Emmy Producer Stands By Snubs, Looks Ridiculous

If you are one of the millions of people who have any complaints about the Emmy nominations that were announced on Thursday, Emmy producers understand your pain, but they don't really care. At the TV Critics Association press tour in L.A., veteran industry award show executive producer Don Mischer defended the Emmy nominations and snubs by saying, "The Emmys are not a popular choice award. The Emmys are an industry award" where the people who create television determine who gets the honors. That's why so many of the major broadcast network shows were snubbed. Mischer went on to say that "how many people watch a particular product I don’t think is as important as the quality of the product." Sorry Don, but I just cannot accept this explanation.

Snubbing actors and shows like The Blacklist and other comparable shows could potentially fall into Mischer's statement that highly watched series on network television will inevitably get snubbed over other highly regarded shows on cable, aka basically anything and everything on HBO. But what about the many critically acclaimed network shows that may not get the most eyeballs? Or what about the many, many basic and premium cable shows that are brilliant and still get ignored?

Our biggest Emmy nominations snubs included shows like Parks and Recreation, Hannibal, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Mindy Project, all network shows that get great reviews but are consistently at the bottom of the TV ratings totem pole. So how does Mischer explain these shows getting snubbed? And what about particular actors and members of a show's creative team like Orphan Black's incredible star Tatiana Maslany, The Mindy Project's lead actors Chris Messina and Mindy Kaling, who was not only snubbed for Lead Actress in a Comedy but also writing, a nomination for which she should have been a shoe-in.

Popular and regularly watched shows and actors from these shows do have a place on the Emmy ballots, in fact, they are nominated consistently. Modern Family, Downton Abbey, The Big Bang Theory, and Jim Parsons sweep the nomination categories regularly despite the many brilliant new and veteran shows. I'm still bitter about how often Jon Cryer received nominations (and awards) for his role on Two and a Half Men.

Even shows that do get nominated regularly get snubbed in the most unlikely categories, like the absence of Breaking Bad' s Betsy Brandt and Dean Norris for Best Supporting Actress and Actor. And what about Elisabeth Moss, who received nominations every other year except this year?

It's reasons like these that people suggest the academy create new categories so that more shows get the chance to receive nominations and awards. Thankfully, the Television Academy is not opposed to this idea. In fact, Academy Chairman Bruce Rosenblum said it was something that should be investigated further. While many say the new categories should be for TV shows that are broadcast throughout the year — shows that produce 22-episode seasons — we think it would be best to introduce a "dramedy" genre that has its own categories.

No matter what, the Emmy voters and the Television Academy need to start recognizing more of the amazing shows on television at the moment. We can't keep dealing with ridiculous snubs of beloved shows year after year, no matter the reason for their omission.

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