Earlier this month the list of Emmy nominees was posted and though the nominee voting process changed, it didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the results. Show’s like ‘The West Wing’ and ‘Two and A Half Men’ predictably made the cut while other less mainstream shows were left off the list once again. On the same token, there were some big shows left off the list that I believe were justifiably unrecognized this season. ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ remained hugely popular in their sophomore seasons, butneither measured up to the quality of their first seasons. Poor writing is to blame for Season 2 of ‘Desperate Housewives’, while the lack of momentum in Season 2 of ‘Lost’ could easily be attributed to ABC only airing two or three new episodes in a row and then going to reruns. I didn’t miss an episode of Season 2 of ‘Lost’ and yet I cant seem to wrap my brain around the season as a whole. The constant rerun breaks made it hard for viewers and critics to stay interested in the plot.
So, ‘Lost’ and ‘Housewives’ being omitted from the Outstanding Drama category is no huge shock but there was a fair amount of talent on television this season that regardless of the new voting system, went unnoticed or at least, unacknowledged by the Emmy voters.
I went through the main categories and added in a few shows/actors that I felt should’ve received Emmy nominations
Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica – I haven’t actually watched ‘Battlestar Gallactica’ myself but anyone and everyone who does watch it absolutely loves it. From what I understand, the show is Sci-Fi but its grounded to some kind of reality so regular non-sci-fi addicts can enjoy it. Its not one of those shows where only the hardcore Sci-fi fans can get into it. People have raved about the show more and more over the last year and when the voting system for the Emmy Awards changed, ‘Battlestar’ was one of the shows that many thought would make it to the list or at least, have a better chance to.
Veronica Mars – Why ‘Veronica Mars’ didn’t make the list could be due to a number of reasons. For one, it’s tucked away on UPN. Not being on ABC or CBS could have a lot to do with it going unnoticed by voters. I, myself never had any interest in the show until a friend recommended it to me. Another reason why ‘Veronica Mars’ may have been overlooked could be that it’s geared towards the younger demographic and shows like that rarely get recognized at the Emmys. In terms of writing though, this show falls in line with the other drama series that did make the nominee list this year. Solid characters, strong plot momentum and fantastic acting all contribute to this show.
Actress in a drama series
Kristen Bell – Veronica Mars – ‘Veronica Mars’ - Bell’s name came up in quite a few of the articles posting the new Emmy nominee voting system a few weeks back. Many hoped that with the change in the voting, Bell would have a chance at the Best Actress category. Right now I’m picturing the scene in the season finale. She’s standing on a rooftop pointing a gun at the guy who not only raped her, but also killed a busload of people. This moment could have destroyed the season had Bell not been able to pull it off but she did it. She’s got great presence, great timing and most importantly great chemistry with her ‘Veronica Mars’ costars and yet the academy apparently didn’t feel she deserved a nomination.
Lauren Graham – Lorelai Gilmore – ‘Gilmore Girls’ – Graham’s name seems to come up a lot whenever the topic of who should be nominated for an Emmy is discussed. ‘Gilmore Girls’ has a strong following of fans, all of which believe Graham is Emmy-worthy but apparently the academy doesn’t feel that way because once again, she was snubbed.
Supporting Actor in a Drama
TR Knight – George O’Malley – ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Ok, I realize ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has been recognized with quite a few nominations this season but that wont stop me from pointing out a few additional phenomenal performances by this cast. TR Knight portrays George beautifully. He’s this sensitive guy who wants to not be such a pushover but his huge-heartedness always seems to get in the way. The humiliation he experienced when Merideth rejected him mid-coitus, the eventual breakdown in which he cut off all his hair and finally manning up and getting himself a girlfriend. George is one of the best characters on the show and most of that is attributed to Knight’s performance.
Justin Chambers – Alex Karev – ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Chambers’ character is in some ways, completely opposite to Knight’s and in other ways, very similar. While Knight plays a guy who is very insecure and wears his heart on his sleeve, Chambers’ character, Alex is just as insecure but instead of being outwardly vulnerable, he’s emotionally stunted. At the risk of sounding totally cliché, Alex doesn’t know how to love. His backstory is unknown as of yet but he was either totally neglected or abandoned at some point in his life. Regardless of why Alex Karev is so emotionally detached, Chambers gets TV Blend cred for playing the character so well. He’s had some great moments in the show. Some of which made us hate his character (his nastiness towards Izzie) and some of which made us love him (when he held Izzie after Denny died).
