2012 Emmy Predictions: Drama Series

And the nominees are:

- Mad Men
- Breaking Bad
- Homeland
- Game Of Thrones
- Downton Abbey
- Boardwalk Empire

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

Season 4 of Breaking Bad (the nominated season) is one of the greatest single seasons ever produced on television. The only thing that is probably better than Season 4 was Season 3 of Breaking Bad. I say this without hyperbole or exaggeration that Breaking Bad is the greatest television show ever made. It's just fucking awesome. If you disagree with me then you just haven't watched the show yet... Season 5 of Mad Man (the nominated season) was probably one of the worst seasons the show has ever had. It started off slow, then got good for a few moments, then it took a HUGE dip in quality, then the problem arose with Lane Pryce, and then the show ended on a really high note. That being said, a "bad" season for Mad Men is still better than 99% of the crap (and good stuff) put out there... Season 1 of Homeland was just excellent. Despite the show being run by a couple of people from 24, Homeland had amazing characters and character development. We saw the story and lives of two damaged people (one from genetics [Claire Danes] and one from external forces [Damian Lewis]) and they came together so beautifully to unwind and solve a (possible, maybe) terrorist plot.... Season 2 of Game Of Thrones (the nominated season) was very, very good but just wasn't as good as its first season. The main problem GOT had was that a) they were trying to cram too many characters and way too many plot points into an entire season and b) they did a more worse job explaining things to audiences like me
who did not read the book. This is a television show and as such it should be judged as a television show. That being said, the penultimate episode of the season, "The Battle Of Blackwater" was probably the single greatest episode that aired during this Emmy eligible period. [SPOILER ALERT FOR GOT] At some point I need the White Walkers/whatever lies North of The Wall and Dany and her fucking dragons to actually invade Westeros. I've invested two seasons around Dany and Jon Snow and there's been a looming threat of war for two seasons now and it just hasn't come. When I first began to watch GOT I was worried it would be too plot-driven with little characters and while the show is plenty plot driven it turned out to have some amazing characters that I've grown fond of (in particular Tyrion Lannister) but Season 2 moved away from that to focus more on the potential and upcoming wars. [END OF GOT SPOILER ALERT]... Season Two of Downton Abbey was extremely boring with the writers doing a terrible job by dragging on plot points FOR-EV-ER (think The Sandlot). The Emmy voters are full of old people who love this sort of crap but it's not for everybody- mainly everybody under the age of 55. Season One of D.A. started off super slow but then it really picked up in the second half. The last episode of Season One added an amazing plot point which I thought would make for an amazing Season Two. Oh, how I was proven wrong... Unfortunately I didn't get around to watching Boardwalk Empire but I'm sure it's great. And let's face it, anything's better than what Season 2 of Downton Abbey was.

If I Had An Emmy Ballot:

- Breaking Bad
- Mad Men
- Homeland
- Game Of Thrones
- White Collar
- Justified

MAJOR SNUBS:

Truthfully, I am proclaiming I would vote for Justified mainly just because I saw it. I'm sure if I also saw Boardwalk Empire then it would take Justified's place. Justified's Season Two was amazing but Season Three added too many characters which diminished the overall quality. I know many critics loved Season 3 and would claim it is a snub but I have no problem that it was left off of the list. Being typically me, I am being too critical of Justified because, like Mad Men, a bad season of it is still really, really good.

WHAT WILL WIN  / WHAT SHOULD WIN:

What Will Win: Breaking Bad
What Should Win: Breaking Bad

For the past four years Mad Mad has won the Emmy for Best Drama Series. If you were a betting man  you should bet on past winners being a repeat winner, but Mad Men already set the record for the most Best Drama Emmy's won by a television show ever when it won its fourth Emmy in 2011. If Mad Men wins for a 5th straight year it would be beyond unprecedented. This is absolutely a bit of a bold call by me but I just feel Mad Men finally loses out on the big prize.

If Mad Men does lose then I think Breaking Bad wins it. I'm probably discounting the Emmy love for Downton Abbey (I mean a vast majority of the Emmy voters are old white dudes which is Downton Abbey's ONLY demographic) but I just think Breaking Bad is so good and has been continuously good that it finally gets his due. Season 4 of Breaking Bad is just so much better than every nomination that I believe its quality will win out. This is probably just wishful thinking but that is my pick.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mad Men's 4 Emmy wins is tied for the most ever won by a television show. If they win this year they will set the record. Still don't think they do it.

