2014 EWwy Awards: Drama Nominees Are...

DRAMA

It's time for EW.com's 7th annual reader-voted EWwy Awards, which honor those shows and actors you wish got nominated for an Emmy but didn't. After clicking through a category's nominees, you'll find a poll to cast your vote. Polls will remain open through noon ET, Aug. 15. Winners will be announced live on EW Radio (SiriusXM 105) on Aug. 18. And yes, there are trophies involved.

This year's drama categories include:
Best Drama Series
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Guest Actor
Best Guest Actress

Best Drama SeriesThe Americans

In an '80s-set Cold War spy drama, issues of good and bad, right and wrong, should be pretty black-and-white, but The Americans has us seeing red. Anchored by masterful performances from EWwy nominees Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, the series never flinches when it comes to intrigue, emotion, suspense, sex, or—as we will never fail to mention—wigged-out goodness. —Lanford Beard

Best Drama SeriesBates Motel

For Bates, a second season meant a darker season, which could've turned some viewers away. But thanks to a continued slow burn on the Norman (Freddie Highmore) blackout storyline, a few new cast additions, and the undeniable chemistry between Norma (Vera Farmiga) and Norman, a darker season became a more compelling season. —Samantha Highfill

Best Drama SeriesThe Good Wife

So much has been written about The Good Wife's masterfully scripted, performed, and scored fifth season—from the exquisite build-up to Will (Josh Charles) learning that Alicia (Julianna Margulies) was leaving Lockhart/Gardner to his shocking death. But what's worth noting again is that the show not only found a way to survive without him, it got even better for those left behind—particularly Alicia and Diane (Christine Baranski), who got to make bold, life-changing decisions from the grief and power struggle that followed. —Mandi Bierly

Best Drama SeriesHannibal

A visually spectacular thriller that doubles as a devastating psychodrama, all of it delivered within the structure of a network procedural and within the confines of a cultural brand dating back over three decades? Hannibal is the best-kept secret on television. Season 2 constituted an epic chess match between central duo Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham, with stars Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy circling each other with a mixture of hatred, fascination, and something like love. It's less buzzy than fellow dark-side-of-the-human-soul crime thrillers True Detective and Fargo, but if you watched this season, than you know the big secret: It's better than both those shows. —Darren Franich

Best Drama SeriesMasters of Sex

Historical dramas can get boring—you already know what's going to happen—but Masters of Sex has a lot going for it: It has a stunning cast, including the Emmy-nominated Lizzy Caplan and the EWwy-nominated Michael Sheen, and it's a look at a part of history we don't ever hear about—the sexy part. Between the strong female character of Virginia Johnson (Caplan), a single mom way ahead of her time, and the groundbreaking—but controversial—work she and Masters (Sheen) are doing, Masters of Sex is a show that takes history and uses it to create a fascinating, tense, and thoughtful series centered around complicated characters and their complicated lives. —Ariana Bacle

Best Drama SeriesSons of Anarchy

Spoiler alert for anyone marathoning before the start of the final season next month: Season 6 took diehard fans, who are accustomed to panic attacks, to new heartrates. Jax (Charlie Hunnam) went stone-cold trying to distance the club from a school shooting and orchestrate an end to SAMCRO's deadly relationship with the Irish (RIP, Ron Perlman's Clay and Timothy V. Murphy's Galen). His marriage frayed to the point that manipulative Tara (Maggie Siff) was willing to turn rat to leave with their sons, and she believed he might actually kill her. Their reunion in the finale was literally cut short by his mother (Katey Sagal). Add in a killer original song (the Emmy-nominated ''Day is Gone''), and it's the TV season's most tragic and engrossing ending. —Mandi Bierly

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Best ActorFreddie Highmore, Bates Motel

In season 1, Freddie Highmore proved that he could play an innocent kid with a dark side. But in season 2, not only did Norman explore that dark side a little further, but he also started to realize that it existed. And Highmore's portrayal of a teen capable of doing horrible things without even realizing it was heartbreaking and scary all at once. He's a killer, and yet, thanks to Highmore, he's also just a poor kid. —Samantha Highfill

Best ActorCharlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy

You can't nominate FX's wildest ride for Best Drama and not credit the man who leads it. In season 6, we marveled at the meaning of the mist in Charlie Hunnam's eyes when Jax put a bullet in Clay (Ron Perlman) and felt the chill through the TV when he told Theo Rossi's Juice, ''You betrayed me.'' We got angry as an isolated Jax nearly destroyed SAMCRO, then cheered when he gathered the charters and willed it to rise from the ashes. But most telling, we don't just remember Hunnam's breakdown when Jax found a lifeless Tara (Maggie Siff) at the end of the finale: We remember how frightening his impenetrable stare was at Tara in the park—and how warm the hint of a smile was before they fell to the hotel bed in the next scene. —Mandi Bierly

