Well, this is not the news that AMC was banking on. Do not worry. Jonathan Banks has not lost his 2019 Emmy bid for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. He has gotten disqualified for another nomination that he recently received. The trouble lies with Better Call Saul’s web series, Better Call Saul Employee Training: Madrigal Electromotive Security.
The TV Academy has announced that it has revoked the 2019 Emmy nominations for the short-form series and its, star Jonathan Banks. Banks plays Mike Ehrmantraut on both Better Call Saul and its online companion. The reason? Runtimes. Apparently, six episodes of the ten-episode series failed to meet the minimum required runtime, which is two minutes, per The Wrap. Who is getting the nod instead?
Nick Hornby’s State of the Union will replace Better Call Saul Employee Training: Madrigal Electromotive Security’s nomination as a series. While Special’s Ryan O’Connell will replace Jonathan Banks in his previous Emmy spot. The good news is that none of this impacts Better Call Saul.
On Tuesday (July 16), the series landed a nod for Best Drama Series. Better Call Saul’s star, Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy McGill), earned a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama. Jonathan Banks and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring) are both 2019 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. While Michael McKean (Chuck McGill) earned a nod for Outstanding Guest Star in a Drama.
That’s right. Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn, who plays Kim on the series, did not get nominated. That led CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable to wonder if the character will have to die to get some affection from the Emmys. Hopefully, it does not come to that. Albeit, Seehorn is arguably just as nervous as viewers are about her character’s future heading into Season 5.
What happened to Better Call Saul’s web series sort of falls along the lines of what happened to Netflix’s Daredevil. Ahead of the nominations, word came out that the show would not qualify for a key 2019 Emmy nod -- the one for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie.
Daredevil’s problem was not being able to meet the time requirement. It was going over it. As the series’ showrunner explained, the TV Academy only permits a three-minute clip. That left Daredevil’s epic 11-minute action sequence exceeding the runtime by nearly four times. The Emmys have their rules. Hence, what happened to Daredevil and Better Call Saul’s web series.
There is always next year. Better Call Saul is returning for a fifth season, which one star said is under strict spoiler security. Bob Odenkirk has said that he does not think the show should last longer than Breaking Bad. So, enjoy it while the ride is still going on!
A premiere date for Better Call Saul Season 5 has not gotten announced yet. The first three seasons of the AMC series are currently available to stream on Netflix, along with its upcoming premieres. In the wait leading to the fifth season, comfort yourself with this summer’s premiere slate.
