game of Thrones has ever aired and made for the best episode during this great and deep year that was 2012.
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The Best Television Shows Of 2012

10) Key and Peele (Comedy Central) Season 1
Created By: Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele

Brief Description: It's easy to call this show the 2012 reincarnation of Chapelle's Show, but please do not. While there are many similarities, Key and Peele's humor is smarter and their skits are more well crafted. This is one of the smartest and funniest shows on television right now.

9) Suits (USA) Season 2
Created By: Aaron Korsh

Brief Description: The show started off amazing as a brewing war in the Pearson Mardman law firm between current firm partner/creator Jessica Pearson and the main character Harvey versus absent firm partner/creator Daniel Hardman but ended sourly because it ended up being the predictable USA show that it is.

8) Homeland (Showtime) Season 2
Created By: Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa

Brief Description: What made Season 1 of Homeland great was that it was 24 except character driven instead of plot driven. However, Season 2 (especially the latter half of it) is now full on 24 with glaring plot holes which diminishes what was an incredible rookie season for Gordon and Gansa.

7) Justified (FX) Season 3
Created By: Graham Yost

Brief Description: The show was not going to live up to its incredible second season but it sure came close. They added two new villains in Season 3 (Quarles and Limehouse) and I thought that muddled the plot because there were too many moving pieces at once. Hopefully, they'll simplify that for Season 4

6) Mad Men (AMC) Season 5
Created By: Matthew Weiner

Brief Description: Despite Season 5 being extremely boring for the vast majority of it and is easily the worst Mad Men series to date, it's still Mad Men. It's still doing things other shows wouldn't dare to do and pulling them off. Despite my constant knocking of the show, there were still many amazing moments like Roger's LSD trip and the Lane Pryce story line during the second half of the season.

5) New Girl (FOX) Seasons 1/2
Created By: Elizabeth Meriwether

Brief Description: While the show took a few episodes in 2011 to figure out its characters and where they wanted to take everybody and everything, by 2012 the show was rocking on all cylinders. The show started focusing more or Schmidt and Nick which made Meriwether's good idea great.

4) Game Of Thrones (HBO) Season 2
Created By: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Brief Description: The show aired the best episodes of the year ("Blackwater") and found a way to not only be completely fascinating and mesmerizing but also found a way to focus on character development this season. The one problem I had with Season 2 is that there are so many characters all over this world and some sub-points are getting tiresome (mainly Dany and Jon Snow). I know everyone will converge eventually but right now it feels like the show is dragging its feet at times.

3) Boardwalk Empire (HBO) Season 3
Created By: Terence Winter

Brief Description: "You Can't Be Half A Gangster". Words uttered by the immortal Jimmy Darmody in the show's pilot. Nucky Thompson becomes a full gangster in Season 3 which in turn causes Boardwalk Empire to turn a corner into greatness. The show found a damn good balance between character arcs versus plot points to make this season of Boardwalk the best one to date.

2) Parks and Recreation (NBC) Seasons 4/5
Created By: Michael Schur and Greg Daniels

Brief Description: Parks and Recreation is simply the best comedy on television right now. I think it's surpassing The Office for one of the greatest and recent NBC comedies. Parks and Rec have been on an amazing roll since Season 3 and have not let up on the gas pedal since.

1) Breaking Bad (AMC) Season 5.1
Created By: Vince Gilligan

Brief Description: While normally a Breaking Bad season is 13 episodes long, this "half" season of Breaking Bad was only 8. That in turn affected the storytelling. Gilligan and company are amazing at spending time articulating every detail of everything but they were forced to cut corners with 5 less episodes. That in turn created the worst Breaking Bad season to date since it's first season (which was shortened by the writer's strike). That being said, it's still the greatest show ever and the best show of the year. Even a "bad" season of Breaking Bad is better than anything currently on television.



Shows That Missed The Cut

- Archer (FX): A show that just missed the cut and is 11th on my list. I probably enjoy Archer more than I do Key and Peele but Archer will go through slumps (both mid episode and mid season) and has done so throughout its three year run. I'd like to see Archer be at a higher level more consistently before I throw it on a top ten list.

- 30 Rock (NBC): I have come to grips that 30 Rock will never be as good as it was in Seasons 1-3 but it's sixth season in 2012 was excellent and easily made an argument that it deserved to make my top 10.

- Modern Family (ABC): I know I'm alone on an island on this one but I don't like Modern Family anymore. The characters and the beats of the show have become repetitive and I feel like I'm watching the same episode over and over again.

- The League (FX): Holy cow is Season 4 of The League bad. It was never a great show because it sacrificed both plot and characters for a laugh (which used to work) but now it's not even generating laughs.

- It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX): It's still great but the season is too young for me to properly judge it.

- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) / The Office (NBC): One of my favorite comedies of all time and now have become completely unwatchable (I have stopped watching). Please die already.

- Glee (FOX): it was never that good of a show to begin with but with more worse plot lines (which I didn't think were possible), crappier songs, and poor handling of important teen issues, the bloom is officially off of the Glee rose.
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