As I looked at the Emmy ...
Dominic West,The Wire
Question: As I looked at the Emmy nominations, the title of
your recent Dispatch kept running through my head: They
did get our hopes up again. I'm thrilled that
Mad Men got several key nominations, that
Lost was nominated for best drama, that Michael Emerson most deservedly got a nod, that
Desperate Housewives was limited to guest actress nods, that Kristen Chenoweth — who lights up the screen — got a nod and that
Survivor didn't make the cut in reality competition (yay,
Top Chef!). But I am disappointed again to no end.
Friday Night Lights only gets a casting nod? Don't get me wrong, I love its casting, but what about its writing, its direction, its cinematography and, of course, its excellent acting that for some reason never gets noticed? And
The Wire only gets a writing nod? Six dramas were nominated for Outstanding Drama, and
Friday Night Lights and
The Wire aren't among them? I guess we are lucky that there are so many excellent dramas available that some don't make the cut, but again with
Boston Legal? Ugh. And no
Pushing Daisies for Outstanding Comedy? For every one nomination that they seem to have gotten right this year, there's another nomination with which they have completely missed the mark. Was this a frustrating list for you, too? Do you think that they are getting it right more often now than, say, five years ago?
Answer: Yes to both of your questions. Year after year after year, the Emmys almost can't help but be frustrating. With so much TV out there, and so many great dramas in particular, there are simply too many opportunities for omission. This year is no exception, but I'll be honest and say that, as reflected in
my Dispatch on Emmy day, this year's list aggravates me far less than most — with a few notable, awful exceptions. I mean, just look at that drama category.
Mad Men and
Damages: basic-cable breakthroughs and both truly excellent series.
Dexter: What a shock that the Emmy voters set aside their squeamishness to acknowledge the second season's brilliance.
Lost: back on the list (at the expense, I'm thinking, of
Grey's Anatomy, which deserved to sit out a year) after a thrilling comeback season. Four home runs out of six isn't bad.
House: an example of the Emmys as popularity contest, nominating a show repeatedly even in an uneven year that wasn't truly worthy. But
Boston Legal? At this point, I just give up. I'm not as worked up about it this year — unlike last year, when my reaction at the Emmys announcement was so apoplectic that awards guru Tom O'Neil still rags me about it — because I'm simply resigned to the fact that a large segment of the Hollywood creative community gets off on this show. They love being pandered to, and they bite every single year. By comparison,
The Wire and
Friday Night Lights apparently act like castor oil to these people, as if these wonderful dramas are too "good for you" to actually be good. It's absurd and depressing, but as last Thursday morning drew near, I told myself that as long as
Mad Men got its due — and did it ever, with more nominations than any other drama — I wouldn't throw quite so predictable a hissy fit over the invevitable snubs regarding those shows that for whatever reason never found their way onto the Emmy radar.
