Shows, Performers We Wish Had Won an Emmy

by Julian Spivey and Tyler Glover

Photo: CBS

The Good Wife for Outstanding Drama Series
This exceptional CBS drama was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series for its first two seasons but sadly, was never nominated again and never won. In a time where streaming services tell incredible stories with as little as eight episodes, "The Good Wife" was bringing this same quality but with 22 episodes a season, which can be much more difficult. While "The Good Wife" did have a "case of the week" through most of the series, it was not to its detriment. The show followed Alicia Florrick, the wife of a disgraced politician, as she re-enters the workforce to become a lawyer. With incredible writing, the cases were very exciting and almost always had a twist that would teach viewers things about law we never knew. However, the show also had incredible stories for its characters with political scandals, partner shakeups, leaving the firm, backstabbing, and a will-they-or-won't-they between Alicia and her boss, Will, that kept viewers coming back for more. It is one of the biggest Emmy injustices of all time this show did not win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. TG

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Photo: CBS

Andy Griffith (The Andy Griffith Show)
It’s been 60 years since “The Andy Griffith Show” premiered and more than 50 since it went off the air (and that was almost 20 years before I was even born), but I’m still pretty heated about this snub. Not only did Andy Griffith never win an Emmy for his lovable small-town Sheriff Andy Taylor, but he was never even nominated. Griffith is the only actor to make my list who wasn’t even nominated for his work. Griffith only received one Emmy nomination his entire career for a supporting role in a made-for-TV-movie in 1981. One of the possible reasons why Griffith never received a nomination for “The Andy Griffith Show” was for much of the show’s run the Emmys didn’t actually have separate acting categories for comedy and drama shows, but lumped actors from both fields in together. Despite this fact, Griffith’s ‘Andy Griffith Show’ cast mate and real life best friend Don Knotts would win an incredible five Emmys for his portrayal of Deputy Barney Fife. JS

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Photo: ABC

Kerry Washington (Scandal)
While I am very excited that Kerry Washington just won an Emmy this week as a producer on "Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: All in the Family' and 'Good Times," it is an absolute Emmy blunder that she  never took home an Emmy for playing Olivia Pope on ABC's "Scandal." In "Scandal," Washington played a political fixer who helped cover up multiple scandals for politicians while also being involved in an affair with the President of the United States: Fitzgerald Grant. Washington portrayed Olivia with such a confidence. When Olivia walked into a room, you knew that no matter how bleak the situation might look, she was going to take care of it. However, sometimes, the answer did not always appear to be the right move because while it may hurt someone, it was what was "good for the republic." It actually saddens me to think of Olivia because she would be out of a job in this political climate. The scandals are right there in front of voters' faces, but they do not even care about them. One thing is for sure: it is definitely scandalous that Washington never received an Emmy for playing Olivia Pope. TG

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Photo: NBC

Martin Sheen (The West Wing)
Pretty much every regular cast member of “The West Wing” would take home Emmy glory at some point during the show’s terrific run in the ‘00s. Allison Janney would lead the way with four Emmys (two in lead and two in supporting) for her performance as Press Secretary and later Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg. Stockard Channing, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford and even Alan Alda (in a two-season stint) would win Emmys, as well. But Martin Sheen, as President Jed Bartlet, never won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series despite six nominations. Sheen had the big misfortune of going up annually against multiple-time winner James Gandolfini for “The Sopranos.” Like so many great performers who never won an Emmy for their biggest role, Sheen did win a Golden Globe award for his performance in 2001. He was also a previous Emmy winner for a guest performance on the CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” in the late ’80s. JS

