Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Lead Actor In A Drama

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch

The Brain Cranston domination finally comes to an end this year with Breaking Bad not being eligible.  And with Matthew Fox not being eligible either, we are guaranteed at least 2 new nominees.  With such a deep field, those 2 spots may not be enough, but at least it’s something.

This has to be the year that Jon Hamm wins an Emmy right?  I mean it really is a tragedy that he has not won one yet because Don Draper maybe one of the 2 most iconic dramatic characters in the last 10 years (The other being Tony Soprano).  His nomination is a lock, and without Brian Cranston to take the award, he should be a near lock for winning.  Do yourself a favor and go back and watch "The Suitcase".  If you don't think Hamm deserves an Emmy after that, then there is something wrong with you.

Words can not explain how happy i was that Kyle Chandler finally got nominated last year.  Coach Eric Taylor has been my favorite person on television for a while now and it was about damn time he got a nomination. This season, Chandler did some of his finest slow-burn frustration to date. But it was Chandler's work with Aimee Teegarden in the season's middle episodes and with Connie Britton down the home-stretch that ought to make him a lock for a second consecutive nomination.

 

I didn't love Boardwalk Empire as much as i usually like big budget HBO dramas but no one can deny that Steve Buscemi nailed the role of Nucky Thompson.  Buscemi had played gangsters and criminals before, but his Nucky Thompson has been consistently surprising and revelatory, as the three-time Emmy nomination has rarely been able to showcase his leading man chops to this degree 

  

A show usually makes a leap in quality from season one to season 2.  Justified gave new meaning to that and the major reason was the phenomenal work of Timothy Olyphant.  If Olyphant makes the field, "Reckoning" should be a good enough submission episode that he could also be in the hunt to win, but it's just one of many episodes that make him a deserving nominee.

 

You can not have a discussion of actors who portray realism without bring up Peter Krause.  Like Justified, Parenthood made the leap in season 2, and Krause was able to stick out even in such a talented ensemble.  Krause was even better in the second season of "Parenthood" than in its first. His Adam Braverman got in a supermarket fight. He got high. He dealt with his daughter having sex. He got into loud confrontations with his brother. 

"Terriers" probably gave Donal Logue the best role of his career and the "Life" and "Tao of Steve" veteran captured what was likable and capable about Hank Dolworth without ever glossing over what was self-destructive about the character. He'll have a hard time topping this one.  This nomination is not very likely because Terriers was canceled and that really is a shame because there were a lot of deserving performances .

Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Supporting Actress In A Drama

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch.

Elisabeth Moss has correctly opted to move up Lead Actress. Rose Byrne isn't eligible after "Damages" took a year off in its transition from FX to DirecTV. At the very least, then, that means two new nominees.

The Good Wife is a show that I want to like a lot more then I actually do.  It is full of actors and performances that I like but it just doesn’t hold my attention from week to week.  That being said, Archie Panjabi is fantastic.  She brings a huge sense of realism to the performance.  Panjabi's Kalinda had one dynamite episode after another in the season's second half as a string of secrets unraveled the character's closest relationships. Panjabi's inclusion and then win were slightly surprising last year, but she's gone from underdog to clear favorite in no time.

When I learned that Margo Martindale was going to be the main bad guy, I knew it was either going to go up in flames or be a piece of casting genius.  Well casting genius was an understatement.  Mags Bennett has taken her place in the pantheon of small screen adversaries and Martindale elevated the performance of all around her every time she came on screen.  Emmy voters usually have a hard time recognizing that FX exists, but if Martindale does not receive a nomination, I am calling the cops an reporting a robbery.

Mad Men had their best season since season one.  And now with Elizabeth Moss going back to the lead actress category where she belongs, that leaves the door wide open for Christina Hendricks to stick around in this category.  She wasn’t really a main focus of the season but Joan relationship with Roger was quite fascinating and provided ample opportunity for the two great supporting actors to really demonstrate their acting chops.

Grey’s Anatomy has received a creative resurrection in the last season and a half and that should mean a return to the Emmy fold for some of the people involved.  That includes five time nominee Sandra Oh.  Oh had several Emmy-ready arcs this season, including her character's PTSD from last year's finale shooting and subsequent decision to quit and then her end-of-the-season baby drama. As always, Oh was terrific with everything she was given and her inclusion in this category will never get an argument.

Oh was not the only who benefited from Grey’s resurgence. Sara Ramirez not only had a great season, but she got her very own showcase episode in the Greys Anatomy musical experience.  As silly as that episode was, Ramirez was a knockout in it and nailed every scene she acted in and nailed every note she sang.  It's a strong enough single episode that if Ramirez makes the cut for a nomination, she may instantly become the favorite to win.

