« The big picture: A look at how the 2005 Emmy race is shaping up | Main | Wing and a prayer »
July 09, 2005
TV’s stellar year gives Emmys plenty of fine choices
By Gail Pennington
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The Emmy nomination announcement will air live on E! cable beginning at 7:35 a.m. Thursday. Don't tune in late; the nominees are read quickly.
The Emmys themselves will be handed out Sept. 18 in a live broadcast on CBS.
Why wait for Thursday's Emmy nominations? We can already guess that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will overlook some of the best shows and performers on television, because - well, that's what the Emmys do. It's almost a tradition for Emmy voters to ignore exciting newcomers while continuing to honor veterans "The West Wing," anyone?) long past their prime.
This year, though, getting the nominations wrong will be harder than ever. The 2004-05 season was a terrific one for television, with new shows and stars bringing great buzz and growing audiences back to the broadcast networks while cable continued to poke holes in every available envelope.
At the same time, there's so much competition this year that Emmy needs to devote every available slot to worthy nominees rather than honoring sentimental favorites. Here's my must list of shows and performers in the top categories.
BEST DRAMA
ABC's "Lost" is a shoo-in and would get my vote as well), but HBO's "Deadwood" should also get a slot, along with CBS' "Without a Trace," which just keeps getting better and better, and Fox's "24," which had a particularly good year.
But my must nominee in the drama series category is Fox's "House," which took the tired medical genre and turned it into a riveting, often hilarious, frequently touching blend of mystery and personal stories.
Two shows that shouldn't get slots are NBC's "The West Wing" despite its somewhat improved season) and HBO's past-its-prime "Six Feet Under."
Last year's winner: HBO's "The Sopranos," which isn't eligible this year.
BEST COMEDY
Heard of a little show called "Desperate Housewives"? I'd put the ABC mega-hit in the drama category rather than among the comedies, but I don't get to make that decision. Odds are, it will win, and of course it should win in some category or other for its vital contribution to water-cooler conversation.
Nevertheless, my preference in the category is, of course, Fox's "Arrested Development," which should be TV's most popular comedy but, somehow, isn't. Meanwhile, if "Housewives" is a comedy, how about the WB's smart, funny, "Gilmore Girls," which has been strangely ignored by Emmy for its many seasons? I'd also like to see HBO's widely ignored "Entourage" snare a slot.
Two shows that shouldn't get nominations: NBC's painfully tired "Will & Grace" and Fox's barely-still-chugging "Malcolm in the Middle."
Last year's winner: "Arrested Development."
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Ian McShane of "Deadwood" was outrageously ignored last year; that shouldn't happen again but look for him in the supporting-actor category). Anthony LaPaglia of CBS' "Without a Trace" belongs on this list, as do William Petersen of CBS' "CSI" and Matthew Fox of "Lost." Couldn't complain if he won.)
But the actor who can't be ignored, and the winner if I made the choice, is Hugh Laurie, whose caustic yet sympathetic performance carries "House" to unimagined new levels.
Two who shouldn't be nominated: Last year's winner, James Spader of "The Practice" and now "Boston Legal," whose one-note performance quickly got old, and Dennis Franz, who's been honored quite enough for the dearly departed "NYPD Blue."
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Finally, this year there are some real lead actresses. I'd speak up for Patricia Arquette of NBC's "Medium," who carries her show, and Evangeline Lilly although probably in the supporting category) of "Lost." But I'd most like to see Kristen Bell of UPN's "Veronica Mars" get a nod and maybe shine a spotlight on her underappreciated but renewed) show.
One who shouldn't get a nomination: Allison Janney sorry) of "The West Wing," the knee-jerk winner last year.
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Count in Ray Romano for the final season of CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" and Charlie Sheen for "Two and a Half Men" although, if we have to go there, I'd pick Jon Cryer). The state of the sitcom is so pathetic, though, that there's really only one possible worthy winner here - Jason Bateman of "Arrested Development." Maybe that's why he also won last year.
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
This category makes me miss "Sex and the City" and "Frasier" even more. But why not nominate Lauren Graham from "Gilmore Girls" along with the many obligatory nominees from "Desperate Housewives"? From that group, my top choice would be not Teri Hatcher but the wonderful, subtle Felicity Huffman or the terrifying Marcia Cross.
Last year's winner: Sarah Jessica Parker.
2005 Television Critics Association Awards nominees
Here, for comparison's sake, are the nominees for the 2005 Television Critics Association Awards, which will be handed out July 23 in Beverly Hills. The categories aren't strictly comparable to those of the Emmys, but the list shows what the nation's TV critics (including yours truly) are thinking:
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
"Arrested Development" (Fox)
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central)
"Deadwood" (HBO)
"Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
"Lost" (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
"Arrested Development" (Fox)
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central)
"Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
"Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS)
"Gilmore Girls" (The WB)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
"Deadwood" (HBO)
"House" (Fox)
"Lost" (ABC)
"Rescue Me" (FX)
"24" (Fox)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
"Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
"House" (Fox)
"Lost" (ABC)
"Rescue Me" (FX)
"Veronica Mars" (UPN)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development")
Marcia Cross ("Desperate Housewives")
Teri Hatcher ("Desperate Housewives")
Ray Romano ("Everybody Loves Raymond")
Jon Stewart ("The Daily Show With Jon Stewart")
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars")
Matthew Fox ("Lost")
Hugh Laurie ("House")
Ian McShane ("Deadwood")
Kiefer Sutherland ("24")
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS
"Lackawanna Blues" (HBO)
"The Life and Death Of Peter Sellers" (HBO)
"The Office Special" (BBC America)
"Something the Lord Made" (HBO)
"Sometimes in April" (HBO)
Posted by Jo at July 9, 2005 01:00 PM