# Emmy award question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169 "2009-08-12T13:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/1 "2009-08-12T13:18:54Z")
I found out recently that when an actor gets an Emmy nomination it is for just 1 episode of the series. I believe the same is true for writers. Has it always been this way? The voters are only sent the 1 episode to view when they vote? I would assume many of the voters will have seen more than 1 episode so anyway so I’m not sure if they vote on total series or not. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/2 "2009-08-12T14:19:39Z")
The [rules](http://cdn.emmys.tv/downloads/2009/pte61_rulesandprocedrev2.pdf) say that the award is “for a continuing performance in a regular series.” However, I’m having trouble finding exactly where it says “one episode,” except for guest actors: > [@](#): > > Guest performers must provide a 50 word or less log line of their storyline from the **ONE episode** chosen for entry and a paper copy of the on-air credits or a copy of their contract listing them as “Guest Star.” [bold mine] Otherwise, I see at the beginning that Rule 6 says an individual can have one entry per category, so if you are in two dramas at the same time you can be nominated for Lead Actor in only one of them, and Rule 11 says you can’t weasel out and change your role to Supporting Actor when you’re really the lead in hopes of getting two Emmys out of it. But, while I think what you say is true, that you submit one episode as your representative work, I don’t see where it actually says that. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/3 "2009-08-12T14:27:08Z")
On Wikipedia they list the episode for each nomination for Kyra Sedgwick (near the middle) [Kyra Sedgwick - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyra_Sedgwick) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/4 "2009-08-12T14:37:50Z")
I am on the Television Without Pity boards – also as Sigmagirl – where I usually post on the \*House \*threads, and they always speculate about what episode various actors will submit for Emmy consideration. I just thought it odd that I couldn’t find the rule specifying it. The rules didn’t seem all that unclear. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/5 "2009-08-12T18:31:44Z")
This is true for Lead Acting nominees–they elect one episode as the one they specifically want considered (though obviously, anyone familiar with these series will know their body of work over the season). This episode is the one the nominating committee takes into account when picking the nominees, and for voters, it’s the episode that gets mailed to them for consideration when assessing their final ballot. For Supporting Nominees, they are allowed to select two episodes (presumably because of the more limited amount of screen time one episode affords). Of course, if you’re on a series with other nominees, it’s to your advantage because the number of episodes that are in circulation with that entire cast increases. It’s often believed that Felicity Huffman won Best Comedy Actress for _Desparate Housewives_ not just on the strength of her own submission, but because the episodes Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher each picked also showed Huffman’s impressive range. Similarly, someone like James Spader managed to win Best Actor several times because his _Boston Legal_ episodes work perfectly fine as stand-alone installments, so even people not familiar with the series can appreciate his abilities, and it’s not hard to find one ep. where he really goes to town. But Hugh Laurie has been beaten time and time again, and some say that, for those not familiar with _House_ and the various story arcs (his addiction, his relationships w/Wilson, Cuddy, et al), a single stand-alone may not appear as singularly impressive, because of the subtleties in performance based on those arcs and a lot that may get lost for those unfamiliar with the characterization he builds over the course of a season. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/6 "2009-08-12T19:04:01Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > But Hugh Laurie has been beaten time and time again, and some say that, for those not familiar with _House_ and the various story arcs (his addiction, his relationships w/Wilson, Cuddy, et al), a single stand-alone may not appear as singularly impressive, because of the subtleties in performance based on those arcs and a lot that may get lost for those unfamiliar with the characterization he builds over the course of a season. IIRC, Susan Lucci famously kept not getting the Emmy for decades because she’d discard entries that showcased “quiet sympathy” or “cheerful sarcasm” or “having a little too much to drink” in favor of that one episode each year that went the most over-the-top, with sobbing and rage and grief-stricken moaning and shriek-laden tantrums. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/7 "2009-08-12T19:13:56Z")
I guess Lucci is a very slow learner , she lost around 20 straight times. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/8 "2009-08-12T20:04:21Z")
I wonder what various actors on Battlestar Galactica submitted. I think Bear McCreary deserves the Emmy every year for his music on that show. Each individual soundtrack for every season was the best film score of its year. I still can’t believe they did not receive nominations. I could have easily seen wins for: Edward James Olmos Mary Mcdonnell Michael Hogan James Callis ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/9 "2009-08-12T20:18:13Z")
For _BSG_, it still suffers from the genre ghetto of SciFi (something few actors have been able to transcend in TV, short of an _X-Files_ level phenomenon). Also, so much of the acting highlights are informed by past relationships and histories (especially Roslin & Adama) that the average Emmy voter may not get the nuances involved. Plus the show has a large ensemble cast, so they usually don’t log in as much screen time as a conventional lead. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/10 "2009-08-12T20:31:19Z")
I think it is rare for SciFi movies to win Oscars so the same would apply to Emmys. They might win for special effects or categories like that. LOTR won best picture but that was fantasy , not SF. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmy-award-question/506169/11 "2009-08-12T23:28:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I guess Lucci is a very slow learner , she lost around 20 straight times. she didn’t win 19 times in a row. she won in 1999. and the clip they showed (when her name was called as a nominee) was very understated and real. i guess she did learn.