Netflix broke new ground last year with House of Cards becoming the first online series nominated for an Outstanding Drama Emmy. Now House of Cards is again up for that honor, earning a total of 13 nominations this time around.
But Netflix isn’t resting on that show’s laurels, instead extending its potential precedent-setting reach into comedy with Orange is the New Black.
Orange is the New Black was right behind House of Cards with a dozen nominations, including one which could make it the first online show to earn an Outstanding Comedy Emmy. A hybrid comedy/drama, Orange is the New Black could have been entered in either the comedy or drama category. The decision to pursue the comedy Emmy proved prudent as evidenced by the nomination.
Also competing for best comedy are The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Louie (FX), Silicon Valley (HBO), Veep (HBO) and Modern Family (ABC). The latter has won the honor four times and could tie Frasier as the all-time winning sitcom with one more statuette. Yet like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, Modern Family has had a hand in breaking new ground with the hope of building a mini-tradition in another important category.
Last year, Gail Mancuso became the second woman to win an Emmy Award for directing a comedy series. She earned the distinction for the “Arrested Episode” of Modern Family. (The first female director to win was Betty Thomas in 1993 for the “Peter’s Sake” episode of Dream On.)
Now lo and behold, Mancuso is once again nominated for the Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series Emmy, this time for the “Vegas” episode of Modern Family. Mancuso has a total of three career directorial Emmy nominations, the initial one coming in 2011 for the “Slow Down Your Neighbors” episode of Modern Family. Earlier this year, Mancuso became a first-time DGA Award nominee for the Modern Family episode titled “My Hero.”
Mancuso is hardly an overnight success. She broke into primetime series directing with Roseanne and over the years has helmed episodes of such shows as Friends, Dharma and Greg, Gilmore Girls and 30 Rock. She also recently landed her first official commercial production company home, joining TWC Films for exclusive representation in spots and branded content (SHOOTonline, 3/25).
Big shoes
There were several cases of shows and artisans having big shoes to fill, two of the most notable being Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Fox) and cinematographer Igor Martinovic. The latter got the gig to shoot season two of House of Cards. He had a lot to live up to as DP Eigil Bryld won the Emmy last year in the category Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series on the basis of the “Chapter 1” episode.
Martinovic earlier told SHOOT that House of Cards executive producer/director David Fincher made it easier for the DP to step in and put his own artistic imprint on the series.
“David told me simply, ‘Take it. Own it. It’s yours,’" recalled Martinovic. “He gave me space to do whatever was needed for season two. That was the beauty of the project. Also there was no interference from Netflix or any executives, not a single call about the look for this season. Directors were given absolute freedom as well. All this is unusual in the television landscape. We all felt blessed being able to do what we felt was right. Netflix was very smart. They employ creative people and they give them the freedom to do what they do best. They trust them to come up with something worthwhile.”
Martinovic observed that the cinematography for the first season of House of Cards was “already pretty well established in terms of framing, camera movement and approach. This was orchestrated by David. For the second season, we decided to change the lighting.
“The first season ended on more of a film noir-ish style with a crime element. That made it feel appropriate to go with a darker look this season—shadows, silhouettes and so on. The overall challenge, though, remained the same—to successfully go with a feature film approach on a television schedule. We took on the show like it was a long feature film.”
Also having much to live up to was the aforementioned Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Fox). The original 1980 Cosmos series (PBS) from the late, great astronomer and educator Carl Sagan was a cultural phenomenon which also won three Emmys in 1981.
Fast forward to today and Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey has secured a dozen Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming (Brannon Braga), Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming (Bill Pope, ASC) and Outstanding Special and Visual Effects.
Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan, a noted author, writer and television producer in her own right, was a co-creator and writer on the original Cosmos series and for many years had been trying to bring a new version of the show to the TV screen. She finally did so with the help of Seth McFarlane (of Family Guy fame), making for a backstory that is quite remarkable and which was detailed in Part 4 of SHOOT’s “The Road To Emmy” series.
Director/executive producer Braga said that the biggest challenge of the show was recapturing the feeling of inspiration sparked by the original Cosmos. “Carl Sagan ignited a lust for science, helping people understand and appreciate science. At times I remember being moved to tears by the show. Wow, I had tears in my eyes as a teenager for a science documentary. He set the bar so high. For me, Ann was the barometer. She created that Cosmos feeling with Carl. If Ann was happy, I knew our show was working.”
Braga shared that while he “essentially felt prepared” he at the same time was “terrified” given the daunting challenge of living up to the original Cosmos. His years of writing science fiction, though, proved valuable–17 years on Star Trek, producing three different Star Trek TV series and a couple of movies. “My love of science fueled my being a science-fiction writer. I was comfortable with the material. Some of it was new to me, of course. But the chance to now be involved directly in science was thrilling.”
Braga earned an Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nomination in 1994 for Star Trek: The Next Generation, for which he was a co-producer and writer. Among his other credits are serving as executive producer/writer on 24, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Voyager. He also was a writer on the theatrical features Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Generations.
Nominations tally
Leading the 2014 Emmy pack with 19 nominations was Game of Thrones (HBO), followed by Fargo (FX) with 18, American Horror Story: Coven (FX) with 17, and Breaking Bad (AMC) and the telefilm The Normal Heart (HBO) with 16 nominations apiece.
Scoring 14 noms was Saturday Night Live (NBC) followed by 13 for House of Cards, and 12 each for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Downton Abbey (PBS), Orange is the New Black, Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece, PBS), and True Detective (HBO). The Voice (NBC) and Modern Family tied with 10 nominations apiece.
Next up was Veep with nine noms, and Mad Men and The Oscars (ABC), each with eight. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN), The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Dancing With The Stars (ABC), So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) and the 67th Annual Tony Awards (CBS) scored seven noms apiece.
Six nominations were bestowed upon the following shows: The Amazing Race (CBS), The Beatles: The Night That Changed America (CBS), The Colbert Report (Comedy Central), The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) and Portlandia (IFC).
Coming in with five nominations apiece were: The Good Wife (CBS), Masters of Sex (Showtime), Project Runway (Lifetime), Silicon Valley and Louie.
The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards will air Monday, Aug. 25, on NBC, with emcee Seth Meyers, NBC’s new late-night host. Normally held on Sunday, the ceremony was moved to avoid a conflict with NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and with MTV’s Video Music Awards.
HBO topped the networks with 99 nominations, followed by CBS with 47; NBC, 46; FX Networks, 45; ABC, 37; PBS, 34; Showtime, 24, and Fox, 18.
For a rundown of and to see the primetime Emmy- nominated commercials, click here.
For a full list of 2014 Emmy nominees, click here.
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This is the fifth installment in a 12-part series that will explore the field of Emmy nominees and winners spanning such disciplines as directing, cinematography, editing, animation and VFX. The series will run right through the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony and the following week’s primetime Emmy Awards live telecast. In addition to appearing on SHOOTonline and in the SHOOT >e.dition, The Road To Emmy will also have its Part 7 installment in SHOOT’s July 25 print issue.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 12, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 11, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 10, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 9, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 8, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 7, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 6, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 4, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 3, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 2, click here.
To read The Road To Emmy, Part 1, click here.
To read Primetime Talent, Pre-Road To Emmy feature 2, click here.
To read Primetime Talent, Pre-Road To Emmy feature 1, click here.
