Category Archives: Heroes

July 25, 2007 · 10:45 am

The 2007 Emmy Awards: The 12 Biggest Snubs

The good people at AOL Television have put together a photo gallery featuring various thoughts on who got snubbed for the 2007 Emmy Nominations, and I was lucky enough to be one of their featured commentators.

Emmys Blog Reactions – AOL Television

However, their list has admittedly got me thinking about some of the most frustrating snubs that could possibly have arisen out of the various Emmy nominations (Even the obscure ones). And so, I’ve created a list of what are my ten largest snubs of the nominations, individuals who deserved a chance to be recognized by their peers.

‘Lost’ for Best Drama Series

There is no question that Lost reached creative highs in its third season, it’s a pity that an arguable lowpoint in its opening episodes kept it from gaining enough traction to overcome lesser shows like Heroes or Boston Legal which skated by with newness and familiarity respectively. It’s hard to know what got it snubbed: a lack of voter interest, a poorly submitted episode, or the spread of the opinion that the show was past its prime. I don’t understand any of those options, but Lost will sit out another year regardless.

Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for Lead Actor in a Drama Series

It was the single worst snub of the Emmy season, greater than any of the other missing individuals. While James Spader and Kiefer Sutherland went through the pace, Michael C. Hall crafted a serial killer that we not only grew to empathize with but actually kind of liked in the end. His performance made the entire concept work; without some level of empathy, the show would collapse under an unlikable hero incapable of emotional contact with others. After the Hollywood Foreign Press and his Screen Actors Guild peers recognized him, it is unfortunate that the Academy members could not do the same. The fact that he won’t have a chance to challenge for this award is the season’s greatest travesty.

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Filed under 30 Rock, Award Shows, Dexter, Emmy Awards, Friday Night Lights, Gilmore Girls, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Lost, NBC, Television, Weeds

Tagged as Emmys, For Your Consideration

July 19, 2007 · 9:04 am

The 2007 Emmy Awards Nominations: Lost Snubbed, Sopranos Praised

After months of coverage and more than a little bit of analysis, it is has finally come down to this: this morning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have officially announced their nominations for what their voters believed to be the best in television over the past year. Are they right on the money, or are they off the mark once again?

The Big Stories

– Lost and Friday Night Lights snubbed, although Lost dominates in Supporting Actor with Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson! Woo!

– The Sopranos leads with 15 nominations.

– Battlestar Galactica and Lost each garnered writing and directing nods on the Drama side, while 30 Rock and The Office dominated the categories in terms of Comedy series.

– There’s a lot of snubs all over the place, I’ll go into more detail tomorrow, but Michael C. Hall is the worst one. Yes, worse than Lost.

– Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer break through as supporting contenders for The Office, which garnered a whole lot of nominations once you factor in writing and directing.

And the Nominees Are…

Oustanding Drama Series

The Sopranos

Heroes

Boston Legal

Grey’s Anatomy

House

Oustanding Comedy Series

The Office

Entourage

Two and a Half Men

30 Rock

Ugly Betty

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Filed under 24, ABC, Award Shows, Battlestar Galactica, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Emmy Awards, Entourage, FOX, Friday Night Lights, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, House, How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Monk, My Name is Earl, NBC, Reality TV, Scrubs, Television, The Amazing Race, The Office, Ugly Betty, Weeds

Tagged as CBS, Emmys, HBO

July 18, 2007 · 8:00 am

Cultural Learnings’ 2007 Emmy Nominations: Final Predictions

Tomorrow morning at 5:35am PDT, the nominations for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced. I will now put myself out there on a limb with my own predictions of whose names will be called. I’ll have all the final nomination information as soon as it breaks, as long as my plan to be online at that point in time works out. I will literally stop working to do this for you, remember that.

NOTE: Some of these predictions have changed thanks to the leaked Top 10 lists. Most have not.

Oustanding Drama Series

Lost

I think it’s the best show on television, and I think that its season was certainly worthy of an Emmy nomination. The show is unmatched on network television in terms of writing, production and performances.

Grey’s Anatomy

It’s season was uneven, but its popular support and wide-range of acting talents will be too hard for the ATAS to ignore.

