SAG Awards TV: Little New Blood As Actors Stick With Old Favorites, Reward Overlooked Performers

The SAG Awards are traditionally late to recognize new series — the guild failed to give Showtime’s Homeland a single nomination for the first season, which won Emmys for both of its stars (Claire Danes and Damian Lewis) as well as best drama series. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Julia Louis-Dreyfus, coming off two consecutive Emmy wins for her role on HBO’s Veep, landed her first SAG Award nominations for the show this morning — for best actress in a comedy series and best comedy ensemble. (Louis-Dreyfus has been nominated before for Seinfeld and The New Adventures Of Old Christine and has won individuals and ensemble honors for Seinfeld.) Also landing their first SAG TV nominations are Emmy nominees Kerry Washington for ABC’s Scandal and Don Cheadle for Showtime’s House Of Lies. And Emmy winner Peter Dinklage and Emmy nominee Mayim Bialik nabbed their first individual SAG noms for their hit series, Game Of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory, respectively, with both also earning ensemble noms.

Of the new series creating buzz in 2013, only Netflix’s House Of Cards was recognized with a nom for star Kevin Spacey. Nothing for Showtime’s Ray Donovan or Masters Of Sex, both big actor showcases; FX’s The Americans; or Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black. And Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany continues to be shunned by the major awards races. Another “newcomer,” Netflix’s Arrested Development, returned to the SAG Awards field after a long hiatus. The series earned its third ensemble SAG nom and star Jason Bateman his second individual one, with the previous noms coming in 2005 and 2006 when the comedy aired on Fox. Arrested Development’s reunion season made for a SAG Awards first — an actor, reigning Emmy winner Tony Hale, getting two best ensemble nominations for two concurrent series — Arrested and HBO’s Veep.

Even more than the Emmys, the SAG Awards continue to nominate the same performers year after year. Alec Baldwin is on his eighth consecutive nomination for 30 Rock, his co-star, series creator Tina Fey, on her seventh, as is the series’ ensemble. (Baldwin has won all seven times so far; Fey, four; the show’s entire cast, one). Like Baldwin, actresses Edie Falco, Jessica Lange and Maggie Smith have been nominated every year their shows have been eligible, with Falco getting a fifth consecutive nomination for Nurse Jackie and Lange and Smith landing third consecutive noms for American Horror Story and Downton Abbey, respectively. (Lange and Smith have won once, though Smith’s win was in the drama ensemble category last year.) Ditto for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and star Steve Buscemi, on their fourth consecutive noms for best drama ensemble and actor (with two wins in each category). But, surprisingly, another perennial SAG Awards favorite, The Good Wife‘s Julianna Margulies, who had been nominated for each of the series’ first four seasons, winning twice, was snubbed despite the series and Margulies getting praise for what is considered the series’ strongest season. Also failing to make the cut for the first time since the launch of her latest series was Hot In Cleveland star and SAG Awards darling Betty White, who had been nominated for three straight years, winning twice.

Baldwin’s streak means that The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons is yet to win a SAG Award despite three Emmy Awards out of five noms. He has a chance again this year after landing his first SAG Award nomination last year. Underlining the gap between SAG and the TV Academy, Two And A Half Men‘s Jon Cryer has only received one SAG nomination in 2012 despite eight Emmy noms and two wins.

Modern Family, winner of the best comedy ensemble SAG Award for the past three years, is yet to score an individual SAG Award. It has two shots this year — for Emmy winners Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell — marking the fewest cast member nominations for the popular comedy since its first time at the SAG Awards when the series was two months into its first season.

There were small changes in the top ensemble categories, with 2012 nominee Game Of Thrones returning after a year off, replacing perennial favorite Mad Men, which was up for Season 6. This is the latest shutout for the praised AMC drama, which had landed noms for best ensemble and star John Hamm for each of its first five seasons. GOT joins returning nominees Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, which won in January, and Homeland.

The SAG Awards have been extremely loyal to Fox’s Glee, giving it ensemble nominations for each of the past four years, long after the other awards shows had stopped considering the dramedy for their top honors. Glee even won the comedy ensemble SAG Award in its first season in an upset over Modern Family. But Glee‘s streak came to an end today when it didn’t make the cut for best comedy ensemble. Also out this year is Nurse Jackie, which landed its first ensemble nom last year. In are Veep and Arrested Development, joining 2012 nominees Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock.