Brilliant, insightful, handsome television critics honor "Friday Night Lights," "Dexter," "Kyle XY," "Heroes"

Who gave their top acting prize to Ian McShane when he couldn't get arrested? Who honored Hugh Laurie and James Gandolfini long before they took home Goldens or Emmys? Who led the parades for both "The West Wing" (32 Emmys and Globes) and "Gilmore Girls" (zero Emmys and Globes)?

The Television Critics Association, that's who. The 23rd annual TCA Awards were held tonight in the same ballroom where the Globes are given out. But while the Hollywood Foreign Press Association likes to kid itself that it "predicts the Oscars," the nation's TV critics couldn't care less who follows our lead — other than, of course, our readers. In fact, I think a lot of my fellow crix are secretly pleased when their choices go unduplicated by other awards, as it confirms the suspicion that their voters are more easily swayed by publicity and Nielsen ratings.

This year's TCA Awards featured numerous declarations of independence:

• The award for Outstanding New Program went to "Friday Night Lights," a show that was completely and shockingly denied even a single Emmy Award nomination largely and surprisingly overlooked by Emmy voters last week.
• The Individual Achievement in Drama award went to Michael C. Hall (right) for Showtime's "Dexter," who was also overlooked by the Emmy voters.
• The TCA Award for Program of the Year went to "Heroes," which did get a best-drama nod from the Emmy voters. (Ever the contrarians, we gave "The Sopranos" the drama award, as well as the coveted Heritage Award in a field that included "M*A*S*H" and "Roots.")
• The TCA Award for children's programming went to "Kyle XY." This show will likely never contend for an Emmy Award because it's a "tweener" — its genre falls between kids and grown-up TV. Funny how the TCA gives out a fraction of the trophies the Emmys do, yet we figured out a way to honor a great family show.

Some of the other winners at the 23rd annual TCA Awards were more accustomed to collecting prizes, like "The Office,"  "The Sopranos," Alec Baldwin and our career achievement winner, Mary Tyler Moore. What all the winners had in common was that they all earned their prizes from the toughest judges of all — the people who watch TV for a living, rather than those who make it for a living.

The 2007 TCA Award recipients are as follows:

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Heroes” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “Friday Night Lights” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: “The Sopranos” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “The Office” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “Planet Earth” (Discovery) 

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: “Kyle XY” (ABC Family)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)

HERITAGE AWARD: “The Sopranos” (HBO)

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Mary Tyler Moore

Comments

[Mike Royce]

But... wait just a minute, mister.

I love Friday Night Lights and think it was a travesty to not be nominated for an Emmy. But you can't really claim justice when it wins Outstanding NEW Program, a category the Emmys doesn't have.

Without that loophole, you guys wouldn't have recognized Friday Night Lights either.

[Mary]

Yeah, I kind of agree with Mike. I'm glad that FNL won something, but it should have been the one that Heroes got, or maybe the Sopranos should have received that one and FNL should have received the one that the Sopranos ended up with.

Honestly, I don't think Heroes should have won any of the awards. I like it and all, but it's not that great of a show.

I can see where Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton kind of canceled each other out, and I've heard the Michael C. Hall was great on Dexter so I'm not too upset about that.

[Aaron]

Hm. So you're saying that you like the Emmys better because they DON'T have a new program category. You're happy that Gilmore Girls never got an Emmy nomination, whereas in 1999 they almost certainly would have contended for a best new show honor given the field that year.

You wouldn't want the Emmys to get five new shows every year into the mix, which would almost certainly raise their profiles at a time when they are most vulnerable to cancellation?

You really think, Mike, if you were working on "Everybody Loves Raymond" that year — an obscure, Friday-night CBS comedy that the network chief was not exactly in love with at the time — you really think you guys wouldn't have loved to be nominated for Best New Show by the ATAS?

Are you kiddin' me?

[Mike Royce]

I'm definitely not saying I like the Emmys better. I just think you're comparing apples and oranges. If ATAS had given Best Drama to FNL, that would be the direct comparison, and one in which you could rightly claim "independence."

For Michael C. Hall, it is a proper comparison.

By the way... no "The Wire" in either?

I definitely think the Emmys should have a "Outstanding New Program" category for the exact reasons you outline.

[Aaron Barnhart]

I always vote for "The Wire," and I never feel like I'm alone when I do that, so who knows. I'd like to think it got beat by a nose at ... the wire.

My larger point is that for all those guild-pleasing categories ATAS has, so many awards that it has to schedule a second night, not having a best-new-show category is a strange omission.

Friday Night Lights is nominated for not one, but TWO emmys this year: Best Casting for a Drama Series, and more importantly, its pilot episode is nominated for Best Directing for a Drama Series, an award that is actually awarded on the FOX telecast.

[Aaron]

Correction made, and thank you.

And as long as we're counting:

Emmy nominations for "The Wire": 1
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series - 2005

TCA nominations for "The Wire": 6
Program of the Year - 2007
Outstanding Achievement in Drama - 2007
Outstanding Achievement in Drama - 2004
Program of the Year - 2003
Outstanding New Program - 2003
Outstanding Achievement in Drama - 2003

Not sure why we didn't nominate season three for anything. Wasn't because of me. But the fact we left "The Wire" at the altar six times might be additional validation of the fact that the show didn't completely connect with audiences, including my peers. My gut tells me we'll get it right next year.

[Dave]

Let's REALLY look at this...

30 Rock?

Which CLIP?

It surely wasn't nominated for an EPISODE!

30 ROCK - this year's "JOEY" tested well and they -NBC - sent clips to the TCA and they nominated it.

(Apparently we are only getting a clip from Dave. --AB)