Best ActorTom Mison, Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy is, without question, one of the most ridiculous shows on TV. It absolutely shouldn't work—but it does, and that's largely thanks to Tom Mison's wholly unique Ichabod Crane. Mison's performance is self-aware without being overly winky. In his hands, Ichabod is a swoon-worthy romantic lead who's also a bit of a curmudgeonly jerk, a hyper-competent ex-spy who remains flummoxed by modern innovations like sales tax and McDonald's (''despite this establishment's nomenclature, this resembles no Scottish meal I've ever eaten''). In short, you can't take your eyes off him—and not because he looks damn good in a pair of skinny jeans. —Hillary Busis

Best ActorTimothy Olyphant, Justified

Five seasons in, it'd be easy to take Timothy Olyphant's glove-tight performance as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens for granted, but he constantly finds new, subtle ways to depict Raylan's frustration and amusement with Harlan's criminals (like resting his head on his hands to sit and enjoy Jeremy Davies delivering a Dickie Bennett monologue). Last season, he added new layers to the character—struggling long-distance dad, disappointment to his father figure Art (Nick Searcy)—while upping the voltage in his always electric scenes with Boyd (Walton Goggins). And if you read our weekly postmortems, you know just how many ideas he contributes to the show (including the hilariously anticlimactic exit of AJ Buckley's Danny Crowe, which made EW's list of the 50 Best TV Scenes of the Past Year). —Mandi Bierly

Best ActorMatthew Rhys, The Americans

Look no farther than Philip Jennings' explosive reaction to the news his teen daughter donated her life savings to the church. Like a drip that builds to a deluge, it shows the range of Matthew Rhys' ability. Perhaps scariest of all, whatever questionable (or downright wrong) things Philip does, Rhys' charm and textured performance make us relate, even sympathize. —Lanford Beard

Best ActorMichael Sheen, Masters of Sex

You'd think someone who watches people have sex for a living would be more open, more outgoing, but not William Masters. Michael Sheen gives the gynecologist an aloofness that makes the character intriguing—and frustrating. Masters could come off as creepy, but instead Sheen instills him with a determination that proves the doctor really is just obsessed with his work, obsessed with making a name for himself in the study of sex. And this comes at the cost of his personal life: Masters is cold and unsympathetic—similarly to his workplace demeanor—when he goes home to his wife, but instead of driving us away, it brings us in and makes us wonder, what's underneath that reserved exterior? —Ariana Bacle

Best ActorJames Spader, The Blacklist

James Spader has topped his career of expertly played smarm with an operatic-sized character in Raymond ''Red'' Reddington. Spader's Red performs double-duty as primo uomo and conductor, with Red's shameless central stance in every movement and manipulation of every player surrounding him. Red is more than a charming anti-hero—he's a character we love to hate to loooove—and few actors match Spader in his ability to elevate the despicable rogue to legendary status. —Debbie Day

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Best ActressMireille Enos, The Killing

Throughout The Killing's complicated run, Mireille Enos has layered Seattle's stoic detective Sarah Linden with pathos and humanity—never more so than in her exchanges with death row inmate Ray Seward (EWwy nominee Peter Sarsgaard). She may be neither the warmest nor most admirable character, but Enos has guaranteed that you understand her every action. —Lanford Beard

Best ActressVera Farmiga, Bates Motel

As Norma Bates, Vera Farmiga is many things: She's tough. She's fragile. She's scary. She's scared. She's a woman. She's a mother. And Farmiga's ability to balance all of those characteristics in every scene is what makes Norma so fascinating to watch. Thanks to Farmiga, the potentially annoying mother figure is someone fans not only empathize with but root for. —Samantha Highfill

Best ActressTatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

In season 1, Tatiana Maslany proved that she could play a handful of clones and make them all feel like separate characters. But in season 2, she took her game to another level, exploring new sides to the established clones, as well as introducing a few more to the mix, including Tony, the trans-clone. Somehow, Maslany is able to ground every clone so firmly in itself that having four of them in a scene feels perfectly natural. —Samantha Highfill

