This morning, the 2010 Emmy Awards Nominees were released and, as usual, there were some strange choices. As is not usual, there were considerably more good choices than questionable ones.
The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, August 29th, on NBC. A list of major category nominees and some brief commentary follow the jump.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)
"Glee" (FOX)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)
"The Office" (NBC)
"30 Rock" (NBC)
Although I, personally, don’t get the particular brand of humor contained in Larry Charles’ Curb Your Enthusiasm, it is on a lot of best of lists. Everything else in this category deserves to be here – though The Office may not be here again.
BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
Matthew Morrison ("Glee")
Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")
Steve Carell ("The Office")
Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")
With The Big Bang Theory, I am, again, in the minority – I find it boring and predictable – but it is a critical and popular success, so I can’t really complain too bitterly about Parson’ nomination. Same with Larry Charles. On the other hand, even though the last few episodes of Monk were pretty strong, the series hasn’t warranted much in the way of awards, so perhaps Tony Shalhoub would have been dropped from the list if it wasn’t his last time around as Adrian Monk. Biggest and most positive surprise here: Charlie Sheen was not nominated.
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Lea Michele ("Glee")
Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures Of Old Christine")
Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie")
Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation")
Tina Fey ("30 Rock")
Toni Collette ("United States of Tara")
I can’t really find any flaws here. That’s a surprise in and of itself.
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Chris Colfer ("Glee")
Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother")
Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family")
Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family")
Ty Burrell ("Modern Family")
Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men")
Jon Cryer is really the only deserving cast member of the otherwise abysmal Two and a Half Men, so I can’t complain about his being on the list here – except for the fact that I really think Ed O’Neill deserved a place here.
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Jane Lynch ("Glee")
Julie Bowen ("Modern Family")
Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family")
Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live")
Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock")
Holland Taylor ("Two and a Half Men")
Holland Taylor does not belong on this list. Not while the incredible Wanda Sykes goes unrecognized for her work on The New Adventures of Old Christine.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
"Breaking Bad" (AMC)
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"The Good Wife" (CBS)
"Lost" (ABC)
"Mad Men" (AMC)
"True Blood" (HBO)
Good lord! They got it right! Considering that there several other dramas that could be rotated into this list without diminishing its overall correctness [including but not limited to the following: The Closer, Friday Night Lights, The Mentalist, Men of a Certain Age], it’s still a pretty impressive feat.
BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad")
Michael C. Hall ("Dexter")
Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights")
Hugh Laurie ("House")
Matthew Fox ("Lost")
Jon Hamm ("Mad Men")
No complaints here, but again, a number of other actors could have made the list without diminishing its overall correctness.
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")
Glenn Close ("Damages")
Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights")
Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife")
Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit")
January Jones ("Mad Men")
See Best Drama Actor…
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad")
Martin Short ("Damages")
Terry O’Quinn ("Lost")
Michael Emerson ("Lost")
John Slattery ("Mad Men")
Andre Braugher ("Men of a Certain Age")
John Noble [Fringe] ,John Slattery [Mad Men] or Chris Noth [The Good Wife] could have replaced Andre Braugher without diminishing the list in any way. In fact, Noble should have replaced Braugher! There. I said it!
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Sharon Gless ("Burn Notice")
Rose Byrne ("Damages")
Archie Panjabi ("The Good Wife")
Christine Baranski ("The Good Wife")
Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men")
Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men")
Either Chandra Wilson or Sandra Oh of Grey’s Anatomy could have replaced Sharon Gless and I wouldn’t have minded.
BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Mike O’Malley ("Glee")
Neil Patrick Harris ("Glee")
Fred Willard ("Modern Family")
Eli Wallach ("Nurse Jackie")
Jon Hamm ("30 Rock")
Will Arnett ("30 Rock")
No complaints.
BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Beau Bridges ("The Closer")
Ted Danson ("Damages")
John Lithgow ("Dexter")
Alan Cumming ("The Good Wife")
Dylan Baker ("The Good Wife")
Robert Morse ("Mad Men")
Gregory Itzin ("24")
No complaints.
BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christine Baranski ("The Big Bang Theory")
Kathryn Joosten ("Desperate Housewives")
Kristin Chenoweth ("Glee")
Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live")
Betty White ("Saturday Night Live")
Elaine Stritch ("30 Rock")
Jane Lynch ("Two And A Half Men")
No complaints.
BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Mary Kay Place ("Big Love")
Sissy Spacek ("Big Love")
Shirley Jones ("The Closer")
Lily Tomlin ("Damages")
Ann-Margret ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit")
Elizabeth Mitchell ("Lost")
No complaints.
BEST COMMERCIAL
Anthem (Absolut)
Coke Finals (Coca-Cola)
Game (Mars Snack Food US/Snickers)
Green Police (Audi)
Human Chain (Nike)
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Old Spice Body Wash)
Love this category – but Old Spice should win in a walk.
BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
"Glee" – Pilot (FOX)
"Glee" – Wheels (FOX)
"Modern Family" – Pilot (ABC)
"Nurse Jackie" – Pilot (Showtime)
"30 Rock" – I Do, I Do (NBC)
Works for me.
BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
"Breaking Bad’ – One Minute (AMC)
"Dexter" – The Getaway (Showtime)
"Lost" – The End (ABC)
"Mad Men" – Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency (AMC)
"Treme" – Do You Know What It Means [Pilot] (HBO)
The Brown Betty episode of Fringe [the musical] could have fit in here somewhere…
BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
"Glee" – Pilot (FOX)
"Modern Family" – Pilot (ABC)
"The Office" – Niagara (NBC)
"30 Rock" – Anna Howard shaw Day (NBC)
"30 Rock" – Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter(NBC)
No complaints.
BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
"Friday Night Lights" – The Son (DirecTV)
"The Good Wife" – Pilot (CBS)
"Lost" –The End (ABC)
"Mad Men" – Gut Walks Into An Advertising Agency (AMC)
"Mad Men" – Shut The door. Have A Seat.(AMC)
Over There, Part 2 from “Fringe,” belongs on this list.