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Lead Actor In A Drama Series

And the nominees are:

- Jon Hamm (Don Draper) in Mad Men
- Bryan Cranston (Walter White) in Breaking Bad
- Damian Lewis (Sgt. Nicholas Brody) in Homeland
- Michael C. Hall (Dexter Morgan) in Dexter
- Steve Buscemi (Nucky Thompson) in Boardwalk Empire
- Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley, Lord of Grantham) in Downton Abbey

MY REACTIONS TO THE NOMINATIONS:

Where to begin? Let's start with one of my favorite characters on television: Don Draper. Don Draper has changed since his cheating and smooth ways of Season One. Don Draper is still one badass mofo and does whatever he wants to whomever he wants. But for the past two seasons we have seen a subdued version of Don Draper. But that doesn't diminish Hamm's amazing acting abilities, it's just really frustrating and it's 100% creator and head writer Matthew Weiner's fault. But my final point is that Jon Ham is awesome and can no wrong... Bryan Cranston has won this award every year he's been eligible and he deserves every award that comes his way. Breaking Bad is the best show on television and a lot of it has to do with the amazing performance of Cranston. The show could not work without him... I loved the first season of Homeland and while Claire Danes (deservingly so) has garnered all the acting buzz and all of the awards from Homeland, I think Damien Lewis did a much better acting job than Danes. I thought Lewis was superb and I hope he wins every award he's nominated for... Hugh Bonneville didn't do a horrible job on Downton Abbey and he is a very good actor but like most of the actors who have earned acting Emmy nominations from Downton Abbey, they didn't really sparkle on the screen like many other actors who were nominated. If I had to chose one actor from Downton Abbey for this category I would have chosen Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley because he was one of the few people on the show who's performance and acting stood out above the rest... While I stopped watching Dexter after Season 4, I find it hard to believe that Michael C. Hall and Dexter did anything *that* much different in Season 6 than in the first four seasons. I think it's safe to assume I can judge Hall based on his past performances and while his character is good, I think the field has caught up to Dexter and Hall... I have no excuse to why I haven't seen Boardwalk Empire. I would have much rather seen B.E. than Downton Abbey. Feel free to pelt me with rocks.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Jon Hamm (Don Draper) in Mad Men
- Bryan Cranston (Walter White) in Breaking Bad
- Damian Lewis (Sgt. Nicholas Brody) in Homeland
- Timothy Olyphant (Raylan Givens) in Justified
- Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey) in White Collar
- Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley) in Downton Abbey

(NOTE: I'm sure once I see Boardwalk Empire I'll put Buscemi ahead of Stevens but I don't want to take anything away from Stevens because he was excellent)

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Now that I have seen 11 out of the 12 episodes of Season Two of Boardwalk Empire, I feel I can accurately reflect upon the show and about Steve Buscemi's perfromance. Buscemi is great always put his performance both in Season 2 and in Season 1 were nothing spectacular and the real star of the show is Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody. I wish Pitt made himself eligible in this category but sadly he was only eligible for a Supporting Emmy. Since Buscemi's  Nucky Thompson is the only character eligible for the Lead Emmy nomination, I'm fine with my original selection and with leaving Buscemi off of my "If I Had An Emmy Vote" list and leaving Dan Stevens on. 

MAJOR SNUBS:

Um, how about Mr. Beautiful Timothy Olyphant! While I thought Season 3 of Justified took a huge step backwards from both Season 2 AND Season 1, that doesn't mean Olyphant wasn't great as always. Raylan Givens is one of the best characters on television and Olyphant deserves a nomination every year no matter what.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Bryan Cranston
Who Should Win (In General): Jon Hamm
Who Should Win (Solely Based Upon The Nominated Season): Damian Lewis

Last year Breaking Bad was not eligible to be nominated which means Jon Hamm did was not forced to go head-to-head with Bryan Cranston. This looked like a guaranteed lock for Hamm to finally win a Best Actor Emmy. But then this cocksucker named Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights comes along and because it was his last eligible season he wins the award. I guess Hamm will just have to accept his Outstanding Guest Actor Emmy for his (hilarious and legit deserves to win for this one performance) cameo on the live episode of 30 Rock this year or wait two more years when Mad Men is on Season 7 and Breaking Bad has stopped airing new episodes. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Hamm lost the Best Guest Performance In A Comedy to Jimmy Fallon last week. WTF Emmys?!]

If you are just looking at the six, actual nominations and ask me who deserves to win, it's Jon Hamm because it's insane he will never win a Best Actor Emmy for playing probably the greatest character in the history of television (seriously, Don Draper is amazing and this is not a hyperbole). But if you're asking me to choose who deserves to win by solely looking at how Hamm acted in Season 5 of Mad Men versus how Damien Lewis acted in Season 1 of Homeland, I'll take Lewis ten times out of ten.

