When the nominations for the Emmys were announced last week, there was one show that was seemingly missing from the list based on the reaction of its fans – Sons of Anarchy. In a guest post on NikkiFinke.com, the show’s creator Kurt Sutter went on a (fairly foul-mouthed) rant about being snubbed once again.
“Honestly – and I actually believe this – I think we’d drop viewers if Sons of Anarchy were ever nominated for an Emmy,” Sutter writes. “My bombastic outlaw-a****e reputation would be tarnished. Or rather, untarnished. I’d be just another smiling douchebag in a new suit, pretending to give a s**t on the red carpet.”
He continues, “but here’s the rub — I know on an intellectual level that the Emmys are not and have never been a valid qualifier of talent. I know the people who vote are busy industry people with limited time and departmental biases (Costumers, Production Designers, Makeup, etc.). Throw in the fact that studios and networks spend millions on Emmy campaigns to influence votes, and you end up with a very flawed system where most folks rush to fill in circles for friends and shows they’ve seen once or twice or “heard” were really good.”
“And yet knowing all of that, I still suffer the emotional and spiritual depletion every July when Sons of Anarchy gets zero nominations in all major categories”, he concludes. “While other f*****g shows that ran out of story three seasons ago, still get tagged to step up to the show. To explain the feeling, I use an analogy from a part of our lives that probably best describes our industry – high school. Remember when that kid you hated from second period French had that big end of year party? You knew he was a lazy, self-important, pompous douchebag, and yet when you didn’t get the invitation, you sobbed into your Members Only jacket and a piece of youthful hope cracked off your soul and fell in dogs**t.”
So, it seems he wasn’t pleased of being subbed again.
Originally published July 14, 2014. Updated November 29, 2022.
