Sooooooo...... You're saying if it didn't air on HBO & aired on another cable network or Netflix instread, folks would think more highly of it
No I'm saying it's merely a solid choice that has virtually no chance of winning against the shows in it's category. Same as "Downton Abbey". "Boardwalk Empire" or "Game Of Thrones" would win long before "The Newsroom" and neither of those shows are on anybody's radar to win Best Drama. It was "TD" vs "Breaking Bad" this year, it always comes down to 2 shows.
But they have a set number of slots to fill per Emmy show, they have to put something else in there.
Fred.