Tom O’Neill at The Envelope is teasing readers once again by revealing the Top 10 lists at a ludicrously slow pace that is only dragging this thing out further. With nominations coming on Thursday, who is going to make the cut? Here’s the lists so far.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Conchata Ferrell, “Two and a Half Men”
Jenna Fischer, “The Office”
Ashley Jensen, “Extras”
Kathryn Joosten, “Desperate Housewives”
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
Becki Newton, “Ugly Betty”
Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds”
Jaime Pressly, “My Name Is Earl”
Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men”
Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”
My Thoughts: Yay for Becki Newton and Jenna Fischer, who will duel in the battle of the receptionists. The only real suprise is Kathryn Joosten, who is always an Emmy favourite but is only credited as a guest star on DH. Very interesting, Emmy voters.
Lead Actor in a Dramatic Role
Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”
Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Matthew Fox, “Lost”
James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Eddie Izzard, “The Riches”
Hugh Laurie, “House”
Denis Leary, “Rescue Me”
James Spader, “Boston Legal”
Kiefer Sutherland, “24”
My Thoughts: Good to see Matthew Fox make it in, and there really aren’t any huge snubs here other than Michael Chiklis for The Shield.
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos”
S. Epatha Merkerson, “Law & Order”
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters”
Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy”
CCH Pounder, “The Shield”
Aida Turturro, “The Sopranos”
Kay Walsh, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Patricia Wettig, “Brothers & Sisters”
Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy”
My Thoughts: Where the hell is Elizabeth Mitchell for Lost? Her performance as Juliet was the one that was supposed to actually have a chance at a nomination for the series, and she doesn’t make the Top 10 over S. Epatha Merkerson who barely does anything on Law & Order anymore? Le sigh. I’m glad to see Patricia Wettig get her due, and I like that Kate Walsh made it, but not over my beloved Mitchell. Boourns, Emmy voters.
When NBC revealed their schedule in May, I was critical of them for a few things. One of them was sending The Bionic Woman to die on Wednesday nights, but considering that the show is in considerable retooling and is casting Isaiah Washington (Action Star? Uhh, really, NBC?) I don’t really care too much about its fate. But I did care about two other shows sent to die: Friday Night Lights in its graveyard 10pm slot on Friday nights, and Josh Schwartz’ Chuck facing off against similar Reaper on The CW…oh, and HOUSE. And now, NBC has rectified these two mistakes.
– Chuck moves to 8pm on Mondays, a slot that certainly won’t be simple (Prison Break is the main competition), but it’s not the insanity that was Tuesday. This will give the show a chance to build an audience amongst young people who will be tuning in for Heroes anyways.
– Friday Night Lights moves down an hour to 9pm, which make complete sense. They’re also going to emphasize the family drama as opposed to the football drama, which is more representative of the show as a whole. It will also be receiving a lead-in from Deal or No Deal, which will be moving from Chuck’s Monday slot to 8pm on Fridays. Poor Bob Saget: His 1 vs. 100 appears to be cut for the fall season.
In other NBC news, The Singing Bee will be paired with The Biggest Loser on Tuesdays in an attempt to cut into House’s audience with reality programming. Except that The Biggest Loser is not America’s Got Talent, and The Singing Bee will get old. FAST. I do hope they realize that sooner, rather than later.
Here’s the premiere dates for the fall season, so mark your calendars!
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 comedy episodes in both directing and in writing that, I believe, should be recognized by the Academy and its voters this year. [For my list of Drama candidates, click here]
Oustanding Writing in a Comedy Series
30 Rock – “Hard Ball” (Writer: Matthew Hubbard)
It’s hard to believe a former staff writer on Joey was capable of writing such a fantastic episode of 30 Rock, but it happened: this episode made Jenna tolerable, had some great moments from Jack and Liz, and gave Tracy and Kenneth an engaging storyline. It was satirical, it was funny, and while it isn’t perfect I think it’s as close as 30 Rock came to achieving it in its first season.
Entourage – “Manic Monday” (Writers: Doug Ellin, Marc Abrams & Michael Benson)
I think that Entourage had a few well-written episodes, but Manic Monday caught me eye for being so focused on Ari. Jeremy Piven knocks all of his material out of the park, but this particular episode showcased a human side, just briefly. The writing allows Ari to progress naturally, and features perhaps the best overall arc of the show’s eligible episode within his character.
Desperate Housewives – “Bang” (Writer: Joe Keenan)
Joe Keenan did the impossible: he took a character that was seriously just there to be annoying, and by the end of the episode you actually mourned her death. While Laurie Metcalf and Felicity Huffman certainly elevated the material to a different level, Keenan’s bones were structurally fantastic and resulted in a tense, engaging hour of television.
