The 2015 Emmy Nominations: Yays, Nays, and Netflix’s Domination

Did you see the Emmy nominations? No? You can check them out here. If you’ve already seen them, stick around, because I’m going to give you my thoughts on them. Just like last year, a few of my favorite shows didn’t make it into the nomination list. Hannibal’s most recent season started after the nomination cutoff date so they won’t be eligible until next year. Person of Interest was once again snubbed, along with Elementary, NCIS, and a number of other popular procedurals. Though I was glad to see The Blacklist’s Alan Alda score a nomination.

I’m not even going to talk about reality shows because I couldn’t care less.

Out of left field, fan favorite Parks and Recreation managed to snag a couple nominations for its final season. It is in the running for Outstanding Comedy Series. Additionally, Amy Poehler is in the running for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Creator and show runner Michael Schur expressed his surprise in an interview with TV Line. Obviously an Emmy nomination wasn’t something that was on anyone’s mind at this point in the game, with the show’s near cult status, but it is always nice to see quality shows recognized.

Speaking of quality, even though I haven’t seen Empire, I’ve heard nothing but accolades for Taraji P. Henson’s performance as Cookie Lyon. Seeing as she’s taken a spot for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, I’m really hoping the odds will be ever in her favor. From what little I’ve seen of her role, she’s killing it. I first became a fan during her Person of Interest days and I’m so glad she got off of that show and moved onto Empire.

Other badass nominations include Will Forte for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for The Last Man on Earth, Lily Tomlin for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Grace and Frankie, Emilia Clarke for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Game of Thrones, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andre Braughner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

With the nominees stacked with these talented actors and actresses, I suppose I can begin to get over the fact that Person of Interest and a few of my other favorite shows probably won’t ever see the light of a nomination. It is alright, though. I’ll be fine as long as Parks and Recreation takes something. Even better if it takes everything. Why not just replace all of the other nominations with Parks and Recreation? What could go wrong? Nothing. That’s what.

One thing I will say, and will close on this thought, is that I am pleased with the steady integration of original series provided by streaming services being worked into the nominations. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Transparent, Orange is the New Black, all of these shows are leading the television curve as streaming services step up to the plate to try and compete with the big networks.

Personal opinion? They’ll over take them. Honestly, they’ve already decimated cable for me. While Game of Thrones disappears down the path of tired tropes, shows produced by Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime begin to push the boundaries of television both through presentation and content.

All in all, I’m excited to see what this year’s Emmy nominations will bring. Will Parks and Recreation steal the spotlight? I hope so, though the nomination itself is almost enough. Regardless of my shameless biases, I wish everyone good luck because a lot goes into producing the television shows we know and love, and it is nice to see that work acknowledged.