2017 Emmy Nominations: Snubs and Surprises

Reaction to the 2017 Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning, here are a couple of things that stood out to me:

SURPRISE: David Harbour and Stranger Things

The Stranger Things sheriff was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series when few thought he would be. Harbour took advantage of the open space left by last year's winner, Ben Mendelsohn, being moved to Guest Actor category. Unsurprisingly,  Habrour's costar Millie Bobby Brown was nominated in Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her breakout role as Eleven, but unfortunately, Winona Ryder was snubbed for her big comeback role. Most inexplicably of all, Shannon Purser was nominated in Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Barb. I mean, Barb was fun and all,  but Emmy worthy? C'mon Emmy voters, that's insane.

SNUB: Drew Barrymore

The Best Actress in a Comedy Series category is an absolute mess. Drew Barrymore is an A-list celebrity starring in a Netflix series, a recipe for Emmy gold if I've ever heard one. How could she end not even being nominated? Someone at Netflix must have really bungled her campaign. Two other big names from a Netflix series were nominated in the same category however, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin from Grace and Frankie, a show nobody watches and nobody likes. I get that they have had long careers, but seriously, this is a getting ridiculous. Also Pamela Adlon got a surprise nomination for Better Things. What the heck is Better Things? I've never heard of it. Don't even get me started at the countless other snubs in this category, including Sutton Foster, Minnie Driver, Constance Wu, Gina Rodriguez, etc.

SURPRISE: SNL Ladies in Supporting Actress

Kate McKinnon was expected to repeat her nomination and win from last year, so her inclusion isn't surprising. But, her SNL costars Vanessa Bayer and Leslie Jones also making the list was quite the shock. Not that they aren't funny, but what they do is so different than what someone like Anna Chlumsky does, it's weird that they have to compete in the same category. It's too bad they didn't go for a more inspired choice, like Andrea Martin from the wonderful and underrated Great News. 

SNUB: Mandy Moore

This Is Us got a lot of love from the Emmy voters, picking up a ton of nominations (rare for a network show in 2017), including six nominations for acting. Unfortunately, Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca on the show, was not one of the stars nominated. Lead Actress in a Drama Series in always a crazy competitive category, but I was hoping Moore could break in. With This Is Us, Moore has totally reinvented herself, going from has-been pop star to genuinely great television actress. This Is Us's high-concept would not work with Moore's performance holding all the threads together, it's a shame there was no room for her, especially since her costar Milo Ventimiglia got a shocking nomination in the equally crowded Lead Actor category.

SURPRISE: Dolly Parton Christmas Movie

Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love earned a nominated for Best TV Movie in one of the biggest surprises of the morning. I'm not complaining, however, that movie was an absolute  delight. A sweet little Christmas movie with a good message and great songs.

SNUB: Bloodline's Final Season 

Sure, Bloodline's final season wasn't it's best, but the lack of nominations for even it's actors boggles my mind. Ben Mendelsohn got nominated again, which is great, but he isn't even in the top ten best performances this season. The Emmys love Kyle Chandler and nominated him the past two years, so why drop him now, when he's doing the best, most subtle work of his career? I have no clue. And how could they overlook Sissy Spacek as the matriarch of the Rayburn family? The answer must be that the voters didn't watch Bloodline. Had they watch it, saw her stirring, bone-chilling monologue from the final episodes, in which she puts the entire series into perspective, she would be headed towards a win right about now. There is one line in particular from that monologue that still haunts me, but I won't spoil it here because I have a feeling none of you have watched Bloodline yet. Sigh. 

The Emmys air September 17 on CBS.
What did you think of this year's nominees? Who were you excited to see get in/most disappointed to see left out? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for reading!