Rant: The Emmys

I think I'm officially through with the Emmys. I tried to get on board the last couple of years - I was stoked to see "The Office" win Best Comedy for Season 2, I tuned in for "The Sopranos" swan song" - but the nominations just annoy the crap out of me. Unlike the Oscars, which feature different movies and performances every year, The Emmys are just the same also-ran shows from last year, the same actor getting his umpteenth nomination for a less-than-stellar show. And even when the Academy does something right and gets a great new show a whole slew of nominations, they invariably include a whole host of schmucks who don't deserve it. In no particular order, here are my beefs with this year:

• The Emmys reward "stand-alone" television. Each show submits one episode as en example. Each actor submits one episode that is judged. This kind of process rewards clip-worthy moments (like a breakdown, a crying fit, a mere one episode worth of credible story-telling) but it puts shows that tell long-term stories, build on mythology, and follow character arcs at an extreme disadvantage, especially for many actors whose arcs need to be viewed in their entirety to be fully appreciated.
• Mary McDonnell didn't make the final cut for Battlestar Galactica but Mariska Hargitay did for the bizillionth time for SVU. That drives me nuts! I don't see how this panel could watch a clip of McDonnell in her submitted episode ("Faith") and not be completely bowled over. McDonnell was that show's best chance at a nom and without her, BSG is once again criminally overlooked!
• The list of Best Comedy noms is ridiculous: Two and a Half Men? Curb Your Enthusiasm? Entourage? I'm sick of seeing all three of these shows show up (especially since critics have deemed each of these most-recent seasons some of their weakest). Even The Office, which I sincerely love, didn't have it's best year. It probably only won the nomination on the strength of the season finale, which was not indicative of the season as a whole. It would have made me happier to see other short-list contenders Pushing Daisies, Flight of the Conchords, or Weeds get the nod. Even How I Met Your Mother had a more consistent season. (Also, Charlie Sheen and Tony Shalhoub (6 noms, 3 wins!) got nominated for Best Actor again! Aaahhh!!!)
  
• I don't think Sandra Oh should have gotten a Supporting Actress nod. Like Katherine Heigl, her character was severely mishandled by the Grey's Anatomy writers this year, and she too was given little material worthy of a nomination. The only reason she's here is because of the ONE kick-ass speech she got, and delivered flawlessly, in episode 14. The nom should have been given to Mad Men's January Jones or Christina Hendricks, or In Treatment's Mia Wasikowska.
• The slew of nominations for Boston Legal? Who knew that show still existed? It may be decent, but in no way deserved it's Best Drama, Actor (James Spader), Supporting Actor (William Shatner), or Supporting Actress (Candice Bergen) nominations over many more deserving candidates. Most critics are of the opinion that Boston Legal is more of a comedy or farce these days, so giving away nominations that should have rightfully belonged to Kyle Chander or Connie Britton in Friday Night Lights, Robert Sean Leonard in House, Henry Ian Cusack in Lost, or Jill Clayburg or Donald Sutherland in Dirty Sexy Money is just scandalous! And how about giving the criminally ignored The Wire, Battlestar Galactica or Friday Night Lights a shot at the Best Drama prize instead?
• It was nice to see Amy Poehler recognized for her work on Saturday Night Live with a Supporting Actress nomination, but I think Dana Delany also deserved a spot for helping re-energize Desperate Housewives with her layered portrayal of Katherine Mayfair. I would have scrubbed Holland Taylor in Two and Half Men.
• The musical score of BSG wasn't nominated???? I know I give that show a lot of credit, but the one thing it does better than anybody is it's amazing musical score by Bear McCreary. Sets the tone for the entire show and is as good as any film score. Meanwhile, Family Guy and The Simpsons scored music nods. Travesty. (Although, I'll give the Academy some credit for giving BSG writing ("Six of One") and cinematography ("He That Believeth in Me") nods.)
  

I will give the show it's proper due in the drama category; with the exception of Boston Legal - Mad Men, Dexter, Lost, House, and Damages all had quality years. I also commend the recognition of Bryan Cranston (of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame) as Best Actor nominee for Breaking Bad, as well as the nominations for Michael Emerson (Ben on Lost), the many guest actor noms for 30 Rock (no other show does it better), as well as the acting noms for Pushing Daisies, Mad Men and TV-movie "Recount." However, these well-dones don't make up for a consistent delivery of rejections and disappointments that never seem to end. (Maybe I just never got over the terminal ignorance of Lauren Graham's amazing work on Gilmore Girls.)

Two sides of the same argument: Newsweek liked this year's noms (which were better than usual, not saying much), and TWoP, which had quite a few bones to pick. Click the links to read more. Also, The Envelope site has their Emmy wishlist, and their Alternate Award Categories. And for anyone who wants even more (who am I kidding - I'm the only one who reads this much crap!) EW's list of the Top 25 Emmy snubs.