Roush on Friday Night Lights
Question: I'm a huge fan of all of your columns and an extremely passionate fan of TV (I even create spreadsheets to keep track of the new shows each fall and winter.) I'm just tired of always reading questions from fans asking what their favorite shows and actors' chances are of getting an Emmy nomination or complaining that their favorite didn't get nominated. It just seems like a waste of time. We can't change the Emmys since most of us aren't provided with a vote, so maybe we should all stop watching the actual show. It seems like that's the only way to make them go away. Sorry to sound so bitter, it's just that I've dealt with disappointment every year when the nominations come out (
Buffy,
Lost,
Friday Night Lights, the list could go) so it surprises me that anyone still has the energy to be hopeful when it comes to the nominations. I mean, at the end of the day, does it really matter if your favorite show/actor gets an Emmy? As long as you continue to get enjoyment from the show or the peformance, why do we need to see it win an award? It's not like winning guarantees they'll avoid cancellation (see
Arrested Development.)
— Tracy H.
Matt Roush: Well, Arrested Development did make it to a third (if truncated) season, and it's possible the industry recognition helped a bit. I've often said that TV fans shouldn't look to the Emmys for validation, given the wide range of TV that's out there that's destined to be overlooked in the flawed nomination process. But the Emmys are to the TV business what the Oscars are to movies — imperfect but significant milestones that become part of the historic record, and the highest and most public accolade the industry at large can bestow on a show, its producers and stars. I urge anyone who actually cares about TV to pay more attention to the Peabodys, the AFI Awards, the Humanitas, and other honors that operate more independently and are far less of a popularity prize. But the Emmys remain a juicy target, and just as Charlie Brown keeps running for the football that Lucy holds, we find ourselves each year anticipating the nominations in hopes the voters will do the right thing (and then often end up flat on our back.) There's always an outside chance that by continuing to beat the drum, the voters will wake up and notice deserving shows like Friday Night Lights, Battlestar Galactica and, as you're about to see in the next inevitable question, a little midseason underdog that just went off the air to considerable praise.