The Office – “Business School” (Writer: Brent Forrester)
A former writer on The Simpsons, I think Forrester absolutely nailed so many characters in this episode that I don’t see how it can’t be nominated. Michael was funny, Pam was crushed, and Jim and Dwight were as ridiculous as ever. It was an episode that has emotional sentiment and a lot of universal themes…and a bat in the office. That’s inspired writing.
How I Met Your Mother – “Slap Bet” (Writer: Kourtney Kang)
From the episode ending 80s-inspired Robin Sparkles reveal to the initiation of the Slap Bet, this episode is a slow build to a conclusion that is basically just a music video…but it works. We spend the entire episode wondering what Robin’s secret it, and its reveal is about as perfect as you could imagine. This is the episode that could have garnered the series an Emmy nod; it’s also a strong writing candidate.
Outstanding Direction in a Comedy Series
The Office – “Business School” (Director: Joss Whedon)
The Buffy/Angel/Firefly creator was one of two guest directors in the month of February, and I think that he personally nailed the comic timing of the series for me. The show felt the same, but the angles were really a lot of fun. He had the classroom, the art show and the office to play with, and he used some dynamic camera moves and really cool angles to get the most out of them. Listening to commentaries that he does shows he has an eye for direction, and it was proven here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’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.
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.
Okay, so turning a TV series into a video game has never been an easy proposition, at least not on the live action side of things. While we all have fond memories of the licensed titles surrounding shows like Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers, I think that Alias and 24 have shown us that these properties (Even ones that SEEM like good video game ideas) are not likely to ever turn out something overly compelling from a game design point of view.
But, MumboJumbo Games is out to change this perspective with a new perspective: rather than trying to create some sort of high-class experience from a dramatic property, tap into the casual gaming market with a game based on a popular comedy program. And thus, The Office: The Video Game is born.
It plans to turn “The Office” into a humorous game in which players have to handle jobs and play pranks at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch.
“We were anxious to expand our audience with a property that has broad appeal and works well as a game,” said MumboJumbo VP of product development Mike Suarez. “It will help us to demonstrate that casual games are the true mass videogame market.”
MumboJumbo has likeness rights to the show’s cast, who will be portrayed as bobblehead-type dolls. Game will also feature audio and video clips from the show.
My personal thoughts on this? I wasn’t really clambering for a video game version of Dwight. I mean, I get what they’re trying to do here, appealing to a casual audience, but they will face one rather substantial problem: the audience of The Office is smarter than that. Licensed video games on systems like the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP (The two systems the game will appear on) are often crappy, but because they’re appealing to mostly a younger audience parents will buy them because they’re familiar.
In this situation, myself and most Office viewers know better than to pay $30 for a licensed title that likely isn’t very good. These cheap titles are designed to be just that: cheap to make, profitable for their publisher as a result. However, they rely on uninformed buyers purchasing them not knowing their poor quality as a result of that cheap development. And yet, I think that a majority of the possible audience for this title will know better.
But hey, I might be wrong: maybe people want to take on a Bobblehead version of Michael live on their portable system of choice or their PC. They’ll get their chance soon, as the game releases this fall.
[In Week Three of Cultural Learnings’ 59th Annual Emmy Awards Nominations Preview, we’re looking at possible contenders for the Lead Actor awards in both drama and comedy. Today, we present our sixth set of candidates. For complete listings for the Supporting candidates from the past two weeks, check out our For Your Consideration index]
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Carell (Michael Scott)
The Office
I don’t really know what to say about Steve Carell that hasn’t already been said. The fact that he didn’t win this award last year was a travesty, as his loss to Tony Shalhoub should have never happened. I wrote about Rainn Wilson two weeks ago that The Office really wouldn’t work without him, and I stand by that statement…but Dwight wouldn’t really work without Michael, and I don’t think that much of the show’s comedy would be as funny if the uncool, trying to be cool boss wasn’t around. What makes Carell so great in this role is his ability to throw everything into his comic performance, but then be able to bring it all back together to appear as a real human being. Without that quality, Carell would be a loose cannon on a show where all firearms must be precision weapons designed to entertain. However, although often giving the appearance of being entirely unstable, Michael Scott is a human being first and foremost, capable of love and loss and friendship and emotions. And with a deft comic hand and a sense of who his character really is, Steve Carell delivers a consistently Emmy worthy performance.
