Prime Time Emmy Nods and list of best shows...

[shadowkat]

Well the emmy nominations were announced. I only know about it - because co-worker sent me a link on the nods for BB S4, which I was happy with.

The nominees?
* Best Dramatic Series
* Best Actor - Bryan Cranston (who should win it hands down this year. No one else comes close to what he did.)
* Best Supporting - Aaron Paul and Guisseppe who played Gustave (the best villain that I've seen on tv in a very long time.)
* Best supporting actress - the long overlooked, Anna Gunn who plays Skylar White.

Personally, I think Breaking Bad should sweep. But then, much like The Wire before it, Breaking Bad has ruined me for tv again. Dang it. Season 3 and Season 4 were that good.
Season 2 not so much.

Hmmm... I have my own award list for tv shows...

1. Best Police Procedural? The Wire
2. Best Gothic Horror serial? Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Best Anti-Hero Drama Serial? Breaking Bad
4. Best Family Drama Serial? Friday Night Lights
5. Best Space Opera? Farscape (sorry BSG, Farscape was more interesting and innovative.)
6. Best Comedy Series? MASH (nothing has ever come close to its brilliance)
7. Best Family Sitcom? Roseanne
8. Best Hospital Drama? St. Elsewhere (although ER came close if it hadn't gone on too long)
9. Best Anthology Series? Twilight Zone (nothing has taken its place, Rod Serling can't be topped not even by Hitchcock)
10. Best Episodic Sci-Fi Series: Doctor Who (sorry Star Trek, I like Who better at the moment)
11. Best Historical Soap Opera: Mad Men
12. Best Fantasy Series:Game of Thrones
13. Best Reality Series: Project Runway or Trading Spaces (when they were in their heyday)
14. Best Late Night TV Series: The Daily Show with John Stewart (sorry Johnny Carson and David Letterman)
15. Best Work Place Sitcom: WKRP in Cincinnati, although News Radio comes close.

What's yours?

Comments

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I think you made pretty good choices.

I quit watching ER cold-turkey when Carol left, so I'd put it first.

For Best Work Place Sitcom I must absolutely go for Cheers.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Couldn't decide if Cheers qualifies as work place...actually not sure what type it is. LOL!

[sophist.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure "Gothic Horror" is the right category for Buffy.(I'm not sure it's wrong either.) I mean, it is a gothic horror show, but that's a trope. The show is a coming of age story, with gothic horror as the metaphor.

Maybe the same is true for some of the others you listed; I haven't seen Friday Night Lights, so the same issue might apply to it.

[agnes-bean.livejournal.com]

I am so happy for Breaking Bad. Especially Anna Gunn finally getting a well deserved nom! And you missed one -- Mark Margolis (Tio) as Outstanding Guest Actor, which he damn well better win. The man conveyed so much without saying a world.

I, like you, would be very happy for the show to sweep, but I'm fairly sure it has a low chance at Best Drama. Bryan Cranston should be fine, and I imagine one one of the guys will get best supporting actor, unless they split the votes. Though I won't cry if Peter Dinklage gets it instead. I think the Breaking Bad guys turned in more impressive performances in part because they were given more interesting things to do, but Peter was also excellent. I'd also be fine with Jared Harris because I like him a lot in general. But really, no one else quite touches Giancarlo Esposito and Aaron Paul.

Best supporting actress will be tough, sadly. Though I was very, very impressed with Christina Hendricks this year, so I'd be happy if she got it, too.

In all cases, while I find Downton Abbey fun, I'll be annoyed if one of those actors or actresses win. They just don't impress me in the same way; less a comment on them than their material, but still.

And because I always like lists...

(I am clearly coming at this from a slightly younger perspective -- I didn't really start getting into TV until the early 2000s, and it shows)

1. Best Police Procedural? The Wire
2. Best Gothic Horror serial? Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Best Anti-Hero Drama Serial? Breaking Bad
4. Best Family Drama Serial? Six Feet Under
5. Best Space Opera? BSG
6. Best Comedy Series? Louie or, if I'm feeling particularly quirky in my tastes Frisky Dingo, which is the single greatest thing to come out of the Adult Swim wheelhouse.
7. Best Family Sitcom? Arrested Development
8. Best Hospital Drama? House (but I have watched very few of them)
9. Best Anthology Series? Twilight Zone
10. Best Episodic Sci-Fi Series: Doctor Who
11. Best Historical Soap Opera: Mad Men (with a shout-out to Rome)
12. Best Fantasy Series: Game of Thrones
13. Best Reality Series: Probably actually Project Runway at its best, but I'm going to be odd and pick Shark Tank. It's not a particularly well made show, but it's more interesting to me than almost any reality show on TV.
14. Best Late Night TV Series: The Daily Show with John Stewart, absolutely
15. Best Work Place Sitcom: Parks & Rec
And I'd add: Best Spy Series: Alias in its first two seasons.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Actually gothic horror show is a genre, coming of age story is a trope.
I think you got it backwards. ;-)

Gothic Horror is a subset of "Horror", which sometimes falls under the sci-fi and fantasy genres, sometimes not.

Buffy tends to be a bit of genre blend at times, but I'd say it's Gothic Horror (hello, vampires).

Coming of Age stories fall into all genres. Wonder Years (family drama) is also a coming of age story. Doogie Howser (medical drama) is also a coming of age story. Merlin (fantasy) - coming of age story. Game of Thrones (fantasy) - coming of age story and war story - it has a lot of tropes.

We don't tend to categorize by tropes so much, because too many shows have the same trope.

[Sigh, I worked in a Library Reference Publishing Company and at a Book Store at different points...can't you tell?]

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Agree with Best Spy Series..and only the first two seasons. Although, wait, La Femme Nikita was actually better. Never mind. Alias ripped off La Femme Nikita's storyline, and didn't have quite as satisfying a wrap-up. (Note La Femme Nikita on USA, not Nikita on CW.)

Ponders..

Best Legal Procedural? The Good Wife.

Best Superhero Series? Misfits (I loved Smallville in the last three seasons, but Misfits first season blew me away - it was the only season I saw).

[agnes-bean.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, totally agree on Misfits. I was actually trying to figure out if there was a way to fit it in there. It's a great example of a show that is just absolutely unique (and hilarious), and I really appreciate it for that.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh forgot...thanks for the heads up on the guy who played Tio Salamanca (the one in the wheel-chair) being nominated for Breaking Bad - he totally deserved the nomination, and deserves to win - he conveyed so much without a word.