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Lead Actress In A Drama Series

And the nominees are:

- Kathy Bates (Harry Korn) in Harry's Law
- Claire Danes (Carrie Mathison) in Homeland
- Glenn Close (Patty Hewes) in Damages
- Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crowley) in Downton Abbey
- Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) in Mad Men
- Julianna Margulies (Alicia Florrick) in The Good Wife

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

Despite all the sexism in Mad Men, the show is one of the best feminist, pro-women shows ever on television. The 1960's was an amazing time in our country not only for Blacks but also for women and Matthew Weiner sure as hell puts that on display throughout his show. The symbolism for the woman's movement is shown through Peggy Olson and, as always, Elisabeth Moss delivers another amazing season... What can I say about Claire Danes for her amazing performance as Carrie Mathison? Mathison suffers from bi-polarism and boy howdy does she play both manic and depressive and everything in between as the lead in Homeland. A great rookie year for all in the show and a great year for Danes.... Despite how boring and dreadful I thought Season Two of Downton Abbey was there were some really great performances. Michelle Dockery as Mary Crowley gets the most screen time as if you like the show you have to credit a lot of that to her. Truthfully, I never watched Dockery on screen and thought to myself, "Wow, she's just amazing" but in a truly weak category she really is one of the best. However, she's a far #3 behind Danes and Moss... I do not watch Damages or Harry's Law. But then again neither do Emmy voters or the rest of America... I don't have an excuse why I don't watch The Good Wife, except that I'm not a middle aged woman. From what I've heard The Good Wife is the best cable drama on television but that doesn't mean anything considered how amazing the programming on AMC, FX, HBO, Showtime, and others are... Like the movies, there are just very few roles for women and that shows in television and this category as well. If you look at the eligible nominations for this category you will notice that this category as a lot less candidates than most of the other candidates.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) in Mad Men
- Michelle Dockey (Lady Mary Crawley) in Downton Abbey
- Elizabeth McGovern (Cora, Countess of Grantham) in Downton Abbey
- Claire Danes (Carrie Mathison) in Homeland

MAJOR SNUBS:

While I watch a crap ton of T.V. and (at least what I think) a crap ton of good T.V. it just so happens that I do not watch a ton of shows with good leading ladies. Or really any leading ladies. Believe me, this is not because I'm sexist but it is because most of the best shows have men in the leading role or if the show does star a female then the show is just not very good.  If Lena Headey actually wanted to get an Emmy nomination it would be best for her to throw her name with the big boys (or "girls" shall I say), but since she is only eligible for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role she's not a snub (for this category this year) Same could be said about Anna Gunn. (Although Gunn might win a Emmy this year)

Also, I'm extremely glad that Jessica Pare (who played Megan Calvet) in Mad Men did NOT get a nomination. I know the blogosphere was HUGE on Megan this season and adored her but I thought the weakest episodes and story lines of the season surrounded Megan and I don't think it was a coincidence that when Megan's role diminished the show got better. It seems that the Emmy voters agreed with me on this one as she was one of the only actors from Mad Men to NOT earn an acting nomination.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO DESERVES TO WIN:

- Who Will Win: Claire Danes
- Who Deserves To Win: Claire Danes

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

And the nominees are:

- Giancarlo Esposito (Gustavo Fring) in Breaking Bad

- Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) in Breaking Bad

- Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) in Game Of Thrones

- Jared Harris (Lane Pryce) in Mad Men

- Jim Carter (Mr. Carson) in Downton Abbey

- Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates) in Downton Abbey

MY THOUGHTS ON THE NOMINATIONS:

I'm pleased to report that I have seen all four of these shows and their respective nominated seasons so I can accurately judge all of them... Gustavo Fring is one of the best T.V. villains of all time and probably one of the best villains in media period. Esposito was fantastic being the focal point of Season 4 of Breaking Bad and was both menacing at one point and then charming as a mofo in the next. He was just fantastic... Normally I am not a big fan of perennial guys like Aaron Paul to be favorites to win these kinds of awards because after a certain point, a character is what he is, but not Paul in Season 4 of Breaking Bad. Jesse devolved into chaos after the ending events of Season 3 and become detached and then re-attached to society throughout Season 4. His performance was great... God I love Tyrion Lannister and Peter Dinklage. The guy is just so charming and you can't help but root for him no matter what endeavor he attempts or how vile it is. Dinklage showed great range and depth of emotion in Season Two. He could go into a monologue about how shitty his family was to him one minute (where all you wanted to do was give him a hug) to plotting and scheming for King's Landing in the next. I love Dinklage's performance... I loved Harris' performance of Lane Pryce this year on Mad Men and as much as I love Roger Sterling in general as well as his acid trip, I feel Harris deserving earned the "Mad Men spot" this year over John Slattery. The show was in a huge lull and it didn't pick up until the end of the season once Lane Pryce starting having his problems... I really like Brendan Coyle and his portrayal of Mr. Bates but holy shit was his story line in Season 2 awful and it dragged on forever- most of it off screen. It's hard to blame the actor for poor writing, but then again we credit the actor for good writing (see: Breaking Bad)... Jim Carter had a lot more to do as Mr. Carson this season but his performance seemed like a dime a dozen... If I *had* to choose one person from Downton Abbey I would choose Rob James-Collier as Thomas Barrow- but for seem reason he's not even eligible.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Giancarlo Esposito (Gustavo Fring) in Breaking Bad
- Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) in Breaking Bad
- Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) in Game Of Thrones
- Jared Harris (Lane Pryce) in Mad Men
- John Slattery (Roger Sterling) in Mad Men
- Mandy Patinkin (Saul Berenson) in Homeland

NOTE: I really wanted to nominate Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman) in Breaking Bad, Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell) in Mad Men, and Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder) in Justified but holy crap is the field super deep this year. EDITOR'S UPDATE: After watching Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire I really want to put Michael Pitt (who plays Jimmy Darmody) on this list. The problem is that this category is so damn deep I don't know who I would remove. In an ideal world this category would allow for seven actors to get nominated like they did this year with Best Supporting Actress (Comedy). I also want to give a shout out to Jack Huston who plays the creepy and wonderful Richard Harrow. The show realized what a gem they found in Season 1 and I'm glad they added depth to him in Season 2. He's great.

MAJOR SNUBS:

With a super deep class it's hard to say anyone is a snub but to me I can't believe Mandy Patinkin didn't get nominated. Homeland's first season was excellent and it was in large part due to him. Downton Abbey is good but it is no Homeland. With Damian Lewis, Claire Daines, and the show itself all garnering nominations, it is a shame the seasoned veteran got nothing.

WHO WILL WIN / WHAT SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Giancarlo Esposito
Who Should Win: Giancarlo Esposito

Aaron Paul won this award two years ago and with Breaking Bad not eligible last year Peter Dinklage won it last year. Normally the Emmy voters will continue to vote the previous winner but not only did the voters make major, unexpected changes (which was a great thing) with the nominations this year but with Margo Martindale winning the Best Supporting Actress Emmy last year for her fantastic performance as the evil and sly Mags Bennett for Justified I think Emmy voters are not afraid to vote for amazing short-term villains. All Emmy voters watch Breaking Bad and I think they will notice and recognize Esposito's performance. If for some reason Esposito does not win the award then Dinklage will.

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

And the nominees are:

- Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris) in Mad Men
- Anna Gunn (Skylar White) in Breaking Bad
- Maggie Smith (Violet Crowley) in Downton Abbey
- Joanne Froggatt (Anna Smith) Downton Abbey
- Archie Panjabi (Kalinda Sharma) in The Good Wife
- Christina Baranski (Dianne Lockhart) in The Good Wife

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

I hate Skyler White. I hate her so much. I hate her face, I hate her personality, and I hate that she is trying to stop Walter White. I'm pretty sure that means that Anna Gunn is a great actress but it's hard for me to even root for Anna Gunn because I hate Skylar so much... Maggie Smith is amazing at everything she does and in a huge cast that (to me) doesn't distinguish themselves from one another, Maggie Smith is one of the few people who actually deserves a nomination for her role on the show. She's great... Sticking with Downton Abbey let's talk about Joanne Froggatt. I feel the same way about her as I did about Jim Carter's portrayal of Carson's, I have nothing against it but I feel like it didn't stick out either... Now on to the last of the performance whose performance I have actually seen and that's Christina Hendricks as Joannie. God, I love Joannie. Who doesn't? Hendricks is great against anyone who she is playing off of and in Season Five of Mad Men we got the rare Don Draper/Joan Harris scene where they drunkenly flirt together. Joan was a major part of Mad Men's 5th season and she was excellent dealing with both her terrible marriage as well as doing some terrible things at work... I don't watch The Good Wife or pretend to know anything about it.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris) in Mad Men
- Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper) in Mad Men
- Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) in Game of Thrones
- Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) in Game of Thrones
- Morena Baccarin (Jessica Brody) in Homeland
- Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan) in Dexter

MAJOR SNUBS:

I don't know if there are major snubs this year but if I had to pick one I'd pick Kiernan Shipka. The conventional view is that Lena Headey is the biggest snub and I wouldn't fight you to hard on that but for the sake of talking about someone no one is talking about, I'll go with Sally Draper. Nothing against Headey and she was excellent in Season Two of Game of Thrones going from wildly deceitful, plotting, and mean to being surprisingly thoughtful and generous and pulling off both. That being said, the emphasis on Sally Draper and how a youth is being affected by the changing and wild 1960's was some of the best stuff on an average season of Mad Men. Shipka's been great since becoming a full time Mad Men regular and I think she deserves to get praised for her great work.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Anna Gunn
Who Should Win (Nominated): Christina Hendricks
Who Should Win (Not Nominated): Morena Baccarin

This is probably the pick I feel weakest about. Margo Martindale won this award last year but she neither was nominated nor eligible to win for her amazing performance of Mags Bennett in Justified this year. Archie Panjabi won this award two years ago so that would lead one to believe she's a favorite to win it this year but with Emmy voters shocking everyone by bucking their own trend of consistency and actually mixing things up with the nominations, I think voters will mix things up as well by awarding this award to Gunn. This is surprisingly Gunn's first Emmy nomination and with Season 4 of Breaking Bad being as amazing as it is (the season Gunn is nominated for) and with BB coming off of an amazing Season Five I think the support goes to Anna Gunn.

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Comedy Series

The nominees are:

- 30 Rock
- The Big Bang Theory
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Modern Family
- Veep
- Girls

MY THOUGHTS ON THE NOMINATIONS:

While I'm a huge television watcher and I watch a disproportionate amount of comedies than dramas, this year I seem to be out of the loop when it comes to the laughs. Out of the six nominations I have only seen two out of the six seasons: 30 Rock and Modern Family... I saw the pilots to both Girls and Veep and was not impressed with either of them. I know they both have gotten a lot of critical buzz and I should know better than to judge a comedy by its pilot (because comedies usually need a few episodes, if not an entire season to actually get to their sweet spot) but alas I have... I always say I can't watch Curb Your Enthusiasm because while I like Seinfeld I could never watch a Seinfeld but with George being the main character and that is what I feel Curb is. But that being said I have watched a handful of episodes from the latest Curb and they're all hysterical... I hate what The Big Bang Theory has become. I know it's super popular and people love Sheldon but a) not only can I not stand Sheldon anymore but b) I absolutely hate that they essentially added female Sheldon with Amy Farrah-Fowler. I really think the show have Jumped The Shark for me... I love Modern Family and it's first two seasons but it had a pretty down season in this Emmy nominated 3rd season. After the season ended I wanted to say it shouldn't win the Best Comedy Show Emmy but considering this field, I wouldn't have a problem with it.... The first two season of 30 Rock were so good that I think I had unfair expectations for its Season 6 but overall it was a really solid season. Although I said this at the time, I'm kind of upset the way the show treated Jack and Liz when Liz started dating Criss. I'm inherently fine with comedies not developing their main characters (most notably Seinfeld) but the way Liz always wanted to change and the way Jack was always trying to make her change, I'm upset that change didn't happen. Nevertheless, in a weak year for long-standing comedies, 30 Rock was one of the season's best.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Parks And Recreation
- New Girl
- 30 Rock
- Modern Family
- It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- Community

MAJOR SNUBS:

To me, the two biggest snubs are Parks and Recreation and New Girl... Parks and Recreation is not only the best comedy on television right now but you can make the argument that it's the best television show out right now. The cast is great and funny and sweet and just overall amazing. Considering that Parks and Rec have been nominated before AND gets other Emmy nominations I'm completely surprised that it didn't get an nomination this year... I love New Girl. it's got a great and simple concept with a small cast that you grow to love. While the advertisements leading up to the show was all about Zooey Deschanel, the show realized it's bread and butter was to focus on Nick and Schmidt. It had a great pilot, some on and off episodes in the beginning, but a great second half to the season. I think it's a really fantastic show... Just one final note, while It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has always been really good but it's last season was excellent and one of its best. Parks and Rec is clearly the Best Comedy show out there right now but New Girl and It's Always Sunny are both just a nose behind it.

