Emmys 2014: Nominee Josh Charles notes fading presence of broadcast TV

In his final season on “The Good Wife,” Josh Charles as Will Gardner took his fury out on a hapless office desk, played dirty in the courtroom against his former flame, left mysterious voice mails and died a death that had viewers stunned.

And the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have paid their respects to Charles and his performance of the fallen character with an Emmy nomination in the supporting actor in a drama category. But if he were to clear desks with joy, it’d be for the thrill of the ride the season presented.

“Honestly, the high comes from doing the work and seeing the reaction among fans and people who love the show,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “And how the writers sort of orchestrated all of that last season. That really meant the world to me. It was a phenomenal season. And it’s cliché, but this recognition is the icing on the cake. It’s a nice honor and I’m super touched by it and I’m honored to be included in the company of such great actors.”

Of the nominee pool -- which includes Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”), Mandy Patinkin (“Homeland”) and Jon Voight (“Ray Donovan”) -- Charles is the sole contender from a broadcast network. And that’s not lost on him.

“It seems that way a lot these days,” he said. “There’s a lot less broadcast. It’s harder to crack in. There’s so many different avenues. It’s great for TV, but it’s trickier [for broadcast networks] ... there’s a new TV world out there. It’s interesting be in the midst of its evolution.”

And for “The Good Wife,” after pulling off a game-changing season in its fifth year (one that many critics deemed its best), to not receive a nod in the drama category had the TV world as stunned.

“I was hoping that was going to happen as well,” he said. “You don’t ever know. You just don’t know. Obviously competition is tough across the board. For broadcast, in particular. But I was hoping the show would get it’s time to shine. I thought we had such a special season. I was hoping the writers would be nominated as well. I’m glad people feel there was a snub there. I’m biased, but I feel like we were deserving.”

But are fans deserving of having a mystery solved when the TV world’s big night comes? Asked if he would consider revealing -- during his acceptance speech (should he win) -- the message Will left for Alicia (Julianna Margulies) just before his death, Charles playfully called objection.

“I can’t do that,” he said. “Let it be a mystery. Nobody wants to know that!”

Twitter: @villarrealy