X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

SAG Snubs and Surprises: Modern Family, Big Bang Get Dumped for Some New Faces

GLOW has a glowing day!

joyce-eng.jpg
Joyce Eng

Wednesday's Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, thankfully, didn't comprise of the typical ol' faces. Sure, voters still can't get enough of Uzo Aduba, but there was also a good dose of fresh blood that we are not used to seeing from SAG. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises.

Snubs

Modern FamilyandThe Big Bang Theory: Unlike the Golden Globes, which loves shiny new toys, the SAGs are notoriously lazy (insert obligatory mention of Alec Baldwin's seven-peat here). Modern Family has been a favorite here, winning four straight comedy ensemble awards and a comedy actor one for Ty Burrell (he prevented Baldwin's eight-peat in 2014), who's nabbed individual nods the past three years as well. But they were both finally dropped this year, which may portend a snub by the Emmys as well. Meanwhile, Big Bang, which has never won a SAG, was blanked after six straight ensemble nods.

Will & Grace: In the battle of the comedy revivals, Curb Your Enthusiasm -- which has never won a SAG -- nipped Will & Grace, which has seven wins to its name, with two nods (comedy ensemble and comedy actor for Larry David) to Will & Grace's one, for Sean Hayes. Hayes and Megan Mullally were SAG favorites during the show's original run, winning three individual awards each -- impressive because there are no supporting TV races at SAGs, and the titular leads, Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, never won.

Kevin Spacey: OK, it's not surprising at all Spacey, a two-time winner for House of Cards, was dumped in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against him. But adding insult to injury, voters retained Robin Wright, who, yes, is fantastic and deserves everything in the world, but you get the feeling it's also a bit of, "We still like you, we know this is not your fault."

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: After nodding both Ellie Kemper and Tituss Burgess last year, SAGs skunked them both in favor of another Netflix duo (see below). Worse, Burgess' comedy actor category is an expanded field of six due to a tie.

Fargo: The SAGs really don't like Fargo, guys. It was shut out this year and over its three-year history, the anthology series has only earned one nomination, for Billy Bob Thornton.

Twin Peaks: The original Twin Peaks pre-dated the SAG Awards, so it was a toss-up as to whether voters would embrace it or not. Kyle MacLachlan was its best shot, but not even his super-baity, multiple character role could garner a nod.

The Good Place: Once again, the best comedy on TV was nowhere to be found, even with Kristen Bell trying to do the most: she co-announced the Golden Globe nods and will be the first-ever SAG Awards host.

Alison Brie, GLOW
Erica Parise/Netflix


Surprises

Ozark: For the second straight year, SAG voters didn't just check off the same ol', same ol', but are actually shaking things up with new blood. They won't ever be as crazy as the Globes, but no one saw Jason Bateman's and Laura Linney's dual nods for Ozark coming. It makes sense though: The show, despite middling reviews, was a sleeper; the show was released over the summer (early release and early screeners go a long way with SAG); Bateman got some of the best reviews of his career; and they're both respected veterans (the SAGs love their big names and elders -- #neverforget Betty White winning two years in a row for Hot in Cleveland).

GLOW: GLOW over-performed even more than Ozark, snagging a comedy ensemble nod to go along with Alison Brie's and Marc Maron's individual ones. Again, this was a popular show that was released in the summer, giving voters ample time to actually check it out. It's been a great couple days for Brie-Franco fam: She and her brother-in-law James Franco (The Disaster Artist) have both received Golden Globe and SAG nods.

David Harbour: The Stranger Things star backed up his surprise Golden Globe nod with one at SAG, joining Millie Bobby Brown, who received her second straight nod. Like we said, it's very impressive for supporting players to sneak their way into the singular TV individual acting SAG races, which are typically dominated by leads. Last year, John Lithgow (The Crown) was the first person to win the drama actor SAG with a supporting role.

Jeff Daniels: Godless' late release -- it dropped Nov. 22 -- didn't hurt Daniels, who made the limited series/TV movie actor lineup. But you can also chalk it up to a classic case of a name-check nod (Daniels was twice nominated for The Newsroom).

Bob Odenkirk: After receiving a nod for the first season of Better Call Saul, Odenkirk was dropped last year. But he made it back into the drama actor shortlist this year, which is bittersweet because the show has still yet to crack the drama ensemble category, and we all know if there was only room for one BCS actor, it should've been Michael McKean.