While I, as so many others, enjoy a good episode of 24, I really think that these atrocities need to be discussed on the basis of things other than 24. Because, honestly, this is one of the most backwards moves made by the Academy in their history, and we all saw how many nominations Will and Grace received last year. To discuss 24's highest hourlong program number of nominations (12), head to this thread.
For those who don't know, this year was the first with a new blue ribbon panel setup. (Explained here)Designed to allow for new blood to receive recognition, the popular vote amongst all Academy members narrowed the field to 10-15 candidates (Rather than right to the five nominees). Then, a blue ribbon panel viewed each candidate's submission (For both performers and series) and rated them. As a result of this rating, nominees were selected.
This process was often linked to Lauren Graham, star of The WB's (Now the CW's) Gilmore Girls. Long recognized as the only reason the show's dialogue works, and having received nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes, she has been shutout from Emmy consideration since the show began. Other people who were mentioned include Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell, and cult hits such as Entourage or Battlestar Galactica. The Emmys have long fielded complaints that they are too stuck in tradition (See: Years of West Wing/Sopranos dominance, Frasier dominance, etc.). Therefore, there was hope that things would turn around.
Well, there is no question that the Academy has made some changes. There is definitely some major surprises, and some level of new blood, within the nominations. However, rather than coming at the expense of tradition, it has come at the expense of new shows as well as seasoned performers. The Academy is trying to prove they are hip by simultaneously allowing a few new shows into the mix while simultaneously making some absolutely idiotic decisions.
For a complete list of nominees click here.
Best Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing
Honestly, this race is really quite interesting. Greys/House are the new kids on the block, getting respect in their second seasons. Interesting to note, perhaps, that only two shows have nominees in the Lead Actor/Actress categories (24, The West Wing). The snubbing of Lost is apparently being blamed on the episode submitted (Season Premiere), but I am honestly quite disturbed at the West Wing love. I get that the show is ending, and there is no doubt it improved over the early post-Sorkin years...but a single episode of Lost should have held up against a single episode of West Wing.
Best Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Scrubs
The Office
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men? They have to be kidding me. The other nominees are all quality, but did the loss of Raymond really force them to choose the show that inherited its timeslot? With this lineup, I'd say AD has a pretty good shot, but Steve Carell will make all the difference here. And assuming that Scrubs' episode is the Wizard of Oz one, then it's got a shot as well.
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO
Larry David as Himself
The King Of Queens CBS
Kevin James as Doug Heffernan
Monk USA
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
The Office NBC
Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Two And A Half Men CBS
Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper
Ummm...seriously? You've got to be kidding me. There is no question that Steve Carell is deserving, and the Academy loves them some Monk/Larry, and do you know what? Charlie Sheen plays himself really well. But Kevin James? What the hell? Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Jason Lee (My Name is Earl), and Zack Braff (Scrubs, nominated last year) were all snubbed in this category for the guy from King of Queens? An absolutely baffling selection.
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
The Comeback HBO
Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish
Malcolm In The Middle FOX
Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
The New Adventures Of Old Christine CBS
Here in association with Warner Bros. Television
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell
Out Of Practice CBS
Television
Stockard Channing as Lydia Barnes
Will & Grace NBC
Debra Messing as Grace
Let's recap. An actress formerly on Friends, an actress you keep nominating even when no one watches the show, an actress formerly on Seinfeld, an actress you love who happens to have been on the West Wing recently on a failed sitcom, and then someone from Will and Grace. Three shows are new, theoretically, but it's the same people that you've been awarding for years. The lack of Lauren Graham wouldn't bother me so much if it had been for other new actresses.
