Will we see a Game Of Thrones Emmy?
The Primetime Emmy Awards are tonight, and Game Of Thrones has a nearly full slate of nominations in the Drama categories: Outstanding Drama Series, Supporting Actress/Actor, Writing, and Direction—the only things missing are Lead Actress/Actor. With Game Of Thrones coming off of a Hugo win and several technical Emmys, there’s a chance that it could do extremely well this awards season. (Full nominations can be seen here.)
The best bet for a Thrones Emmy tonight is in the Ourstanding Supporting Actor category, where Peter Dinklage (who won in 2011 for “Baelor”) has been nominated for “The Laws Of Gods And Men,” the sixth episode of the fourth season—the episode with Tyrion’s trial. This episode was widely praised by critics when it aired, particularly Dinklage’s near-perfect Emmy-bait speech. So what’s stopping him and a Game Of Thrones Emmy?
Dinklage’s chief competition in the category is Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, who won in 2010 and 2012. With the much-beloved and acclaimed Breaking Bad’s final season occurring in this Emmy year, as well as its history of success of success at the Emmys, it’s probably safe to assume that anything from the AMC show is a favorite.
Unfortunately for Game Of Thrones, it’s up against Breaking Bad in every single category. Not only that, but another Emmy favorite, Mad Men, made a fairly triumphant return this year, while HBO’s True Detective is the cool new kid on the block. The drama categories are stacked, and there’s no way around that—one of the sad facts of award seasons.
That’s why even if my pessimism is born out and Game Of Thrones doesn’t win many Emmys tonight, that doesn’t say much about its quality or influence. Two of the best and most influential series of the past television generation, The Wire and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, never managed to win a single Emmy. They’re not the end-all and be-all of television.
Still, they do possess prestige and cachet in Hollywood. On those terms, I’d like to say that I’m happy to see Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress. When Game Of Thrones began, I was less impressed with her than most of the rest of the cast, but by the second season, she’d improved so much that she was one of the show’s highlights (how great was her drunken resigned sarcasm in “Blackwater”?) An Emmy nod—and potentially a victory—is a well-deserved reward. Regardless of the final results tonight, Headey’s makes Game Of Thrones’ Emmy season surprisingly successful on its own.
Of course, Winter Is Coming will have a roundup for you after the show!
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