Keri Russell (“The Americans”) Russell, 40, first rose to fame starring in “Felicity” on the WB (never a network that received much Emmy love) from 1998 to 2002. She got her first prestige drama role as undercover KGB spy Elizabeth Jennings on FX’s “The Americans” in 2013, but the show was shut out of major Emmy categories, to critics’ horror, every year until now. “We’ve not been nominated so many times we were so sure we’d never be nominated!” Russell told USA Today of her and co-star/boyfriend Matthew Rhys, also a first-time nominee.  Constance Zimmer (“UnREAL”) Zimmer is one of those actresses who has consistently worked in supporting roles on TV since the ’90s — “Good Morning, Miami,” “Joan of Arcadia,” “Boston Legal,” “Entourage” and “House of Cards” among them. But she finally got her Emmy-worthy role at age 45, as the deliciously ruthless TV producer Quinn King. “I screamed, jumped up and down, got a little teary and screamed again,” Zimmer told Access Hollywood.  Courtney B. Vance (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) At 56, Vance has racked up a long résumé of TV roles, including starring in five seasons of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” the short-lived “Flashforward” and guest roles in “ER,” “Revenge” and “The Closer.” But the Yale drama grad is perhaps more recognized on Broadway, where he’s nabbed three Tony nods (including a win for 2013’s “Lucky Guy”). But it was his spot-on portrayal of Simpson defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran that confirmed to a wider audience what theatergoers have known for years: Vance is the real deal. And while he went up against his former scene partner Gooding Jr. in the category, Vance said there’s no cast rivalry: “I love my man, so win, lose, or draw, we’ll still be brothers,” he told E! News.
With the nominations for this year’s 68th Emmy Awards, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences proves it can still surprise us. While the 2016 pack includes its share of familiar TV faces and…