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Photo: HBO

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Lena Headey's performance as Cersei Lannister, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, was spectacular. The villainous queen would go on to have her brother's children, be responsible for her husband's death, her daughter-in-law's death, and countless others. What made Headey's performance something so hard to turn away from was when Cersei walked into a room, you feared what was going to happen. Even though some queens in other films or television shows may yell to tell you you are being executed, Cersei, at times, would speak about someone being killed in the same manner as talking to the cooks about what she wanted for dinner that evening. This made viewers have to pay attention to her but we wanted to in the first place. There is no telling what is going to happen with Cersei. Throughout the series, Headey was nominated five times for her performance in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series category. I really feel she would have won last year if she would not have been in the category with three other actresses from the show. I fear vote-splitting is what led to her never rightfully winning an Emmy but it does not make it right. This is the sort of injustice that Cersei would exact on one of her enemies. TG

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Photo: NBC

Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Andre Braugher actually is an Emmy Winner. Twice, in fact. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1998 for his role in “Homicide: Life on the Streets” and won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for “Thief” in 2006. But it’s his role as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” precinct Captain Raymond Holt that I truly wish Braugher would win an Emmy for. After years of showing of his chops in dramatic acting it turns out Braugher is especially deft at deadpan humor and his performance as Holt has probably been my favorite of the past decade in televised comedy. Braugher was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from 2014-2016 for his performance on ‘B99’ without winning. Once again this year he’s back in the category after a few years being snubbed and while he’s likely a longshot I would shriek with joy if his name is read off the winner’s card on Sunday night. JS 

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Photo: NBC

Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation)
Despite six Emmy nominations for "Parks & Recreation," Amy Poehler was never able to translate these into Emmy gold. The biggest reason for this is: Julia Louis-Dreyfus! Dreyfus' performance in “Veep” as Vice President Selina Meyer would go on to make Emmy history with six wins out of seven seasons. While many would never argue how great Louis-Dreyfus was in "Veep," it is absolutely ridiculous that Poehler couldn't manage to pull out a victory in any of those races. In ‘Parks,’ Poehler played Leslie Knope, the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Ind. Leslie Knope was an inspiring character to me because she was someone who may have been in politics but exuded such optimism and enthusiasm. After years of being in politics, you would think it would wear you down but not Leslie. While Knope is a fictional character, she is a very good model for what we as a nation should be electing into the White House. Poehler was absolutely hilarious throughout the series run and should have won an Emmy. Luckily, Poehler did snag a Golden Globe for the show. TG

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Photo: NBC

Steve Carell (The Office)
“The Office” is considered one of the classic sitcoms of the ‘00s, but didn’t have any luck at all when it came to its cast winning Emmy Awards, despite the fact that the series won Outstanding Comedy Series in 2006. Throughout the show’s run only three cast members were even nominated for Emmy Awards with Rainn Wilson going 0-for-4 and Jenna Fischer going 0-for-1 and somehow John Krasinski never even receiving a nomination for his performance as Jim Halpert. But the most egregious Emmy snub for “The Office” cast was Steve Carell being nominated six times for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his wacky, but lovable boss Michael Scott and coming up empty every time. Carell would win a Golden Globe for the performance in 2006. He has been nominated for an Emmy this year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in AppleTV+’s “The Morning Show,” but is considered a longshot. JS

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Photo: NBC

Matt LeBlanc (Friends)
"How you doin'?" Matt LeBlanc's hysterical performance of lovable ‘Friend’ Joey Tribbiani is absolutely iconic. Joey, an actor who stars in off-Broadway productions, "Days of Our Lives" for a short period and occasional small film roles lives with his buddy, Chandler Bing, and drinks tons of coffee at Central Perk with him, Rachel, Ross, Monica and Phoebe. The show had such amazing writing and gave LeBlanc tons of material to get the audience laughing including pretending a parked car was his, a date who ate off his plate, trying to play a 19-year old in an audition, or putting on all of his roommates' clothes. Whatever the material was, LeBlanc delivered and the Emmys did take notice. They nominated him three times for Lead Actor In A Comedy Series but unfortunately, the Emmys were just not there for LeBlanc. TG