Best ActressElisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Elisabeth Moss's performance as Peggy Olson reached new levels of excellence in the first half of Mad Men's seventh season. Peggy, whose series-long rise toward the top of the Sterling Cooper ad agency seems to have suddenly hit a plateau (or maybe a glass ceiling), finds herself simultaneously more powerful and more disheartened than ever before—and it's no coincidence that the best scene of the half-season is a scene in which Peggy finally triumphs. —Ashley Fetters

Best ActressKeri Russell, The Americans

Elizabeth Jennings is the ice queen at the heart of FX's Cold War drama. The undercover Russian spy and partner of Philip (Matthew Rhys), Elizabeth stops at nothing—from seduction to flat-out murder—for the sake of her country. But Keri Russell's performance has a way of pulling against that brutality and, especially through Elizabeth's relationship with her daughter Paige (Holly Taylor), revealing a brittle, human side underneath. That she does it all in ridiculous '80s wigs is just window dressing. —Jackson McHenry

Best ActressKatey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy

The role of Gemma has always been a balancing act—Katey Sagal needs to portray the strength that TV's fiercest mother is revered for and the vulnerability that keeps her human. She walked a tightrope again in season 6 when Gemma and Clay (Ron Perlman) were forced to have sex in front of the prison guards after she delivered a message from Jax (Charlie Hunnam), and when she later watched Clay die ''by the hand of the son.'' She also came unglued and committed a crime that ensures she will be signing carving forks at fan gatherings for years to come. —Mandi Bierly

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Best Supporting ActorCharles Dance, Game of Thrones

Westeros is a brutal land filled with brutal men—and women, but mostly men—who don't hesitate to flaunt their power by torturing and murdering anyone who stands in their way. But ruthless, meticulous puppet master Tywin Lannister was never one of those men; he knew that true authorities can always find someone else to do their dirty work. And as played by Charles Dance for four seasons, Tywin could inspire more awed terror with one disapproving look than his more brutal rivals could with all their swords. Aren't you sort of scared about what might happen to you if you don't vote for him? —Hillary Busis

Best Supporting ActorJordan Gavaris, Orphan Black

Once you get past the fact that Tatiana Maslany plays a half-dozen clones an episode, you start to notice the man who seems to share all her scenes. Felix—friend of Sarah, frenemy of Alison—quickly became the heart of Orphan Black's second season, as Jordan Gavaris proved he could have chemistry with just about any member of the cast. And Holy Tilda Swinton as our witness, he delivered the best lines nearly every episode. —Jackson McHenry

Best Supporting ActorSam Jaeger, Parenthood

Sam Jaeger's Joel has spent years being the good father and devoted husband. But when season 5 put his relationship with Julia (Erika Christensen) to the test and separated Joel from both his family and the Braverman clan as a whole, Jaeger added a new layer to his performance. Suddenly, the strong, silent Joel became the pained, angry, not-so-silent Joel, all without losing that foundation of good-heartedness that made us love him in the first place. Jaeger's performance was poignantly understated at all times, and that's precisely why it deserves all the recognition. —Samantha Highfill

Best Supporting Actor Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead

A man of few words and (thanks to his handy crossbow) a straight shooter, Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon has been a lone-wolf character—a badass you envy rather than empathize with—for most of The Walking Dead's run. Several episodes in the back half of season 4 finally filled in details about Daryl's past while setting a course for his future on the show. With Daryl emerging as a leader, we also saw Reedus' formidable acting skills on display. We knew about his hard-shelled physicality before, but now Reedus proved that Daryl's moral code is just as solid. —Lanford Beard

Best Supporting ActorPeter Sarsgaard, The Killing

The Killing reached its creative peak in season 3, and Peter Sarsgaard's performance as convicted murderer Ray Seward exemplified the kind of complex storytelling that defined the series. Though he had plenty of dialogue-heavy scenes that illuminated his complicated character (at times flirtatious, at times homicidally angry), Sarsgaard's most stunning moment was nonverbal—a 95-second trudge to his own execution punctuated by buckling knees, whimpers, and finally resolved resignation. —Lanford Beard

Best Supporting Actor John Slattery, Mad Men

It's no secret that John Slattery's rakish Roger Sterling gets Mad Men's best lines, but the first half of the series' split seventh season pushed Roger into deeper, more emotional territory. While he remained the show's preeminent quip dispenser, he also faced considerable crises at home (his daughter abandoning her family for a commune) and work (duplicitous partners and the looming specter of his own obsolescence). Even if Roger's scheme to sell the firm in the mid-season finale was his last hurrah, Slattery has never been better. —Kyle Ryan

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Best Supporting ActressErika Christensen, Parenthood

