Emmy gives cold shoulder to ‘Idol,’ ‘Dead’

LOS ANGELES – “American Idol,” “The Walking Dead,” Kelsey Grammer, Hugh Laurie and Timothy Olyphant of FX’s “Justified” were among the most notable snubs in this year’s Emmy nominations.

Fox’s “American Idol,” which has been a regular contender in the outstanding reality competition category, was knocked out by a rival singing competition, NBC’s “The Voice.” The snub comes after one of “Idol’s” most tumultuous seasons, including a ratings decline and the hoopla surrounding the departure of judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler last week.

Adding further insult to “Idol’s” Emmy fortune was the fact that the show nailed only three nominations this time around, including one for host Ryan Seacrest. Last year it scored 10 nominations, the most ever in its reality category.

AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which depicts the struggle of a small group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, is one of the cable network’s most popular and acclaimed series, with critics continually noting that the quality of the acting and writing consistently raised the drama beyond the usual horror genre fare. But the series failed to score any marquee nominations. Its three nods were in technical categories, including for prosthetic makeup.

Also shut out was Starz’s “Boss,” starring multiple Emmy-winner Grammer as a corrupt Chicago mayor. Grammer this year won a Golden Globe win for best actor in a drama, but “Boss” did not get a single Emmy nomination.

Another high-profile star overlooked was Laurie, who just completed his last year in “House.” A veteran of the drama actor category, he has been nominated six times but never won; this year, neither he nor the show got Emmy recognition.

Olyphant of FX’s “Justified” was similarly nominated last year in the outstanding actor in a drama category but did not make it into the category this year; the sole marquee nomination for “Justified” was Jeremy Davies for outstanding guest actor in a drama.