Dream Emmy Ballot 2014: Outstanding Writing and Directing in a Drama Series

When a show enters its later years the directing, and writing tends to fall off, or not be fresh as it was in the beginning.  Some shows should probably only last a season or two, but if there is success, why not continue?  The Good Wife and Breaking Bad are examples of shows who have only gotten better with age.

In season 5 The Good Wife had its best season to date, but in all honesty this show has performed well, minus the early stages of season 4, every season.  In season 4 Robert and Michelle King set up the early stages for Alicia (Margulies) and Cary (Czuchry) starting their own firm.  The plot came to a heated point in the one of the best written episodes of television this year entitled "Hitting the Fan."  Fan was so edge of you seat intense it shifted the tone of the season and separated the mentees from their mentors and friends.  The show also tackled a shocking death in Dramatic, Your Honor.  Wife was easily one of the best shows of the year, and most of the credit should go to the writing and directing teams.

Few shows are at their peak in their final season, and while people will argue that this was not the best season of Breaking Bad, it was phenomenal. While most will cite a great series finale, it was was the penultimate episode entitled "Ozymandias" that was the best episode.  Moira Walley-Beckett has written several episodes for the show, and Rian Johnson has directed some too, but this duo provided the most memorable episode in the shows history.  Bad's writing and directing is proof that a show can succeed all the way until the final breaths.

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Breaking Bad-Ozymandias-Rian Johnson

Hannibal-Mizumono-David Slade

House of Cards-Chapter 14-Carl Franklin

Game of Thrones-The Watchers on the Wall-Neil Marshall

The Good Wife-Dramatics, Your Honor-Brooke Kennedy

Mad Men-Waterloo-Matthew Weiner

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
The Americans-Echo-Joe Fields and Joe Weisberg

Breaking Bad-Ozymandias-Moira Walley-Beckett

Breaking Bad-Felina-Vince Gilligan

The Good Wife-Hitting the Fan-Robert and Michelle King

Masters of Sex-Catherine-Michelle Ashford & Sam Shaw

Orange is the New Black-Can’t Fix Crazy-Jenji Kohan and Tara Hermann