The Emmys Are Back: Time for Darryl’s Picks

The 66th Primetime Emmy nominations were announced last week, and this year’s list signals a game-changer in the way we watch television. Netflix proved once again that online shows are a force to be reckoned with by earning 31 nominations, including 13 for “House of Cards” and 12 for “Orange is the New Black.” These two series are in the running for outstanding drama series and outstanding comedy series, respectively.Netflix received 14 Emmy nods last year, which means the Internet TV provider more than doubled its nominations. That’s quite impressive. To put that in perspective, Netflix surpassed AMC, Showtime, Comedy Central and Fox in nominations this year.Netflix continues to blow me away with its original programming. When it first entered this field in February 2012 with “Lilyhammer,” I thought it was going to be a fad that quickly faded away. Then Net-flix launched “House of Cards” in February 2013 and proved that it was here to stay.How will the majority of viewers watch television shows next year? In five years? With Emmy-nominated shows being shown on the Internet for a nominal fee, cable providers have an uphill battle on their hands.“Orange is the New Black” deserves an Emmy victory for outstanding comedy series. I binge-watched both seasons, and this series can have you both laughing and gasping in shock during the same scene.Taylor Schilling deserves the award for outstanding actress in a comedy series for her role as Piper Chapman in “Orange is the New Black.” Her character has gone through so many changes in two seasons, and they’re all believable, thanks to Schilling’s performance.In an unexpected move, Ricky Gervais was nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his portrayal of Derek Noakes in Netflix’s “Derek.” Gervais’ performance is both uplifting and heartbreaking, and I think he deserves the Emmy. Louis C.K. and Jim Parsons are also in the running for “Louie” and “The Big Bang Theory,” respectively, and while I’m a fan of both actors, neither captures the surprising magic of Gervais.We can’t talk about the Emmys without acknowledging that HBO is leading the pack with a whopping 99 nominations, including 19 for “Game of Thrones” (which topped the list of nominations for a series), 16 for the movie “The Normal Heart” and 12 for “True Detective.” Both “Game of Thrones” and “True Detective” will by vying for outstanding drama series.“Game of Thrones” and “True Detective” were two of my favorite shows this year, but they can’t compare to “Breaking Bad,” which should win the outstanding drama series category. The final season of “Breaking Bad” was perfection.It earned 16 nominations, with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn getting nods for lead actor, supporting actor and supporting actress, respectively. Since I just called the show perfection, I would expect all of these actors to win their respective categories, but they all have tough competition. Cranston, who deserves every award he can possibly receive, is up against both Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey from “True Detective”; Paul is facing Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones,” who steals the show as Tyrion Lannister; and Gunn is facing Maggie Smith and Joanne Froggatt from “Downton Abbey.”Speaking of PBS, I was happy to see that the channel received 34 nominations, including 12 for “Downton Abbey” and 12 for “Sherlock: His Last Vow,” which was was the final episode of the show’s third series.Benedict Cumberbatch, aka Sherlock Holmes, is actually competing with Martin Freeman for the title of oustanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie. Freeman plays John Watson opposite Cumberbatch, but Freeman received his nod in this category for his portrayal of Lester Nygaard in “Fargo.” And just to make things more tense, Billy Bob Thornton is also in the running in this category for his role as Lorne Malvo in “Fargo.”Thornton and Freeman perfected their creepy characters in “Fargo,” but Cumberbatch deserves this award for his engaging, tongue-twister performance of Sherlock.Of course, I could go on and on about the shows and actors who were snubbed this year, but I’ll narrow it to one: Tatiana Maslany of BBC America’s “Orphan Black” deserved a nomination. She plays multiple roles on the show (they’re all clones), and her ability to make each character seem like a different person is simply breathtaking.