Emmy Awards Not Kind to David's Shows

It is probably real American of me to take time out to talk about the Emmy Awards while they are still sifting through wreckage in London or while the mob of Lefties carrying torches has Karl Rove on the run but you know what they say. "If we change the way we live our lives then the terrorists have already won."

The nominations fot the Emmy Awards were announced recently. All in all it was a pretty lousy year for David's pet shows. Although most of them did walk away with some recognition, on the whole they are still fairly significantly under the radar.

I should start with a surprise. The Showtime show "Huff" did very well. I became hooked on this thing last year and really can't wait for the next season. Hank Azaria got a nomination for lead actor. With all the work he's done on other really good shows from the background it is very nice to see him get some recognition. Even better is the nomination for supporting actor that went to Oliver Platt. For some of the things he has had to do in that role he deserves some kudos (I saw him on an interview show and he says that people he meets that only know him from this role can't help but think he's a pervert).

I also should be happy about James Spader and William Shatner both getting nominations for Boston Legal. I'm not sure what happened to that show. ABC wound up with a real power lead in from Extreme Home Makeover and Desperate Housewives and must have used that 10pm slot for a half dozen other programs. That's too bad as I really have missed Boston Legal.

Deadwood also did very well, which is good, because it like some of the other show recognized this time around really requires one to watch multiple episodes to have any kind of idea what is going on. I actually was expecting many more nominations for this show. It would have been nice to have seen something for Timothy Olyphant, Brad Dourif, Paula Malcomson, Kim Dickens, and William Sanderson - maybe even something for Kieth Carradine even though he left the series fairly early.

The overlooked? I really would like to have seen some recognition for "The Wire." I continue to believe it is the single best show on television, hands down. The third season of this show dealt with the fallout from the decision to control drug use rather than trying to stop it. The writing, directing, and acting here are all first rate, and unlike some of the other shows this one also provides direct and contemporary social commentary. The show, like "Homicide, Life on the Street" before it did get a nomination for writing, but it is far better than that. If there's any consolation here, many of the faces involved with this show were also involved with "Homicide" and with "Oz" so they ought to be used to doing good work without much recognition.

I just hope the powers that be give them the slack to keep working without the celebration that other shows are receiving.

My other beef? Well this one is more in the left field area - well off the beaten track. Someone should really say something positive about SciFi's Friday night lineup. All three shows: SG-1, Atlantis, and Galactica got nominations for effects, but they are really all better than that. This season I could see overlooking the Stargate shows. SG-1 was not at its best, and they really haven't found the series with Atlantis. "Battlestar Galactica" really hit the nail squarely on the head though and deserves much more ceremony.

Typically science fiction shows do not do well at the Emmys. Pretty much as a group they get overlooked when it comes to writing, performance, or show wide recognition. They get their share of effects, technical, and editing notices but they are much more than that.

Getting its launch from last year's miniseries, Galactica had almost a "preseason" to help sort out the kinks before season one. Add to that the entire pre-existing mythology, and some class-A cast members (Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell) and they had a very solid foundation right from the outset. And the show has not disappointed. NBC reran the last three episodes of season one in HD last weekend and the cliffhanger ending was absolutely as impressive the second time even though I knew exactly what was going to happen - it was extrordinarily crafted and should have gotten people's attention as television rather than science fiction television. I cannot wait for season two to begin Friday.

Even though I am a huge fan of The West Wing, I would have been thrilled to have seen either "The Wire" or "Battlestar Galactica" get that slot for Best Drama Series.