Here in the summer doldrums of broadcast TV (cable is another story), the networks always try to keep interest alive by announcing the annual Emmy nominations.
I know you were sitting out there all a-quiver to see if your favorite show or actor got a nod. The TV Column was on special, special assignment out of state when the list came out, so we’ll catch up today.
The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards will air live on CBS on Sept. 22, so there’s plenty of time to discuss among yourselves. Once again, the multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) will host.
The biggest buzz among industry watchers is that the political thriller House of Cards and the reboot of the former Fox comedy Arrested Development made the list.
What’s the big deal? Neither series is on television. Or rather, not on traditional television.
House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, and Arrested Development, featuring Jason Bateman and the gang, are streamed on Netflix, the home-entertainment subscription service.
In other words, these shows are on the Internet, not your TV.
Of course, if you can figure out how, you can always hook up your computer, tablet or smartphone to your TV if it’ll make you feel better (I do), but the precedent has been set. I can’t stand to watch a TV show on my laptop or iPhone. It’s just not the same. Maybe if I had a large enough monitor at home, it’d be OK.
I’m betting cinephiles said the same thing in the 1950s when movies began to be shown on TV. Movies just weren’t the same on a little box.
Meanwhile, the critically beloved (but ratings challenged) 30 Rock is going out in style. Creator Tina Fey and star Alec Baldwin got a mention, and the series (which ended its run after seven seasons) gathered 13 nominations in all, including Best Comedy.
Other series to earn multiple nominations are Showtime’s Homeland; AMC’s Breaking Bad (final season begins Aug. 11) and Mad Men; and HBO’s gripping Game of Thrones (my favorite), Girls and the Liberace docudrama Behind the Candelabra.
FX’s American Horror Story leads the pack with 17 nominations. Nomination leader HBO earned 108 (!) total.
Also scoring big were PBS’ swell period soap Downton Abbey; ABC’s Modern Family;and CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.
Here’s the main list with my picks in boldface. Make your own and we’ll cheer them on come Sept. 22.
Drama: Breaking Bad (AMC); Downton Abbey (PBS); Game of Thrones (HBO); Homeland (Showtime); House of Cards (Netflix); Mad Men (AMC).
Romance, intrigue, blood and guts - what’s not to like about Game of Thrones? I’ve read all the books and still love it.
Drama actor: Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey); Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad); Jeff Daniels ( Newsroom); Jon Hamm (Mad Men); Damien Lewis (Homeland); Kevin Spacey (House of Cards).
Cranston’s Walter White is simply one of the most brilliant characters to come along in decades. And, yes, Walter must die. He has to.
Drama actress: Claire Danes (Homeland); Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel); Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey); Robin Wright (House of Cards); Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men); Connie Britton (Nashville); Kerry Washington (Scandal).
I’ve been a Britton fan since being stuck smushed up against her on a crowded elevator for 10 minutes. Yes, that’s enough to hope she wins.
Comedy: Girls (HBO); Louie (FX); Modern Family (ABC); The Big Bang Theory (CBS); 30 Rock (NBC); Veep (HBO).
Even reruns I’ve seen before make me laugh. Why? If I knew, I’d be in Hollywood sipping chilled S. Pellegrino sparkling water.
Comedy actor: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock); Jason Bateman (Arrested Development); Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory); Matt LeBlanc (Episodes); Louie C.K (Louie); Don Cheadle (House of Lies).
Louie C.K. isn’t really acting. This is his life. He was born to play the role and make us laugh.
Comedy actress: Tina Fey (30 Rock); Laura Dern (Enlightened); Lena Dunham (Girls); Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie); Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep).
I’m still puzzled why Nurse Jackie is a comedy. It has its humorous moments, but it’s in the dramatic segments that Falco gives us chills.
Reality competition: The Amazing Race (CBS); Dancing With the Stars (ABC); Project Runway (Lifetime); So You Think You Can Dance (Fox); Top Chef (Bravo); The Voice (NBC).
What? Wait. Where’s American Idol? Exactly.
Series returns. So you thought CBS’ Unforgettable was canceled. So did CBS. The series has been resurrected for a summer run of 13 episodes and returns at 8 p.m. today.
Unforgettable features Dylan Walsh and Poppy Montgomery solving crimes. The gimmick - Montgomery’s Carrie Wells has hyperthymesia - the ability to recall everything she has ever seen or heard. Everything except the face of the man who murdered her sister.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
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Style, Pages 51 on 07/28/2013