The Sopranos

The show’s final season kept the buzz level high, and the finale basically clinched it: no one will be forgetting The Sopranos this year.

House

It’s the second biggest drama on television, and people just seem to love the show to death. I think that it is a show that has proven itself worthy in the past, unlike Heroes which still hasn’t won that level of respect.

Friday Night Lights

Admittedly, this is a sentimental choice. However, I can’t not believe that Emmy voters will find the heart of this series too endearing to pass up. With Kyle Chandler making the Drama Actor Top 10, I think the show has a shot.

Oustanding Comedy Series

The Office

Last year’s winner had another strong and buzz-worthy season. It was a bit of a dark horse last year, but this time around it’s absolutely a front-runner…but in a category full of them.

Ugly Betty

One-hour comedies have a distinct advantage over half-hour ones, but even ignoring that Ugly Betty was a charming series that features some great performances. With Becki Newton and Vanessa Williams making the Top 10, I also think this show is a shoe-in.

30 Rock

The other new show to make this list, 30 Rock is a show made for the Emmys: prestigious talent (Fey, Baldwin, Krakowski), relevant and relatable theme (Show about a show), and it’s incredibly liberal. Plus, it’s kind of also the best new comedy of the year. Just sayin’.

Two and a Half Men

The only traditional sitcom left in the Emmy race, I think that voters will trend towards it like the sheep they are. That being said, the show is not the worst sitcom ever: it’s just similar to them in every way.

Entourage

While Scrubs did have the musical episode, I think that Entourage is the closest the category has to a hip show that hasn’t quite gotten its due. 30 Rock is actually quite safe, The Office is now almost too popular, so it’s Entourage that best fits the bill. With Kevin Dillon breaking the Top 10 for Supporting Actor, the show has a shot.

Extra Prediction:

The Sopranos will garner the most nominations on the drama side, while 30 Rock and The Office will fight it out for the most comedy nominations with Ugly Betty not far behind.

The rest of the nominations can be found below, with full explanations found here (Drama) and here (Comedy).

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Words and Pictures: Emmy Writing and Directing Contenders (Drama)

Every year, writers and directors kind of get the short straw, if you will, when it comes to Emmy night. In the past, these categories have served as catch alls for the Academy to recognize series that aren’t getting the same level of attention at higher levels. Two years ago, House won for Best Writing in a Drama Series while Lost swept Directing/Drama Series; last year, My Name is Earl won writing and directing despite being otherwise shut out. This year, these categories will be yet another chance for shows to be recognized.

Today, I want to highlight five drama episodes in both directing and in writing that, I believe, should be recognized by the Academy and its voters this year.

Oustanding Writing in a Drama Series

Lost – “Through the Looking Glass” (Writers: Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse)

Taking over as full-time co-showrunners, Lindelof and Cuse were behind some great episodes this season. Nothing, however, lives up to this beautifully plotted and mind-bending finale that incorporates action, drama, romance and of course the season-ending twist that was eloquently foreshadowed throughout. It’s a great piece of script work, and deserves to be considered for an Emmy award.

Lost – “Expose” (Writers: Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz)

This is perhaps a surprising choice, as the episode was quite divisive. However, in terms of single episodes, this was a wondrous throwback to Twilight Zone storytelling with an amazing slow reveal to the buried alive conclusion. It was a tragedy and a morality tale all wrapped in one, and I think it was an achievement that the writing came together in such a sharp fashion on what could have been (And may have been, for some) a complete disaster.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – “Pilot” (Writer: Aaron Sorkin)

Say what you will about what the series became over the span of its twenty-two episodes, but this pilot is still a fast-paced rollercoaster that does a brilliant job of setting up a series with a lot of potential. It’s contrived, but so is just about everything else on television: Sorkin’s work on the pilot was his best in the series, and I think it is the show’s only chance at garnering a nomination. And, well, it kind of deserves it.