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Photo: ABC

John Goodman (Roseanne)
John Goodman was nominated seven times for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his terrific role as blue collar everyman Dan Conner on ABC’s “Roseanne” in the late ‘80s and throughout the first half of the ‘90s, but never took home the award. Granted, it was kind hard to win in this category in the ‘90s with Kelsey Grammar winning so often for “Frasier,” as Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Tim Allen and Garry Shandling all could’ve also made this list. Goodman is still doing great work as Conner on ABC’s current “Roseanne” spinoff “The Conners,” but hasn’t been nominated for his return. Goodman did win a Golden Globe, however, for the role in 1993. JS

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Photo: CBS

Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Christine Baranski's performance as Diane Lockhart in "The Good Wife" was recognized by the Emmys with six nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series category throughout the series run. However, even though she was the cast member with the most nominations, she never was able to bring home the Emmy gold. Baranski's performance as Diane, a senior partner at the law firm Lockhart-Gardner, was captivating. She was sophisticated, elegant, poised, witty and intelligent. Lockhart was the best kind of lawyer because while she did look at her past experiences and used her knowledge, she was also very quick to listen to other suggestions. She was such a team player and was willing to do what was best to help win the case and did not let pride get in her way. Baranski succeeds in grabbing the viewer's attention whenever she walks into a room and makes it incredibly hard to look away. Baranski's performance was such a success that a spin-off called "The Good Fight" was created to continue Diane's journey. "The Good Fight" airs on CBS All Access. There is still time for the Emmys to make a "good" decision and give Baranski the Emmy for playing Diane Lockhart. However, Baranski has not been nominated for an Emmy for the spin-off so it seems likely this will be an Emmy injustice for years to come. TG

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Photo: CBS

Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond)
I can’t imagine being the only regular cast member of a show to not win an Emmy Award, but that’s what happened to Peter Boyle on “Everybody Loves Raymond” in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Making matters even worse is that you could argue his performance was the funniest of the entire cast. Boyle was nominated seven consecutive times for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, losing three times to his own cast mate Brad Garrett in the same category. While Boyle never got any love from the Emmys for “Everybody Loves Raymond,” he had previously won an Emmy for a guest performance on “The X Files” in 1996. JS

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Photo: ABC

Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
Sandra Oh's performance as Cristina Yang, the career-focused surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital and best friend of Meredith Grey, sadly never won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series. Yang was a character unlike anything I had ever seen on television before 2005. Up until then, when television shows or movies showed someone as career obsessed, the goal was to have a man come along and help her to see that there is more to life than work. In the end, she would find happily ever after with this man who "saved" her. However, Cristina Yang is not sympathetic, does not see love as a necessity in life, and has an unbelievable passion for her job. At times, it even feels that it does not matter to her that she is even helping people but that she is getting to do certain types of surgeries that she has never done before. Oh breathed life into a woman who was free from the stereotypes we normally have of women and did it in a way that seemed effortless. The closet Oh came to winning was in 2007 when she was nominated alongside her co-stars Chandra Wilson and Katherine Heigl. While many pundits had her predicted to win after winning the Golden Globe earlier that year, Katherine Heigl would go on to win the Emmy. Oh received five nominations for "Grey's Anatomy" but sadly never was able to translate any of those into wins. TG

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Photo: CBS

Richard Boone (Have Gun - Will Travel)
Here’s a real throwback. One of the most underrated and probably too often forgotten these days Westerns (or really dramas altogether) from their heyday of the early days of television was “Have Gun – Will Travel,” which starred Richard Boone as a moralistic bounty hunter mysteriously named Paladin who preferred to rule the West with his words, but would with his gun if necessary. Boone was amazing in the role of a gunfighter who could spout Shakespeare while outgunning bad guys. Boone was nominated twice for his performance in the series in 1959 and 1960 without winning. JS  

