Bobby Cannavale
It’s a predictably thin night for Latinos at the Emmys going in, but Cannavale manages an upset over favored Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad, while Morena Baccarin and Sofía Vergara are passed over entirely…and Louie goes 1 for 6
It was a beautiful night filled with beautiful people, as always, and Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong…but Latinos in front and behind the camera–already pretty much ignored in the nominations–left sadly underrepresented when the last of the Emmy Awards were presented Sunday.
Best news of the night was Bobby Cannavale’s win as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his amazing work on Boardwalk Empire. His other, more surprising nomination, as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series–went to Bob Newhart for his episode of Big Bang Theory (and seriously–who can blame them?)
Louis C.K. was nominated for half a dozen different acting, writing, and directing awards clustered around his series, Louie, and his comedy special, Oh My God. In the end, Louis was passed over for Lead Actor, Outstanding Comedy Series and all his other noms, but did walk away with a statuette for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, Oh My God.
Modern Family
Two series with Latinos prominent in their casts received awards as well: Modern Family, with Sofía Vergara and Rico Rodriguez, won (yet again) for Outstanding Comedy Series (over Louie C.K.’s Louie, among others), and The Voice, hosted by Christina Aguilera and/or Shakira, received the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition–an award that’s eluded rival American Idol for nine years.
…and that’s about it. Sofía Vergara, nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Modern Family, lost to Merritt Wever for Nurse Jackie, while Morena Baccarin’s first Emmy nom, this one for Homeland, lost to Anna Gunn of Breaking Bad for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
It was a little hard to get too excited or too disappointed, given the low proportion of Latinos nominated this year in the first place, and this can only be seen as a great boost, and a well-deserved one, for Bobby Cannavale’s career. Here’s hoping that next year, with so many more Latinos playing Latinos and programs featuring Latino themes and plots, we’ll see a larger contingent on the nomination list…and in the winner’s circle.
