Even "Suits" co-star Patrick J. Adams may be puzzled by his SAG Awards nomination.
Credit: USA
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Like the Golden Globe Awards, where the nominations will be announced tomorrow, the
SAG Awards treat their TV categories like an afterthought. There are no supporting categories of any kind, for instance, and they mainly seem to exist to appease that branch of the
Screen Actors Guild, and to possibly draw some extra audience to the telecast.
And like the Golden Globes are every year, this year's SAG nominations are so bizarre/stupid/silly that they're probably not worth getting worked up over...
... except I can't really wrap my brain around any of the following:
* That Claire Danes of Showtime's "Homeland," who would have seemed like the lock to win the drama actress category, both here and at the Emmys, wasn't even nominated. (Nor was Damian Lewis, nor was "Homeland" itself for dramatic ensemble, which is the SAG equivalent of the best drama award.)
* That "
Dexter" got a dramatic ensemble nomination. You want to nominate Michael C. Hall (which they did)? Go for it. He's great. But with the possible exception of Jennifer Carpenter as Deb, does anyone care about or like
any other character on that show?
* That "Parks and Recreation," which is the best comedy on TV (and my pick for
the best current show on TV) was ignored for both comedy ensemble and Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman as individual actors.
The cast of "Glee" was nominated for comedy ensemble.
"Glee."
and, best of all...
* The SAG voters deemed that one of the five best performances on television in 2011 by a male actor in a drama series was...
Patrick J. Adams from "
Suits."
It's not that Adams is bad, but Adams over Danes' co-star Damian Lewis, Aaron Paul and Giancarlo Esposito from "Breaking Bad," Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins from "Justified," any of the three "Men of a Certain Age," Charlie Hunnam from "Sons of Anarchy," anyone from "Treme," anyone other than Steve Buscemi from the "Boardwalk Empire" cast, Peter Dinklage from "Game of Thrones," anyone from "The Good Wife," John Noble from "Fringe," etc., etc., etc. (UPDATE: And I forgot Kelsey Grammer from "Boss," for that matter.)
It's just a wildly out of left field choice, the kind of thing the Golden Globes would do, only there it would involve a young actress rather than an actor (we call this The Piper Perabo Special), and you could write it off to the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wanting to mingle with someone new and hot (in various senses of the word).
So, yeah. Tempting though it is to just look at the Adams nomination and declare that it, in and of itself, makes the SAG Awards ridiculous and not worthy of attention, I'm annoyed by so many things in so many areas that I might as well take it category by category, leaving out the movies and minis nominees, because there are so few of those made that the nominations are all but automatic. You can find the full nominees list for both film and TV
here.
Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland"
The lack of a supporting category bumps Bowen and Vergara into the field, knocking out both Emmy winner Melissa McCarthy and shoulda-been-the-Emmy-winner Amy Poehler. Though you could also blame SAG's Betty White fetish for either or both omissions. In either case, awards show love for both "Modern Family" and Betty White should not be surprising. Poehler's absence annoys me, but this is one of the less weird categories.
Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Jon Cryer, "2.5 Men"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"
Again, mashing together the lead and supporting categories makes it tough for everybody, as the arrival of the last three Emmy winners for comedy supporting actor leaves no room at the inn for Jim Parsons (who has somehow never been nominated for a SAG Award, despite the group's love for "Big Bang Theory" itself), Louis C.K., Chris Colfer from "Glee" and Offerman, among others.
Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"30 Rock"
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"The Office"
"30 Rock" had a very good season last year, though it hasn't been on the air in forever. Lots of people still love "Modern Family," even my own feelings are more ambivalent these days. "Big Bang Theory" is a big hit and beloved by its audience (though, again, the consistent Parsons snub is bizarre). And I know that it's the lot in life of "Community" to get ignored by awards shows far and wide. But that "Parks and Rec" couldn't get nominated over either "The Office" or (especially) "Glee" is irksome.
Female Actor in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Lange's scenery-chewing performance (which, admittedly, was one of the few parts of "AHS" that I didn't hate) knocks out not only her new co-star Connie Britton for her old "
Friday Night Lights" role, but Danes, who should be lined up for another year of dominating awards shows like she did after playing Temple Grandin. She is absurdly good, but apparently not good enough to get in ahead of any of the bigger brand name nominees.
And the supporting/lead mash-up here also means there's no chance for Margo Martindale to get another nomination for her brilliant work on "Justified," but at least she's got her Emmy and her "A Gifted Man" paychecks.
Male Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams, "Suits"
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
See above. I. Just. Do. Not. Get. It.
Ensemble in a Drama Series
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Breaking Bad"
"Dexter"
"Game of Thrones"
"The Good Wife"
No major objections with 4 of the 5 (though I could swap in several other shows ahead of "Good Wife," it's got a terrific cast in its own right). But for "Dexter" to be nominated over the casts of "Homeland," "Justified," "Friday Night Lights," "Parenthood," "Men of a Certain Age," "Treme," "Sons of Anarchy," among others is just silly. Not Patrick J. Adams from "Suits" silly, but much closer than it should be.