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Arrested Development FOX
Will Arnett as Gob Bluth
Entourage HBO
Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold
Malcolm In The Middle FOX
Bryan Cranston as Hal
Two And A Half Men CBS
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper
Will & Grace NBC
Sean Hayes as Jack
WILL ARNETT! A shining beacon of hope, along with Jeremy Piven. Of course, then we've got Malcolm in the Middle, Two and a Half Men and Will and Grace, so it's not as if they can fill a category without nominating the same people. One has to believe there were performances that could be honoured in favour of Jon Cryer and Bryan Cranston, especially Cranston whose time has passed. This was a great chance for new blood, and while I appreciate that Arnett got in I think that consolation nominees isn't enough. John C. McGinley would have been a fine nominee, but we get Jon Cryer? Ugh.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO
Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David
Desperate Housewives ABC
Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite
My Name Is Earl NBC
Jaime Pressly as Joy
Weeds Showtime
Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes
Will & Grace NBC
Megan Mullally as Karen
Um, what the hell? Alfre Woodard? Not only was she part of one of the most pathetic attempts at a season-long mystery seen on television in quite some time, but she is in no way "comedic" on Desperate Housewives. Woodard is an Emmy darling, and is constantly nominated, and it is clear that they're not changing that anytime soon. Nominated Woodard for a mini-series, dramatic, seems normal. However, if they're going to put Housewives in the Comedic category, it is absolutely insane for Alfre Woodard to get nominated. They need to pick actual comedic performances, not just beloved actresses in shows that are in "comedies". Jaime Pressly/Perkins are the only real new blood here, but I wish that we could have seen someone else break into the category.
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC
Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
Rescue Me FX Network
Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin
Six Feet Under HBO
Peter Krause as Nate Fisher
24 FOX
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
The West Wing NBC
Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet
No. You did not just do this. You nominated House for Best Drama Series. And you didn't nominate HOUSE. How can you do that? The supporting cast is fodder for House, little more, as much as I love Cuddy and Wilson. And yet you leave him off the Best Actor list? Same goes for James Gandolfini, but at least he has a bit more of an ensemble. Denis Leary is the token "We're hip, we swear" nomination, but Meloni is an absolute shocker...and kind of bothers me. I know that Hargitay has broken the glass ceiling for procedural actresses, but the overwrought storytelling is becoming annoying Emmy bait at this point. I think that Sam Waterston has given countless better performances on L&O Proper, but the Academy feels that SVU is deserving of Emmys? And let's not forget that Martin Sheen was technically a sidenote for much of this season of the West Wing.
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Closer TNT
Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
Commander In Chief ABC
Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Six Feet Under HBO
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher
The West Wing NBC
Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
Janney? Conroy? Ugh. Sedgwick is another hip pick, while Davis is riding her past success on a role that I find boring as shit. Hargitay is a lock from now on, what with the occasional Olivia-centered SVU episode that can be submitted independently, but the real surprise here is the lack of Edie Falco. Really? Janney over Falco? Hmmm.
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal ABC
William Shatner as Denny Crane
Huff Showtime
Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper
The Sopranos HBO
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
24 FOX
Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan
The West Wing NBC
Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick
Imperioli gets the only Sopranos acting nomination, Alan Alda beats Jimmy Smits in the real race, and Itzin finally breaks the long-standing non-Kiefer Emmy curse for 24. Platt/Shatner are riding Academy goodwill, Shatner having two Emmys to show for his recent appreciation, but I really hope that Itzin can pull away with it.
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Boston Legal ABC
Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt
Greys Anatomy ABC
Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang
Greys Anatomy ABC
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey
Huff Showtime
Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt
24 FOX
Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan
Grey's Anatomy's only acting nominations come from the usual suspect (Golden Globe/SAG winner Sandra Oh) and the scenestealer in Chandra Wilson. Blythe Danner is the traditional nomination, Jean Smart rides her strong performance to a nomination, and Bergen joins Shatner in the "I joined Boston Legal and the Academy remembered I existed" category.
Other highlights
- Lost (9 Nominations), Six Feet Under (9 Nominations) and Desperate Housewives (7 Nominations) were all shut out of the series categories, despite both SFU and Lost garnering Writing/Directing nominations.
- Lost's only acting nomination came from Henry Ian Cusack (Desmond).
- Neither of last year's Dramatic Lead winners (James Spader, "Boston Legal", and Patricia Arquette, "Medium") managed to get nominated this year.
