The Five Biggest Emmy Surprises of 2012
Every year the Emmys come and go, and people like us debate about whether or not they were justified. Usually, there are a few big shockers, where the undeserving get a statue and those who should have gotten it are left with nothing.
This year is no exception, and I thought I'd try to hunt through and find the biggest surprises of the night. Some were pretty easy to spot, and you can see if you agree with me below.
1. John Cryer Wins Best Lead Actor in a Comedy
If you were watching the show, even John Cryer didn't look like he believed he won the award over the likes of Alec Baldwin, Louis CK and Larry David. For all the base appeal of Two and a Half Men, there is simply no argument to be made that he has a more engaging character than any of theirs.
2. Aaron Paul Win Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Over Giancarlo Esposito
This is one that has a few Breaking Bad fans scratching their heads. Yes, we all love Aaron Paul, but last season of Breaking Bad produced one of the best performances in TV history from Giancarlo Esposito as Gus. Paul still have two more years to win an Emmy for Breaking Bad (and he should) while Esposito does not.
3. American Horror Story is a Miniseries?
This one almost blew past me, but I noticed that Jessica Lange won Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-series or Movie ,and was nominated along with Frances Conroy. With American Horror Story season two about to start, I think its classification as a miniseries is a bit of stretch, even if the setting of the show is moving elsewhere.
4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus Wins Best Lead Actress in a Comedy
I get that the Emmys love HBO, but can we stop pretending that Veep is actually good? I really don't get the appeal, and couldn't handle more than three or four episodes of it. Julia Louis-Dreyfus may be fine in it, but her category was stacked with talent, the vast majority of which was more deserving than her.
5. Is Homeland Really That Good?
Homeland took down the Best Drama, Best Actor and Best Actress big three categories, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I suppose it's more accessible than say, Game of Thrones, but I felt it sort of stumbled its way through its first season. I agree with the Damian Lewis pick, as Bryan Cranston doesn't have to win every year, and Lewis had the incredible job of making audiences sympathize with a terrorist. As for Claire Danes? I think she goes a bit overboard with her character, and I'm not sure she was quite as deserving.
I was surprised Jon Cryer won because I thought Jim Parsons deserved it more. Than again, I watch every episode of Big Bang Theory, and I don’t like Two and a Half Men. I missed the awards last night working late at DISH, and I wish I’d seen Jon’s acceptance speech. Thankfully, with my Hopper DVR with PrimeTime Anytime, the awards show is waiting for me at home. PrimeTime Anytime records all the shows in prime time automatically from all four major networks. From what I’ve read, it looks like Jon was as shocked he won as many bloggers have posted today. It should be an interesting show to watch I think.
Cryer’s win was a definite upset. Although his episode was good and he was a real standout in it, I don’t think he should’ve wom. To me, Parsons or CK deserved it more.
As for Homeland, I enjoy it a lot. I for one think Claire Danes’ Carrie Mathison is hands down, the best female character on television right now. However, I think the complete shot out of Mad Men, Dowtown Abbey and, most importantly, Sherlock is a big, big crime.
I planned on watching Homeland after it won all those awards… I hope it’s knowing that dude is the terrorist didn’t just spoil it for me.
Edit: I planned on watching Homeland after it won all those awards… I hope knowing that dude is the terrorist didn’t just spoil it for me.
Yes, Homeland is that good.