Is True Blood Breaking the Emmy Awards Vampire's Curse?

With the 2010 Emmy awards slated to reveal all on Aug 29, 2010, more than a few fans of HBO's hot vampire drama "True Blood" are wondering: Don't you love us anymore? "True Blood" received a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series but not a single nod for any of the actors who flesh out the series. This, even though Oscar and Emmy winning actress Anna Paquin portrays the main human character, Sookie Stackhouse, on "True Blood."

Other outstanding performers on "True Blood" were also overlooked when it came time for Emmy nominations. Alexander Skarsgard portrays the Viking vampire Eric Northman and many fans have been surprised that he has not received an Emmy nod. More than that, though, it is a shame that neither Nelsan Ellis nor Rutina Wesley are receiving the recognition they deserve for their amazing performances in "True Blood." Ellis portrays the flamboyant and charismatic cook Lafayette Reynolds while Wesley portrays the very complex and troubled Tara Thornton.

Oh sure, "True Blood" has received the token pat for behind-the-scenes work this year and in 2009 (art direction, casting, main title design, prosthetic makeup and sound editing) but this year's nomination for Outstanding Drama Series may be finally breaking the supernatural Emmy curse - if there really is one.

The CW series "Supernatural" was thrown an Emmy bone in 2008 with a nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series. It seems as though genre television and most specifically, horror and supernatural, falls into the untouchable category of an Emmy leper colony. That is, until now, thanks to "True Blood."

Fans of the cult classic series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" well remember the Emmy snubs for the series and actors - most especially Sara Michelle Gellar - between 1997 and 2003. "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon was left out in the cold with the spin-off series "Angel," which also did not receive any Emmy love, nor did hunky actor David Boreanaz. Both "Buffy" and "Angel" focused on vampires and other supernatural creatures and were hugely popular with fans and many critics. Apparently they were not so popular with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The fact that "True Blood" is up for Outstanding Drama Series almost seems like a begrudging nomination for the HBO series and a crumb thrown to the genre in general. Is there a bias against vampires or is it simply that nominations tend to veer away from anything weird and wonderful and prefer instead to walk the straight and narrow path of mainstream television? Vampires are, after all, supposed to be evil creatures from the pit of Hell bent upon sucking not only your blood but also your soul and your free will. Nominations for serial-killer series "Dexter" would tend to argue that point, so maybe it really is simply vampire bias.

"True Blood" has been breaking rules and pushing boundaries in every way. Whether it is the amount of gore factor viewers can stand or exploring the how much homoerotic romance viewers accept, "True Blood" continues to push the envelope. Breaking the Emmy Awards vampire's curse would be a definite coup d'etat for both HBO and for the supernatural genre.

While "True Blood" is up against favorites like "Dexter," "Mad Men," "The Good Wife," "Breaking Bad," and "Lost," it remains to be seen if the vampires can hold their own and come out on top.

The primetime Emmy awards will air on Sunday August 29 on NBC beginning at 8 pm. Eastern time.

Sources:
http://www.emmys.com/
http://truebloodnet.com/hb-garners-99-emmy-nominations/
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/07/08/2010-07-08_emmy_nominations_2010_zach_gilford_true_blood_treme_and_courteney_cox_lead_snubs.html