Oh, the drama! Emmy drama picks
Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 6:00 AM by Paige Newman
Filed Under:
TV
The main problem I’ve always had with the Emmys is that there’s almost a force of habit when it comes to the nomination picks. Once a show gets in, it stays in. A great show can have a crappy season, but Emmy never seems to realize it.
Last year’s best drama series picks were “Boston Legal,” “Damages,” “Dexter,” “House,” “Lost” and “Mad Men.” I have no problem with “Mad Men,” “Dexter” and “Lost” sticking around, and thankfully, “Boston Legal” is off the air. As for “Damages” and “House,” neither of these great shows had a strong season.
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Walton Goggins and Michael Chiklis gave acting lessons on "The Shield."
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I would add “The Shield,” “Breaking Bad” and “Big Love” to the list. “The Shield’s” final season was one of the more satisfying conclusions a series has ever had. Creator Shawn Ryan took Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) to an end I never would have dreamed of for the tough cop – life in a cubicle. And the show, which thrived on electric tension, just never let up.
“Big Love” broke my heart this season, with Barb’s (Jeanne Tripplehorne) parting from the church, Sarah’s (Amanda Seyfried) miscarriage, and Nicolette (Chloe Sevigny) realizing that she could have had another life. The show’s best episode was “Come, Ye Saints,” which featured the most uncomfortable road trip ever. “Big Love” proves the best writing for women is on TV, not in the movies.
“Breaking Bad’s” second season was even stronger than its first. And if I could add a seventh show, it would be the revitalized “Rescue Me.”
Last year, the best actor nominees were James Spader, Bryan Cranston, Michael C. Hall, Hugh Laurie, Gabriel Byrne and Jon Hamm. These actually aren’t bad. Spader is out, so I’d replace him with Bill Paxton from “Big Love.” Though I love Hugh Laurie, I’d replace him with Denis Leary in “Rescue Me.”
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Is it wrong that I like Tommy better when he's drinking on "Rescue Me"?
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I was ready to give up on “Rescue Me” last season, but it came back strong, re-embracing its 9/11 origins and letting Tommy (Leary) develop new delusions about his love life and his drinking. He’s almost the dramatic version of Larry David’s character from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” because he’s constantly making decisions that make you wonder how in the hell he’ll deal with the consequences. It’s a fierce, fearless performance.
Though Hall is wonderful on “Dexter,” I’d actually put Chiklis in his place. And speaking of “Shield” actors, I must make a heartfelt plea for Walton Goggins, who played Shane Vendrell, for best supporting actor. I can’t think of a more heartbreaking demise for a character than Shane’s, who when he felt pushed into a corner, killed both his wife and child, before taking his own life. It was positively Shakespearian.
In the lead actress category, last year’s nominees were Sally Field, Kyra Sedgwick, Glenn Close, Mariska Hargitay and Holly Hunter. This category needs a makeover in the worst way. Sedgwick can stay, but she should be in the company of “True Blood’s” Anna Paquin, “Big Love” actresses Sevigny and Tripplehorne and two of “Mad Men’s” ladies, Elizabeth Moss and January Jones.
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January Jones breaks down wifely stereotypes on "Mad Men."
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Jones especially deserves the recognition. She’s an actress that Alfred Hitchcock would have drooled over – the beauty of “Rear Window’s” Grace Kelly combined with the savvy quality of “Vertigo’s” Kim Novak. She’s the mom who would rather be horseback riding than spending time with her kids, the wronged wife who gets revenge on her husband by having anonymous sex she doesn’t even tell him about. And she’s bored out of her mind. Before “Mad Men,” Jones was doing movies like “American Wedding” and “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.” Never again. This woman is a true acting powerhouse.
What would you pick for the drama categories? Share your favorite potential nominees below.