What does everybody else think? Which SAG category seems weirdest to you? And do you think the HFPA might actually do a better job tomorrow with the Globes?
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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Next 54 CommentsJim
December 14, 2011 at 11:23AM EST Reply to CommentCharlie Hunnam from SoA, not Justified.
I liked Suits and I like the actor, but the SAG Awards committee certainly isn't doing him any favors with this.
Levi Benjamin
December 14, 2011 at 11:24AM EST Reply to CommentIn all fairness to Patrick J. Adams, he's the only interesting name in any television category. What an otherwise frustratingly stale list of nominees for TV.
Jeff G
December 14, 2011 at 11:26AM EST Reply to CommentWho comes up with these nominations? Is it other actors? It feels like they don't watch TV. So it would make sense if the people that nominate are actors in movies and are too cool to watch TV.
Also, you have Charlie Hunnam as being in Justified. Don't keep pissing Sutter off, he can't take it.
Dee
December 14, 2011 at 11:26AM EST Reply to CommentHunnam is Sons of Anarchy, not Justiied ;)
sams0n
December 14, 2011 at 11:26AM EST Reply to CommentI do like Masuka on Dexter, that guy is pretty funny.
Teproc My thought exactly. Other than that, yeah, Dexter nominated for Ensemble is pretty laughable.
December 14, 2011 at 1:13PM EST
Nobody else likes
December 14, 2011 at 3:42PM ESTAngel? How can you not?
He's boring as shit?
December 14, 2011 at 11:10PM ESTTrok Whatever good will I had for Angel went out the door as soon as the show started giving him his own subplots. Watching him and Laguerta talk about their relationship is not what I signed up for. None of the supporting characters on the show are interesting unless they are directly interacting with Dexter. For god's sake, The Walking Dead has a stronger ensemble.
December 14, 2011 at 11:15PM ESTPaul F
December 14, 2011 at 11:27AM EST Reply to CommentI don't think I've ever seen Adams in anything, but according to IMDb he's going to be in Luck, so maybe he'll have some interesting stuff to do there.
Lucas
December 14, 2011 at 11:30AM EST Reply to CommentThe Sons of Anarchy cast deserved an ensemble one. Absolutely brilliant work from everyone this season and I don't think I can deal with the constant Katey Sagal snubs anymore!
arrabin56
December 14, 2011 at 11:33AM EST Reply to CommentI don't disagree that the nominations are bizarre. But there is one common thread that let's me figure it out, if not agree and understand:
Members of the guild haven't watched tv this fall.
There is one nominee from a new show, and she is a big name with Oscar credentials. There are only two other nominees (Buscemi and Cryer) whose performances in 2011 aired only in the fall. On the other hand there are several nominees (Chandler, Fey, Baldwin, Adams, Carell) who have not had new episodes since this season began. The voters got busy, forgot about tv, and left us with this slate. Does it explain White over Poehler or Adams over anyone else? No. But its a large enough trend to show something.
Nick
December 14, 2011 at 11:34AM EST Reply to CommentHow in the hell does Patrick J. Adams apparently have more cachet with fellow actors than Kelsey Grammer?
Well, Kelsey Grammer's a card-carrying Republican. So there's that.
December 15, 2011 at 10:10PM ESTsnakehole
December 14, 2011 at 11:34AM EST Reply to CommentDexter, despite getting worse and worse by episode, seems to be a lock for any major category at any major awards show I can think of... and has been for years now. Who are the producers of that show screwing?
Seriously... that ensemble nomination is bizarre.
And the massive Parks & Rec snubs are a damn joke. If the SAG's actually had any credibility to begin with it would have went out the window just about now.
fraac
December 14, 2011 at 11:35AM EST Reply to CommentI love how I'm a random Scottish guy who downloads American television and reads Hitfix and The AV Club and I know more about it than the Screen Actors Guild.
Mr. Manager Haha same! But Australian
December 14, 2011 at 11:53AM ESTTeproc Same, but not even an english native speaker (French) :p.
December 14, 2011 at 1:15PM ESTtinylittlerocks
December 14, 2011 at 11:35AM EST Reply to Comment1.Homeland and Claire Danes should of been nominated. Best show and performances of the new season.
2.Should of been Maggie Siff or Katey Sagal of SOA as they completely worked it on this past season of SAO. Their performances were the only redeeming factor of a very disappointing ending.
3.Dexter. Best Ensemble. No. MCH--love him, great actor, but lets admit Season 4 was the peak for him on this show and the show as a whole.
chris
December 14, 2011 at 11:37AM EST Reply to CommentI think Park and Rec's biggest problem is that it's lead character, Amy Poehler, is about half as funny as any other character on the show. Giving an old,over weight female the majority of your screen time is never gonna garner male votes for awards like these.
Josh I know I'm just feeding the troll, but still... in what world is Amy Poehler overweight? And since when is 40 "old"?
December 14, 2011 at 11:41AM ESTsepinwall Please do not feed the troll further, Josh (or anyone else). Thanks.
December 14, 2011 at 11:52AM ESToliver
December 14, 2011 at 11:38AM EST Reply to CommentWait, what? "Suits" is a drama?
