Questioning Cranston: Why Another Should Have Won This Year

As some of you heard or saw, Bryan Cranston won for his electrifying role as Walter White. Breaking Bad is easily one of the most compelling dramas we’ve had on television in the past ten years, and its offbeat tone made it stand out in a sea of period-based dramas. Cranston kills (ahem) as Walter White, and he deserves every accolade that comes his way for his performance as the drug-dealing dad. His rise to power made for great TV, and I look forward to rewatching it.

That being said, I’m ambivalent about Cranston’s win this year. He was up against the usuals—Kevin Spacey for House of Cards, Jon Hamm for Mad Men, and Jeff Daniels for The Newsroom—but two newcomers came to the ring: Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey both for True Detective. Everything I said about Breaking Bad still stands, but damn if True Detective didn’t make for some kickass weekly drama. Harrelson was good as Martin Hart, but McConaughey’s Rust Cohle was simply mesmerizing.

For the unfamiliar, True Detective followed two Louisiana sleuths on the trail of a serial killer with a penchant for the occult. For most of the series, Hart and Cohle barely tolerate each other. This isn’t even remotely “buddy cop” territory. Hart’s a family man with a weakness for twentysomethings, and Cohle is every bit an outsider as you can get and still be a cop.

My love for True Detective doesn’t stem from only McConaughey’s performance. The show’s narrative structure and manipulation of story as a concept made for some clever and challenging TV viewing, and its liberal use of Cthulhu Mythos tickled the writer in me. But the show’s success hinges on the performances of its leads, and McConaughey’s Cohle wins out.

So Breaking Bad this time? Why Cranston? The show’s finale aired just under a year ago, and it was a finale that many both dreaded and eagerly awaited. While it’s by no means a perfect end to White’s saga, it’s a good one that fits the narrative of the show. Everything brought about by the five years before it came together in a pleasant way. Five years of work to be considered.

I don’t know who makes the selections for Emmy winners, and I don’t know how they reach their decisions, but I know for a fact that every single one of them who voted for Breaking Bad sure as hell wasn’t just considering the work of the show’s fifth and final season. Whether subconsciously or not, they contemplated the culmination of five seasons of lore, characters, and conflicts. Sixty-two episodes of shocking twists and understated performances. Forty-six seasons of quality television.

True Detective doesn’t have that luxury. True Detective had eight episodes to get it right, which meant McConaughey had eight episodes to bring the nihilistic philosophical gumshoe to life. Watching him play Cohle is captivating, especially during the show’s present day interviews. You aren’t sure what the hell he’s saying, but you’re never sure if you want to. This didn’t even take a whole season. I’m not saying McConaughey was robbed, but the fact that he won’t have a chance to win for his performance as Cohle again tastes bitter.