Parenthood made the leap in to great show territory this past season.  A major reason was Mae Whitman.  She played a confused teen so well that it’s hard to remember that she is already an acting veteran at this point.  With Friday Night Lights set to go off the air, She is set to take over for Aimee Teagarden as the most realistic teenager on television.  Whitman and co-star Lauren Graham were good enough in the season's last couple episodes that they ought to be in any merit-based Emmy conversation.

Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Supporting Actor In A Drama

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch.

Four of last year’s best supporting actor nominees are not eligible this year.  Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Martin Short (Damages) have their seasons starting too late and Michael Emerson (LOST) and Terry O’Quinn (LOST) are not on the air anymore.  That makes this the category that should have the most turnover from last year, and could be wide open as far as who gets nominated.

After getting a suprising nomination last year, John Slattery is almost a lock to get nominated this year for his work on Mad Men.  Roger Sterling was much more involved this year and was at his best when playing off his chemistry with Joan (Christina Hendricks).  Slattery has become a force on the show and even stepped behind the camera to direct 2 very strong episodes.  Not only will he be nominated, he is the favorite to win.

While I was not as in love with Boardwalk Empire as most people, the work of Michael Pitt could not be denied.   Some may argue that he is just as much the lead in this show as Steve Buschemi, but it is better for him to submit in the supporting category because its more wide open.  He's also holding his own against a cast of veteran scene-stealers, giving a performance that ranges from muted and repressed to tortured and visibly disturbed.

Without any question, if I'm determining the Emmy nominees, Walton Goggins gets a nomination. Goggins, Margo Martindale and Timothy Olyphant all deserve recognition for the giant leap "Justified" took this past season. His Boyd Crowder has the conscience of a criminal, the soul of a reverend and the silver tongue of a con man. It's a great character and a great performance.  Plus they need to make it up to him for never nominating for his great work in The Shield.

When "Terriers" premiered, Donal Logue was the known quality and Michael Raymond-James was the guy who did the intentionally bad Cajun accent on the first season of "True Blood." By the end of the season, it was a more-than-equal partnership. If Emmy voters watched "Terriers," Raymond-James would be a lock for a nomination. And if Raymond-James were a lock for a nomination, Laura Allen would be as well, because their scenes together, especially late in the season, were dynamite.

If I could combine work on 2 shows into one nomination, Michael B. Jordan would be a lock.  Even so, his work on Friday Night Lights in the last season of the show, is just too good to ignore.  The storyline with his family and his returning father was one of the strongest arcs of the season and Jordan killed it in every scene.  He managed to make Vince one of the newer kids that I actually cared about as much as all of the originals.  Maybe if he sticks around on Parenthood, he can turn into an perennial force.

When Parenthood first started, I viewed Dax Shepard as a decently funny guy who was at his best when he was screwing with people on Punk’d.  Turns out, the guy is a hell of an actor.  Parenthood made the leap into great show territory in season 2 and a major part of that was Shepard.  He turned Crosby from a Peter Pan like man child into a fully grown man with adult feelings and emotions.  Almost every actor on this show could be nominated in this category, but Shepard is the best

Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Comedy Series

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch.

After Last season gave birth to a bunch of new, hilarious comedies, this season gave us barely any that stuck around.  That was not for lack of trying, and basically every network tried to put out comedies about the exact same thing, but none of them were successful (Except for maybe ABC’s Happy Endings).  Most of the shows I have selected were in there 2^nd season, which shows just how strong last season was for debuting comedies

Community is easily the most daring comedy on television.  They take risks that no other comedy would take.  And I’m not talking about pushing the envelope of offensive humor, I mean just when it comes to their ideas for episodes.  Yeah having so many episodes follow one specific theme may cause some people to dislike the show, but every theme they take on, they have executed flawlessly and they deserve recognition for that.

In baseball there is this rare feat known as a perfect game.  Its when a pitcher is flawless and does not let up a hit or a walk.  Parks and Recreation had a perfect season.  Every episode was spot on and had the perfect mix of story advancement and comedy.  It may be a long time until we see a season of comedy as good as this show was this past season

Even if the second season of Modern Family maybe wasn't quite as acclaimed as the first, it remains one of TV's most popular and admired comedies and in all honesty is still one of the funniest.  The ensemble was just as strong this season, With Ty Burrell and Ed Oneill really stepping up their game.  Look for Modern Family to once again dominate in the comedy field.

No comedy on TV defies the sitcom formula with the vigor and emotional depth that Louie achieves week in and week out. Louie can break your heart one episode and have you on the verge of soiling yourself in the next. In terms of writing, direction and performance, "Louie" is unique.

