Emmy Nomination Reaction: Big Ass Post

And so the awards ceremony that will live in infamy for nominating Boston Legal and Grey's Anatomy a combined 56 times whilst nominating The Wire for 2 awards in its entire run returns. What irritates me about the Emmy's is how the always try to cluelessly try to stay in touch with popularity fads, which it has done hideously this year. Still some good nominations amidst the hideousness.

Outstanding Drama Series:

Breaking Bad

Dexter

The Good Wife

Lost

Mad Men

True Blood

The Nominees:
We've got the good, the bad and the ugly here. Breaking Bad and Mad Men, obviously. The two best shows by a country mile and either one deserves to win. I hope its Breaking Bad, but it will be Mad Men. I guess if you're gonna nominate Dexter, do it this year although frankly this award belongs to John Lithgow if it wins (which it won't). The Good Wife is an efficient, intelligent procedural that does its job, and it wouldn't be the Emmy's without at least one procedural. At least its not Grey's Anatomy. Lost is silly. There's a place in my heart for the show, but this was its weakest year and considering what was ignored here, a sentimental goodbye cost some great shows the recognition they deserved. True Blood can go fuck itself. Mad Men to win.

What should be here:

Treme and Sons Of Anarchy. The best moment of True Blood season 2 wasn't a scratch on the worst moment from these two seasons, particularly SOA, which gave us one of the most ferociously uncompromising season of TV in recent memory. Treme's pilot exhumed class and elegance and was one of the most joyous episodes of TV I can recall ever seeing. I'd see these two above anything in that nomination list that isn't made by AMC.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Glee

Modern Family

Nurse Jackie

The Office

30 Rock

The Nominees:

A deserved nomination for Curb, that didn't have its best year but had a very strong one, I'm happy with Modern Family, a deservedly popular show that is genuinely funny. The Office is a Dinosaur at this point but probably just about deserved it. 30 Rock's wildly inconsistent fourth year left me watching only sporadically, but what I saw didn't impress me. I hope Modern Family wins just to break 30 Rock's undeserved monopoly of this ceremony. Nurse Jackie is a bit of a WTF, its certainly not a great show and Merrit Weaver aside isn't that funny either. Fucking Glee. This would be Emmy desperately trying to be hip again wouldn't it, its not a terrible show but its doesn't deserve the windfall of nominations it got here. Balls. Glee to win.

What isn't Here:

Only the two funniest and best comedies on TV. Emmy you a clueless motherfucker. No Community or Parks And Recreation, and this is a travesty. Nurse Jackie? Come on. I get that these shows don't have the biggest following, but they're both morphing into something that might be amazing, as Community's sweeping of numerous best episode of the years lists, with its sublime 'Modern Warfare'. Amy Poehler got a throwaway nom, but Community got entirely jackshit. This is perhaps the most irritating thing about this year's Emmy's for me. Arrrgh.

Lead Actor In A Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Steve Carell, The Office

Matthew Morrison, Glee

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Tony Shalhoub, Monk

The Nominees:

Baldwin is great in 30 Rock, whatever the show's current fortunes. So I'm fine with him. Larry David is my favorite of this list to be honest and I hope he wins. Respect Wood. Steve Carell is a movie star on a TV show, so no matter what he does, you know. Matthew Morrison. For What? Even if you like Glee, Morrison does nothing on this show. A placeholder for the narrative at best, but he has ridden the Glee wave at this Emmy's that has led it to get more nominations then Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Bitter much. Jim Parsons gives a great performance on The Big Bang Theory, and even if the show can be a bit generic, he deserves to be here. Shalhoub got a farewell sympathy nom for Monk. OK. Alec Baldwin to win.

Who Isn't Here:

Well Joel McHale from Community for one, who does the best Jason Bateman since Jason Bateman. Adam Scott of Party Down, gave such a great tragi-comic performance on a show that nobody watched. I'd even prefer James Roday from Psych over Morrison and Shalhoub. Charlie Sheen from Two and A Half Men! for all of the other ridiculous shit here, this makes it a beautiful day.

Lead Actor In A Drama Series:

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights

Matthew Fox, Lost

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Hugh Laurie, House

The Nominees:

Two-time winner Bryan Cranston continues to be a thorn in Jon Hamm's side at the Emmy's. He's won it two years in a row deservedly and the only reason I can see that changing is if Emmy decide it's someone else's turn. Like Hamm's for instance. I'm very happy to see Chandler here, because aside from anything else Friday Night Lights is another great show that never gets a look in. Matthew Fox rode the Lost nostalgia to his first nomination, which frankly I'm much more OK with then I thought I would be. Michael C Hall and Hugh Laurie will be both here until they choose not to be. This is a category I'm perhaps the most happy with. Jon Hamm to win.

Who isn't here:

Charlie Hunnam of SOA, Steve Zahn of Treme, who I liked much more then everybody else. Simon Baker got dissed pretty severely, but I don't really mind too much.

Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Toni Collette, The United States Of Tara

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Julia Louis Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of old Christine

Lea Michele, Glee

Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation

The Nominees:

Collette certainly does a lot on the United States Of Tara, so I'm OK with the nomination. Its not the best how but she is good in it. Tina Fey. Edie Falco was very good in The Sopranos, so..Julia Louis Dreyfus is a big name. Lea Michele is a glee nomination I'm fine with, as I thought she played the musical version of Tracey Flick quite well. I intensely hope Poehler wins, because otherwise this is a disparaging category. Toni Collette to win.

Who isn't here:

Having said that, its a man's world and there are so few comedies with female leads that, well, you pick from a bad bunch I guess. I don't like Weeds anymore, but Mary Louise Parker will always be great on that show. Portia De Rossi from Better Off Ted for realz. Another great show nobody has seen. I would tentatively suggest Gillian Jacobs from Community too.

Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

Glenn Close, Damages

Mariska Hargitay, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit

January Jones, Mad Men

Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife

Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer

The Nominees:

Yay for Britton, maybe that cameo in Nightmare On Elm Street raised her profile. Glenn Close is like way too famous not to get nominated, even if Damages is a pompous ultimately empty show. The only rationale I can imagine for Hargitay being here is she has a memorable name, and was mentioned repeatedly in The Love Guru. January Jones is deserving and fine, same with Marguiles who gives a great anchor to that show. Kyra Sedgewick? Whatever this post is too long for me to care anymore. Julianna Marguiles to win.

Who's not Here:

Katey Sagal for Sons Of Anarchy. This is a big one. I don't think any female in any category did better work then Sagal this season, and even if you want to entirely shut out SOA, you had to at least give it this. Nope. What makes it extra hilarious is that with the possible exception of Ms Jones, the next best female lead performance was also ignored. Anna Gunn for Breaking Bad, who took her character to the next level this season, a truly great performance ignored. Bad, bad category for Emmy credibility.

Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series:

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Chris Colfer, Glee

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

Eric Stonestreet, Modern family

The Nominees:

Modern Family annihilation. I agree with two out of three. I think Burrell and Stonestreet are definitely worth their presence here, but Ferguson rode the show's coat tails. Same with Colfer from Glee, who is simply here because Emmy has a massive and inexplicable Glee boner. Patrick Harris is a deserving mainstay, but this is a bad year for How I Met Your Mother otherwise. Jon Cryer is invincible, and could literally just stare at the camera for twenty minutes each Monday and he'd still be here. Fuck Two and A Half Men in the face. That's got to get me a few accidental gay fetish site hits. Ty Burrell to win.

Who isn't here:

Many people from Community, the utmost of which is Danny Pudi, who gave one of the most original comic performances in some time. I'd also put Donald Glover from Community up here. Martin Starr from Party Down. But the most hideous oversight is without a doubt Nick Offerman from Parks And Recreation, who should win this category let alone be nominated. Horrifying.

Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Andre Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age

Terry O Quinn, Lost

Michael Emerson, Lost

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Martin Short, Damages

John Slattery, Mad Men

The Nominees:

I did think Lost would get some love in this category partly because it always has done, and maybe because it should do. If anything has kept Lost a good show through all these years its the performances of O' Quinn and Emerson, who lend the show a maturity and subtlety it wouldn't have otherwise. Whatever you think about Lost these are two great performances that deserve the kudos they get. Aaron Paul! Loving it, and given the work he did this year he should probably win this, but Slattery or one of the Losties are more likely. But its great to see a younger actor in this category. Braugher's given several great performances on TV in the last ten years, and this year has been banner, combining Men Of A certain Age with his work and House. I think his nomination is perhaps a double team. Martin Short is an interesting choice, but there are better performances. Slattery is always awesome. Terry O Quinn to win.

Who's Not Here:

Gee, Wendell Pierce from Treme, Clarke Peters from Treme, John Goodman from Treme. Dean Norris From Breaking Bad, who was the anchor of the year's best episode of TV, and really should be here. Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad, Ryan Hurst and Ron Perlman from Sons Of Anarchy, John Noble From Fringe. Maybe Alexander Skaarsgaard from True Blood.

Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Jane Lynch, Glee

Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

The Nominees:

Jane Lynch is another thing from Glee I can live with, and is comfortably the best thing about that show. Krakowski is here because Emmy loves it some 30 Rock. Bowen rode the Modern Family train, Vergara is more deserving and Kristen Wiig is becoming famous so, you know. Fucking Two and A Half Men. Holland Taylor is only in about half the episodes any given season. What the fuck. Jane Lynch to win.

Who's Not Here:

Alison Brie from Community, because watching her on Mad Men and then on this is literally like TV acid tripping, Merrit Weaver from Nurse Jackie, the only thing from that show that should get nominated isn't, yet it got a bunch of other stuff. Cheryl Hines or Susie Greene from Curb Your Enthusiasm anyone. Lizzy Caplan from Party Down also.

Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

Rose Byrne, Damages

Sharon Gless, Burn Notice

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

The Nominees:

That Sharon Gless nomination is ridiculous, yet awesome at the same time. Burn Notice is a flimsy yet entertaining spy/action series where shit get solved by tapping into evil spy software with you're motorola bluetooth. Its MacGyver. Yet its smallest, most irrelevent character who gets about 5 lines an episode is up here with an emmy nomination. Love those Emmy's. Ecstatic about the Hendricks nomination, who doesn't always get recognized but deservingly did this year. Moss is a mainstay. Two Good Wife nominations is farely batshit, I could live with one or the other but hey. Rose Byrne, I guess if you have to. Elisabeth Moss to win.

Who's not Here:

Roll out those Treme actors yet again. Emmy hates that David Simon. Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo and Kim Dickens both should have been here, but I guess I can't be too angry because of the wholesale Grey's Anatomy shutout.

Final Thoughts:

Too much Glee, 19 nominations guys, not enough for Breaking Bad ( No writing nominations. Really?) zero for Sons Of Anarchy and Community and a very small amount for Treme is silly. Love the backdoor nomination for Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost via guest actress. Not a horrific year I guess, but not a great one. But TV's biggest awards ceremony isn't moving forward at the same speed as the medium itself, as too much great stuff is getting ignored and functionality is rewarded too often. Rewarding the right things is very important for future great shows getting made, as very often great shows live off critical acclaim rather then viewership, yet here is TV greatest awards body giving 19 nominations to Glee. Trepidation.