“Overrated” and “underrated” are two of my favorite categories to generate often lively discussions. When it comes to cable TV, no one is more underrated than Emmy Rossum of Shameless.
The 2018 Emmy nominations were announced on July 12. While supposedly honoring excellence in TV, a number of deserving candidates were once again bypassed – most notably Emmy Rossum. In eight seasons on Showtime, Rossum has yet to garner even a single nomination. In contrast, William H. Macy has now received five consecutive nominations for playing family patriarch (and often quintessential hot mess) Frank Gallagher.
To be sure, the supremely gifted Macy deserves his nominations. However, Rossum, playing Macy’s oldest daughter, just seems to be completely off the voters’ radar in the less flashy role. While Macy sets the tone for the “shame-ful” acts of his family in his drug-taking, booze-swilling, always-scheming role, Rossum is the show’s heart. While far from perfect, you feel for Fiona because — despite seemingly insurmountable odds – she strives to somehow hold the family together while forced to play mother, big sister and friend to her many out-of-control siblings.
As if filling the “responsible adult” role isn’t enough of a challenge for Rossum’s character, her personal life has also played out to be a pothole-filled road to heartbreak. And sadly just as Fiona fails to find true love as the show enters Season Nine, Rossum fails to find love from Emmy voters as well. I can’t help but wonder if the voters realize that this is the very same actress whose lovely operatic voice and poise landed her the female lead (as a teenager) in the 2004 movie version of The Phantom of the Opera. If that’s not showing acting range on your resume, what is?
Shameless returns for its ninth season Sept. 9.