COMMENTARY | The Emmy Awards Sunday were rather boring, with only a few highlights the entire night. It would have been a bit better if only Steve Carell finally took home an award after his six seasons on “The Office.”
Unfortunately, Carell was snubbed once again for his outstanding portrayal of Michael Scott, missing out on his last chance to be given credit for his outstanding work on one of the best sitcoms in recent years. As Michael, Carell had me laughing so hard I was in tears more than a few times, and he certainly deserved the recognition.
Over decades of television, there have been many actors who were passed up for the coveted award.
Katey Sagal
Sagal was hilarious on “Married…With Children” for an incredible 11 seasons. She will forever be known for her excellent portrayal of Peggy Bundy, getting so much into her character that Sagal herself was almost unrecognizable. She never even received an Emmy nomination, let alone an award.
Michael Landon
Landon may be the worst snub of all time. Growing up, I was wanted him to be my Dad. He was an amazing person and an incredibly talented actor, but never even received a nomination. He was excellent as Little Joe on “Bonanza,” the western television series that ran for 14 years, but as Charles Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie,” he stole my heart.
Landon was probably the best “Pa” there ever was, and I loved him on his third television series as well, “Highway to Heaven.” He played an angel for five seasons on that series before he passed away in 1991 at the young age of 54. It’s hard to believe he has been gone for 20 years, and harder to understand why he was not given credit for his great work.
Andy Griffith
Perhaps the voting members just don’t like great fathers or sappy, wonderful family television. Andy Griffith is yet another actor who was dissed. How is this possible? The television series “The Andy Griffith Show” ran for eight seasons in the 1960s. Although the show itself was nominated for best comedy series, and even Griffith’s co-star, Don Knotts, received the nod, Griffith was completely overlooked.
Ron Howard
Speaking of “The Andy Griffith Show,” actor Ron Howard was the lovable little boy who played Griffith’s son, Opie Taylor, for eight seasons. Howard went on to play Richie Cunningham on the series “Happy Days” for 11 seasons, from 1974-1984, and was the executive producer of one of the funniest and most intelligent series ever, “Arrested Development,” for three seasons.
Howard has been recognized in the film industry, receiving Academy Awards in several categories for his directing talents, but never received an Emmy for his outstanding work in television. Hard to believe.
Courteney Cox
Did you know that Cox was the only cast member on the popular sitcom “Friends” who never received even one nomination? As the somewhat OCD neat freak Monica for ten seasons, she certainly shouldn’t have been left out.