- Nobody misses Raymond, because it sucked.
For those who don't know, this year was the first with a new blue ribbon panel setup. (Explained here)Designed to allow for new blood to receive recognition, the popular vote amongst all Academy members narrowed the field to 10-15 candidates (Rather than right to the five nominees). Then, a blue ribbon panel viewed each candidate's submission (For both performers and series) and rated them. As a result of this rating, nominees were selected.
This process was often linked to Lauren Graham, star of The WB's (Now the CW's) Gilmore Girls. Long recognized as the only reason the show's dialogue works, and having received nominations from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes, she has been shutout from Emmy consideration since the show began. Other people who were mentioned include Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell, and cult hits such as Entourage or Battlestar Galactica. The Emmys have long fielded complaints that they are too stuck in tradition (See: Years of West Wing/Sopranos dominance, Frasier dominance, etc.). Therefore, there was hope that things would turn around.
Well, there is no question that the Academy has made some changes. There is definitely some major surprises, and some level of new blood, within the nominations. However, rather than coming at the expense of tradition, it has come at the expense of new shows as well as seasoned performers. The Academy is trying to prove they are hip by simultaneously allowing a few new shows into the mix while simultaneously making some absolutely idiotic decisions.
For a complete list of nominees click here.
Best Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing
Honestly, this race is really quite interesting. Greys/House are the new kids on the block, getting respect in their second seasons. Interesting to note, perhaps, that only two shows have nominees in the Lead Actor/Actress categories (24, The West Wing). The snubbing of Lost is apparently being blamed on the episode submitted (Season Premiere), but I am honestly quite disturbed at the West Wing love. I get that the show is ending, and there is no doubt it improved over the early post-Sorkin years...but a single episode of Lost should have held up against a single episode of West Wing.
Best Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Scrubs
The Office
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men? They have to be kidding me. The other nominees are all quality, but did the loss of Raymond really force them to choose the show that inherited its timeslot? With this lineup, I'd say AD has a pretty good shot, but Steve Carell will make all the difference here. And assuming that Scrubs' episode is the Wizard of Oz one, then it's got a shot as well.
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO
Larry David as Himself
The King Of Queens CBS
Kevin James as Doug Heffernan
Monk USA
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
The Office NBC
Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Two And A Half Men CBS
Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper
Ummm...seriously? You've got to be kidding me. There is no question that Steve Carell is deserving, and the Academy loves them some Monk/Larry, and do you know what? Charlie Sheen plays himself really well. But Kevin James? What the hell? Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Jason Lee (My Name is Earl), and Zack Braff (Scrubs, nominated last year) were all snubbed in this category for the guy from King of Queens? An absolutely baffling selection.
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
The Comeback HBO
Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish
Malcolm In The Middle FOX
Jane Kaczmarek as Lois
The New Adventures Of Old Christine CBS
Here in association with Warner Bros. Television
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell
Out Of Practice CBS
Television
Stockard Channing as Lydia Barnes
Will & Grace NBC
Debra Messing as Grace
Let's recap. An actress formerly on Friends, an actress you keep nominating even when no one watches the show, an actress formerly on Seinfeld, an actress you love who happens to have been on the West Wing recently on a failed sitcom, and then someone from Will and Grace. Three shows are new, theoretically, but it's the same people that you've been awarding for years. The lack of Lauren Graham wouldn't bother me so much if it had been for other new actresses.
