Knock knock.
Who’s there?
The Emmys suck.
The Emmys suck who?
Who cares who? The Emmys just suck.
We’re accustomed to the Emmys blowing chunks, it’s just the way the world is. Every year, we get excited when we hear things like, “Friday Night Lights is a finalist for Best Drama!” Then we throw up in our mouths when we hear Boston Legal got nominated and FNL didn’t. It should be a national holiday.
How hard is it to see FNL as one of the five best shows on TV? Or to officially chuck James Spader’s name off the invite list?
For the first year, the Emmys have been leaking the names of the 10 finalists in each of the major categories. When the list gets whittled to five, we’ll be left scratching our heads AGAIN when Boston Legal gets a drama series nomination. So here are five sure-fire snubs when the final nominations are released July 17:
–Kyle Chandler, lead drama actor, Friday Night Lights. I’ve admitted a few times that FNL just wasn’t as good in its second season as it was in its perfect first season. That doesn’t mean the acting wasn’t the best you can find on TV. Chandler is doing as good a job on this show than any TV actor out there. If you need evidence, re-watch the episode where Tami takes Grace to daycare for the first time.
–Sharon Gless, supporting drama actress, Burn Notice. How the heck did Sharon Gless get thrown to the wolves of basic cable so quickly? She knocked her four-episode nip/tuck guest spot off the planet, but she was even better as Michael Westen’s mom in Burn Notice. If nothing else, she deserves a nomination for likely developing emphysema and lung cancer during her screen time, smoking about two packs and episode. But she’s anything but the typical empty-nest mom, even though she pounces when her two sons are back in Miami for the first time in years. She’s loving, needy, funny, protective and a little psycho all at the same time.
–Christina Hendricks, supporting drama actress, Mad Men. Guess what? Women can be cool. And in control. And sexy. And smart. Surprised? I was too! It’s rare to find that type of portrayal in TV. Only briefly showing any sign of vulnerability — but wasn’t that enough? — Joan was the find of the TV characters last year in the find of TV shows.
–Anna Friel, best comedy actress, Pushing Daisies. It’s tough to tell how the Pushing Daisies thing is going to go. One thing is for sure: it’s either getting a ton of nominations, or none. Because it only lasted 12 episodes before ABC pulled it to start fresh next year, this might not be the year it really grabs the Emmy voters. That’s too bad for Friel and her fast-talking, quick-witted, back-from-the-dead Chuck, whose body of work this years stands up to any of the other finalists.
–The Office, best comedy series. Something has to give. I count seven very worthy or Emmy-favorite comedy finalists. 30 Rock is the defending champ and didn’t give Emmy voters any reason to drops its sophomore season. Curb Your Enthusiasm seems to be a lock in its final season. Weeds, Entourage and Ugly Betty are Emmy darlings. Flight of the Conchords is the buzzy kind of show Emmy has been criticized for overlooking in the past, something it’s been trying to rectify recently. that’s already six without even talking about Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Yeah, its fourth season wasn’t as good as years two and three. But in 10 years, when you are laughing your head off at Office reruns on TBS and you have to watch Soapnet at 4 in the morning to find Ugly Betty, you’re going to wonder why Michael Scott and the gang were ignored by Emmy.
