This year’s Screen Actors Guild Award nominations are a very mixed bag for television. The comedy side is full of stale, aging shows like 30 Rock and The Office while completely ignoring fresh, newer faces like New Girl or Parks and Recreation. For dramas, however, there were some big surprises, none more shocking than the nomination for Patrick J. Adams from USA’s Suits.
Adams is nominated alongside awards show staples like Steve Buscemi, Michael C. Hall and past Emmy winners Bryan Cranston and Kyle Chandler. That’s big company, which makes his nomination all the more astounding. I might have preferred to see his co-star, Gabriel Macht, get nominated, but Adams is every bit as worthy and a delightful surprise.
BuddyTV recently named Suits the second-best new series of 2011, and Adams’ role as a legal genius who tries to forge a good path after a life of crime is a big part of that. This also marks the first time a USA drama series has earned a SAG Award nomination (Tony Shalhoub was nominated seven times for comedy in Monk).
The year’s other big TV surprises included Jessica Lange scoring a nomination for American Horror Story and the cast of Game of Thrones getting nominated as a whole.
On the comedy side, Modern Family led all shows with five nominations (including individual honors for Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet).
Here is a complete list of this year’s Screen Actos Guild Award nominees. The winners will be announced on Sunday, January 29 at 8pm on TNT.
Outstanding Ensemble in a TV Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Outstanding Male Actor in a TV Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams, Suits
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Outstanding Female Actor in a TV Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Outstanding Ensemble in a TV Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Outstanding Male Actor in a TV Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carell, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Outstanding Female Actor in a TV Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Outstanding Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Guy Pierce, Mildred Pierce
James Woods, Too Big to Fail
Outstanding Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Betty White, The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Outstanding Cast in a Movie
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris
Outstanding Male Actor in a Lead Role in a Movie
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role in a Movie
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Movie
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Movie
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
(Image courtesy of USA)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
