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September 15, 2011

2011 Emmy Picks

I started to do a post on who I'd nominate for Emmy awards back in the spring, but never completed it before the Emmys released the actual nominations. So, here are my picks for who I think should win (rather than will win) the awards as well as who I would have nominated for the category.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama

NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
  • Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
  • Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
  • Hugh Laurie (House)
  • Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
  • Sean Bean (Game of Thrones)
  • Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
  • Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
  • Donal Logue (Terriers)
  • Timothy Olyphant (Justified)

  • Should win: Jon Hamm (Mad Men)

    You know that Jon Hamm doesn't have an Emmy for Mad Men, right? (He's lost 3 years consecutively to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad.) He should. And in this season of Mad Men, Hamm got to play Don Draper as he's struggling through a difficult period after his divorce. The Suitcase is perhaps the best highlight reel of an episode possible for the show's lead actors.

    The world has forgotten about Terriers, so Donal Logue was not nominated for an Emmy for Terriers, but his was one of the standout performances on TV of the year. Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor is one of the iconic performances of the last decade, but Don Draper is the iconic performance. Buscemi plays intimidating and powerful control without having the physical presence of the real-life Nucky Johnson.

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law)
  • Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
  • Mireille Enos (The Killing)
  • Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
  • Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
  • Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
  • Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
  • Melissa Leo (Treme)
  • Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
  • Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
  • Katey Sagal (Sons Of Anarchy)
  • Should win: Connie Britton

    This is a toss-up between Britton's cumulative excellence and Moss's emergence as lead with a brilliant period of self-discovery for her character culminating in a confrontation with her mentor. The Suitcase was Moss's best moment so far on the show, and not yet having finished season 5 of Friday Night Lights, I don't know if this season provided Britton with anything comparable, like the first four seasons.

    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
  • Steve Carell (The Office)
  • Louis C.K. (Louie)
  • Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)
  • Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
  • Louis C.K. (Louie)
  • Steve Carell (The Office)
  • Rob Lowe (Parks And Recreation)
  • Joel McHale (Community)
  • Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Should win: Steve Carrell

    Steve Carrell has never won an Emmy for his work on The Office. Let me repeat: Steve Carrell has never won an Emmy for The Office. He brings a mix of egocentrism, weirdness and humanity to the character. He's not nearly as mean as Ricky Gervais's David Brent, but manages to create awkwardness through generosity and self-delusion.

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
  • Tina Fey (30 Rock)
  • Laura Linney (The Big C)
  • Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
  • Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope)
  • Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
  • Tina Fey (30 Rock)
  • Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
  • Should win: Amy Poehler Poehler plays the right mix of grounded and crazy, optimism and cynicism as Leslie Knope on Parks & Rec. She is the catalyst for the action, gets some of the biggest laughs, but also gives the supporting cast the ability to out-weird and out-funny her. As a result, Parks has not only one of the strongest ensembles in comedy, but a true female lead in a comedy (rather than a half-hour dramedy.)

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)
  • Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
  • Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
  • Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
  • Walton Goggins (Justified)
  • John Slattery (Mad Men)
  • Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones)
  • Walton Goggins (Justified)
  • Wendell Pierce (Treme)
  • Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Michael Raymond-James (Terriers)
  • John Slattery (Mad Men)
  • Should win: Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)

    In the thousands of pages of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, Tyrion Lannister stands out as the most interesting character. He is smart, underestimated, ostracized, drunk, cynical and horny. Dinklage captures all of those elements and manages to let the character be as interesting as possible. His portrayal of the character is as fun, layered and complex as the character himself. Walton Goggins is electrifying and captivating in every moment on screen. He makes Justified more engaging and dynamic whenever he's on screen and elevates the show as a supporting character. This is one of the most competitive categories, with many good options.

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
  • Michelle Forbes (The Killing)
  • Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
  • Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Margo Martindale (Justified)
  • Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
  • Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
  • Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
  • Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Margo Martindale (Justified)
  • Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
  • Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men)
  • Should win: Margo Martindale (Justified). As the tragic villian of Justified, Martindale's Mags Bennett got to play maternal, mean, sweet, controlling and lost all within the span of a season. A brilliant performance of a unique character.

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
  • Chris Colfer (Glee)
  • Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
  • Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)
  • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
  • Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
  • Ted Danson (Bored to Death)
  • Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
  • Nick Offerman (Parks And Recreation)
  • Danny Pudi (Community)
  • Should win: Ty Burrell (Modern Family). My choice to run away with the category would be Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson. He makes this ridiculous libertarian character working in local government human and completely insane at the same time. But then this category could justifiably be made up of the entire supporting cast of Modern Family. Replacing Colfer and Cryer with Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez would make it a stronger category. Even though I think that Offerman, Day and Pudi are the class of this field, the Modern Family ensemble works so perfectly and Burrell's character was dialed in to the right balance of buffoonery and believability. But the Academy can't go wrong with any of the Modern Family cast.

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
  • Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
  • Jane Lynch (Glee)
  • Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
  • Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
  • Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
  • Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
  • Alison Brie (Community)
  • Jane Lynch (Glee)
  • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation)
  • Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck)
  • Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
  • Should win: Sofia Vergara (Modern Family). Sure, she's beautiful and has an exaggerated accent. But Vergara's timing is perfect. She takes what could be a terrible hackneyed character and manages to be consistently hilarious.


    Outstanding Comedy Series



    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • 30 Rock

  • The Big Bang Theory

  • Glee

  • Modern Family

  • The Office

  • Parks and Recreation

  • 30 Rock

  • Community

  • It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

  • Louie

  • Modern Family

  • Parks and Recreation
  • Should win: Parks and Recreation

    It isn't as inventive as Community, as relatable as Modern Family, as introspective as Louie, or as fully committed as Always Sunny, but Parks and Recreation put together a tremendous string of funny episodes that have biting criticism of society and still managed to be warm and engaging. A brilliant series of episodes and performances, including Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott and Li'l Sebastian.

    Outstanding Drama Series



    NomineesIdeal nominations
  • Boardwalk Empire

  • Dexter

  • Friday Night Lights

  • Game of Thrones

  • The Good Wife

  • Mad Men
  • Boardwalk Empire

  • Friday Night Lights

  • Game of Thrones

  • Justified

  • Mad Men

  • Terriers
  • Who should win? Mad Men

    There are some very solid choices for best drama this year, even while television's current best drama, Breaking Bad, fell through the cracks to not air any episodes during the eligibility year. Friday Night Lights is a unique, special show in its last season. Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire came out of the gates with solid seasons -- the last stretch of Game of Thrones was epic. But Mad Men had one of its best seasons to date, with Don Draper experiencing a trying time and falling to a personal low. Looking back just at the episode titles and summaries, more of the Mad Men episodes worked well and distinctly compared with the two HBO shows.

    About September 2011

    This page contains all entries posted to Buzz Rant & Rave in September 2011. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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