tv

Daily Variety released on Tuesday it’s nominations for the best TV of the past 10 years. Categories included best Drama Series, Actor & Actress and best Comedy Series, Actor & Actress. Nominations were voted on by the Television Critics Assn., with winners being announced later this summer.

The Emmys are all fine and dandy, but don’t really feel they nominate the best in T.V. Sometimes they pull out a shocker like the recent 30 Rock wins, but usually I’m disappointed with both the wins AND the nomination.

I took a look at the list and was very pleasantly surprised at some of the nominations, and aghast at some of the absences. It’s an interesting list nonetheless. Not only do they list the 6 or so nominations for each category, but they also list who came close.


sopranos-the-wire-lost

Drama Series

  • Friday Night Lights
  • Lost
  • Mad Men
  • The Sopranos
  • The West Wing
  • The Wire

Just Missed:

  • 24
  • Battlestar Galactica
  • Big Love
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • Deadwood
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • House
  • Rescue Me
  • The Shiled

comments: The original reason I looked at this list was to see if The Wire made the cut or not. Hands down, the highest quality T.V. show ever made. I was so happy to see it get some recognition here, as it was continually snubbed by the Emmys for Best Dramatic Series.

24 and Grey’s shocked me a little bit. I guess the quality of the first few seasons was enough to push it through though. The latter seasons for both aren’t as good, and don’t really deserve to be in the same group as rest of these shows. Props for including Mad Men and Friday Night Lights, and for BS:G and Buffy in the Just missed. I thought Buffy would’ve been too old for this list, but I guess it ended in 2003.

Side note: WHERE THE HELL IS SIX FEET UNDER?! To not include the Alan Ball masterpiece in the nominations is a travesty, but to not even be included in the Just Missed?! Shocked. Also, In Treatment definitely should have been in the Just Missed. That show is brilliant.

Hilarious that Deadwood made it. I guess HBO shouldn’t have canceled it.

Who Should Win:The Wire
Who Will Win:The Sopranos

gandolfini-cranston-hall

Drama Actor

  • Michael Chiklis “The Shield”
  • Bryan Cranston “Breaking Bad”
  • James Gandolfini “The Sopranos”
  • Michael C. Hall “Dexter”
  • Jon Hamm “Mad Men”
  • Hugh Laurie “House”

JUST MISSED:

  • Gabriel Byrne “In Treatment”
  • Kyle Chandler “Friday Night Lights”
  • Ian McShane “Deadwood”
  • Denis Leary”Rescue Me”
  • Martin Sheen “The West Wing”
  • Kiefer Sutherland “24″

comments: I never watch The Shield, but I’m not shocked that the Television Critics Assn., nominated him. I read about how good this show is all the time. Meh on Michael C. Hall, and Hugh Laurie. I love Dexter and House, but their acting never really impressed me all that much. I think they’re getting by on playing interesting characters rather than their acting chops.

SUPER thumbs up to Bryan Cranston. Breaking Bad had its awkward points, but to be able to go from fluffy comedic roles such as guest spots on Seinfeld and the Dad in Malcolm in the Middle to a hardcore dramatic meth dealing high-school teacher is inspiring to say the least. The shot of Cranston in his tighty-whities outside the meth lab / RV is one of the most visually impacting scenes I’ve ever seen.

breakingbad

Give In Treatment a few more years, and Gabriel Byrne would’ve been in the top of this list. It’s hard to call something the best when they’re just finishing their second season.

In similar vain, I would’ve liked to have seen John Noble nominated for his character “Dr. Walter Bishop” in FOX’s Fringe, but seeing as how they just aired the season finale for their first season, I don’t think he’s that visible yet. Mark my words though, Emmy Nomination :P

Who Should Win:James Gandolfini
Who Will Win:James Gandolfini

falco-close-mcdonnell

Drama Actress

  • Connie Britton “Friday Night Lights”
  • Glenn Close “Damages”
  • Edie Falco “The Sopranos”
  • Allison Janney “The West Wing”
  • Mary McDonnell “Battlestar Galactica”
  • Kyra Sedgwick “The Closer”

    • JUST MISSED:

    • Frances Conroy “Six Feet Under”
    • Jennifer Garner “Alias”
    • Sarah Michelle Gellar “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
    • Rachel Griffiths “Six Feet Under” /”Brothers and Sisters”
    • Sally Field “Brothers and Sisters”
    • Holly Hunter “Saving Grace”

    comments: Ah, finally. Some Six Feet Under love! Frances Conroy really should have been in the top six though. She was brilliant, and my choice for number 1. I can’t count how many times I sat in awe over her performances. Yay for Rachel Griffiths as well! A dual nomination! She should be a heck of a lot more famous than she is.

    Edie Falco was great in Oz, and she was even better in The Sopranos. She definitely deserves the nod.

    BS:G gets some more well deserved attention with Mary McDonnell. I found her performances to be not as over the top dramatic as some of her co-stars *cough*Starbuck*cough*, and it’s nice to see her among the best in the field.

    I can’t really think of any actresses that they’ve omitted. Maybe January Jones from Mad Men or Evangeline Lilly?

