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Emmy Nominations July 20, 2003 |
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The Emmy nominations were announced on Thursday morning and to little surprise, the Academy stuck to tradition and loaded up on familiarity while ignoring fresher, superior talent. HBO came out the big winner, again, garnering a top 16 nominations for its quirky funeral home drama “Six Feet Under”. The show, about an eccentric Los Angeles family running a funeral home and dealing with extraordinary personal lives recently finished off its third season. While still one of the best shows on television, this season seemed to be toned down from its previous, sometimes way over-the-top first two seasons, focusing mainly on the disappearance of eldest son, Nate Fisher’s kooky wife Lisa. The story line offered a tour de force performance by Peter Krause, rightfully nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series, as the strung-out Nate, losing faith in humanity and giving into bouts of rage and alcoholism. Also nominated is Frances Conroy, as Ruth, the matriarch of the family, whose primary story this year dealt with her flirtatious, and odd relationship with a much younger live-in assistant and eventual marriage to a man her own age, played nicely by the reliable James Cromwell. Second in nominations is perhaps the most troubling, given the stodginess of the series and overall disappointing story arches of season four of “The West Wing”. In an orgy of “stay with the old” theory of nominating, ‘Wing stole 15 precious spots that should have gone to more deserving, younger shows like “Boomtown” and “The Wire”, both somehow totally forgotten by the nominating board. “The West Wing” is nominated for the fourth year in a row in the Best Drama category, as well as Best Actor for Martin Sheen as the embattled President Bartlett, who at the end of the season gave up his presidency on account of a kidnapped daughter. Plausibility used to be a must for a serious show, especially about the White House, but the show no longer prescribes to that notion and gives into wild plotlines (kidnapped first daughter?) and go nowhere politicking (war in a fictional African country of Kundu?). I still watch “The West Wing” because of its good ensemble cast (Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Allison Janney, and Stockard Channing, all previous Emmy winners are nominated again) but the love the Emmy’s show for this sinking ship is overkill already. From one aging show to another, HBO’s hit “The Sopranos” received 13 nominations, which coming off of its weakest, yet still strong fourth season, seems like a good number. The much awaited fourth season was something of a disappointment to fans who watch the show for its violence, given its primary storyline of the failing relationship between Carmela and Tony Soprano, nominee’s Edie Falco and James Gandolfini. Yet, the unexpected whacking of Ralphie (nominee Joe Pantoliano), in shocking detail, proved a highlight and the finale, a virtual 75-minute long screaming bout between Carmela and Tony was riveting television. Granted, one of the best shows of all time, “The Sopranos” may not be living in the territory it broke in its first season, but is rightfully still a must-see. Finally, the Best Drama category is rounded out by previous nominee’s “24” and “CSI”, the highest raged show on television. You’ll get no complaints out of me in nominating “24” for its great second season, though seeing how the Emmy voters failed to reward its equally brilliant first season, Jack Bauer and company may have to settle for another long day of little recognition. Kiefer Sutherland week after week turns in a marvelous and restrained performance as Bauer, a counter terrorism agent who last season had to track down a nuclear bomb and save Los Angeles from destruction, while himself living with the aftereffects of a wicked case of electro shock therapy (and coming back from death) at the hands of terrorists. For all of its outrageousness, “24” is arguably the most exciting and well-made show of the year. That being said, and giving minor applause to the Emmy board for getting at least that right there are plenty, plenty of snubs this year. The biggest omission in my opinion is NBC’s “Boomtown”, a first season L.A. cop show that each week focused on a case from varying points of reference and time. In the guise of “Rashomon”, “Boomtown” played with unconventional storytelling, while presenting characters that have depth and poignancy. Not since the early years of “NYPD Blue” has a cop show been so involving with deeply personal storylines and fully fleshed out characters. Certainly deserving of nominations were Donnie Wahlberg as Det. Joel Stevens, a professional Detective haunted by the near suicide of his beloved wife, and Mykelti Williamson as “Fearless” Bobby Smith, who in two highly emotional episodes, wrestled with his conscious over the death of an old Army buddy and his past as a victim of sexual child abuse. Just two of the well rounded characters of “Boomtown”, unjustly looked over for the awards it richly deserves. “Boomtown” is easily the biggest snub of the year, but second to that has to be HBO’s brilliant undercover drama “The Wire”. As complex as a novel, and with weekly episodes as dense as a chapter of “Ulysses”, “The Wire” doesn’t shy away from detailed conversations about surveillance, shipping regulations, drug dealers, prostitution, and the inner “dealings” of the Baltimore Police Department. On this show, the bad guys are often morally richer than the good guys, which makes for thoughtful, masterfully crafted storylines from David Simon, who once a great while ago brought us the equally brilliant “Homicide: Life on the Streets”, another Baltimore cop show criminally under appreciated by the Emmy’s. The familiarity doesn’t stop with the Drama nominations, as the Comedy categories are a virtual copycat of previous years nominees. “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “Friends”, “Will & Grace” and “Sex and the City” are all once again nominated in multiple categories. That’s all well and good, ‘Raymond is still the funniest show on television, but “Friends” and “Sex and the City” are slipping badly, and “Will & Grace” was out of fashion three seasons ago. The one shining light in the Comedy nominations is Larry David’s hilarious improv comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, which is nominated for Best Comedy, Actor and Supporting Actress. With the sense of humor of David’s smash hit “Seinfeld” and the freedom of cable television, ‘Curb is, without a doubt, a highlight of HBO’s superb Sunday night lineup, the best television night of the week. The one major omission in the Best Comedy category is “Monk”, USA’s funny and touching detective show starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, obsessive compulsive private detective still haunted by the untimely murder of his wife. Maybe they were confused as to which category the show belongs, as it is often filled with more pathos than slapstick. Thankfully though Shalhoub was nominated, and if there is any justice he will win, but forgoing the show for the staleness of “Will & Grace” and “Sex and the City” is a questionable case that even Adrian Monk couldn’t solve, and he solves everything. So, in hindsight, one shouldn’t get too worked up over the bad choices the Emmy voters make in their nominations, as it seems to happen annually. They may not know how to rate a show like “Boomtown” or “The Wire”, but at least, in retrospect, we all have our own opinions, and those are the ones that ultimately matter. It’s just too bad that, in the entertainment industry, those are the opinions that hardly ever get heard. by Adam Suraf
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