This season has allowed Carell a lot of movement within Michael’s character. He continued to go through relationship drama, struggled to relate to his co-workers as per usual, and had to deal with a convict and a gay man in his office (He didn’t do so well with either of them). And I have to commend him for managing to go through all of this (especially “Gay Witch Hunt”, which I found more disturbing than funny) while maintaining some level of sanity within Michael’s character. At the end of the season as he finds himself caring for a rapidly falling apart Jan and wondering how he got stuck in this mess, we relate to him and his situation. Carell can go through from hapless to empathetic in about two second flat, and he did so admirably throughout the season. While he doesn’t always get the same types of “gags” as Dwight or Jim, I think that his comedy is all in the setup. And this season saw a wide range of setups, and Carell’s performance within them is worthy of Emmy consideration.
Episode Selection:“Business School” (Aired February 15th, 2007)
I’m skipping forward to this section quicker than I might usually because I want to explain that this is where Carell lost the Emmy last year. His submitted episode, where he burnt his food on his George Foreman grill, was Michael at his most annoying. There was no heart, no caring within his character. This wasn’t Michael as an innocent, it was Michael as an ungracious jerk. So, this season he needed an episode that showcased that.
And he bloody well found it. Business School is a great episode for Carell because he is forced to face reality straight in the face, and his emotional side is showcased in the action’s coda. As he speaks to Ryan’s business class, he realizes that people believe he is irrelevant, that he has no future. He finds himself being attacked, and responds with throwing candy bars and ripping apart textbooks. But he is visibly angry at the end, frustrated with his place in his job. And then, at episode’s end, he visits Pam’s art show and proudly hangs the photo of their office up on the wall. It is poignant, it is funny, and it is great television. This is the episode that could win him an Emmy.
YouTube – “Business School”
And another of the episode’s coda, which wasn’t set to Edward Scissorhands or mashed with it in real life, but it makes it even more dramatic.
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Matthew Fox (Jack)
Lost
Matthew Fox has the rather unfortunate reputation as being someone who fans of Lost don’t really care about. Locke is the badass, Hurley’s the comic relief, Ben is the villain, Sawyer’s the rebel, and Jack is just kind of there. It didn’t help that this season we had to sit through one of the series’ most pointless backstories, a muddled mess of crazy tattoos and other such things from Jack’s past. “Stranger in a Strange Land”, and all of this talk of Jack lacking a hook needs to be put to rest, however. What makes Matthew Fox’s performance so strong as Jack is that, believe it or not, he’s all lies. He was on this island as a man damaged by his past, but he had to become a hero. Becoming a hero basically neutered Jack as a character, which is why there are very few who claim him as their favourite. However, there needs to be recognition for those who step up and who are conflicted heroes struggling to keep it together. Jack Shepherd is one of those characters, and Matthew Fox’s portrayal of him is worthy of Emmy consideration.
If CBS gives the go-ahead, producers of two of the network’s highest rated programs might be switching writing staffs for a week. However, perhaps surprisingly, these two shows are Two and a Half Men and CSI:. One is a light-hearted innuendo-laden comedy. The other is a procedural drama that only occasionally wanders into the comedy realm. This is perhaps the greatest idea ever.
Now, I have no idea how it would work out for either show (Which excites me), but it does have me thinking: which other TV series should swap writing staffs for a week? And I came up with all sorts of options, but here are two to get us started.
‘The Office’ and ‘CSI: Miami’
This would address the question I’ve been dying to have answered: would CSI: Miami be more or less funny if the humour was intentional? Horatio Caine is basically the most ridiculous character on television, and through the joys of YouTube his unintentional humour has become a cult sensation. However, what would happen if the hilarious writers of The Office got to write lines actually meant to be funny, meant to elicit laughter. I’m imagining Horatio talking a lot like Dwight while investigating the recent marijuana incident…and it’s basically cracking me up right now. As for the other side of the coin, I think it would be interesting to see whether the CSI: Miami writers are actually capable of being funny…my bet is on no, but the other side would be totally worth it.
‘Heroes’ and ‘Battlestar Galactica’
Admittedly, this one is somewhat less about comedy. However, I think that this would be a very interesting experiment because I think that Heroes’ writing staff would learn a lot about character development and sustaining multiple storylines. While Battlestar has its slow episodes, its characters have been so well developed that they often don’t resonate. If Heroes writers could pick up on that, they might be able to survive an entire season at a stronger pace. Meanwhile, I would love to see what Ronald Moore and David Eick could do in the Heroes universe considering their success on the Sci-Fi series.
Okay, so that’s it from me on this subject (I have more, don’t get me wrong, but I figure I should give people a cchance). Are there any other shows that you think might be ready for a crossover opportunity? Is there another show you think might benefit from The Office’s hilarity or one that could be helped by Lost’s mythology? What writers do you think should spend time on Wysteria Lane with some desperate housewives? Are there any writers that you think might benefit from spending some time in Jericho? Feel free to comment below.
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Cultural Learnings 