I've got to say I'm ...
Question: I've got to say I'm disappointed over the lack of nominations for
Friday Night Lights, which is one of the best shows on TV right now. That
Boston Legal is nominated over
FNL is wrong on many levels. First of all,
BL is more of a comedy. It's also wildly uneven in tone, jumping from drama to absurdist comedy to breaking the fourth wall (which I always find so forced). Despite these faults, I actually like
BL quite a bit; I just don't think it's one of the best shows on TV, and certainly not one of the best
dramas. I can't help but wonder if the left-leaning Emmy voters were prejudiced against a show that takes place in small-town Texas (
FNL) and more inclined to make a statement by nominating one that wears its liberal heart on its sleeve (
BL), despite its questionable quality. It's nominations like these that make it really hard to take the Emmys seriously. Oh, and I think
Connie Britton was robbed, too, as well as
Lost.Answer: I do sometimes wonder if the pandering nature of some of
Boston Legal's politically charged speechifying doesn't win over the Hollywood establishment, and anecdotally, I have waded through a fair amount of mail over the last season from people who hold
Friday Night Lights' milieu (Texas in particular, and the macho culture of football in general) against it. But the most important point in all of this is that
FNL is simply the better show.
Boston Legal has its guilty pleasures, though I bailed by the midpoint of this season after having had my fill of cross-dressing employees and the usual array of over-the-top idiocy. I am flabbergasted that it was chosen as one of the top five TV dramas, this year or any other.
