Last year it was:
Boston Legal
Grey’s Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos
It’s easy to see why The Sopranos took it. Grey’s Anatomy and Heroes could have probably been dumped. Sure, they’re highly rated and successful but really THAT good? It seems to me that the biggest problem with the Emmys is that they start to look too much like the People’s Choice awards. There is no critical backlash, no respect at all for this voting body. The awards themselves must mean something to the recipients but let’s face it, in TV-land, who cares whether a show wins anything or not; the people decide what they like to watch.
In fact, next to them, the Hollywood Foreign Press’ picks look daring, and ARE daring. Here were their picks last year:
Grey’s Anatomy (which won)
24
Big Love
Heroes
Lost
Although no House is sure to piss people off generally, I don’t think this is a bad list. For one thing, at least they let in the new blood a bit. Big Love is one of the best and least watched shows on TV, along with the brilliant Mad Men. 24, of course, had one of its best seasons ever (until the last episode maybe). Lost is a great show but makes absolutely no sense. I would call it one of the best of the year, though, all things considered. I’ve not yet caught the Heroes bug and, other than a few great moments on Grey’s Anatomy last year, the show has lost much of what made it good in the first place. They’ve very nearly jumped the shark as their need to continually combine and swap romantic entanglements.
This year, so far, now that the Writers Strike is over, the shows are coming back with a fresh slate of episodes. Many of them have not yet returned and thus, we won’t know what the leaders of the pack will be. And then we’ll have to look at what the public likes most versus what the best shows are and ultimately what the point of the Emmys are. We know, roughly, what the point of the Oscars are – they’re supposed to reward achievement in film, regardless of box office, etc. We know that popularity can play a part and that likability probably rules overall. But the Emmys are slightly different. The voters stubbornly repeat their choices year after year. So what is the point?
I’m tossing this out to you, dear readers, to hear your take on what shows are the best so far this year, what you’re most looking forward to and what’s most likely to be denied the Emmy Golden Ticket?
