Sunday, July 22, 2007

Emmy Don't Do Football

Q. So the Emmies came and went...
Yah. How did I miss them?

The Emmy nominations practically shut out the best written show on broadcast TV, Friday Night Lights. One nomination for Peter Berg for directing, and one for casting. FNL's casting is outstanding, and Peter Berg deserves a win for creating the show's style. But the writing is leaps and bounds past the usual suspects (Lost, Grey's, Desperate, Heroes). Plotting is fresh and original, the dialog is convincing, the characters are fleshed out... if I could choose one show on broadcast where I'd get to come in and write an episode, or get to work in the writer's room, or just listen in on the sessions ... that's the one I'd choose.

Maureen Ryan blogs that "the Emmies and I are over" after the snub:
I should just get used to Mariska Hargitay getting nominated for “Law & Order: SVU” every year and get over it. I should just accept that "Two and a Half Men" will get seven nominations and "The Wire" will get none. I should just accept that Keifer Sutherland will get a nod every year, whether or not “24” is full of cougar bait or not. I should just accept that, every year, “Boston Legal” will get more nominations than shows that actually moved me to tears in the past year.

Whatever. I’m just so over the Emmys.
The Emmys and I were never a number, so I'm not disillusioned, but I agree with most of what she has to say.

No surprises that Sopranos swept, eh? I guess no one's mad about the ending after all.

Alec Baldwin didn't get spanked for being rude to his daughter over the phone. I guess many Emmy voters have exasperating kids, too.

Nice that Ugly Betty and Heroes picked up a few. Ugly Betty isn't my cup of Rosie Lee, but the wife adores it. Heroes, otoh, the wife doesn't grok, but the Crazy Monkey and I consider it appointment TV, or would if we didn't have a PVR to render appointments unnecessary.

Jon Stewart got nominated again for outstanding variety, musical or comedy show, though personally I would have nominated it for the best news show on television, since Stewart is the only anchor willing not only to relate the news but explains what it means and call politicians out (on both sides) for lying and/or shoveling it.

Oh, and here's Ken Levine's take. And Denis did a podcast about'em.

4 comments:

brenderlin said...

Re: Jon Stewart

Or making fun of their diction, which is what I see him doing more often than not nowadays.

DMc said...

Wow. Alex, not like I spent good time thinking over those nominations and punditing on it for your benefit. Sheesh.

Q much?

Dante Kleinberg said...

At least Battlestar Gallactica got 4 noms, even if I don't think they'll be televised.

Hollie Nell said...

I'm almost sad that I've discovered FNL at this stage. Sad because I know deep down that people will never discover its greatness and it will go on to be cancelled while more reality shows dominate.