WHAT SHOULD WIN / WHAT WILL WIN

What Will Win: Modern Family
What Should Win (Nominated): 30 Rock
What Should Win (Not Nominated): Parks and Recreation

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

And the nominees are:

- Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy) in 30 Rock
- Louis C.K. (Louie) in Louie
- Don Cheadle (Marty Kaan) in House of Lies
- Jon Cryer (Alan Harper) in Two And A Half Men
- Larry David (Larry David) in Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper) in The Big Bang Theory

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

Another "we hate Charlie Sheen and feel sorry to anyone he hurt" nomination for Jon Cryer. I'm sure there is nothing different than Cryer did in whatever season Two And A Half Men is on versus any other series... Although the same can be said for Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock but the difference between Cryer and Baldwin is that a) Baldwin is a legit movie star b) 30 Rock is far superior than Two And A Half Men and c) Baldwin's character was always better than Cryer's. Yeah, I like Baldwin a lot... I stopped watching Louie after Season One because I assumed the show would be funny. But it's not meant to be funny nor is it meant to have a cohesive story line. I've seen bits and pieces from Season 2 of Louie and truthfully Louie C.K. deserves every nomination just for this scene with himself and Dane Cook... I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll say it now: I really dislike the character of Sheldon Cooper (and also female Sheldon Cooper). I dislike how his autism negatively affects his friends (especially Leonard) and I dislike that the show has centered more on him than on Penny and Leonard. I completely understand that Sheldon tested so well and that all of America is in love with Sheldon so the show has shifted to what American wants but I can't stand it and don't like it. Truthfully, my anger should probably be directed at Chuck Lorre and not at Jim Parsons because I bet its hard to play that character. But that being said, I don't like the character... Don't watch Curb but I'm sure Larry David is very good. Although I did see his amazing Emmy selected episode. ... I also don't watch House of Lies but let's face it, neither do you or anyone you know.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Alec Baldwin (Jack Donaghy) in 30 Rock
- Joel McHale (Jeff Winger) in Community
- Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt) in Parks and Recreation
- Rob Lowe (Chris Traeger) in Parks and Recreation
- Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) in The Big Bang Theory
- Louis C.K. (Louie) in Louie

MAJOR SNUB:

To go along with the Parks and Rec theme of these posts my major snub is Adam Scott. Despite the fact that he doesn't consider himself funny and claims he doesn't know comedy and despite the fact that he often plays the straight man, he IS funny and he IS great on Parks and Rec. Some of the funniest and sweetest moments happened because of Adam Scott.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Jim Parsons
Who Should Win (Nominated): Alec Baldwin
Who Should Win (Not Nominated): Adam Scott or Joel McHale

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

And the nominees are:

- Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) in 30 Rock
- Zooey Deschanel (Jessica Day) in New Girl
- Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope) in Parks and Recreation
- Lena Dunham (Hannah Horvath) in Girls
- Julia-Louis Dreyfus (Selina Meyer) in Veep
- Melissa McCarthy (Molly Flynn) in Mike and Molly
- Edie Falco (Jackie Peyton) in Nurse Jackie

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

SEVEN NODS?! Really Emmys? This is a tad ridiculous... I enjoyed 30 Rock this season and Liz Lemon had some great moments (especially the episode where she "turns into" The Joker and Jack Donaghy as Batman/The Tuxedo) but my biggest frustration with Liz Lemon was not Fey's acting but the way Fey choose to write for her character. I would have liked to see her develop and change but for most of the season she did not... I love New Girl and while the show was at its best when it focused on Schmidt and Nick and less on Jess, Zooey Deschanel as Jessica Day was still really funny and Deschanel is always fun to watch. Even when being forced to watch "Yes Man"... Amy Poehler is just amazing and Leslie Knope is just amazing. Pick an awesome adjective and that describes Amy Poehler and Leslie Knope... While I did not consistently watch Mike and Molly this year I find it hard to believe that Melissa McCarthy and her character did anything better or worse than what she did throughout her entire show's run (this is based on the limited episodes I've seen of her this season and the type of show she is on). She was hilarious in Bridesmaids but I think that momentum will not go past this year. In fact, if she didn't win this award last year I don't think she would have been nominated this year... I've heard Girls is an amazing show and I probably should watch it but alas I did not. I guess a show entitled "Girls" about four early 20-somethings living in New York does not appeal to the heterosexual male in me... I also don't watch Nurse Jackie or Veep but I'm not going to make any excuses about it and I probably will never watch the shows.

