It’s no secret that most award shows don’t get it completely right, but the Emmys are probably the most guilty of that. Why? Because they have years to nominate an actor or a show, but never do. While after years of ignoring the Emmys finally give a show it’s fair notice (i.e. Friday Night Lights), most actors and shows simply go without the recognition they deserve. So, to give them that recognition, here is a list of 10 Drama Actors (male or female, lead or supporting) that deserve Emmy nominations this year, but won’t get one (probably). Be sure to check out our Drama Actor version here!
Freddie Highmore | Bates Motel
I was very tepid towards Highmore’s performance as a young Norman Bates on Bates Motel. He just simply wasn’t good. However, throughout the first season and into the second season he grew into a fine actor. It’s hard playing an iconic character, but what’s even harder is playing an iconic character that we honestly never really knew much about in the first place. Highmore is able to channel his own interpretation and be emphatic with Norman’s emotions without seeming over the top. While he made the right move this year to move up to lead after competing in supporting last year, it’s just simply too crowded and the Emmys aren’t kind to the young.
Michael Kelly | House of Cards
It seems that almost everyone on House of Cards has some ulterior motive in their actions, however the one man that is cut and dry is Francis’ henchman Doug Stamper. He simply doesn’t ask, he just does. However, what earns him a spot on this list is Kelly’s ability to add more dimensions to Doug than other characters in the same role. While he is just as icy, and somewhat terrifying, as all those characters, he adds some humanity without breaking his character’s patented stone cold face. However, his character just isn’t loud enough for the Emmys to take notice.
Jesse Plemons | Breaking Bad
He may not have the fireworks that his co-stars have, but Jesse Plemons does so much more than we credit him for. Todd isn’t just creepy on his own after all. Plemons has the task of creating a character that is a true sociopath. Every villain on the show had some reasoning behind their actions. Everyone from Gus to Tuco to Lydia, but Todd simply did what he did because he has some complex to be approved. Plemons portrayed that aspect of Todd so well, while also creeping us out and making us terrified of the lengths he will go to please Heisenberg and eventually Lydia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA-1qo2jq98
Caitlin Fitzgerald | Masters of Sex
Throughout the first episode of Masters of Sex you just wanted to slap Libby and tell her to stand up for herself for once. Well, eventually she finally did and Fitzgerald so adroitly took us on that journey. She seemed so natural in the role of the tragic wife attached to an even more tragic man and eventually got us rooting for her by seasons end. While her performance is grand, she never gets a big episode on the show, perhaps “Catherine”, but with the show’s buzz waning, it looks like she’s getting snubbed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR0MVFSjqY8
Jordan Gavaris | Orphan Black
Tatiana Maslany gets so much deserved praise for her performance on Orphan Black that we forget that she’s not the only one on the show. And not just because she plays the majority of the characters. Jordan Gavaris gets to play the typical hilarious over the top one liner supporting actor that everyone just loves. However, what makes him difference is the actor’s ability to ground the character in something real. There is a real love for Sara and his emotions and action, while over the top are never acted too over the top. Let’s just say he keeps Felix in check. However, with the Emmys already ignoring Maslany, it’s unlikely they’re paying any attention to him.
Rachel Brosnahan | House of Cards
It’s shocking to see that the prostitute from the first episode of House of Cards grew into such a huge and full role. Rachel became a focus in the second season of the show and I think it’s due in part to Rachel Brosnahan’s performance. She had to play a woman tired of being controlled, but helpless to stop it. It was heartbreaking to watch the one humane character on the show unable to escape her past even though she was trying to reform herself. She was truly remarkable in the role and I hope to see her again in season 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o1kgUvH418
Tom Riley | DaVinci’s Demons
The show never really grows past a guilty pleasure, but the one bright spot is Tom Riley’s performance on the show. There’s really no complex reasoning behind like the other people on this list, he is simply just a great actor playing a great part. It all seems so natural despite the clear flaws he must contend with. Sadly, the Lead Actor category is simply too crowded and the show is just not on their radar in that way.
Charles Dance | Game of Thrones
It’s hard to standout in Game of Thrones‘s massive cast, but the few that have can credit both their performances and their characters. However, one actor has to do a lot with so little. Charles Dance’s performance as Tywin Lannister is simply fantastic. He plays it with such confidence and an air of elegance that he seems tailor made of the role. Although his character is so calm and calculating you can’t help but just watch him when he’s on screen. However, he never gets the fireworks that other characters get, therefore he is simply forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE7ZPSrm2rU
Olivia Munn | The Newsroom
There’s a lot to hate about The Newsroom, but Olivia Munn ain’t one (see what I did there). Sorkin didn’t do a lot for the female characters on the show and Sloan is no exception, but Munn was able to get past the trappings of her character’s seemingly etched out path of being underestimated because of her looks and create something more complex. She handles Sorkin’s fast quick fire dialogue with ease and is able to get a chuckle out of a show that is being laughed at than being laughed with. Unfortunately, once the Emmys hear you’re bad, then you’re labeled forever. Munn’s performance may be trumped by her show’s pitfalls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX2v1owLAzs#t=13
Peter Sarsgaard | The Killing
I was one of the strong supporters of The Killing‘s third season. I think that it was a brilliant year of television and that the show deserved so much more than what it got. However, this season was ruled by a heartbreaking performance by Sarsgaard as an inmate on death row accused of murdering his wife. It’s hard to find a reason why he won’t be nominated for an Emmy other than this simple one: The Emmys didn’t like The Killing. That’s a tragedy in itself.
Be sure to check out our Drama Actor version here!
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.
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