My Emmy Ballot: TV Series

Tomorrow is nomination day which means today is the last day to hope big. Essentially the personal ballots I've been posting the past few days are nothing more than wishful thinking on my part as well as a way to highlight my favorite shows and performances from the past TV year. If only the TV Academy as a whole would take this exercise as seriously as big TV fans do maybe people would be more excited for the nominations and awards show, but alas.

Disclaimer: This year the Emmys will be picking at a minimum 7 shows per category, so that's what I'm going to do. BTW if you're curious to see why past favorites like Community or Game of Thrones came up empty for me, it's simply because I did not get to see their current seasons fully.

COMEDY SERIES

• Broad City
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• The Comeback
• Jane the Virgin
• Parks and Recreation
• Transparent
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I think the only show here guaranteed a nomination tomorrow is Transparent and that fact make me depressed/angry especially since other freshman shows like Jane the Virgin and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are just as deserving. I'd obviously also love to see The Comeback make a comeback after such a brilliant short season. Do the Academy even watch TV because if they did then Broad City and Brooklyn Nine-Nine would be an automatic yes for strong sophomore efforts. Finally, this is Parks and Recreation's final time to get honored. Let's hope the Chris Pratt Hollywood magic is in full force.

Alternates: Fresh Off the Boat, Looking, Silicon Valley, Shameless, and Veep

DRAMA SERIES

• Agent Carter
• The Americans
• Better Call Saul
• Empire
• The Leftovers
• Mad Men
• Orange is the New Black

It doesn't matter that Orange is the New Black was classified as a drama since it deserves all of the Emmy awards regardless and I think it'll do just fine tomorrow. Another show that should do okay is Emmy-favorite Mad Men even in spite of the lack of love they've shown it the past couple of years. The rest are a bit more up in the air. Certainly The Americans should definitely be shortlisted as all the critics have been clamoring, but will they listen? Better Call Saul is the heir apparent to Breaking Bad, so it'll have a slightly easier time to break through. The others... well Agent Carter is too comic book, The Leftovers is too divisive, and Empire is too soapy. Though perhaps the latter is too big to ignore?

Alternates: The Good Wife, How to Get Away with Murder, House of Cards, and Peaky Blinders

Check out my previous ballots for the acting categories:

• Lead Actors
• Supporting Actors
• Guest Actors

Below is the tally of nominations I gave out to the various shows (just series and acting nominations of course):

• Jane the Virgin - 5
• Parks and Recreation - 5
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - 5
• Agent Carter - 4
• The Americans - 4
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine - 4
• Broad City - 4
• Empire - 4
• The Good Wife - 4
• Mad Men - 4
• Transparent - 4

I wasn't too shocked to see Jane the Virgin and Parks and Recreation to top my nomination list, but look at Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! The others seem about right. All in all my nominations came from a staggering 39 shows (do people even watch half that number of TV shows?!). More below...

The Comeback - 3
The Leftovers - 3
Orange is the New Black - 3
Better Call Saul - 2
Daredevil - 2
House of Cards - 2
How to Get Away with Murder - 2
The Mindy Project - 2
The Affair
Big Bang Theory
black-ish
Broadchurch
Downton Abbey
Drunk History
The Fall
Fresh Off the Boat
Girls
Homeland
Looking
Masters of Sex
Mozart in the Jungle
Orphan Black
Peaky Blinders
Shameless
Silicon Valley
The Walking Dead
Togetherness
Veep