If I Had An Emmy Ballot:

- Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope) in Parks and Recreation
- Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) in 30 Rock
- Zooey Deschanel (Jessica Day) in New Girl
- Lea Michelle (Rachel Berry) in Glee
- Martha Plimpton (Virginia Chase) in Raising Hope
- Christina Applegate (Reagan Brinkley) in Up All Night

MAJOR SNUBS:

Another category where the list of eligible nominations is thin and weak (you'll see what I am talking about when I post my Lead Actress in a Drama Series post). I don't think there are any snubs but I do like Martha Plimpton and Christina Applegate in Raising Hope and Up All Night, respectively. While I do not particularly care for either of the shows, I do think both actresses are very funny in them.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Lena Dunham
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler

This I think is another tough category to predict. Edie Falco won this award two years ago, but I think that was more of a "you were awesome on The Sopranos and while we didn't see Nurse Jackie you're probably good in it" pick and I don't think she'll ever win again for Nurse Jackie. Melissa McCarthy won this award last year but she was coming off of an amazing, Oscar-nominated performance in "Bridesmaids" and since the Emmy's have Little Brother Syndrome to the Oscars and movies and general, Melissa won based off of her movie role and not her T.V. role. But I don't think she repeats. With the quality of T.V. and new T.V. getting better, I think the Emmys are catching up to that. "Girls" is not only extremely well received but Dunham also received an Emmy nominations for both writing and directing Girls and I think her talent will (at least) be rewarded in this category. Although if the Emmys continue to have Little Brother Syndrome (which I don't think they will this year) then Deschanel as this award locked down and its not close.

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

And the nominees are:

- Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy) in Modern Family
- Sophia Vergara (Gloria Delgado-Pritchett) in Modern Family
- Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah-Fowler) in The Big Bang Theory
- Kathryn Joosten (Karen McCluskey) in Desperate Housewives
- Merritt Wever (Zoey Barkow) in Nurse Jackie
- Kristen Wiig (Various Characters) in Saturday Night Live

MY REACTION TO THE NOMINATIONS:

The same feeling I had about the four males dominating the Best Supporting Actor category is the same feeling I have about the two Modern Family ladies here. What really separates Julie Bowen from Sophia Vergara expect that Vergara is hotter and more famous? Also, what makes the adults "better" than Sarah Hyland (Haley Dunphy) or Ariel Winter (Alex Dunphy)?... I hate, hate, hate Bialik's character on The Big Bang Theory. I think I'm alone on an island on this one but I can not stand her. I really dislike the relationship she has with Penny and I was never a big fan of Sheldon to begin with so having a female Sheldon really annoys me... Friend of the blog Dan Bennett *hates* Kristen Wiig with a passion and hates her so much that he even refused to see Bridesmaids. I can see where he is coming from because Wiig's over-the-top, larger-than-life characters can really get annoying but Wiig is supremely talented and when gets a low key role or a toned down role (like her character in Bridesmaids) she can be really good and really funny. Despite the fact that she is considered SNL's leading lady I don't think she is the most talented female cast member on her own show (see below)... I don't claim to watch Desperate Housewives and I wouldn't be caught dead watching it. Also, I don't watch Nurse Jackie. I make no apologies for either.

If I Has An Emmy Vote:

- Aubrey Plaza (April Ludgate) in Parks and Recreation
- Alison Brie (Annie Edison) in Community
- Vanessa Bayer (Various Characters) in Saturday Night Live
- Kaitlin Olson (Dee Reynolds) in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- Naya Rivera (Santana) in Glee
- Jane Krakowski (Jenna Maroney) in 30 Rock

MAJOR SNUBS:

Again, I don't think any of my picks are "major" snubs and MUST be selected but I am, as always, disappointed by the anti Parks and Rec and Community bias.

WHO WILL WIN / WHO SHOULD WIN:

Who Will Win: Mayim Bialik
Who Should Win (Nominated): Sophia Vergara
Who Should Win (Not Nominated): Aubrey Plaza

The Big Bang Theory and Mayim Bialik have swept this country by storm. The Big Bang Theory is one of, if not THE, most popular comedy in American right now and the people love Sheldon as well as female Sheldon. It also helps Bialik that she is not a complete newcomer considering she was the star of Blossom a few years back as the Emmy's seem to feel you have to "earn" your way into stardom before winning an Emmy (see: Eva Longoria's Emmy nomination snub during the first season of Desperate Housewives when Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, and Felicity Huffman ALL got nominations but Longoria did not)

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2012 Emmy Predictions: Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

And the nominees are:

- Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy) in Modern Family
- Ed O'Neill (Jay Pritchett) in Modern Family
- Eric Stonestreet (Cam Tucker) in Modern Family
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell Pritchett) in Modern Family
- Max Greenfield (Schmidt) in New Girl
- Bill Hader (Various Characters) in Saturday Night Live

MY THOUGHTS ON THE NOMINATIONS:

