10. SNUB: "Southland" forgotten
After being shuffled around to different channels and times, it's a wonder even critics found this show again every time. But what started as a bizarrely dark NBC cop show that refused to be another standard procedural blossomed into a fantastically gritty drama that never hesitates to be depressing. Shawn Hatosy should have had a lock on a nomination this year, with Michael Cudlitz close behind.9. SNUB: Anna Torv and John Noble pull double duty for "Fringe"
Torv really pulled her weight in later seasons and proved that she can step up to the plate of being a dynamic lead character. John Noble displayed the most range, believably playing two drastically different characters with entirely different personalities. Many of the sci-fi twists of this show can sound like soap opera dreck to the unitiated, but it's handled so intelligently and the actors are a huge part of that success.8. SNUB: "Battlestar Galactica" suffers from genre curse
I'm not a fan of "Battlestar Galactica," but I'm not going to pretend for a second that it was a bad show. In fact, it was an excellent show. But it's hard-core sci-fi genre pretty much guaranteed that it would never be recognized, despite stellar acting and writing. It won some random technical awards and a few writing nominations, but should have achieved so much more.7. SNUB: "Community" strikes out
One of the most egregious omissions this year was ignoring this show in favor of tired yet crowd-pleasing favorites like "Glee" and "The Office." Innovative in its tongue-in-cheek style, "Community" takes sitcoms to the next level each week as it lovingly skewers expectations. It'll take cliches, twist and turn them, and throw them back in your face, saying the whole time "we're above that, we can do better." And they do every week, whether they're mocking action films with epic paintball games or poking fun at the standard clipshow episode. If nothing else, it should be well represented in the writing category.6. SNUB: Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop not taken seriously for "Gilmore Girls"
Much like the Oscars, the Emmy Awards want to be taken seriously, so it votes for "serious" or "real" shows. Venturing outside the big networks or the prestigious cable channels is verboten. Hence the overlooking of SciFi, the WB, UPN, or the later CW network. In an ideal world, it shouldn't matter what network a show airs on. If it's a great show, it's a great show, no matter where it airs or who it stars or any other behind-the-scenes nonsense. "Gilmore Girls" elevated the family dramedy to something else entirely, proving that a little WB show could be whip-smart, heartbreakingly relatable, and side-splittingly hilarious. Lauren Graham ably switched from drama to comedy in a heartbeat as Lorelai Gilmore while Kelly Bishop perfected the love-her/hate-her WASP mother Emily Gilmore. Say what you will about the show itself, but these two actresses never failed to impress. 5. FLUB: Alfre Woodard nominated for sinister "Desperate Housewives" role
She was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Comedy, meaning funny. Anyone who watched her season of "Desperate Housewives" was left scratching their heads in confusion when that nomination was announced. The new neighbor with a dark secret was great soap opera-esque dramatic fodder, but comedic it was not. You could argue that she gave a good performance in a show designated a comedy, but the award is put in the comedy category so the actor being recognized should be giving a comedic performance.4. SNUB: Brilliant but undiscovered "Veronica Mars"
Once again, the curse of a small network lives on. Even more obscure and less-respected than the WB, "Veronica Mars" started its run on UPN. While it sounded like a cutesy, fluffy distraction, viewers knew that "Veronica Mars" was a hip, noir mystery that didn't talk down to its audience. The high school drama plays out in class wars and the series stays firmly rooted in reality, like when a killer walks free simply for being a famous celebrity. Things weren't always tied up in a neat bow, and Veronica wasn't an invincible heroine. As played by Kristen Bell, she turned what could have been a fantastical character into a real person.3. FLUB: Ellen Burstyn for brief moment in "Mrs. Harris"
This is one of the biggest flubs I have ever seen because it proved clearly that Emmy voters don't watch all the performances they vote on. Burstyn was on-screen in this TV movie for 14 seconds in a role that contained 38 words. She is a fine actress, but I don't care if you're voting for Helen Mirren - you watch the person's performance to evaluate its merit. If there's any flub more outrageous than this one, I don't know what it is.2. SNUB: Walton Goggins ignored for "The Shield"
After watching "The Shield" for the first time earlier this year, I could not comprehend how he did not walk away with a single award. His performance as the often despicable yet painfully human Shane Vendrell was probably the best I have ever seen on television. The final season of the show had so many scenes that in and of themselves should have earned him a nomination and a win. Most "Shield" fans will also point out Forrest Whitaker as another snub, but I don't entirely agree. His Internal Affairs character was a dynamic, terrifying force, but I thought Whitaker tended to overact and he was the only character I felt was more a dramatic creation than a real man. While his scenes sometimes took me out of the show, Goggins' presence never for a second had me thinking about the actor rather than the character in front of me. Except maybe to think, "damn he's good." As another person once commented, "I have never simultaneously hated a character but loved an actor so much."1. SNUB: "The Wire" celebrated by everyone but the Emmys
Often cited as the best television show of all time, "The Wire" got next to nothing from the Emmys. Gritty realism at its finest, "The Wire" unfolded at a uniquely slow, ponderous pace. There were no sweeps week stunts, no suspension of disbelief required, and the actors didn't look like models. Watching "The Wire" is like watching literature on-screen for the density of the writing and depth of characterization. It never shied away from relevant and poignant social or political issues, and never delved into BS just for the sake of grabbing ratings. There were no heroes and villains, good guys or bad guys - just people surviving in tough situations. It examined societal issues with a sober mind, never for a moment sinking into the naive belief that anything has a simple solution or easy explanation. "The Wire" is serial storytelling at its finest and shows what television can do when it gets everything right. So why did it only earn two measly writing nominations from the Emmys?
The Emmys are this Sunday and I'm actually happy with the nominations. Well, happier than I've been in past years. Since lists of nominees are posted all over the Internet, I'm just going to list the categories I'm going to comment on.
