Forget that Hugh Laurie (
”
House
”
), Marcia Cross (
”
Desperate Housewives
”
), Jason Lee (
”
My Name is Earl
”
) and Lauren Graham (
”
The Gilmore Girls
”
) got snubbed by Emmy voters this year.
Forget that Hugh Laurie (“House”), Marcia Cross (“Desperate Housewives”), Jason Lee (“My Name is Earl”) and Lauren Graham (“The Gilmore Girls”) got snubbed by Emmy voters this year. Or that ABC’s hits “Desperate Housewives” and “LOST” were virtually shut out in the nominations. (I can forgive voters for not
nominating “Housewives” in the Best Comedy Series after its creative sins last year, but not to nominate “Cross” is, well, low. Ditto for “LOST.”) Still,
there’s still plenty to savor – and dissect – in the 58th Annual Emmy Awards, airing at 8pm, Sunday on NBC). Note of my notables:
Best Drama
Nominated: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “House” (Fox), “The Sopranos” (HBO), “24” (Fox), “The West Wing” (NBC)
My pick: “24.” From the moment last season’s clock began ticking, Fox’s inventive Emmy-winning drama did something few thought it could: outdo itself. With a day that found Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) unraveling a deadly terrorist plot with ties to the president, the show’s feverish pace and exquisite acting delivered some of the best, suspenseful television drama in years.
My prediction: “Grey’s Anatomy.” With 11 noms, the series has the buzz. It’s new, it’s sexier, it fresh. It would be a surprise if its popularity with Emmy voters suddenly flatlined.
Best Comedy
Nominated: “Arrested Development” (Fox), “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO), “The Office” (NBC), “Scrubs” (NBC), “Two And A Half Men” (CBS)
My pick: “Arrested Development.” If anybody had actually listened to the dialogue in this deliciously written – and now cancelled – show, there would be no arguing that it deserves the award.
My prediction: “Two And A Half Men.” It’s a fine, consistently well-written series from CBS. It’s also experienced a surge in popularity after simmering in its own comic juices for several years.
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated: Denis Leary (“Rescue Me,” FX), Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under,” HBO), Kiefer Sutherland (“24,” Fox), Martin Sheen (“The West Wing,” NBC), Christopher Meloni (“Law and Order: SVU,” NBC)
My pick: Christopher Meloni. (Sutherland and Leary tie for my second choice.) Meloni’s pitch-perfect performance on “SVU” seemed to go unnoticed in the past. This is his first Emmy nom – and thank God. He’s a solid actor whose brooding demeanor – not just here, but also on the now-defunct Oz – borderlines on brilliant.
My prediction: Tough call. Sheen – if Emmy voters wax nostalgic with the passing of “The West Wing”; Leary – if voters finally recognize the actor’s impressive performance last season. Meloni – if they think like me (frightening as that might seem).
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated: Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer,” TNT), Geena Davis (“Commander in Chief,” ABC), Mariska Hargitay (“Law and Order: SVU,” NBC), Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under,” HBO), Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” NBC)
My pick: Sedgwick. She truly was the brightest beacon of 2005. Her fierce, Southern-tinged chocoholic Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson on TNT’s “The Closer” is one of the most original female characters to pop onto the small screen in years.
My prediction: Sedgwick, although there still may be some sentiment for Davis and Conroy.
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated: Alan Alda (“The West Wing,” NBC), Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos,” HBO), Gregory Itzin (“24,” Fox), Oliver Platt (“Huff,” Showtime), William Shatner (Boston Legal, ABC)
My pick: Gregory Itzin. He was downright brilliant as the deceitful commander in chief in “24.”
My prediction: Itzen, unless voters were taken in by Alda’s head-turning role on the final season of “The West Wing.”
Best Supporting Actress in Drama Series
Nominated: Candice Bergen (“Boston Legal,” ABC), Blythe Danner (“Huff,” Showtime), Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC), Jean Smart (“24,” Fox), Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC)
My pick: Jean Smart. As the beleaguered First Lady in “24,” she gave the performance of her career.
My prediction: Smart. Danner walked away with the trophy last year, and I suspect Oh and Wilson may cancel each other out from Grey’s. Still, the feverish Grey’s bandwagon may lean toward the appealing Oh.
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated: Steve Carell (“The Office,” NBC), Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO), Kevin James (“The King of Queens,” CBS), Charlie Sheen (“Two And A Half Men,” CBS), Tony Shaloub (“Monk,” USA)
My pick: Steve Carell. It’s taken viewers a while to warm up to the American-ized version of the smash British comedy, but Carell is always on the mark.
My prediction: Sheen. He nabbed a Golden Globe in 2002 for his role on “Spin City.” Something tells me it’s Charlie’s time.
Best Actress in Comedy Series
Nominated: Stockard Channing (“Out of Practice,” CBS), Jane Kaczmarek (“Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox), Lisa Kudrow (“The Comeback,” HBO), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS), Debra Messing (“Will & Grace,” NBC)
My pick: I would have opted for Kudrow or Channing if Dreyfus hadn’t totally won me – and viewers – over with her exquisite and perfectly executed role in “Christine.”
My prediction: Dreyfus. I doubt Emmy voters will pick Channing, even though she was one of the best things in “Out of Practice.” Ditto for Kudrow, who was a delight in “The Comeback” but didn’t nab the critic’s hearts.
Best Supporting Actor in
a Comedy Series
Nominated: Will Arnett (“Arrested Development,” Fox), Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox), John Cryer (“Two And A Half Men,” CBS), Jeremy Piven (“Entourage,” HBO), Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace,” NBC)
My pick: Jeremy Piven. As the befuddled Ari Gold, the entertainment titan overseeing a posse of rising stars, Piven’s comedic edge has never been this fresh or refined.
My prediction: Cryer. Although it’s curious why, as one of the main stars of CBS’s hit “Men,” he landed in this supporting category. There’s also a chance that voters may lean toward Arnett in the now-faded “Development” or Hayes of “Will & Grace,” who, while over-the-top at times, offered delicious closure to his Jack McFarland in the final season of “Will & Grace.”
Best Supporting Actress in Comedy Series
Nominated: Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO), Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace,” NBC), Elizabeth Perkins (“Weeds,” Showtime), Jaime Pressly (“My Name is Earl,” NBC), Alfre Woodard (“Desperate Housewives,” ABC)
My pick: Perkins. As cancer victim Celia Hodes, she gave us plenty of reason to inhale “Weeds” – and come back for more.
My prediction: Perkins. “Weeds” lead Mary-Louise Parker got snubbed, and voters may compensate by tossing Perkins the prize, even though she already deserves it. But watch out for Pressly – the “My Name is Earl” star was the season’s most campy scene-stealer. Longshot – but so frothy if it happened: Mullally (come on, admit it – you miss her gin-soaked Karen Walker, too).
Greg Archer is an entertainment writer based on the Central Coast. He writes about television, film and being human. E-mail him at [email protected] or visit www.greg-archer.com.