As expected all four adult actors get nominations in Modern Family. First, what separates these four actors? The show is great, all four actors get their episodes, and nothing in Season Three really elevated one actor over another. Secondly, what makes the adults so much better than the kids? Rico Rodriguez (Manny) and Nolan Gould (Luke) do just as good work as their adult counterparts and just because they're kids should not diminish their work. In fact, if you forced me to pick one actor from Modern Family that deserves a nomination I would choose Nolan Gould because Luke was great in Season Three... Is there anything Bill Hader can't do? His impressions are spot on, he has phenomenal comedic timing, and his characters are always the bright spot on a dragging show. I know exactly what Stefon is going to say but because it's Bill Hader I always laugh hysterically at it. Plus, Hader's reoccurring character of Herb Welch (the old television reporter) is one of the only reoccurring characters that's enjoyable... New Girl had a great rookie season and a large part of that had to do with Schmidt. Greenfield plays the character with such heart and emotion and even though he says so many inappropriate things and is such a douchebag you still can't help but love him. Greenfield's nomination was a surprise but a great one at that.

If I Had An Emmy Vote:

- Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) in Parks and Recreation
- Chris Pratt (Andy Dwyer) in Parks and Recreation
- Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson) in How I Met Your Mother
- Glenn Howerton (Dennis Reynolds) in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- Jake Johnson (Nick) in New Girl
- Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) in Community

MAJOR SNUBS:

Parks and Rec is the greatest comedy on television and a huge part of that is Ron Effing Swanson. Nick Offerman's dead pan comedy and low energy work great off of Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope. Swanson is such a great character and has become such a cultural icon that I can't believe he gets screwed out of nominations every year. It's a shame Modern Family has to dominate this category... I just want to make a quick apology to Aziz Ansari because I love Parks and Rec but I didn't give him any love. I love Ansari's stand up performances, I love Ansari as an actor, but I just don't think he's as good as Pratt and Offerman on the show. It's truly not meant to be a knock on Ansari but he plays in a deep field.

WHO WILL WIN / WHAT SHOULD WIN

Who Will Win: Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Who Should Win (Nominated): Bill Hader
Who Should Win (Not Nominated): Nick Offerman

Predicting this category is tough because you know someone from Modern Family will win it but you just do not know who. Last year Ty Burrell won it and two years ago Eric Stonestreet won it. My thinking is that Emmy voters will continue with their Modern Family love and will try to honor someone who they haven't yet and I feel the odd one out of the bunch so far is Ferguson (O'Neil got plenty of love during his Married...With Children days).

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Welcome To Emmy Week!

Welcome to Emmy Week here at The Cover 3!

This upcoming Sunday is the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards so all week I will have posts relating to the ten main categories at the Emmy's:

- Outstanding Drama Series
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

I will start off with the Comedy Series posts first and then do the Drama Series next. The main reason for this is because I need to touch up and redo my Drama Series posts as they relate to Downton Abbey. When I wrote my initial posts I had (stupidly) assumed that all the nominations that related to Downton Abbey were for Season One. You see, the Emmy's do not outright tell you which season is being nominated and the main way to tell (at least for me) is by looking at which episodes the actors get nominated from. But Downton Abbey is dumb and they name each episode based upon when that episode is aired during the season. For example, the first episode of Season One is just titled "Episode One" and the first episode of Season Two is also titled "Episode One". Now it's my own idiocy that I assumed Season One and not Season Two but needless to stay I still wrote all my analysis based upon Season One. I have started Season Two and I am hoping to finish watching the series before I post the Drama Series... Nevertheless, my Comedy Series reviews will be posted first for that reason.

DISCLAIMER: I have not seen every single television series nominated and because of that, some of my reviews will be biased. I am not a professional T.V. critic so I do not have time to watch everything that is out there. However, I do watch a crap ton of television and I have seen a large majority of the television shows nominated.

I feel that I have watched most of the shows necessary to comment on the Emmy Awards but I will fully admit there are three shows that I have not seen that I probably should have seen. Those shows are: Boardwalk Empire, Girls, and Veep. Those shows, mainly Girls, probably deserve to get a lot of credit from me but will unfortunately get the shaft just because I do still have *some* life outside of watching television and blogging. (NOTE: Could also, possibly put The Good Wife on this list. However, not only do I not have any desire to see the show, I never will see the show).

Here are the following shows that I *HAVE SEEN* during this Emmy nominated period:

- Breaking Bad
- Mad Men
- Homeland
- Game Of Thrones
- Parks and Recreation
- 30 Rock
- The Office
- Up All Night
- Community
- Archer
- It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- Unsupervised
- Justified
- How I Met Your Mother
- Glee
- New Girl
- Modern Family
- Saturday Night Live
- Suits
- White Collar
- The Big Bang Theory
- Downton Abbey (hopefully)

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