2014 Critics Choice TV Awards nominations: ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ score nods

We always enjoy the Critics Choice TV Awards more so than most other TV honors, even if it may not be the one that gets the most attention. The nominations are always made intelligently, and you don’t quite get the sense that they were phoned in by people who became a voter decades ago and really don’t care about anything.

This is why the nominations below are reasonably exciting, since there are a few surprises in here to go along with some very deserving nominees. As a whole, there are only a few egregious snubs.

Best Comedy Series

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Broad City (Comedy Central)
• Louie (FX)
• Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
• Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Veep (HBO)

Seeing no “Modern Family” here is a surprise, but it’s very cool to see entries like “Broad City” and “Silicon Valley” make it in here. The latter may even be a sleeper pick to win.

Actor, Comedy

• Louis CK, “Louie”
• Chris Messina, “The Mindy Project” (Fox)
• Thomas Middleditch, “Silicon Valley”
• Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Adam Scott, “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
• Robin Williams, “The Crazy Ones” (CBS)

It’s nice to see Robin made the cut despite his show being canceled, and for the underrated Messina to get some love. Still, Louie or Jim will most likely win here.

Actress, Comedy

• Ilana Glazer, “Broad City”
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
• Wendi McLendon-Covey, “The Goldbergs” (ABC)
• Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer” (Comedy Central)
• Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”
• Emmy Rossum, “Shameless” (Showtime)

A couple of good nominations in here, but we still have a hard time picturing “Shameless” with the other shows, even if it has comedic elements.

Supporting Actor, Comedy

• Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Fox)
• Keith David, “Enlisted” (Fox)
• Tony Hale, “Veep”
• Albert Tsai, “Trophy Wife” (ABC)
• Christopher Evan Welch, “Silicon Valley”
• Jeremy Allen White, “Shameless”

A nice posthumous nod in here to Welch for a great turn as Peter Gregory, and also a nice nod to the underrated “Enlisted.” We’re surprised that this is the only major nomination for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

Supporting Actress, Comedy

• Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Laverne Cox, “Orange Is the New Black”
• Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Allison Janney, “Mom” (CBS)
• Kate Mulgrew, “Orange Is the New Black”
• Merritt Wever, “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)

Is anyone surprised by how “Girls” is completely ignored? “Orange Is the New Black” is almost the new “Girls,” which was the new “Modern Family” in terms of getting nominations.

Guest Performer, Comedy

• Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
• Sarah Baker, “Louie”
• James Earl Jones, “The Big Bang Theory”
• Mimi Kennedy “Mom”
• Andrew Rannells, “Girls” (HBO)
• Lauren Weedman, “Looking” (HBO)

The only nominee for “Girls” happens to be a guy. These are good nominations, but we always find this category to be impossible to pin down.

Drama Series

• The Americans (FX)
• Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Game of Thrones (HBO)
• The Good Wife (CBS)
• Masters of Sex (Showtime)
• True Detective (HBO)

This is probably the same combination of shows you will see elsewhere over the next year, with some others like “House of Cards,” “Orphan Black,” or maybe even “Mad Men” coming in from time to time.

Actor, Drama

• Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
• Hugh Dancy, “Hannibal” (NBC)
• Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel” (A&E)
• Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
• Matthew Rhys, “The Americans”
• Michael Sheen, “Masters of Sex”

It’s very hard to argue against anything on this list, even if we may try to squeeze in Demian Bichir from “The Bridge” on here somewhere.

Actress, Drama

• Lizzy Caplan, “Masters of Sex”
• Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel”
• Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
• Tatiana Maslany, “Oprhan Black” (BBC America)
• Keri Russell, “The Americans”
• Robin Wright, “House of Cards” (Netflix)

Has “Homeland” already fallen so far that Claire Danes doesn’t get a nod? We’re happy to see Lizzy on here, given how she was basically ignored by other awards shows so far.

