Who’s going home with Emmy

Forecast: politics as usual on TV’s biggest night

Let’s be clear: The Emmys are meaningless. The voting system is shamelessly rigged to favor programming from the largest networks, which means HBO can eke out a win for Jeff Daniels in the poorly received “The Newsroom” while Bryan Cranston, Jon Hamm, and Kevin Spacey are left in the cold for their far-superior work on “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men,” and “House of Cards.” Networks are said to strongly encourage staff to vote in favor of its own shows, which obviously creates a formula in which the largest support staff has disproportionate voting power, while the smaller networks (Starz, A&E) are largely vaporized. 

Nevertheless, it’s a fun diversion, and another reason to keep talking about “True Detective.” Here are five random observations about this year’s Primetime Emmy nominations, the winners of which will be announced August 25th on NBC.

1 // HBO continues to dominate. Fantasy drama “Game of Thrones” has finally come into its own, garnering 19 nominations for its exceptional fourth season. Ryan Murphy’s made-for-TV movie “The Normal Heart” received 16 nominations, while golden-child newcomer “True Detective” snagged 12, including double lead actor nods for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Adam Driver received a deserving shout for his supporting role on “Girls” (a show largely shut out this year) while Jeff Daniels was once again nominated for his work in the uneven, frustrating “The Newsroom” (for which he won last year). Mike Judge’s sharp new tech comedy, “Silicon Valley,” was rightfully acknowledged, as was the third season of political satire “Veep.” 

Since the announcement of the nominations last week, HBO has been running an obnoxious bumper ad congratulating itself on its head-spinning 99 nominations this year. HBO also has the largest voting staff of any nominated network. Go figure.

2 // Everyone forgot about “Homeland.” Its third run was arguably stronger than its second—a meandering, transitional season that still cleaned up last year—yet it received only two nominations this time around: Best Actress (Claire Danes) and Supporting Actor in a Drama (Mandy Patinkin). Danes won the last two years, but the show was also hyped as a leading contender in all categories. Now, with the enthusiasm cooled and newbies “True Detective” and “Masters of Sex” encroaching on “Homeland” territory, Danes will likely lose to a network star—either Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”) or Kerry Washington (“Scandal”)—with “Masters” Lizzy Caplan providing a possible upset. 

3 // Apparently, “Downton Abbey” is still a thing. If I can ever stay awake through another episode of this snoozer I may one day discover why this show inspires such fierce loyalty in viewers. The stuffy, well-meaning, class-warfare drama was once again recognized with a slew of nominations, including Best Drama and Best Actor (Hugh Bonneville). I nominate it for Best Cure for Insomnia. 

4 // Netflix broke TV. With 30-plus nominations (more than double from last year), the online streaming service has officially destroyed old-school notions of television. “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” both received multiple major category nominations, and Ricky Gervais was even (inexplicably) nominated for his grating simpleton shtick in “Derek.” One of the nominations for “Orange is the New Black” is for Laverne Cox, the first ever Emmy nod for a transgender actress.

5 // The Ghost of “Breaking Bad” threatens to ruin the party. The 2013 Emmys aired the night of the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad,” making the beloved meth thriller’s Best Drama win feel like a final series-capping farewell rather than an acknowledgement of the previous year’s season. Now, with nearly a year passed since the finale, Walter White has returned for a final victory lap, and it’ll be shocking if everyone isn’t saying his name come awards night.