Heroes – “Company Man” (Writer: Bryan Fuller)

Rumour has it that Tim Kring might have a better chance with the series’ pilot, and if that is nominated but Company Man is not I will personally hunt down Bryan Fuller and apologize to him on behalf of the Academy. The single best piece of writing to come out of the series if not the season, Company Man shined a magnifying glass on the world of Heroes to find stories, people, development and subtle qualities I didn’t know the show had. Fuller elevated the material, without a doubt, and deserves recognition for the amazing achievement.

Battlestar Galactica – “Occupation / Precipice” (Writer: Ronald D. Moore)

As the show’s third season began, BSG turned into a post-colonial study of people being oppressed, and their only hope losing hope that they could do something about it. Having flashed forward over a year, Moore had a lot of pieces to pick up and did it well. The introduction of the resistance and its plight was real, relevant to today’s politics, and felt like the series was finding a new ground. It is almost unfortunate that they left New Caprica so soon, because the material to be mined there was very solid. And Moore knew it.

Oustanding Direction in a Drama Series

Friday Night Lights – “Pilot” (Director: Peter Berg)

Some people are turned off by the show’s handheld style, but without it I think this pilot may have been just a pedestrian football drama. So much of the show’s heart comes from our intimate location during both the football games and conversations: being able to capture that allowed his characters to grow, and Berg’s touch made sure that happened.

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Filed under Award Shows, Dexter, Emmy Awards, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Lost, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Television

Tagged as Emmys, For Your Consideration, HBO

July 6, 2007 · 2:02 pm

[Not] For Your Consideration: Drama Series – “Heroes”

[As part of Cultural Learnings’ For Your Consideration Emmy Nominations Preview, the next two weeks will feature 7 Drama Series and 7 Comedy Series worthy of Emmy consideration. However, invariably, we don’t like all of them. Even some shows we watch, well, aren’t exactly Emmy worthy. So, [Not] For Your Consideration was born. For all of Cultural Learnings’ Emmy Coverage featuring Supporting and Lead Acting candidates, check out our For Your Consideration Index.]

Outstanding Drama Series

Heroes (NBC)

In preparing to write these pieces, I knew that I was going to have a problem with Heroes. I have a lot of opinions about this series, and admittedly not all of them are positive: despite enjoying the series immensely at certain points, at others I cringed and wondered just why I was watching it. So, knowing that I would likely end up writing an article about its season as a whole, I tried to distill my thoughts into something positive, but tentative. But then I realized that would not work, and that I needed to be honest. And so, here we are, with what is my first venture into this territory. Because, you see, even though it officially made the Drama Series Top 10…I don’t think that Heroes should be considered for an Emmy award for Outstanding Drama Series.

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Filed under Award Shows, Emmy Awards, Heroes, NBC, Television

Tagged as Emmys, For Your Consideration

June 30, 2007 · 1:38 pm

The Leak: Emmy Top 10s for Drama and Comedy Series Hit the Web

Well, thanks to Tom O’Neill over at TheEnvelope.com, the Top 10 Drama and Comedy Series according to the popular voters of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have been revealed. These 10 shows will then screen an episode each in front of blue ribbon panels, and the Top 5 with the two processes combined will be nominated. If they didn’t make this list, they’re screwed.

Top 10 Drama Series

Boston Legal
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
Heroes
House
Lost
Rome
The Sopranos
24

Biggest Surprise: I’m much happier about Friday Night Lights making it, but arguably Rome is the bigger surprise. The show had much less critical hype and aired such a short 2nd season that it was unexpected to get much attention. It appears that it got the period costume sex drama buzz as opposed to Showtime’s The Tudors.

Most Glaring Omission: Brothers & Sisters had good ratings, buzzworthy stars, but apparently voters didn’t feel the love. The aforementioned Tudors was also quite a shock considering how hard Showtime had pushed it, but Brothers & Sisters probably deserves one of those spots. And, even though it had no shot, Battlestar Galactica deserved better. Le sigh.

Network Breakdown: ABC leads with three series, while HBO, NBC and FOX all perform well with two a piece. Meanwhile, CBS is completely shut out while Showtime grabs the 10th spot.

Who Will Do Well: Lost and the Sopranos are riding the most buzz right now, and Grey’s and 24 both submitted strong episodes.

