After Emmy nominations were revealed last week, the criticism was once again raised that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences might be just a little too snobbish, too in love with niche cable series and unwilling to extend honors to some of the shows that America watches regularly. Is this a fair rap?

Looking at some of the hit shows that the academy has been ignoring in the major categories presents a mixed bag: series that do deserve more Emmy attention, and others that, while popular, can't be said to represent high art.

NCIS: Now in the Nielsen Top Ten on a weekly basis, this is a perfect example of the sort of program that just has no shot of ever getting Emmy attention. Shows that are action-oriented and plot-based are always going to lose out to the likes of Mad Men. And frankly, it's hard to argue with this. The cast of NCIS has developed a nice chemistry, and Mark Harmon has been a reliable and likable TV presence for three decades, but was it one of the seven best dramas on television last season? Not a chance. The writing and acting don't rise to the level of deserving awards, but there is certainly a place on the tube for solid entertainment without serious artistic ambition. The same would go for the other big CBS hit without the letters CSI in its title, Criminal Minds, although that series has a bit more artistic pretension behind it.

Survivor: The granddaddy of reality competition shows has not been able to score a nomination in that category. My guess is that since most Emmy voters don't watch a lot of reality TV, the show's reputation for being all about "backstabbing" has kept it from getting more respect (note that the five shows nominated in this category feature contestants voted out by judges, by votes from viewers, or by the clock in the case of The Amazing Race). Also, it apparently seems classier to honor creativity in the case of Top Chef or even Dancing With the Stars than it does to pay homage to "Want to know what you're playing for?" But Survivor deserves more respect for its stellar editing and for its overall look since it moved to high-def. Besides, the fifth season of Project Runway, the only one under consideration for this Emmy period, was dramatically weaker than the first four. The Emmys should reconsider their prejudice against Survivor.

Desperate Housewives: This is the rare example of a show that received a good deal of Emmy love right out of the box, but is now being mostly ignored even though its ratings remain strong and it still wins favor from most critics. It received only two nominations this year, and none for its primary cast. There are a few newer series that have turned Emmy's eye, but it's hard to argue that veteran series Entourage, Weeds, and Family Guy are superior to Desperate Housewives. Similarly, previous Emmy winner Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and the never-nominated Eva Longoria Parker continue to do fine work and should get more consideration. While viewers have gotten accustomed to sitcoms without a laugh track, one wonders if the show's status as a hybrid comedy-drama works against it when awards season comes around.

The CSI Family: Few series have had the long-lasting influence of the original CSI, which has set the tone for the highest-rated network for an entire decade. Stylistically, it has been as innovative as shows like ER and Hill Street Blues, but it never quite attracted the notice of Emmy voters. And the two newer CSIs have suffered the fates of all sequels when it comes to getting the respect of elites. The idea that CSI was just another run-of-the-mill genre show no doubt prevented it from getting more respect. While the Las Vegas CSI is past its prime, and even faces something of an uncertain future given the failure of audiences to so far embrace Laurence Fishburne, it certainly deserved nominations in the past, as did its departed star William Petersen, who played an underrated part in establishing its distinct tone.

So You Think You Can Dance: It is interesting to compare this series with its corporate cousin American Idol, which has received nominations in the reality competition category. While Idol had chronic issues this season with coming in on time, SYTYCD is invariably well-paced, with judges who can put together coherent (if occasionally very loud) critiques. But the series and its host Cat Deeley have not managed to gain any Emmy attention. The fact that it has till now aired in the summer has probably worked against it, and we will see if its move to the fall schedule will help it get noticed. I find it hard to believe that voters would find Dancing With the Stars superior to SYTYCD if both series were airing at the same time.

True Blood: There was some controversy over the failure of True Blood to gain any key nominations, even though its debut season, the only one under consideration for this round of Emmys, was not as highly thought of as the current season. In particular, there was some surprise over the failure of Anna Paquin to gain a best actress nod, given that she won a Golden Globe for her role as Sookie Stackhouse, and given the traditional Emmy love for actors with an Academy Award in their past. I've made it clear that I am no fan of Paquin, but I suspect that she and a few of her fellow cast members, if not the series itself, will begin getting nominations by next year. It doesn't seem right for HBO to have just one nomination for best drama (for Big Love), and while In Treatment is a better series than True Blood, it's never going to have the buzz. But would it actually deserve those nominations? Not based on what I've seen so far.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us