Josh
December 14, 2011 at 11:39AM EST Reply to CommentGranted, I'm no Alan Sepinwall, but I consider myself a pop culture expert who watches a LOT of television. That being said, I've never heard of Patrick J. Adams OR "Suits." What the heck?
Same here, I wanna say it's on TBS, but that's a guess.
December 14, 2011 at 11:36PM ESTme
December 14, 2011 at 11:45AM EST Reply to CommentApologies if this has been covered somewhere I missed - I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to periods of eligibility when it comes to awards shows, but was Mad Men eligible for nominations for this year's SAGs? If so, what's even odder than no one from the show being included is that in all of the outrage I've read about the weirdness of these nominations, no one's even mentioned the exclusion of Jon Hamm and company.
sepinwall Mad Men didn't air at all in 2011, so no, it was not eligible.
December 14, 2011 at 11:47AM ESTJohn
December 14, 2011 at 11:53AM EST Reply to CommentThank god the SAGs have very little influence on the Emmys and these ridiculous batch of nomiees might kill the little influence they do have.
When Claire Danes wins both the Emmys and Golden Globe these SAG voters will look even more ridiculous.
Congrats to Kyle Chandler and the cast of Breaking Bad, but these overall nominations are a joke.
Magnus Walker
December 14, 2011 at 12:07PM EST Reply to CommentParks and Recreation is easily the best comedy on television and possibly the best show on television rigth now as you pointed out Sepinwall. Therefore it's absurd that it doesn't even get a nomination for the brillant ensemble, Amy Poehler and my favorite Nick Offerman. As for Patrick J. Adams, I'm a big fan of Suits but there is no way he is one of the 5 best male actor in a drama series. I think Damian Lewis woukd have been a much better choice.
Best comedy on the air right now? Not an outrageous point of view, even if I'll take BORED TO DEATH over PARKS AND REC personally.
December 14, 2011 at 3:46PM ESTBest show on right now, period? Come off it.Seriously.
LJA
December 14, 2011 at 12:13PM EST Reply to CommentSo, is Patrick J. Adams the new Scott Caan?
Greg Wasn't Scott Caan nominated for the globes?
December 14, 2011 at 12:41PM ESTGreg Wasn't Scott Caan nominated for the globes?
December 14, 2011 at 12:41PM ESTLJA Ahh, good point, Greg. I think you're right. He's just the last screwy, out-of-left-field nominee I recall.
December 14, 2011 at 12:57PM ESTBen Kabak
December 14, 2011 at 12:17PM EST Reply to CommentHow can anyone watch Sons or Justified and think Dexter is better?
Saulo
December 14, 2011 at 12:25PM EST Reply to CommentSo Patrick J. Adams is this year's first Piper Perabo, Alan! And he was not nominated by the HFPA.
I can't wait to see if there's another "Piper Perabo" shocking surprise among the GG nominations!
LJA
December 14, 2011 at 12:40PM EST Reply to CommentI just realized... Hugh Laurie finally dropped off the lead actor in a drama list. Is this a first?
Kalen
December 14, 2011 at 12:42PM EST Reply to CommentI am not too upset by the Patrick J. Adams nom because he really is very good on Suits, for how his part is written. So, on acting alone, it's not that shocking. BUT because he's not delivering his acting through complex, well written dialogue like Breaking Bad, Homeland etc, I agree the nomination is odd.
What actually irks me most about these noms is Betty White over Amy Poehler (and many others). She's already won the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award. Once you have won that, you really should be automatically out of the running to be nominated again.
JedyKnight
December 14, 2011 at 12:54PM EST Reply to CommentMan, reading this (to which I wholeheartedly agree) I was afraid that it will be left inconclusive followed by an Editor's Note stating that poor Alan had a seizure caused by stress-related high-blood pressure while writing this. :O
jezzleffezzle
December 14, 2011 at 2:40PM EST Reply to CommentJean-Ralphio should get his own award.
AJL
December 14, 2011 at 2:42PM EST Reply to CommentI had a terrible feeling that the SAG would get it all wrong. I really do feel they dropped the ball on TV. Looking at the Best Comedy Ensemble, for example, it feels like I'm being warped back to 2009. Where is Parks and Recreation, the best show of 2011?
Ellen M.
December 14, 2011 at 2:50PM EST Reply to CommentMaybe Dexter's Ensemble nom was supposed to be for Comedy. Have you seen Season 6? (Sorry for the meanness)
OK, so no Community nom. for Ensemble in a Comedy Series?
"You can't be serious!" (My crap John McEnroe imitation)
Dolphin
December 14, 2011 at 3:08PM EST Reply to CommentThrilled to see Kyle Chandler get a deserved, first ever SAG nomination! And I, too, would have like to have seen Justified, Tim Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Margo Martindale (Hello!) nominated.
Dolphin
December 14, 2011 at 3:10PM EST Reply to CommentSo happy to see Kyle Chandler get his first time ever SAG nomination. So deserved!
I also would have like to have seen Justified, Tim Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Margo Martindale (Hello!) nominated.
Eben
December 14, 2011 at 3:13PM EST Reply to CommentI like baby Harrison.
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