Emmy Telecast: No Statues for Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Game of Thrones may have led the Creative Arts Emmys last week, picking up six of the ten categories in which it was nominated, but there was no joy in the Seven Kingdoms last night as Thrones was edged out in its two highest-profile nominations, Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama.

The competition in the drama categories was again unbearably stiff, with several high-buzz premium cable series battling for this year's bragging rights. The Drama category went to Showtime's emotionally charged ex-POW drama Homeland, and you get a sense of how things lie when you realize that the other contenders were Thrones, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, and Mad Men--all told six of the most impressive and audience-grabbing series in recent television history. What I'm saying is, it's not like they lost to Knight Rider.

Homeland also won the writing Emmy and both lead actor and lead actress, among others--six all told counting two from the Creative Arts, matching Thrones's aggregate from the two ceremonies.

Likewise the supporting actor category, owned last year by Peter Dinklage despite fierce opposition, was just as fraught. In the end Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, beat out castmate Giancarlo Esposito, Dinklage, Brendan Coyle and Jim Carter from Downton Abbey, and Jared Harris from Mad Men.

Meanwhile next-door to sci-fi/fantasy, over in the horror genre, there was a glint of good news: FX's American Horror Story won the miniseries supporting actress statue for the great Jessica Lange, adding one more Emmy to the the one it won last week (for hairstyling).

Thrones can still be proud of its six well-deserved Emmys, matched by Homeland but unsurpassed by any other show this year--and perhaps most of all for keeping fantasy firmly among the best television capable of being broadcast today.

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