Winners/Losers/Emmy Nominations

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences isn't exactly known for its taste or insight when it comes to handing out awards. Let's just recap: Four consecutive awards for John Larroquette for playing a one-note role as a creepy lawyer on Night Court, four more for Rhea Perlman as the snotty waitress on Cheers, 142 nominations for Saturday Night Live over the years, including a lot of bad years, The Andy Griffith Show's Don Knotts taking home five Emmys while Andy Griffith wasn't even nominated, and Jon Cryer winning in the Lead Actor in a Comedy category for Two and a Half Men last year. Meanwhile, Steve Carell was shut out for his role on The Office, and Jason Alexander got nominated seven times as George Costanza on Seinfeld and never won.

What that means is that the Emmy Awards are fickle and strange, the Academy loves some shows and some performers far more and far longer than seems reasonable, and it's really hard to predict what new ways they can find to go off track.

This year, when the nominations were announced, you would be justified if you asked where the heck Monica Potter (Parenthood), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Games of Thrones), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) were, not to mention a few missing writing nominations for Mad Men and the omission of a comedy series nod for Parks and Recreation. And why in the word is American Horror Story: Asylum classified as a movie or miniseries?

I like Connie Britton and I love Nashville, but she definitely doesn't belong with the likes of Kerry Washington (Scandal), Robin Wright (House of Cards) and Claire Danes (Homeland), especially when the aforementioned Margulies is nowhere to be found. I like Dan Bucatinsky and I love Scandal, but they nominated Bucatinsky and not Jeff Perry, who is absolutely sensational as scheming Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene? And, seriously, no Nick Offerman? Again?

It's nice to see recognition for the Netflix series House of Cards and a little love for Netflix's Arrested Development, with the Academy apparently deciding that made-for-the-net-and-never-broadcast-on-TV series like those do indeed count as television. Now all we need is for the Daytime Emmys to work the same way and include made-for-the-net-and-then-later-shown-on-TV series like the new versions of All My Children and One Life to Live. I'll believe it when I see it.

Here are some of the major categories and how the nominations play out:

Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Girls (HBO)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Veep (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Dern (Enlightened)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Amy Poehler (Parks And Recreation)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Louis C.K. (Louie)
Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
Jane Lynch (Glee)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Adam Driver (Girls)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) 
Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series 
Girls, "On All Fours," directed by Lena Dunham
Glee, "Diva," directed by Paris Barclay
Louie, "New Year's Eve," directed by Louis C.K.
Modern Family, "Arrested," directed by Gail Mancuso
30 Rock, "Hogcock!," directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
30 Rock, "Last Lunch," directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Episodes, "Episode 209, written by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik
Louie, "Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1),"  story and teleplay by Louis C.K., story by Pamela Adlon
The Office, "Finale," written by Greg Daniels
30 Rock, "Hogcock!," written by Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock
30 Rock, "Last Lunch," written by Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield

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Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
House Of Cards (Netflix)
Mad Men (AMC) 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Connie Britton (Nashville)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)
Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Kerry Washington (Scandal)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad)
Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire)
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones)
Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Morena Baccarin (Homeland)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones)
Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series 
Boardwalk Empire, "Margate Sands," directed by Tim Van Patten
Breaking Bad, "Gliding Over All," directed by Michelle MacLaren
Downton Abbey, "Episode 4," directed by Jeremy Webb
Homeland, "Q&A," directed by Linka Glatter
House Of Cards, "Chapter 1," directed by David Fincher

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series 
Breaking Bad, "Dead Freight," written by George Mastras
Breaking Bad, "Say My Name," written byThomas Schnauz
Downton Abbey, "Episode 4," written by Julian Fellowes
Game Of Thrones, "The Rains Of Castamere," written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
Homeland, " Q&A," written by Henry Bromell 

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Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)
Behind The Candelabra (HBO)
The Bible (HISTORY)
Phil Spector (HBO)
Political Animals (USA)
Top Of The Lake (Sundance)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Asylum)
Laura Linney (The Big C: Hereafter)
Helen Mirren (Phil Spector)
Elisabeth Moss (Top Of The Lake)
Sigourney Weaver (Political Animals)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch (Parade's End)
Matt Damon (Behind The Candelabra)
Michael Douglas (Behind The Candelabra)
Toby Jones (The Girl)
Al Pacino (Phil Spector)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Scott Bakula (Behind The Candelabra) 
James Cromwell (American Horror Story: Asylum)
John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C: Hereafter)
Peter Mullan (Top Of The Lake)
Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story: Asylum)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Ellen Burstyn (Political Animals)
Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Asylum)
Charlotte Rampling (Restless)
Imelda Staunton (The Girl)
Alfre Woodard (Steel Magnolias)

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Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

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Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

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The Emmy Awards will be handed out on CBS on Sunday, September 22 at 7 pm Central. To see the list of complete nominations, click here. I wouldn't bet against anything from Homeland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus or The Amazing Race.