Ah yes, publicly broadcast award shows: A beautiful opportunity for those in the entertainment industry to pat themselves on the back for a job well done while simultaneously failing to recognize actual meaningful contributions to their respective mediums. The airing of the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards this past Sunday meant it was television’s turn to take part in this time-honored tradition of circle jerking and manufactured accolades — although, shout-out to Viola Davis for the historic win of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in "How to Get Away With Murder." As predicted by outlets such as the L.A. Times and Time Magazine, the Academy opted to award Emmys based on popularity, rather than merit.
"Game of Thrones" — a show that leans on sexual assault as the sole narrative device used to "develop" the majority of its female characters — swept through the awards show in a manner akin to the White Walkers in Westeros. Despite airing what many would agree was its worst season yet, "Game of Thrones" took home several awards in multiple categories such as writing, directing and acting. Although we are not privy to the mindsets and motivations of Academy voters, on the surface it seems as though the "Game of Thrones" sweep was due more to name-recognition, rather than actual excellence.
For the sake of example, let’s take a look at the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Peter Dinklage, who plays the beloved character Tyrion Lannister in "Game of Thrones," edged out Jonathan Banks, who plays Mike Ehrmantraut in "Better Call Saul," for the win in the category. Dinklage — who it must be noted already won an Emmy for the role back in 2011 — has become a pop culture institution thanks to his role as Tyrion; however, you would find few who’d claim the past season of "Game of Thrones" demonstrated his best work.
In contrast you have Banks, who has played Mike Ehrmantraut across two shows and six years, dating back to the second season finale of "Breaking Bad" in 2009. The episode Banks was nominated for, "Five-O," was a masterful hour of television that filled in a backstory that had long been hinted at, but never fully illuminated. "Five-O" was a rarity for a beloved cable drama: a single hour anchored primarily by the performance of one man, rather than many. Banks’ performance in "Five-O" managed to simultaneously invoke empathy and disgust from viewers, leaving nary a dry eye in the room as the episode concluded on a heartbreaking monologue from Banks. Then again, we guess the character of Mike Ehrmantraut doesn’t generate as many Facebook memes or Tumblr gifs as Tyrion.
There is no doubt Jonathan Banks was robbed of an award that was rightfully his, but he’s not the only one. As we mentioned earlier, publicly broadcast award shows have never been, and likely never will be, general indicators for quality in a given artistic medium. They are entertainment meant to generate as much buzz (and as many viewers) as possible. While there is nothing wrong with trying to entertain the American public, viewers need to realize award shows like the Emmys, Grammys and (yikes) the VMAs are multi-hour distractions, not prestigious celebrations.