Who Won’t Do Well: Heroes, having submitted their pilot, will be EATEN ALIVE by these other shows. And Friday Night Lights, unfortunately, might have hit a roadblock against such tough competition. But it’s made it in, and that’s what matters.

Top 10 Comedy Series

Desperate Housewives
Entourage
Extras
My Name is Earl
The Office
Scrubs
Thirty Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

Biggest Surprise: Eh, not much of one. We knew there were two spots up for grab, and it appears that voters liked British comedy (Extras) and American commercial success (Two and a Half Men) out of the remaining candidates.

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Tagged as CBS, Emmys, For Your Consideration, HBO, Showtime

June 29, 2007 · 7:48 am

The 8+ Best Episode Submissions for the 2007 Emmy Awards

So yesterday I shed some light on some of the worst Emmy submissions that could make or break potential nominees. And, through some discussions over at the Gold Derby forums, it is clear that some people actually submitted quite well, and maybe they should be highlighted as well. Since I’m all for equal opportunity Emmy coverage, let’s spend some time investigating who understands this Emmy process well enough to submit powerhouse episodes worthy of consideration.

Elizabeth Mitchell – “One of Us”

As Juliet on Lost, Mitchell received two flashbacks that turned her character from recurring Other to full blown cast member. “One of Us”, however, was the easy choice: she has highly emotional scenes on both the present and the past, and it sheds a lot of light on her character that she embraces with a nuanced performance.

Cultural Learnings’ FYC: Elizabeth Mitchell

How I Met Your Mother and Cobie Smulders – “Slap Bet”

Robin Sparkles was the absolute best thing to happen to How I Met Your Mother, and Supporting Actress candidate Cobie Smulders, in terms of its Emmy chances. Both are unlikely to break the Top 10 (The show itself has an outside shot), but this episode’s conclusion and build-up are irresistible.

Cultural Learnings’ FYC: Cobie Smulders

Steve Carell – “Business School”

The star of The Office picked poorly last year, selecting the episode where he grilled his foot. There he was unsympathetic and annoying. In Business School, Michael gets to interact with the public (Always a plus), argues with Ryan (Another good relationship for his character), and his moment with Pam at episode’s end perfectly encapsulates why Michael, despite being flawed, is still a good boss in the end. Perfect submission.

Cultural Learnings’ FYC: Steve Carell

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The 8+ Biggest Submission Mistakes of the 2007 Emmy Awards

For those who are unaware, every actor or actress or series submitting themselves for consideration for an Emmy Award submit a single episode that will, if they make the Top 10 in the Popular Vote, be screened to blue ribbon panels that will provide a ranking, resulting in 50% of the total score. Confused? Well, let’s put it this way: they have one chance, one episode, in which they can impress those judges.

GoldDerbyForums – Confirmed Emmy Submissions

And so, although it’s only worth 50% this year, a poor submission can destroy the chances for an actor or actress or for an entire series. And there are eight this year that could well take these contenders and make them into high-profile snubs on July 19th.

The Office and Rainn Wilson – “The Coup”

While this episode of The Office was certainly a funny one, it has one distinct problem: it’s more pathetic than it is funny. Dwight (Wilson), especially, comes across as a sad little puppy with no backbone in the episode, as opposed to the lovable weirdo that would play better with voters. The entire episode felt that way: like a cruel joke was being played on Dwight, and he wasn’t in on it. This makes the show out to be far more heartless than it actually is, and I do not believe it will play well with the panels.

Ugly Betty – “Pilot”

Ugly Betty’s pilot lacks a majority of its best qualities. Its diverse cast is pushed into stereotypical roles, its colour palette is extremely muted, and outside of some comic acting from America Ferrera the show’s heart is almost entirely missing. This is a show that gained momentum along the way, and showing the Pilot removes that level of growth from the panel. They want to see charming television, and the Pilot is actually perhaps the show’s least charming episode.