Victor Garber – Jack Bristow – ‘Alias’ – Why hasn’t Garber gotten a G.D. Emmy statue for playing Jack Bristow??? He is easily one of the best TV dads of all time and Garber is a huge part of that. He was nominated in season 1 but didn’t win and since then, he’s been left off the list. Well, the final season ended this year and no nomination for Garber. In all likelihood, he will go one to do other roles which will get recognized (possibly his role in the new show ‘Justice) but its disappointing that Garber’s performance as Jack Bristow never earned him an Emmy. His final moments in the finale alone should’ve been enough to get him a nod. Jack Bristow was a fantastic character and many will forever associate Garber with that role.
Supporting actress in a Drama
Katherine Heigl – Isobel “Izzie” Stevens – ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – yet another ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ mention, I know. Many disliked the Izzie stuff on the show but I thought it was well written and more importantly well performed by Ms. Heigl. She brought just the right of sweetness and strength to her character which made Izzie both lovable and fun to watch.
Comedy Series
How I Met Your Mother – How could HIMYM be overlooked? Ok, so the nominees for Best Comedy are all well deserved but I would’ve liked to see ‘How I Met Your Mother’ get some recognition. This show could be compared to ‘Friends’ in that its about a bunch of mid-20-year olds trying to figure out where their lives are headed and struggling with grown-uphood. In terms of sitcoms, its one of the best. It hasn’t hit it big among mainstream viewers yet (sitcoms are a dying breed) but I think it will. In the meantime, it made our list!
Entourage – its quick, its witty and it should’ve been nominated! How could ‘Entourage’ be left off the list? At least Jeremy Piven received a nomination for his role as Ari Gold. Afterall, Ari makes the show not just funny but outright hilarious. ‘Entourage’ is supposed to be centered around the budding superstar, Vince Chase but what makes the show so great is the group of people who surround Vince. His agent, Ari, his brother “Drama”, his friend Turtle and best friend/manager, Eric are the entourage and for that reason, they are the show. Everyone fills a certain space in Vince’s life and as a group they’re just so much fun to watch.
Actor in a Comedy Series
Neil Patrick Harris – Barney – ‘How I Met Your Mother’ – Barney is the heart and soul of ‘How I Met Your Mother’. In terms of actual plot and drama, the rest of the characters play their part but almost all of the laugh-out-loud humor is due to the ridiculous antics of Barney and this is largely attributed to Neil Patrick Harris’ performance as the neo-yuppie suited up pal. Hopefully the academy will catch on to the greatness of Harris in this show by next year.
Supporting actor in a comedy Series
John Krasinski – Jim Halpert – ‘The Office’ – Granted, ‘The Office’ is a comedy but as it is meant to be realistic, its natural that there will be a few plotlines in the show that are more on the serious side. Krasinki’s portrayal of lovesick Jim in ‘The Office’ blew everyone away by the end of the season finale. The mounting tension between Jim and Pam erupted when Krasinkski delivered a phenomenal performance with Jim’s “I’m in love with you” speech. It was totally sincere and truly made the season.
Kevin Dillon – Johnny Drama Chase – Entourage – Am I the only one who hangs on every word that comes out of Drama’s mouth because I know whatever he’s going to say is going to make me laugh? Kevin Dillon delivers every line with this amazingly pathetic sincerity that just makes me want to hug him. In ‘Entourage’ his character, “Drama” is the brother of famous Vince. Drama is a B-List celeb whose mostly known for his role in the made-up show ‘Viking Quest’. He’s also known for name-dropping other B-List celebs like Pauly Shore and Ralph Maccio. Dillon’s timing and facial expressions are always spot on.
Rainn Wilson – Dwight Schrute – ‘The Office’- Dwight’s another one of those characters that I love because pretty much everything he says is ridiculously funny. Rainn Wilson played the creepy guy in ‘Six Feet Under’ and that’s mostly what I knew him from until ‘The Office’ came out. Dwight is the American version of Gareth from the original BBC version of ‘The Office’. Rainn doesn’t appear to impersonate Gareth in any way though, both character have an overly uptight demeanor but they present it differently. Wilson brings the funny with the way he speaks and his facial expressions.
Overall I was pleased with the Emmy nominations this year and I realize that there can only be five nominations per category. Its just disappointing sometimes when good talent is overlooked year after year.
Due to extenuating circumstances, we didn’t get a What to Watch completed this week (Editor’s note: Totally my fault – Rafe). Try to survive through this week without our suggestions and look for our advice back in this spot next week.
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