HAMMHANDED
The Emmys have been remiss in not honoring Jon
Will somebody just give Jon Hamm an Emmy already?
The chisel-jawed star of “Mad Men” has been nominated seven previous times for his role as Don Draper. But Hamm’s never won. Given that “Mad Men” ended in May, he has just one last shot to win for playing the iconic Madison Avenue pitchman.
His competition for the trophy is strong. Still, giving Hamm the win at the Sept. 20 ceremony really should be a no-brainer.
Hamm is pitted in his category against Kyle Chandler from “Bloodline,” Liev Schreiber from “Ray Donovan,” Bob Odenkirk from “Better Call Saul,” Kevin Spacey from “House of Cards” and Jeff Daniels from “The Newsroom.”
Actually, “Mad Men” was once an Emmy darling, storming out of the gates when it debuted in 2007. That year the show snagged Best Drama honors, as it did for its first four seasons.
Times change, though. Now a loss for Hamm will seal a sad deal — he’d have suffered one of nastiest losing streaks in primetime Emmy history.
He doesn’t deserve this. Hamm’s portrayal of Draper has been as solid and entertaining as any of his competitors. More, an argument can be made that he helped to usher in this “golden age” of high-quality television dramas; he’s a direct link between James Gandolfini’s “Sopranos” which ended the year before “Mad Men” debuted, and “The Walking Dead” — one of the most watched dramas on television.
And it’s not just Hamm that’s a loser either. Surprisingly, despite its prestige and popularity and numerous nominations, no actor on “Mad Men” has ever won an Emmy. Christina Hendricks has been beaten five years in a row and Elisabeth Moss has lost five times. With Moss, the defeats were not consecutive, especially since she wasn’t even nominated in 2014.
“Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner vented about the situation last year while speaking at an Emmy organization luncheon.
“It is one of my great frustrations that they (the cast) haven’t been recognized a little bit more,” he said. “None of these actors have ever won an Emmy.”
He went on to say that the performers are “the gold standard” for acting. “They’re admired and nominated, but there’s always a story on why someone else deserves to win,” Weiner said.
Even actors on other shows are rooting for Hamm.
After she was nominated Thursday for Best Actress in a Comedy, “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus joked: “As President, my staff and I are too busy doing the people’s business to watch television. Nonetheless, we are thrilled to be a part of this celebration of creativity. (Go Jon Hamm!)”
Meanwhile, the actors themselves have occasionally acknowleged the snubs, but have remained good sports. “We joke we’ve got the ‘Mad Men’ curse. None of us has ever won,” Hendricks told The Wrap last year. “One of us has to break it at some point, right?”
Here’s hoping the eighth time is the charm for Hamm — especially since there will be no ninth.