Supporting Actor, Drama

• Josh Charles, “The Good Wife”
• Walton Goggins, “Justified” (FX)
• Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”
• Peter Sarsgaard, “The Killing” (AMC)
• Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan” (Showtime)
• Jeffrey Wright, “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)

No Peter Dinklage? given his work recently on “Game of Thrones,” this may be the most egregious snub of the entire show. Replace Voight with him, and we’re good.

Supporting Actress, Drama

• Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
• Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad”
• Annet Mahendru, “The Americans”
• Melissa McBride, “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
• Maggie Siff, “Sons of Anarchy” (FX)
• Bellamy Young, “Scandal” (ABC)

One of the best categories overall, since you’ve got a little bit of everything and two actresses in McBride and Siff who were extremely deserving despite their shows being often ignored.

Guest Performer, Drama

• Beau Bridges, “Masters of Sex”
• Walton Goggins, “Sons of Anarchy”
• Allison Janney, “Masters of Sex”
• Joe Morton, “Scandal”
• Carrie Preston, “The Good Wife”
• Diana Rigg, “Game of Thrones”

A phenomenal category. Seriously, any person on this list could win and we would be happy if they did.

Best Movie

• An Adventure in Space and Time
• Burton and Taylor
• Killing Kennedy
• The Normal Heart
• Sherlock: His Last Vow
• The Trip to Bountiful

“The Normal Heart” probably has the edge here, but it’s nice to see “An Adventure in Space and Time” included.

Best Miniseries

• American Horror Story: Coven
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Dancing on the Edge
• Fargo
• The Hollow Queen
• Luther

This should be a pretty contentious category, but “Fargo” should have the edge.

Actor, Miniseries / Movie

• David Bradley, “An Adventure in Space and Time”
• Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: His Last Vow”
• Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Dancing on the Edge”
• Martin Freeman, “Fargo”
• Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”
• Billy Bob Thornton, “Fargo”

The biggest concern here is that the two “Fargo” stars will ultimately cancel each other out.

Actress, Miniseries / Movie

• Helena Bonham Carter, “Burton & Taylor”
• Minnie Driver, “Return to Zero”
• Whoopi Goldberg, “Day Late and a Dollar Short”
• Holliday Granger, “Bonnie & Clyde”
• Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Coven”
• Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful”

By far, the most obscure list of nominations out of any category.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries / Movie

• Matt Bomer, “The Normal Heart”
• Warren Brown, “Luther”
• Martin Freeman, “Sherlock: His Last Vow”
• Colin Hanks, “Fargo”
• Joe Mantello, “The Normal Heart”
• Blair Underwood, “The Trip to Bountiful”

It feels like “The Normal Heart” right now may have the edge in any category it is featured in.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries / Movie

• Amanda Abbington, “Sherlock: His Last Vow”
• Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story: Coven”
• Ellen Burstyn, “Flowers in the Attic”
• Jessica Raine, “An Adventure in Space and Time”
• Julie Roberts, “The Normal Heart”
• Allison Tolman, “Fargo”

It would warn our heart to see Tolman, a virtual unknown, win against so many other legends in this category.

Best Reality Series

• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
• Deadliest Catch
• Duck Dynasty
• Mythbusters
• Top Gear
• Undercover Boss

We don’t personally love the inclusion of “Duck Dynasty” here. Controversy aside, the show just doesn’t have the spark that it had years ago.

Best Competition Series

• The Amazing Race
• Project Runway
• Shark Tank
• Survivor
• Top Chef
• The Voice

A very predictable list, but also probably the right one given the quality of most of these programs.

Best Reality Host

• Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars”
• Carson Daly, “The Voice”
• Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance”
• Gordon Ramsey, “MasterChef”
• RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
• Neil deGrasse Tyson, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”

Is Carson really deserving for reading off of a teleprompter? We would’ve much preferred Jeff Probst in this spot.

Best Talk Show

• Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• The Colbert Report
• Conan

A good, but relatively uneventful list of nominees.