Critical darling The Good Wife has been getting better with each season, but Emmy nominations have not reflected this.
by Calmin Valentino
In what must be the most shocking Emmy snub of the year, The Good Wife Season 5 doesn't seem to be good enough for the 2014 Emmys. TGW actress Christine Baranski aired her thoughts on what she describes as a flawed Emmy system.
Fans and critics alike hailed Season 5 of The Good Wife as the best ever, but despite widespread praise, the long-running drama did not get nominations for Outstanding Drama Series or Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. These snubs caused an uproar among fans, critics and even the cast. Christine Baranski spoke about her disappointment, questioning the Emmys voters.
Baranski commented: " If you look back on season five and just watch the whole season unfold, there's such artistry to it. The court cases are interesting; the personal relationships are so interesting and adult." Despite the snub, The Good Wife cast seems to be finding solace in the flood of media suppoprt and outraged fans setting social media ablaze with updates bearing the hashtag #wheresthegoodwifeemmy. Baranski received her 12th nomination for playing Diane Lockhart on TGW at this year's Emmys, but this award veteran is clearly not impressed with the Emmy system, stating that this needs reexamining as the entire landscape of television is changing.
More outraged responses are sure to come following this major Emmy blunder. Baranski shares more of her thoughts on why the show was not nominated in these key categories: "I'm always saying this: this is a show that doesn't rely on sensationalism or violence, rape, sex, beheadings and people being strange, weird, abberrational - particularly woman. I always like to call this show shades of gray. We're adult characters living in a tough moral…in a new world where there's just moral ambiguity and it gets harder and harder to see what's the right and wrong thing. There's a skill involved in writing a show that has that complexity and sophistication."
It's clear that the drama had an exceptional season 5. TGW lead Julianna Margulies was honoured with her annual best-actress nomination last week along with fellow actor Josh Charles, also nominated in his respective category. The Emmy nominations have some notable snubs each year, but this year the list seems to be longer and more shocking, such as frequently overlooked Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany.
Members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), which was founded in 1946, all have an active role in the television industry, and are the individuals who vote on the awards. The members are divided into peer groups according to their expertise within the industry. Nominees usually express their gratitude to be recognised by their peers, but this year they seem to have overlooked a few crucial and deserving shows. Fans of The Good Wife at least have Season 6 of the show to look forward to, coming this fall to CBS.