Nine People and Shows That Deserve Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations will be announced in a month in the early morning hours of July 8. We're sure to see a lot of the usual suspects on the list, but there are many people and shows we as TV fans would love to see nominated, right? Don't we all slap ourselves in the forehead and scream, "Why didn't they nominate _____?!?!?" Only that blank line is filled with a name or a title.

Jane Boursaw talked about John Noble, and now here's my list of nominations I'd like to see. I'm assuming that some of the noms I'd like to see are actually going to happen, such as 'Mad Men' being nominated for Best Drama and '30 Rock' for Best Comedy, so I didn't include noms like that. This list is more about nominations we might not see, the ones that are a little more unpredictable.

Timothy Olyphant (Best Lead Actor, Drama). When I first saw the previews for 'Justified,' I was hooked. When I thought about it, what made me so interested in seeing the show? The plot? The setting? Not really. It was Olyphant. His role calls for someone who can command a scene, and that's what he does. If he doesn't get a nomination, it would be a very glaring mistake.

Terry O'Quinn (Best Supporting Actor, Drama). Actually, I would put O'Quinn in the lead actor category, but if he's nominated he'll probably be in the supporting one. He is such a strong actor. He really held 'Lost' together, whether he was acting as the Man in Black in John Locke form or as the John Locke who we didn't even know was the Man in Black. In the sideways world, he was all smiles and friendliness, and in the island world he was ... well, he smiled there too, but in a very different way.

Michael Emerson (Best Supporting Actor, Drama). It's funny to think that Ben Linus was only supposed to be on the show for three episodes. Can you imagine the show without him? He was arguably one of the three most important characters in the entire series. Linus did a ton of really horrible things (like mass murder), but you still rooted for him for some reason. And no one delivers a line like Emerson.

Zachary Levi (Best Lead Actor, Comedy). Hey, why not? Sometimes we forget that even in light action shows like 'Chuck' there is actual acting going on too. Levi is great when he's goofy, great when he's frantic, great when he's sad and great when he has to switch into serious spy mode. He deserves a nomination.

Bruce Campbell (Best Supporting Actor, Drama). Campbell has been around for so long and does what he does so well that we sometimes take him for granted. Like Levi, he's on an action show ('Burn Notice'), and he's often the comic relief on that show. But he really has made Sam Axe a full-bodied character and not just a gun-toting sidekick.

'Chuck' (Best Comedy Series). Again, shows like this often aren't nominated for Emmys and usually don't win if they are. You're probably going to see a show like '30 Rock' or 'Glee' or 'Modern Family' get the award, but doesn't a show as wall-to-wall entertaining as 'Chuck' deserve to get a nod too? I mean, why shouldn't it?

'The Middle' (Best Comedy Series). Many will tell you that the best comedy on ABC's Wednesday night lineup is 'Modern Family,' but I think it's 'The Middle.' In a way, what they do is harder. 'Modern Family' is a fine show, but it's also a little easier to see them getting a nomination because it has a big cast and lots of family plots and a gay couple and funny kids and babies, and it's all given more gravitas by lots of hand-held camera work and on-camera interviews with the characters.

'The Middle' is a more traditional sitcom, in both the plot and the way it is filmed, but it still manages to be funny and touching. So glad it got renewed.



'Party Down' (Best Comedy Series). Jason explained very well why this is one of the best sitcoms no one is watching. Let's hope it doesn't change too much now that many of the top cast members (Jane Lynch, Adam Scott) have left.

'Cougar Town' (Best Comedy Series). If you had told me eight months ago that I would be listing 'Cougar Town' in a column about Emmy nominations I'd like to see, I would have told you to knock off the Robitussin shooters. But this show has taken a lousy title and iffy premise and made it a great ensemble comedy.

Meanwhile, our friends at PopEater are campaigning for 'Friday Night Lights' star Zach Gilford to get an Emmy nom.

Which stars and shows (beyond the likely ones) would you like to see nominated for an Emmy next month?

[Follow Bob on Twitter.]