Parenthood is about family, and for Erika Christensen's Julia, that means being the youngest first-generation Braverman sibling and the one-time lawyer who's now a stay-at-home mom. Watching Julia struggle with losing her job just as her husband thrived professionally was both upsetting and infuriating. Christensen's portrayal of a woman who was losing touch with both herself and therefore her marriage was so realistic that it made it easy to hate her at times. And yet, we never stopped loving her. —Samantha Highfill

Best Supporting ActressMelissa McBride, The Walking Dead

Carol should have been zombie food before season 2 arrived. Instead, she has evolved from a two-dimensional abused wife to one of The Walking Dead's most compelling characters. And Melissa McBride's performance is no small part of that evolution, tapping into unexpected reserves of strength and compassion. Most notably, the gut-punching scene from ''The Grove'' when Carol—a nurturer, even at her most pragmatic—had to make the hardest decision of her life and turn a gun on her mentally unstable adopted daughter Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino). —Lanford Beard

Best Supporting ActressSandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy

Sandra Oh is the woman behind Cristina Yang, arguably one of the greatest TV characters of the past 10 years. And in her tenth and final season in the role, Oh was presented with new challenges, mainly wrapping up Cristina's story. But after years of plane crashes and bombs, Oh finished out Cristina's journey by staying true to the character in the simplest of ways. From playing out all of the many life scenarios Cristina could end up with to revisiting old-flame Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), Oh was as powerful as she's ever been, even without the heightened drama. —Samantha Highfill

Best Supporting ActressMaggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy

A perennial EWwy nominee, Maggie Siff has never been more deserving than in Sons' penultimate season when Tara schemed against Gemma (Katey Sagal) and Jax (Charlie Hunnam). Grounding Kurt Sutter's operatic dialogue in the season finale, her tear-streaked face conveys the fear, the conviction, and the honesty of a woman finally admitting aloud that she believes her husband has turned into a monster. And when Jax shows Tara that he hasn't, Siff simply and beautifully replaces it with the look of true, tragic love. —Mandi Bierly

Best Supporting ActressMaisie Williams, Game of Thrones

The Arya we know now would hardly recognize the headstrong little girl who scampered around Winterfell in Thrones' first season. Since then, the sturdiest Stark has faced unimaginable tragedy, losing every person she's ever cared about—but Arya prevails, thanks in large part to Maisie Williams' steely determination and grit. And her performance is even more remarkable when you learn what a goofball the actress is once she puts down Arya's sword. —Hillary Busis

Best Supporting ActressBellamy Young, Scandal

Early on in Scandal's run, it seemed all too plausible for Bellamy Young's Mellie Grant to fall into the easily hated role of angry wife and furthermore, the woman coming between Olivia (Kerry Washington) and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn). But worries were put to rest when Young brought Mellie to life as a multi-dimensional, lovable, hate-able, and all around enjoyable First Lady. And in season 3, Young was presented with new challenges, including a horrifying secret, a new lover, the loss of her son and more, all of which she handled with such subtlety and grace that Mellie suddenly became the most human character on the show. —Samantha Highfill

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Best Guest ActorMichael Bowen, Breaking Bad

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) blew up Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). Walter White shot Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). So when the show brought in a new bunch of bad guys, fans knew they were going to be bad. Enter Uncle Jack and his crew of Nazis. That being said, thanks to Michael Bowen's portrayal, Uncle Jack was never the obvious bad guy. What easily could've become a cartoonish villain remained a contained, and yet still horrifying, leader. Jack didn't say more than he had to, and he didn't do anything unnecessary. He was a simple man with a simple plan, and when his time came, he had one, very simple, last wish: To die with a cigarette between his lips. Oh, Jack. —Samantha Highfill

Best Guest ActorWalton Goggins, Sons of Anarchy

Returning as transgender escort Venus Van Dam, who needed SAMCRO's help to free her son from the clutches of her mother (Adrienne Barbeau), Walton Goggins imbued Venus with the pain, fight, and resignation to make her as three-dimensional as her enviable cleavage. With a depth that allowed Venus to become Tig's (Kim Coates) healthiest relationship, Goggins also helped Charlie Hunnam foreshadow what could be Jax's violent reaction to his own mother (Katey Sagal) refusing to let her son break his family's cycle. —Mandi Bierly

Best Guest ActorJohn Noble, Sleepy Hollow

You want acting? John Noble will show you acting. In his first appearance as the mysterious ''sin-eater'' Henry Parrish, he's all quiet dignity and gentle suffering, the very picture of a man burdened with absolving humanity of its misdeeds. But in Sleepy's humdinger of a finale—in which we learn that Henry is actually Ichabod Crane's long-lost son—Noble changes on a dime, becoming an apocalyptic horseman fueled by righteous fury. It's like Fringe's Walter and Walternate all rolled into one! —Hillary Busis

