The Emmys, or as they're known at "The Wire," "Friday Night" and "BSG" ... Passover
Tom O'Neil has done his usual crackerjack job of assembling the Top 10 lists that Emmy judges are currently mulling over before announcing the nominees later this month.
More crucially, he's identified which episodes were submitted for nominations. Once the nominees are announced, the series will be judged by multiple episodes, but for this part of the process, just the single show is submitted.
And while it looks good for some of the TV critics' favorites, mostly the Emmy voters appear to be leaning toward the tired and true ... oops, I meant to say "tried and true." Really, I did.
First of all, "Battlestar Galactica" didn't even make the Top 10. "Boston Legal" did. And, if the judge who emailed O'Neil is to be believed, the nominating panel is ass over teakettle for Denny Crane. AGAIN. Y'know, there is a reason that David E. Kelley has collected so many Emmys over the years. He appeals directly to the aging, youth-and-beauty-yearning Hollywood types who he knows are going to be evaluating his show.
"Mad Men," apparently, will get in, which is not surprising because it's the most "Sopranos"-like show on the schedule. Also, it appeals to viewers over 45, just as "Boston Legal" does. We examine demographics all the time when looking at ratings, but really, it's a useful tool for evaluating almost anything that goes on in media.
What's out? "Dexter," "Friday Night Lights" and "The Wire" are all in the top 10, but apparently have NO CHANCE of being nominated. The TV Critics Association nominated both "Friday" and "Wire" for TCA Awards this year, as well as AMC's other show, "Breaking Bad," and even "Pushing Daisies." Still, we failed to find a place for "Dexter," so O'Neil will still have a reason to chide us in his annual TCA rant.
O'Neil drama series list:
"Boston Legal" ("The Court Supreme")
"Damages" (Pilot)
"Dexter" ("The Dark Defender")
"Friday Night Lights" ("Leave No One Behind")
"Grey’s Anatomy" ("Freedom, Parts 1 and 2")
"House" ("Frozen")
"Lost" ("The Constant")
"Mad Men" (Pilot, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes")
"The Tudors" (#205)
"The Wire" (Series finale, "30")
His comedy series top 10 and all his other lists are here.
