Academy rejects reboots of series

By David Bauder

AP Media Writer

NEW YORK

Television executives and many viewers love the idea of reviving series and ideas from the past. Emmy voters? Not so much.

“Roseanne” quickly became television’s top-rated comedy upon its return, until ABC pulled the plug following star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet. The series was not among the eight comedies nominated for an Emmy on Thursday, however. Laurie Metcalf earned a supporting actress nod, but Barr and Conner family patriarch John Goodman were ignored.

Similarly, NBC’s “Will & Grace” reboot didn’t earn a comedy nomination despite solid reviews. Of the four main stars, only Megan Mullally has the chance to bring home some hardware from the September show. Sean Hayes’ absence was a particular surprise.

Popularity doesn’t indicate much with the television academy, anyway. CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and its new spinoff, “Young Sheldon,” got no Emmy love, either. “The Walking Dead” got little respect from the Emmys when it was a sensation; still popular but fading, the show still isn’t recognized.

Being a returning series – as opposed to something shiny, new or streaming – seemed to hurt “Twin Peaks.” The Showtime reboot won’t compete in the limited series category. Actor Kyle MacLachlan similarly did not earn an actor’s nomination.

“Game of Thrones” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” were no surprises with big nomination hauls in the drama categories. Although “Game of Thrones” actors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey will compete for supporting actor trophies, the Emmys stubbornly refuse to consider the show’s stars for the top acting trophies, probably because it’s in the fantasy realm, said Tom O’Neil, editor of the awards handicapping website Gold Derby.

“For the lead roles, they want pretension and ‘Game of Thrones’ doesn’t deliver that,” O’Neil said.

In the major categories, both HBO’s hitman comedy “Barry” and the drama “Westworld” overperformed in terms of expected nominations, setting up some spirited competition, O’Neil said. For example, many critics anticipated “Atlanta” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” would be the top contenders for best comedy, but “Barry” can’t be counted out, he said.

Mandy Moore of “This is Us” and Al Pacino, who portrayed the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in an HBO movie, were other actors whose absence from the nominations can be characterized as a surprise.