The court of (social media) public opinion has voted, and the Emmy winners are in. An analysis of online buzz by Nielsen reveals that of all the best actor/actress nominees, Michael C. Hall’s performance as Dexter generated by far the most buzz—both during the regular season and following the Emmy nominations in July. Hall was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama; he handily won his category with 84 percent of all buzz mentions about the nominees.
Mariska Hargitay’s portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU was the buzz winner for Best Actress in a Drama Series. Edie Falco as Jackie in Nurse Jackie and Louis C.K. as Louie in the show Louie generated the most buzz of their categories, Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. Each delivered a performance that generated the most buzz of all their categories’ nominees.
Interestingly, nominees who play the titular character, i.e. “Nurse Jackie,” “Dexter” and “Louie,” are mentioned more frequently in buzz. Louis C.K. garnered the second most buzz among all nominees in the lead acting categories, benefitting from his personal use of social media (especially Twitter) to discuss the show.
The ability of the Emmy’s to generate buzz is also undeniable. While all of the category winners dominated buzz conversations both during the season and following the nominations, most nominees saw considerable increases following the nominations. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Mireille Enos (The Killing), for example, received more buzz mentions following their nominations in July that in the entire ten months prior.
Other findings include:
