Emmys 2013: 'It never gets old' for 'Homeland' creator Alex Gansa

1/20

From “Breaking Bad’s” big win to the world’s shortest acceptance speech, here’s a look at some of the best and worst moments from the 2013 Emmy Awards. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

2/20

E!’s red carpet coverage has pioneered such red carpet firsts as the finger fetish-izing “Mani-Cam,” but this year’s addition, the “Glamazoom,” may be the least inspiring yet. The camera allows E!’s red carpet experts to zoom in on the details of any starlet’s Emmy ensemble and really be able to critique it with maximum effectiveness. We can only hope that deep within the E! channel’s bunker, there is a J. Robert Oppenheimer-like figure, wracked with fear and remorse over the red carpet innovation he has unleashed upon the world. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

3/20

Aside from all the blah-blah-blah, occasionally, a true, interesting moment transpires in front of the cameras on the red carpet. In this case, it was “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons meeting “Behind the Candelabra” star Michael Douglas for the very first time. Douglas went out of his way to praise Parsons and tell him how much his children enjoyed watching his show. Parsons, visibly taken aback said, “You’re so nice.” Douglas replied, “No, I’m not.” Right away, Parsons replied, “Well, you’re not mean.” Great comeback and part of the reason Parsons keeps winning these things. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

4/20

Guliana Rancic asked newlywed Aaron Paul, nominated for his role in “Breaking Bad,” about what viewers would see if E! were to do a reality series about Paul’s first year of marriage to wife, Lauren Parsekian (pictured). Paul attempted to answer as honestly as he could, but did we mention his mom was standing right there? She was. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

5/20

CBS almost had a messy situation on its hands when the NFL game between the Jets and the Bills nearly ran into the scheduled Emmy broadcast time. What dedicated awards fans could have been thinking when they switched over from E! to find football encroaching on their glamour-ama is anyone’s guess. Crying? Swearing? Gnashing of teeth? Yet somehow, as if by magic, the game ended just one minute before 5 p.m. PDT. (Rich Schultz / Getty Images)

6/20

After several sterling Tony Awards hosting jobs, everyone seemed primed to see him bring that same magic to the Emmys. Sadly, NPH (second from right) is only a mortal. Same as you and me. And like you and me, he stumbled his way through an awkward and interminable opening film and monologue that was extended to painfully unfunny lengths through the addition of four former Emmy hosts (including, from left, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon). (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

7/20

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler heckling from the audience: “Take your pants off! Twerk!” and Kevin Spacey channeling his Frank Underwood role from “House of Cards” were clever and fun highlights. (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times)

8/20

It’s rare that the first award of the night offers up the best speech, but in this case it’s true. Supporting actress in a comedy series winner Merrit Wever was visibly shocked when she won the award for her role on the Showtime series “Nurse Jackie.” So shocked, in fact, that she gave one of the all-time great acceptance speeches: “Thank you so much! Um -- I gotta go. Bye.” In three sentences, she earned the respect of every award-weary performer in Hollywood. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

9/20

The Emmys are a celebration of TV, which is nice because most everything on TV is archived in some capacity. So it was an odd choice to not air a single moment of footage of the late Jonathan Winters during his tribute. Instead, Robin Williams spoke eloquently about the man and even performed a bit of one of his most famous routines. It’s nice that Williams has such clear memories of Winters, the rest of us will have to make due with Williams’ Winters impression. Or Rob Reiner’s best Archie Bunker. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

10/20

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale carried their characters from “Veep” up on the stage for Dreyfus’ win for actress in a comedy series. Hale, who had just won for supporting actor in a comedy series, stood behind, holding her clutch and whispering acceptance speech suggestions, such as “You love them so much.” If only more performers brought their characters on stage with them, maybe people wouldn’t dread award speeches so much. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

11/20

Tonight’s mid-Emmy restroom/snack, brought to you by Elton John, came at an inopportune moment for CBS. For while Sir Elton was lulling the Nokia Theatre audience asleep to the tune of his new Liberace tribute song, the at-home audience was discovering that the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad” was starting right at that moment. Hey, where did everybody go? (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

12/20

Laura Linney didn’t attend the Emmys, and surprise, surprise, she won the award for lead actress in a miniseries for “The Big C: Hereafter.” Getting in a slight dig, presenter Matt Damon told the crowd, “She’s such a great actress, she didn’t even need to show up.” That’ll teach her. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

13/20

“Homeland” writer Henry Bromell died earlier this year, so when it was announced that he had won the Emmy for best writing in a drama series, his widow came to the stage. Visibly moved, Sarah Bromell kept her remarks very short but very affecting. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

14/20

Here’s where we say something about how host Neil Patrick Harris seemed obligated to do a song-and-dance number for the Emmys and, therefore, did a song called “This Is the Number in the Middle of the Show,” which seemed uninspired and dull. And then we wrote something about how it didn’t seem like anyone really cared enough to put their hearts into it. And neither did we. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

15/20

Bobby Cannavale was up against Mandy Patinkin, Aaron Paul and other great actors for the supporting actor in a drama series. But Cannavale was the surprise winner for “Boardwalk Empire.” His gushing, astonished, self-effacing speech was better than the usual canned emotion given out by long-expected winners. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

16/20

There’s nothing like giving an award to an underdog to get some good TV. For best actor in a drama series, most thought it would go to Bryan Cranston, Kevin Spacey or Damian Lewis. But no, it was Jeff Daniels, starring in the polarizing HBO drama “The Newsroom,” who won. And just to prove how much he didn’t expect it, Daniels came on stage chewing gum. “Well, crap,” he said, by way of acceptance. Indeed. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images)

17/20

The Emmys decided to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of 1963 this year, which included such Emmy-worthy moments as the JFK assassination. It also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ American TV debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which technically happened in 1964. To pay tribute, singer Carrie Underwood performed the Beatles’ hit “Yesterday,” which actually didn’t come out until 1965. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

18/20

Michael Douglas’ personal life may be a little rough these days (he recently separated from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones), but he was in rare form when he came to the stage to accept the Emmy for lead actor in a miniseries or movie for playing flamboyant piano-playing superstar Liberace in the HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra.” Referring to his co-star and onscreen lover, Matt Damon, Douglas quipped, “This was a two-hander, and you’re only as good as your other hand. Matt, you deserve half this. You want the bottom or the top?” (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

19/20

The final few minutes of any marathon awards show can find most people a little punchy. Maybe that’s why Will Ferrell’s bit about coming on stage in shorts and T-shirt with his three kids in tow went over so well. Claiming that he was a last-minute presenter to announce the winners of best comedy series and best drama series, the Ferrell clan stole the show. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

20/20

“Modern Family” won the Emmy for best comedy series, and “Breaking Bad” won for best drama series. Neither show was a surprise win, but “Family” executive producer Steve Levitan summed up the feelings perfectly with his speech: “This may be the saddest Emmys ever, but we couldn’t be happier.” (Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)

By Meredith Blake

July 19, 2013 9:49 AM PT

Just because “Homeland” swept last year’s Emmy Awards in its freshman season, unseating four-time champ “Mad Men” and earning prizes for both of its lead actors, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, doesn’t mean that co-creator and executive producer Alex Gansa has gotten used to the accolades.

“It never gets old,” he said Thursday morning, shortly after learning the Showtime spy drama had picked up another 11 Emmy nominations – two more than last year, for those keeping track. Despite the excitement, Gansa was going about his normal morning routine: at home in Los Angeles, stirring a pot of oatmeal for breakfast.

“Steel cut?” a reporter wondered.

EMMYS 2013: Full coverage | Top nominees | Complete list | Recap

“No, actually, and we could have a long conversation about this because I am an oatmeal nut. I have searched the world for this particular kind and it’s Bob’s Red Mill Scottish Oats,” Gansa explained. “It’s a ground oat, so it’s got a texture more like cream of wheat than it is a rolled oat or a steel-cut oat.”

Aspiring showrunners of the world, take note.

“Homeland’s” impressive total this year included a nomination for writer and executive producer Henry Bromell, who died in March at the age of 65. He wrote the script for “Q & A,” a pivotal episode in the series that, Gansa said, gave his fellow writers “board envy” when they were breaking it in the writers’ room.

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“It’s the episode that both Claire and Damian submitted for their actor consideration, and it’s also the Emmy that Leslie Linka Glatter got nominated for directing. It was a very, very important episode in our season,” Gansa noted. “It’s such a lovely tribute to a man that we miss every day.”

Another highlight for Gansa was the nomination for Mandy Patinkin, whose understated performance as the hirsute Saul Berenson was not nominated last year. “I really do feel that Mandy has been overlooked. His performance is so measured and subtle and lovely. All you have to do is look at the last image of him in season 2, where you’re on his face, he’s standing in a sea of dead bodies, thinking that Carrie’s dead. And he sees her face across the room. You just watch the colors that play across his visage. It’s extraordinary. He didn’t say a word and you understood everything that was going on in his head.”

Speaking of that finale, season 2 ended with a bang as terrorist mastermind Abu Nazir pulled off a huge attack from beyond the grave, and Brody fled to Canada aided by Carrie, as the whole world learned of his extremist views via videotape confession. It was a stunning reset for the series, which weathered some criticism in its sophomore outing for some far-fetched plot twists.

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“Nazir had one last bullet in the gun, and nobody saw it coming,” Gansa said. “What an interesting way for a man to actually do a suicide mission, so that the suicide is not actually the attack itself, but the thing that lulls everyone into a sense of calm only to have the bigger thing happen.”

Recalling how the writers’ room was initially shocked by the premise, Gansa noted, “It’s always the ideas that are surprising -- but then when you look back on them, they feel inevitable -- that are the best ones.”

Gansa was mum about any details regarding season 3 because, he said, “If I were a fan I would just close my ears because I want to watch the show and be surprised rather than read it on some blog.” The producer means it, too: He described his own inability to experience the twists and turns like the rest of us as “one of the most awful things about doing a show.”

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One thing he was willing to allow, however, is that a “Northern Exposure”-style storyline where Brody hides out in a quirky Yukon town was – spoiler alert – probably not in the cards.

“I think you’re going to be waiting a long time for that,” he said.

Speaking of other shows, Gansa doesn’t get to watch much TV these days – one of the cruel ironies of working in the business – but he is an admirer of “Breaking Bad,” also nominated in the drama category. Otherwise, his wife does most of the TV-watching.

“She was a huge fan of ‘House of Cards’ and is a current big fan of ‘The Americans,’” he said. “I think she’s being incredibly disloyal.”

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