    Who Should Win:Frances Conroy
    Who Will Win:Edie Falco

    I see The Sopranos sweeping the whole dramatic category. That show is the definitive drama series of the 00s and will be rewarded as such.

comed

Comedy Series

  • 30 Rock
  • Arrested Development
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm
  • The Daily Show
  • Everybody Loves Raymond
  • The Office

JUST MISSED:

  • The Big Bang Theory
  • Flight of the Conchords
  • Frasier
  • Freaks and Geeks
  • Friends
  • Sex and the City
  • The Simpsons
  • Two and a Half Men

    • comments: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow it down a bit. This category is where I disagree the most. Everybody Loves Raymond? TWO AND A HALF MEN!?!?! Give me a break. I can’t think of two other shows that represent derivitive lowest common denominator comedy better than these shows. Maybe they should’ve included According to Jim or King of Queens as well.

    They BETTER have included Arrested Development, just so FOX can realize how terrible it was for them to cancel it. Thumbs up for 30 Rock and The Office, though I’m not sure if that’s for the British or the American version. Either way, they’re both desering.

    The Simpsons got the only animation nod, though in the past 10 years Futurama and South Park are way WAY more deserving.

    The Big Bang Theory has received a lot of favourable press recently, and I’m not suprised to see it here. I’ve seen a couple of episodes and they have some smart writers, but a lot of the show seems like filler.

    It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia needs to be on this list. case closed.

    Who Should Win:The Office
    Who Will Win:Curb Your Enthusiasm

comedy-male

Comedy Actor

  • Alec Baldwin “30 Rock”
  • Jason Bateman “Arrested Development”
  • Steve Carell “The Office”
  • Larry David “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
  • Ricky Gervais “The Office”
  • Kelsey Grammer “Frasier”

JUST MISSED:

  • Zach Braff “Scrubs”
  • Neil Patrick Harris “How I Met Your Mother”
  • Jim Parsons “The Big Bang Theory”
  • Ray Romano “Everybody Loves Raymond”
  • Tony Shalhoub “Monk”
  • Charlie Sheen “Two and a Half Men”

comments: I really dispise Larry David’s character in Curb Your Enthusiasm, but he makes me laugh (and cringe) so much it’s hard not to want to reward him. There’s a lot of parallels between that character and the two Office bosses. They have almost no redeeming qualities, yet provide such rich levels of entertainment. Even though there were only 12 episodes and 1 xmas special of the original Office, Gervais’ David Brent remains my favourite comedic character of all time.

Arrested Development deserves a lot more praise and attention than it has received, but I’m just not feeling the Jason Bateman nomination. Although the main character, he’s not really the star of the show. Jeffery Tambor, Will Arnett, or David Cross are all better choices.

Grammer’s nomination is a little unfair I think. That character is a layover from the 80s & 90s, and doesn’t really speak to me as one of the best of the 00s. He deserves props for keeping that character interesting for such a long time, but when you think of recent T.V. Frasier is a distant memory.

I’m comfortable with Braff and Harris being on the just missed list, as they are good in their roles, but not the top. Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock is momumental. Simply amazing. I actually believe that’s what Baldwin is like in real life. Even though the show’s quality has been slipping, his acting has not.

P.S. Fuck Ray Romano. That show should have been over in one episode: “Hey Mom, shut the fuck up and mind your own business”. Bamn, show’s over. I know I would have laughed.

Who Should Win:Ricky Gervais
Who Will Win:Alec Baldwin

comedy-female

Comedy Acress

  • Tina Fey “30 Rock”
  • Lauren Graham “Gilmore Girls”
  • Patricia Heaton “Everybody Loves Raymond”
  • Jane Kaczmarek “Malcolm in the Middle”
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine”
  • Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”
  • Sarah Jessica Parker, “Sex and the City”

JUST MISSED:

  • Jennifer Aniston “Friends”
  • America Ferrera “Ugly Betty”
  • Jenna Fischer “The Office”
  • Felicity Huffman Desperate Housewives”
  • Lisa Kudrow “Friends” / “The Comeback”
  • Debra Messing “Will and Grace”

comments: Patricia Heaton should get the reward for having to put up with such a shitty show, and sitcom premise. If you haven’t notice by all my hate, not “everybody loves raymond”.

Sarah Jessica Parker? Meh… Is she getting the nomination, or is the show? Unlike Jane Kaczmarek. She was a standout role in a subpar show. She totally broke the mold when it came to T.V. moms. A little bit Roseanne, a little bit possessed banshee, Kaczmarek brought such intensity and inginuity to the lukewarm Malcolm in the Middle.

Two of the female Friends are nominated, but none of the guys. I have to say I agree fully here. Poor Courtney Cox though. She doesn’t get the nod, AND she has to sleep with David BArFquette.

Kutos to Julia Louis-Dreyfus for breaking the T.V. Seinfeld curse. I’ve seen a couple of episodes of Old Christine. She does have one of the strongest female performances on the air right now, but compared to some of the male dominated TV shows, she comes up a little short. Meanwhile, Tina Fey is rewriting comedy and easily tops a lot of the male leads. She’s making geek chic cool for girls, all without compromising anything. 30 years down the line, people will still be talking about 30 Rock

Who Should Win:Tina Fey
Who Will Win:Tina Fey

So as you can see, some better, lesser roles weren’t up for contention. There’s a lot of supporting characters that are miles above some of the nominations listed. Dwight or Garrett from either Office are two examples. And I sort of feel like the ensemble cast from The Wire should receive some sort of grouped award. All in all though, not a bad list. I’m curious to see who will win later in the year.

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