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Arrested Development FOX
Will Arnett as Gob Bluth
Entourage HBO
Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold
Malcolm In The Middle FOX
Bryan Cranston as Hal
Two And A Half Men CBS
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper
Will & Grace NBC
Sean Hayes as Jack
WILL ARNETT! A shining beacon of hope, along with Jeremy Piven. Of course, then we've got Malcolm in the Middle, Two and a Half Men and Will and Grace, so it's not as if they can fill a category without nominating the same people. One has to believe there were performances that could be honoured in favour of Jon Cryer and Bryan Cranston, especially Cranston whose time has passed. This was a great chance for new blood, and while I appreciate that Arnett got in I think that consolation nominees isn't enough. John C. McGinley would have been a fine nominee, but we get Jon Cryer? Ugh.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO
Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David
Desperate Housewives ABC
Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite
My Name Is Earl NBC
Jaime Pressly as Joy
Weeds Showtime
Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes
Will & Grace NBC
Megan Mullally as Karen
Um, what the hell? Alfre Woodard? Not only was she part of one of the most pathetic attempts at a season-long mystery seen on television in quite some time, but she is in no way "comedic" on Desperate Housewives. Woodard is an Emmy darling, and is constantly nominated, and it is clear that they're not changing that anytime soon. Nominated Woodard for a mini-series, dramatic, seems normal. However, if they're going to put Housewives in the Comedic category, it is absolutely insane for Alfre Woodard to get nominated. They need to pick actual comedic performances, not just beloved actresses in shows that are in "comedies". Jaime Pressly/Perkins are the only real new blood here, but I wish that we could have seen someone else break into the category.
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC
Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
Rescue Me FX Network
Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin
Six Feet Under HBO
Peter Krause as Nate Fisher
24 FOX
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
The West Wing NBC
Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet
No. You did not just do this. You nominated House for Best Drama Series. And you didn't nominate HOUSE. How can you do that? The supporting cast is fodder for House, little more, as much as I love Cuddy and Wilson. And yet you leave him off the Best Actor list? Same goes for James Gandolfini, but at least he has a bit more of an ensemble. Denis Leary is the token "We're hip, we swear" nomination, but Meloni is an absolute shocker...and kind of bothers me. I know that Hargitay has broken the glass ceiling for procedural actresses, but the overwrought storytelling is becoming annoying Emmy bait at this point. I think that Sam Waterston has given countless better performances on L&O Proper, but the Academy feels that SVU is deserving of Emmys? And let's not forget that Martin Sheen was technically a sidenote for much of this season of the West Wing.
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Closer TNT
Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
Commander In Chief ABC
Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit NBC
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Six Feet Under HBO
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher
The West Wing NBC
Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
Janney? Conroy? Ugh. Sedgwick is another hip pick, while Davis is riding her past success on a role that I find boring as shit. Hargitay is a lock from now on, what with the occasional Olivia-centered SVU episode that can be submitted independently, but the real surprise here is the lack of Edie Falco. Really? Janney over Falco? Hmmm.
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Boston Legal ABC
William Shatner as Denny Crane
Huff Showtime
Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper
The Sopranos HBO
Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti
24 FOX
Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan
The West Wing NBC
Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick
Imperioli gets the only Sopranos acting nomination, Alan Alda beats Jimmy Smits in the real race, and Itzin finally breaks the long-standing non-Kiefer Emmy curse for 24. Platt/Shatner are riding Academy goodwill, Shatner having two Emmys to show for his recent appreciation, but I really hope that Itzin can pull away with it.
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Boston Legal ABC
Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt
Greys Anatomy ABC
Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang
Greys Anatomy ABC
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey
Huff Showtime
Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt
24 FOX
Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan
Grey's Anatomy's only acting nominations come from the usual suspect (Golden Globe/SAG winner Sandra Oh) and the scenestealer in Chandra Wilson. Blythe Danner is the traditional nomination, Jean Smart rides her strong performance to a nomination, and Bergen joins Shatner in the "I joined Boston Legal and the Academy remembered I existed" category.
Other highlights
- Lost (9 Nominations), Six Feet Under (9 Nominations) and Desperate Housewives (7 Nominations) were all shut out of the series categories, despite both SFU and Lost garnering Writing/Directing nominations.
- Lost's only acting nomination came from Henry Ian Cusack (Desmond).
- Neither of last year's Dramatic Lead winners (James Spader, "Boston Legal", and Patricia Arquette, "Medium") managed to get nominated this year.
- Nobody misses Raymond, because it sucked.
