Emmy Nominees Crowd Out Several Notable Snubs

The 2011 Emmy nominees have a lot of familiar faces and past champions. But there are a share of new nominees and some welcome return contenders as well. Of course, there are also a share of actors and actresses who didn't make the cut despite fans and critics rooting for them. To some, those who did get nominated are welcome enough to balance that out, yet it will be difficult for others.

The Best Actress Drama category won't have last year's winner, although many were shocked that Kyra Sedgwick won last year. This leaves Julianna Margulies and Elisabeth Moss to battle it out, with Connie Britton, Kathy Bates, Mireille Enos and Mariska Hargitay rounding out the field. But many are probably mad that Hargitay keeps getting in, especially over Katy Sagal and Lauren Graham -- yet there might be enough cheers for Britton to balance it out.

The Best Actor field went as predicted, with Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Kyle Chandler, Steve Buscemi, Hugh Laurie and Timothy Olyphant in the running. But the Best Actor Comedy category had some surprises after Jim Parsons, Steve Carell and Alec Baldwin filled their slots. Matt LeBlanc and Louis C.K. got in as themselves, while Parsons' Big Bang co-star Johnny Galecki was a surprise nominee, and could make things harder for the defending Emmy champion.

Best Actress Comedy had a surprise inclusion in Melissa McCarthy, although since the Mike & Molly star was announcing the nominations and is riding momentum from Bridesmaids, it wasn't a massive shock. But the category is really between Showtime duo Laura Linney and Edie Falco and NBC funny ladies Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

The Supporting Actor Drama field has tough nominees in Good Wife duo Alan Cumming and Josh Charles, Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage, Men of a Certain Age's Andre Braugher, Justified's Walton Goggins, and perennial Mad Men contender John Slattery. Yet there was no room for Fringe's John Noble, a notable snub for the third straight year.

One of last year's major snubs was Ed O'Neill, the only Modern Family adult to not get in. That isn't the case this time, as O'Neil and the other three Modern Family men crowded the Supporting Actor drama field, leaving only Chris Colfer and Jon Cryer to take the last two spots while Neil Patrick Harris and Nick Offerman were left out.

But Supporting Actress Drama has a wealth of riches in Margo Martindale, 2010 winner Archie Panjabi, Michelle Forbes, Christina Hendricks, Christine Baranski and Kelly MacDonald. Meanwhile, Supporting Actress Comedy pits national treasure Betty White against Emmy host and defending champ Jane Lynch.

But while all these favorites are in, the likes of Noble, Sagal, Offerman, Harris, the casts of Southland, Community and Cougar Town, and most of the Parks and Recreation cast was high and dry. Despite so many popular nominees, the Emmy voters still cannot come close to pleasing everyone.

Sources

TV Line- "Emmy Nominations 2011: Mad Men, Boardwalk and Modern Family Lead the Pack"