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Time again to take a deep breath. Think calm thoughts. The 2007 Emmy nominations come out Thursday morning, and the heavy odds are that Emmy voters will show America again how dazzlingly clueless they are about television.
We go through this every year. Members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences are either too busy making TV to watch it, or simply too removed from the current, active world to do the right thing.
And that’s why smaller, younger or more edgy networks and shows get stiffed - FX, for instance, which has “The Shield,” “Rescue Me,” “Nip/Tuck,” and this year, “The Riches,” has gotten zero best-show nominations.
Emmy-nomination day is a day we critics dread, because we care about good television and we want it to get rewarded, and we want to believe our little fantasy that the people who make TV care, too.
But before I go too far down this rabbit hole, I need to say that the academy sometimes surprises us. Last year, “The Office” won for best comedy, and in 2005, that Emmy went to “Arrested Development.” That’s two-for-two on comedies, the category which has given Emmy voters fits for years.
Plus, HBO’s “The Sopranos” just finished first in two major TV-critics polls for industry magazines, and that has got to resonate at least a little.
So maybe this will be a good year. Maybe the new formula for the academy that mixes popular votes and judging panels will help. Maybe Emmy voters will actually watch TV.
In any case, here’s my list of who deserves to get nominated in the major categories, with a few of my thoughts.
Best drama:
“Lost” (ABC)
“Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
“House” (Fox)
“The Wire” (HBO)
“The Sopranos” (HBO)
Take every penny you can find, borrow money from loan sharks, and bet it all that “The Wire” will get nothing. It may be the best show on TV, one of the deepest, smartest, most compelling series ever, and the TV academy pays it no attention whatsoever.
Drama is a tough category these days because there are so many good ones. Besides my top list, other very strong dramas include “Deadwood” (HBO), “Dexter” (Showtime), “Battlestar Galactica” (Sci Fi), “Heroes” (NBC), “Rescue Me” and “The Shield.” Only “Heroes” seems a possibility.
“Brothers & Sisters” (ABC), “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “Rome” (HBO) and “The Tudors” (Showtime) would be second-tier-but-OK nods.
Best comedy:
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)
“Scrubs” (NBC)
“Ugly Betty” (ABC)
On my planet, these are shoe-ins. In Emmy Land, it’s a long shot for “Scrubs” and “30 Rock,” but since the academy has been getting better on comedies, who knows?
Other shows that would be nice to see include “Everybody Hates Chris” (CW), “Extras” (HBO), “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS), “My Name Is Earl” (NBC), “Reno 911!” (Comedy Central) and “Weeds” (Showtime). But do not expect to see much of anything for “Chris” or “Reno 911!” Way too cool for the academy.
On the other hand, Emmy voters seem likely to repeat nominations for “Desperate Housewives” (ABC) and “Two and a Half Men” (CBS). They’re OK shows, but are outclassed even by series on their own networks.
By the way, “Gilmore Girls” (CW) just didn’t get there creatively this season, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO) didn’t air during the eligibility period.
Best actress, drama:
Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”)
Minnie Driver (“The Riches”)
Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”)
Kira Sedgwick (“The Closer,” TNT)
Sally Field (“Brothers & Sisters”)
Rumors say Lauren Graham, who carried “Gilmore Girls” with seven seasons of luminous acting, is trying the drama category this year, which may be bad timing because, finally, there are a handful of meaty roles for women. Other strong performances this year came from Patricia Arquette (“Medium,” NBC), Kristin Bell (“Veronica Mars,” CW), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC), and Evangeline Lilly “Lost.”
Best actor, drama:
Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”)
James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”)
Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”)
Eddie Izzard (“The Riches”)
Hugh Laurie (“House”)
Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”)
Yeah, that’s six. Sue me. It’s happened before, and I seriously can’t choose.
Other solid nods would include Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”), Ian McShane (“Deadwood”), and, maybe, Keifer Sutherland, whose Fox show, “24,” was off this year, but he was still great to watch.
Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford from NBC’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” would also be good nominations, but the academy pretty much blows off canceled shows.
Best actress, comedy:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS)
America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”)
Mary-Louise Parker (“Weeds”)
I’d love to add “Everybody Hates Chris’” Tichina Arnold to this list, but she’s a better bet as a supporting actress, and, besides, the academy will ignore her and her show. Anne Heche (“Men in Trees,” ABC) would also be a fine nod.
Best actor, comedy:
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
Zach Braf (“Scrubs”)
Steve Carell (“The Office”)
Ricky Gervais (“Extras”)
Jason Lee (“My Name Is Earl”)
Tony Shalhoub is a perpetual nominee from USA’s “Monk,” and that’s fine and everything, but I’d like to see the nod go elsewhere. Tyler James Williams from “Everybody Hates Chris” gets better as he gets older, but once again, this show is on CW so he and it are doomed.
