"Lost"! "Mad Men"! Dexter"! Critical Emmy Advice

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Cover image for  article: "Lost"! "Mad Men"! Dexter"! Critical Emmy Advice

 
I’m willing to bet that most voting members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – the very same folks who are currently deciding which shows and individuals to honor with nominations for this year’s Emmy Awards – actually watch relatively little television. Certainly, they watch less than the average television critic, especially ongoing series. So it behooves those of us who watch TV for a living to offer all of the guidance we can at this critical time.
 
I’m happy to do my part. What follows are my suggestions for the series and performances from the past year that should be at the forefront of voters’ thoughts as they set about marking those preliminary ballots. Before you begin reading, consider the degree of difficulty in narrowing many of these categories down to a mere five nominees – especially in the drama section. Despite all the trash talk one hears about television these days, the depth and breadth of its quality cannot be denied. How can anyone who works in or around the television business not look at this list and feel a genuine sense of excitement, especially knowing that there are many other excellent choices for virtually every one of these lists?
 
It’s time to expand the available positions in each Emmy category to ten! (I have started the ball rolling by listing ten deserving nominees in two of the categories below. I could have easily listed fifteen.)
 
 
 
Outstanding Comedy Series
 
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Pushing Daisies
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
 
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
 
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dule Hill, Psych
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
James Roday, Psych
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
 
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives
Dana Delaney, Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
 
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies
Michael Urie, Ugly Betty
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
 
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Vivica A. Fox, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty
 
 
Outstanding Drama Series
 
Boston Legal
Damages
Lost
Mad Men
The Wire
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series
 
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
James Spader, Boston Legal
 
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series
 
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
 
Gaius Charles, Friday Night Lights
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Vincent Kartheiser, Mad Men
Robert Sean Leonard, House
Peter O’Toole, The Tudors
Jesse Plemons, Friday Night Lights
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men
Michael Kenneth Williams, The Wire
 
 
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
 
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
January Jones, Mad Men
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Sonja Sohn, The Wire
Aimee Teagarden, Friday Night Lights
Mia Wasikowska, In Treatment
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
Grace Zabriskie, Big Love
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