Wednesday, July 07, 2010

2010 Emmy Watch Part 3





For the final part of my 2010 Emmy Watch blog posts, I will discuss which shows I predict will get the six slots each for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series.Last year, there were seven nominees for each category,this became possible because of ties but officially there should be only six nominees. Once again, this list shows the program which I believe WILL get the nod and not who I WANT to get it. You can read the first part here and the second part here

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

Breaking Bad (AMC)


Mad Men (AMC)


Dexter (Showtime)


Lost (ABC)


The Good Wife (CBS)


House (FOX)



Wildcards:

Damages (FX)


True Blood (HBO)


Two-time winner Mad Men is definitely coming back and it seems that it will face stiff competition with fellow AMC show Breaking Bad as many critics have been raving that the third season is the show's best. Breaking Bad has been noticed by the Academy before and with a stronger critical acclaim this time around, it's no denying that this show is a lock for a nomination. A very strong arc that highlighted strong performances of Michael C. Hall and guest star John Lithgow will carry Dexter to another nomination. Lost's final season was the most buzzed and although critics and fans have been divided on the quality of the final season, I can't see the Academy ignoring Lost for one final shot for Best Drama. The last two slots are up for grabs and I give the edge to two broadcast dramas over the ones coming from cable The Good Wife has been well-reviewed and Juliana's powerful performance might also give a halo effect to the series itself. It also does not hurt that the show 's cast got a nomination on the Screen Actors Guild Awards this year. Consensus on the previous season of House was that it was so-so but let's take note that most of the voters based their choices on the screeners sent by studios and House has episodes that could catapult them to another nomination (the season 6 premiere for example). And let's remember that House was never out of the Emmy radar. Damages has been nominated for the past two years while it's likely they will get a nod again for what is presumed the final season of the show (it has not been officially canceled yet but it will most likely go that way given the anemic ratings and how expensive the show is to produce) it is vulnerable for a shout out since Damages has lost the buzz it had on it's first two seasons. Meanwhile, True Blood's second season which is up for contention experienced great critical support and also a growing, passionate fanbase that raised this show's profile and it's from HBO, never count that out when impressing Emmy voters. But this is still a fantasy show which is not an Emmy-friendly material especially for older voters. Will True Blood break the stigma? Let's wait and see.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock (NBC)



Glee (FOX)



Modern Family (ABC)



Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)


The Big Bang Theory (CBS)



Entourage (HBO)



Wildcards:

The Office (NBC)


Parks and Recreation (NBC)




This category will be exciting to watch. For now, three-time winner and titleholder 30 Rock is a lock for a nomination despite underwhelming reviews of the show the past season. New shows Modern Family and Glee are also locks for nominations given how strong the support for the aforementioned shows are. Curb Your Enthusiasm's previous season featured a well-reviewed faux Seinfeld reunion arc that is too irresistible for the Emmys to ignore. The last two slots will be a bloodbath, I could think of at least 7 shows that could fill my alternates list but then of course if I write all of them there then this prediction would have been lame and too safe,right? I give The Big Bang Theory the edge over previous multi-cam nominees Two and Half Men and How I Met Your Mother mainly because this season saw the show catapulted from being a cult favorite to a ratings powerhouse but still critically well -loved which is what is perceived as the type of show the Emmys want to have on its roster of nominees. Adding the show's Emmy aggressive campaign, The Big Bang Theory is for me a safe bet for a nomination. Entourage has been receiving negative reviews for the past years but the Emmy voters didn't care and they're consistently nominated and I would not be surprise if they are still nominated this year. The Office is a frequent nominee but with the onslaught of new and emerging sitcoms the show is vulnerable plus it does not help that the consensus is that the previous season was show's weakest. But for what is worth, the show still had strong episodes like Jim and Pam's wedding the could carry them to snatch a slot. Parks and Recreation six-episode first season was not received well (just like The Office) and the Emmys ignored it at the same time but the second season of the show raised the show's profile from being horrible to be one of the best comedy on TV (just like The Office) . Will Parks and Recreation follow the path of The Office? Will the voters notice how much the show has improved or did they already wrote this show off after the underwhelming first season? Let's wait and see. ;)

***

And that concludes my 2010 Primetime Emmy Watch series and announcement of nominees will be on July 8, Thursday Morning in the US (and Wednesday evening here in the Philippines.). Hopefully there will be an exciting set of nominees this year although as usual I'm prepared to be disappointed to see similar names nominated over and over again. But I'm really hoping this time it won't be the case.

No comments: