Emmy Hopefuls: Will Power star Omari Hardwick be given a shot?

How has Power not received more Emmy recognition over the past few years? That’s a question that absolutely does baffle us, and for many good reasons. We are talking here about a performance-based, well-written drama series on premium cable that tackles topical issues and also continues to try to push the envelope. On paper, these should all be things that Emmy voters love.

Yet, we’re still sitting here, entering a season 5, with not anywhere near enough Emmy love flying in the show’s direction. It’s baffling, especially when it comes to series star Omari Hardwick — the subject of the latest chapter in our Emmy Hopefuls series.

What any Emmy voter should look for, first and foremost, in an acting nominee is someone who can draw a wide range of emotion out of the viewer. As James St. Patrick a.k.a. Ghost, Hardwick does that. He’s a character who can smash your heart into pieces only to make you root for him moments later. He’s got the capacity to do so much good when you think about his influence, his intelligence, and at times the tools that are at his arsenal. Yet, he’s got the dangerous history and the capacity to do so many terrible things. He’s tried to escape his old life of crime only to be roped back in on so many different occasions.

Ghost was broken during season 4, the season that will be eligible at the Emmys this year, in a couple of different ways. First, there was the prison arc that forced him to confront a future in which he wasn’t there to be a father to his children. Then, there was the death of Raina St. Patrick near the end of the season, a chilling reminder that the sins of the father can come home to roost in the most terrible ways. Hardwick was magnetic in the reading of his lines, the way he carried his body, and even his ability to draw a reaction from the smallest facial expression. You never wanted to stop watching him — Power is a show that tackles so many different, complex subjects that you need a worthy performer to do the work of Courtney A. Kemp and the writers justice. Hardwick provides that.

What are his odds? – We do think that he is an underdog, mostly because Power hasn’t gotten the love so far and in later seasons, it only gets more difficult. Yet, we do think getting the word out about him is valuable given that A) the show may not be on voters’ radar right now since it aired so long ago and B) anyone who watches season 4 and doesn’t praise Hardwick’s performance is completely out of their mind. Somehow, he brought it to a darker place and another level entirely. Even though it may be one of the biggest hits on Starz, it somehow needs more of a spotlight on a larger scale.

Related – Be sure to get some more editions in our Emmy Hopefuls series

Do you think that Omari Hardwick should be the recipient of an Emmy nomination for Power? Be sure to share in the comments!

Meanwhile, you can also like CarterMatt on Facebook right now to get some other insight when it comes to Power the moment that we have more news to share. (Photo: Starz.)