Best Guest ActorPedro Pascal, Game of Thrones

As written in George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords, Oberyn Martell is a dashing swashbuckler with a thirst for vengeance. Pedro Pascal managed to embody those qualities while also imbuing the character with heart, soul, and an irresistible sense of humor. His Oberyn instantly became one of the most compelling creations on a series that's absolutely lousy with awesome characters—making Oberyn's ultimate end even more gut-wrenching (and...er...mind-blowing) than it was on the page. —Hillary Busis

Best Guest ActorMichael Pitt, Hannibal

Hannibal already had its fair share of psychopaths, sadists, and generally unhinged personalities before Mason Verger showed up. But, as the demented heir to a meatpacking fortune, Michael Pitt crafted the most colorful rogue in the show's rogues' gallery: A wild and sui generis mixture of Al Pacino's Scarface, Heath Ledger's Joker, and every evil rich kid James Spader played in the '80s. —Darren Franich

Best Guest ActorIsaiah Washington, Grey's Anatomy

After a seven-year absence, Isaiah Washington's beloved Preston Burke returned to the screen with the same power fans had grown to expect during his time at Seattle Grace. Without missing a beat, he fit back into the fold, reminding fans of both his undeniable screen presence and his electrifying chemistry with Sandra Oh. Sending chills down the spines of viewers with the delivery of a single line (''The way I loved you was consuming''), Washington reignited our own consuming love for Dr. Preston Burke. —Samantha Highfill

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Best Guest Actress Khandi Alexander, Scandal

Joe Morton received much-deserved Emmy love for his cut-you-with-words turn as Papa Pope, but Khandi Alexander's turn as Maya Pope is just as worthy. Embodying the diabolically deceitful terrorist, Alexander did more than just chew the scenery—she chewed up her own wrist. Some things you can't unsee...and, weirdly, we kind of don't want to. —Lanford Beard

Best Guest ActressNeve Campbell, Mad Men

Neve Campbell's stint on Mad Men was a brief one, as she appeared only in the season-seven premiere—but it nevertheless gracefully laid the groundwork for the final chapter of Don Draper's story. Campbell's character, a friendly widow seated next to Don Draper (Jon Hamm) on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, helped viewers feel out the contours of a part-reformed, part-stubbornly unchanging Don: The pair's easy, electric chemistry, coupled with the abrupt, awkward way Don ends their flirtation, reveals that Don can still find opportunities to cheat on his wife, but nowadays they come with an amplified pang of guilt. —Ashley Fetters

Best Guest ActressLisa Kudrow, Scandal

As Congresswoman Josephine Marcus, who was making a bid for the White House while covering up a long-held secret, Lisa Kudrow got a chance to flex her dramatic muscles and underline the season-long theme of familial dishonesty (particularly between mothers and daughters). In a year that offered up both a Friends anniversary and a Comeback comeback, Kudrow's four-episode arc proved once more that she leaves an impression in every role, regardless of the genre. —Lanford Beard

Best Guest ActressJudith Light, Dallas

As Judith Ryland, the sharp-tongued mother of Harris (Mitch Pileggi), Judith Light is the definition of soapy deliciousness. She turns a protective grandmother into both a madam and a businesswoman who's not afraid to renegotiate with a Mexican cartel by seductively encouraging a man to frisk her and sampling the product. To quote the new J.R., ''Hot damn. Mama like.'' —Mandi Bierly

Best Guest ActressJulianne Nicholson, Masters of Sex

Dr. Lillian DePaul's fought against sexism her whole life. So when she was introduced as an obstacle to William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson's (Emmy nominee Lizzy Caplan) plans to run a sex study, it seemed like she might be another straw man antagonist—too bitter to see the real advances in front of her. But DePaul's friendship with Johnson ended up being one of the pleasures of Masters of Sex's first season, and as DePaul revealed her crushing secret, Julianne Nicholson managed to mine the character's stiffness for both comedy and sympathy. —Jackson McHenry

Best Guest ActressCarrie Preston, The Good Wife

The Good Wife relies on its guest actors to bring some color to the show, and Carrie Preston's Elsbeth Tascioni is the perfect example of why that works. The fast-talking Tascioni could almost be too quirky at times, but Preston keeps her grounded, adding a layer of determination and intelligence to the now fan-favorite lawyer. Her only flaw is that we don't see enough of her. —Samantha Highfill

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