The League took giant leaps in its 2^nd season and along with Louie, Always Sunny, and Archer, helped turn FX into a comedic powerhouse.  With a variety of established comedians all lending their minds to the show, it has grown from something that was a fun idea for a few episodes to what could be a comedic juggernaut for years to come

Will somebody give Chuck some love?  The show has almost been canceled 243289732489 times already and it keeps trucking along with the same fantastic mix of comedy, drama and action.  There is no other show like it on TV and it also has one of the more passionate fan bases of any show still on the air.  Chucks nomination is a pipe dream, but in my book, it could not be more deserved.

Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Lead Actor In A Comedy

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch.

This Category is almost as competitive as the supporting actor category.  With Monk finally gone (Thank God) and Curb Your Enthusiasm not eligible for voting this season, there is a good chance we will see a surprise or two in the nominations.  So much so, that I would say only 2 of my picks are locks to actually get nominated.

The Office had, as has been the case in recent years, a very up and down season.  But Steve Carell was anything but up and down.  In Carell’s final season, he was able to have extremely funny and meaningful moments with almost every member of the ensemble cast.  The fact that he has never won an Emmy before and it is his last year don’t only make him a lock to be nominated, but a strong contender to finally win.

A comeback season for "30 Rock" meant prime Emmy bait for everybody and the show's 100th episode let Alec Baldwin play three or four different versions of himself.  Baldwin has been nominated the last 4 years and this was the strongest season of the show in the last couple so there is no reason Baldwin would not get nominated

Other than Amy Poehler, Rob Lowe is the biggest name in the "Parks and Recreation" cast, even if his introduction has done nothing to boost the show's ratings and even if he's not a Lead Actor on the show by any stretch of the imagination. He's still hilarious in his supporting role, and makes while not on screen as much as the other actors in this category, makes me laugh just as much as anybody on television.

Louie is a one man show, and that one man is Louis C.K.  He stars, writes, directs, produces and edits the show.  And it is one of the funniest shows.  Its genius is in its simplicity.  I really don’t think he has a realistic shot at getting nominated, and that really is too bad because when it boils down to it Louis C.K may be the most talented person in this category.

No man is willing to act to extremes quite like Danny McBride on Eastbound and Down.  So even though the show itself is a little over the top sometimes, when it is funny it is very funny.  McBride should be recognized for his commitment to such a ridiculous character.

Zachary Levi has been one of the most refreshing, entertaining actors for the last 5 years now.  Judging by ratings for Chuck, very few of you would know that.  The guy can nail every emotion and constantly has to stretch himself more than most comedic roles due to the dramatic aspects of the show, and due to its hour format.  GIVE THE GUY SOME LOVE ALREADY!

Dream Emmy Ballot: Best Lead Actress In A Comedy

With the announcement of Emmy nominations right around the corner, I think it is time to break down what I believe should be the Emmy nominations for the year.  As always, these are just my opinions and are based on the shows that I watch.

This is always the weakest category in my opinion, which is a shame because there are so many funny women on TV; they are just not in leading roles for one reason or another.  Hopefully after the Box Office success of Bridesmaids that will change, but this year I had a difficult time coming up with 3 nominees, let alone 6.

30 Rock had a comeback season last year and whenever "30 Rock" does anything well; a lot of the credit goes (totally deservedly) to Tina Fey. She can get nominated in this category in her sleep.   While Baldwin is the dominant actor on screen, Fey has to get a lot of credit for being able to keep up with such a strong acting personality

Her show may have been cancelled, but don't cry for Toni Collette. With two nominations and a win for "United States of Tara," she's gotten good value out of her move to Showtime and she should be back for another Emmy run after what has been, in many ways, her best season of acting work.  I don’t expect her to stick around TV now that this show has been cancelled, so she may get a nostalgic farewell Emmy

Parks and Recreation had a perfect season.  I don’t think they had one week episode all season and for that, credit has to be given to the star of the show, Amy Poehler.  If not for the Showtime women, I'd be thinking this would be a great year for Poehler to score her first career Emmy win. Instead, she'll watch a movie star in a half-hour drama take the comedy prize she deserves.  She gets my Emmy, so if someone wants to tell her that, she can come accept it whenever she would like.

If you're going to get cancer, be sure to get the flamboyant Showtime cancer. At least that way, you're guaranteed a few Emmys before passing into the afterlife.  Laura Linney is really great on "The Big C" and her track record is worth considering: She's 3-3 at the Emmys, with wins for "Wild Iris," "Frasier" and "John Adams." She's going to be very hard to beat on Emmy night. 

One of 2 nominations that I am not sure is really deserved, but I was grasping for straws in this category.  In season 2 of Cougar Town, Courtney Cox was less of a star and it turned more into an ensemble comedy.  She needs to get some credit for that because the show was actually damn funny in season 2.  And because she was forced to dominate every scene, her comedic work actually got much funnier in smaller doses.

Lea Michelle had an ok year on Glee.  She is still by far the best singer and a good enough actress.  That’s really all I have to say.  Hey, I said this was a weak category.