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Biggest actress snubs of 2016 Emmy nominations

From proven stars to newcomers, actresses were not safe from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences cutting room floor.  Some of the best performances didn’t make the Emmy’s coveted list of nominations in 2016, but they deserve some recognition.

While we don't have the same clout as the Emmy’s, we appreciate the effort and heart that has come from some of the finest actresses in television. And since we technically have no hardware to give out, we have our words which are gold in of itself.

With that humble introduction, here is the list of the biggest snubs in the actress categories. 

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Chalk this one up to the academy moving on from the old guard.  Julianna Margulies has been cleaning up at the Emmy’s in her role as the do-it-all attorney Alicia Florrick, where she’s had two wins and four nominations the last six years. The past two Emmy cycles, however, Margulies walked away with zero nominations for her work. Even with the series ending, the academy decided not to honor her with one last nomination for her outstanding performance.

Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black

The academy didn’t have any love for the performance of Aduba as the erratic Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Wells. A year after her win as the most outstanding supporting actress, she was left out all together despite a similarly great performance in Orange is the New Black this year.

Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey

Downtown Abbey as a show has continued its successful run at the Emmy’s for the sixth straight year, but the stars, aside from Maggie Smith, have been suspiciously left off the nominations list this year.  Michelle Dockery has been an absolute powerhouse for the show in her role as Lady Mary Crawley, but didn’t pick up any nominations for her work in season six of the popular British show. Dockery will not have a chance to win her first Emmy as Lady Crawley as the show ended on Christmas 2015.

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Everyone’s favorite ex will not be gracing the stage as a nominee at this year’s Emmy awards. While Bloom’s performance as the lovably eccentric (and very musical) Rebecca Bunch was good enough to garner a Golden Globe win, the academy did not feel the same way. Maybe they think Bloom is better off as just a friend.

Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin

When a show’s premise centers on a virgin who was artificially inseminated by accident, people are going to be intrigued. Keeping that intrigue is tough, but not when that show has Gina Rodriguez killing it in the lead role of said virgin. Rodriguez’s performance has critics and fans gushing about her charm, but she will have to wait another year to be recognized by the academy.

Krysten Ritter, Jessica Jones

Superhero shows rarely get the due they deserve, and Krysten Ritter’s dark and brooding rendition of the title character in Jessica Jones is no different. Ritter perfectly executed Jones’ complexities and antihero persona. Ritter garnered praise for her depiction of a rape victim; praise that was not echoed in the form of a nomination. She and the show walked away with zero nominations at the Emmy awards.

Caitrona Balfe, Outlander

Much like her co-star Sam Heughan, Balfe was disappointingly overlooked by the academy for her work as time-traveler Clair Beauchamp in Outlander. The Irish actress nails the stubborn resourcefulness that the nurse possesses, but she was not rewarded with a nomination for the best lead actress in a drama. The show is relatively new, and her body of work isn’t as deep as the nominees, but that shouldn’t count against her in one of the better performances of the year.

Ilana Glazer, Broad City

Since 2014, Broad City has been one of the weirdest, funniest shows on TV with Ilana Glazer providing laughs with her stoner-extraordinaire character, Ilana Wexler. However, the sneakily feminist show and the comic styling’s of its refreshingly liberated character are still flying under the radar with no nominations this year.

Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat

Watching Constance Wu as Jessica Huang on Fresh Off the Boat is like watching every immigrant Asian mother – right down to the tiger mom mentality and emphasis on staying true to your roots. Her performance is spot on, and yet it has been left off the nomination list again in 2016. Even with the increased exposure with more episodes centered on her character, she will have to wait to win her first Emmy award.

Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones

In Game of Thrones, characters and arcs are in constant flux but there are few characters that have had the transformation that Sansa Stark has had. Sophie Turner gracefully navigated Sansa from naïve pawn to a legitimate challenger for the Iron Throne over the span of six seasons. Her calculating performance this past year would have gotten an Emmy nomination had the supporting actress category not been dominated with three other Game of Thrones actresses. Leaving her off the list was more a sign of mercy for other shows that it was her own stellar work.

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