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Filed under 30 Rock, ABC, Award Shows, Emmy Awards, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Lost, NBC, Television, The Office, Ugly Betty

Tagged as Emmys, For Your Consideration

June 25, 2007 · 5:47 pm

Pilot Casting Changes Gone Wrong: ‘Heroes’ Illusionist subs in on CW’s ‘Reaper’

I have yet to see the pilot for The CW’s Reaper, but I will refer to people that have to help me make my point. The titular Brill and Eric of the Brill And Eric Watch TV Podcast had a ‘preview’ of Reaper and pointed out that they hoped that changes wouldn’t mess with the show’s formula. Specifically, they felt that the series’ female lead was different than the usual CW brand of ditzy female bimbos. Well, maybe not in so many words. And they also foreshadowed that some recasting might be in order.

And their prophecy has become correct: Nikki Reed, originally cast as the love interest for Bret Harrison, has been replaced by ‘Heroes’ alum Missy Peregrym, who played…”illusionist” Candice, according to the Hollywood Reporter. If people want to tell me exactly what to call her, feel free to do so. Regardless, I am OUTRAGED at this development for a few reasons. On a smaller note, before I get to the big ones, Reed would have been close to her character’s purported age of about 21. Peregrym, meanwhile, is 25. But that’s just a quibble. Here are the two main reasons:

1. Nikki Reed is Awesome

An independent film darling, and writer of hit drama ‘Thirteen’, Nikki Reed expanded into the world of popular television (My world, apparently) by appearing in The O.C.’s unfortunate third season as a love interest for Ryan while Marissa was off being a whore with Johnny. Maybe it was just that comparison, but Reed was absolutely charming. She was mature, she was attractive, she was engaging, and she was perhaps my favourite pairing for Ryan before Taylor came along. She brought real characterization to a painfully underwritten character, and her acting chops showed.

2. Missy Peregrym Isn’t a Good Actress

She’s not terrible, but Peregrym has done nothing in her two TV roles (ABC’s Life as We Know It and the aforementioned Heroes) to convince me she’s a good actress. She did some engaging work towards the end of Heroes’ first season, specifically in her scenes with Noah Gray Cabey, but on the whole Candice was a boring and not really that entertaining character. And, either way, there was NOTHING within her performance on either show that convinced me she was capable of being an interesting love interest.

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Filed under Heroes, Reaper, Television, The CW

Tagged as Pilots

June 22, 2007 · 8:27 am

Emmy Nominations: How They Work, Who They Benefit

Today, June 21st, the first stage of the Emmy Nomination process ends. Getting nominated for an Emmy Award is not an easy task, and the entire process is ludicrously complicated this year. To help you follow the process as it unfolds over the next month, here’s a rundown on how the decision is made and who benefits from each stage.

Stage One: The Popular Vote

How it Works: Voters select their favourite candidate from all individuals who have submitted themselves for nomination. They read For Your Consideration ads, watch screeners, but in the end likely just pick who they like.

Who it Benefits: Shows that are either perennial nominees or extremely buzz-worthy, and actors that are well-known in Hollywood. Shows like The Sopranos or Desperate Housewives are guaranteed to do well at this stage because they have star power and award show history. Thus, voters don’t really even need to see what these candidates have to offer, they just assume they’re really good. Much hyped new shows, like Heroes and Ugly Betty, will also benefit.

Who it Harms: Ratings-deprived, critically acclaimed programs without any of the above, and actors or actresses who lack star power. While a show like critically acclaimed 30 Rock has a lot of star power (Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey), Friday Night Lights does not and will not perform well at this stage of the competition. Similarly, a show like Jericho lost so much steam in the post-hiatus period that it is unlikely to be on voters’ minds, even with the recent campaign to save it.

Stage Two: The Top 10 Run-Off

How it Works: The Top 10 series from the popular vote are isolated and screened in front of a blue ribbon panel. Each show/actor/actress selects an episode that will be screened for the panel if it makes the Top 10. They also prepare a short written statement explaining their show and the episode in context with the show. For example, should Lost make the Best Drama Series panel (Count on it), they will be screening the season finale, “Through the Looking Glass.”

Then, each member of the panel will rank the shows from 1 to 10, and a final ranking will be decided.

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Filed under 30 Rock, Award Shows, Dexter, Emmy Awards, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Jericho, Lost, Television, The Office, The Sopranos, Ugly Betty