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Photo: ABC

Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) 
"Desperate Housewives" was a breakout hit for ABC back in 2005. The cast made up of Teri Hatcher (Susan), Marcia Cross (Bree), Felicity Huffman (Lynette) and Eva Longoria (Gabrielle) was absolute perfection and had everyone intrigued with the mystery of why did Mary Alice kill herself. The biggest standout on this show was Marcia Cross for playing Bree Van De Kamp, the perfection obsessed Betty Crocker meets Martha Stewart housewife who everyone thinks is perfect, except her own family. As the seasons would go on, we would watch Bree struggle to keep her picture perfect life from shattering with multiple scandal after scandal. Cross' performance was absolutely breathtaking and really speaks to how we all try to keep the public thinking everything is always okay even when it is not. It was really refreshing to see a performance like this. Cross was sadly only nominated for an Emmy one time for her performance and lost to her co-star Huffman. As Cross got better and better every season, I was absolutely desperate to see her win an Emmy but sadly, it never happened. TG

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Photo: NBC

Eddie Murphy (Saturday Night Live)
I’m happy to report that I believe Eddie Murphy will be coming off of this list very, very soon for his hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live” last season for which he’s nominated and I’d have to think a shoo-in to win Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for. However, I think Murphy should’ve won at least one of the times he was nominated while a cast member on the show in the early ’80s. There was a time after the original cast left the show that it didn’t seem ‘SNL’ would stay afloat and Murphy was essentially the reason the show survived that era and is still on television to this date. He was nominated twice for two categories that don’t exist anymore: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series in 1983 and Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1984. JS

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Photo: ABC

Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)
Miranda Priestley from "The Devil Wears Prada" without the official editor-in-chief position is the best way to describe Wilhelmina Slater from ABC's "Ugly Betty." Slater was the creative director at the fashion magazine, Mode. When a chance for a promotion became available, Daddy's dear old son got the job instead of her. So, throughout the series, Wilhelmina is determined to scheme and plot her way into getting the position she feels she rightfully deserved. Vanessa Williams' icy and villainous portrayal of Slater was deliciously evil. With just a cold stare, you were scared of Wilhelmina. Williams played this role to absolute perfection and even succeeded in showing some vulnerable layers to the character later on. Despite three Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Drama Series category, Williams never brought home the Emmy. It was and still is a very "ugly" situation. TG

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Photo: ABC

Anthony Anderson & Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross have been doing fantastic work on ABC’s “Black-ish” over the show’s six seasons and running and both have received love from the Emmys when it comes to nominations. Anderson has been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for all six seasons, while Ross has received nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series four times. Ross has won a Golden Globe for her performance in the series. Both Anderson and Ross are nominated this year, but both are likely longshots in their respective categories. Maybe one of these days they’ll take home the statue. JS

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Photo: ABC

Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy)
Chandra Wilson's performance in "Grey's Anatomy" has managed to garner her four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series so far. Unfortunately, none of those have brought her the Emmy gold. In "Grey's Anatomy," Wilson plays Miranda Bailey, a resident in general surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Miranda's no-nonsense approach to her interns helps her gain instantaneous respect and helps her interns strive for perfection. Wilson portrays Miranda as tough but with a heart of gold. When push comes to shove, Miranda is there for them regardless of what mistakes they may have made to get themselves there. Wilson continues to shine every week on "Grey's Anatomy," but the Emmys have fallen out of love with this show for years so her hopes of winning are most likely over. TG

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Photo: NBC

Anthony Edwards, George Clooney & Noah Wyle (ER)
From the mid-‘90s throughout the early ‘00s NBC’s medical drama “ER” was the biggest deal on network television. The series itself would win Outstanding Drama Series in 1996 and Julianna Margulies would win an Emmy for her role as Nurse Carol Hathaway in 1995, but none of the three main male doctors portrayed by Anthony Edwards, George Clooney and Noah Wyle ever took home a statue. Clooney, who was on the show the shortest amount of time before going off to be a Hollywood movie star, was nominated twice for his role as Dr. Doug Ross. Edwards would be nominated four times for his role of Dr. Mark Greene (for which he did win a Golden Globe award in 1998) and I don’t even know how he didn’t receive a nomination for his final episode “On the Beach” in 2002. Wyle would receive the most nominations of the trio earning five nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category without winning. It’s amazing just how good these guys were on the show without taking home a thing. JS