Release of the Emmys' top 10 lists: Roundup of pundit reax
So what do media gurus think of the contents of the Emmy top 10 lists of semifinalists for best comedy and drama series? Here's a sampling below. Let's lead off with the esteemed Matt Roush!
TVGUIDE.COM (Matt Roush) — "Emmy Gets Our Hopes Up: The lists are heavy on hip cable fare: four in comedy, and fully half of the 10 drama contenders. Critics' darlings that have survived so far include 'Friday Night Lights,' 'The Wire,' 'Dexter,' 'Mad Men,' Damages,' 'Pushing Daisies' and (with a tip of the cap to my TCA brethren) 'Flight of the Conchords.'
"Among the headlines here: 'The Wire,' so long neglected, is HBO's only drama contender .... 'Family Guy' breaks the animation jinx to be considered for best comedy — but really, is drama contender 'Boston Legal' any less of a cartoon? — while also double-dipping by submitting its hour-long 'Star Wars' parody in the animated category. First-year series are bringing fresh blood into the process: 'Daisies,' 'Conchords,' 'Damages' and 'Mad Men.'
"So while this isn't a perfect list, it's one that manages to get our hopes up that the blue-ribbon judges will be as impressed as I was by the stunning pilots of 'Daisies,' 'Damages' and 'Mad Men,' the dazzling 'Constant' episode of 'Lost' and the heartbreaking 'Leave No One Behind' episode of 'Friday Night Lights.' The drama category will probably be a real squeaker, given that shows with uneven seasons but strong Emmy track records submitted Emmy-bait stunts, like 'Boston Legal's' Supreme Court spoof and 'House's' Antarctic Super Bowl-night episode."
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (Ray Richmond) — "It's not quite the cable trouncing predicted earlier, but it's also an excellent showing — particularly if you're a comedy on HBO."
NEW YORK POST — "For shows like 'Friday Night Lights,' their inclusion is a major step from critical darling to Emmy darling, which could boost ratings and allow fans (like me!) to continue enjoying the show for seasons to come. After all, back-to-back Emmy wins kept 'Arrested Development' on the air much longer than its pithy ratings should have allowed."
EW.COM (PopWatch, Michael Slezak) — "Good news aside, my first response to the lists was this: Where the frak is the nail-bitingly awesome 'Battlestar Galactica' (right)? I call SciFiPhobia! And coming off a particularly strong season, shouldn't 'Desperate Housewives' have won a spot over 'Two and a Half Men' and 'Family Guy'? (Maybe the Emmy overlords feel the residents of Wisteria Lane aren't done paying the price for the Applewhite Incident?)"
NYMAG.COM (Culture Vultures) — "The lists are interesting in that you can pull from them groups of shows that would suggest a really exciting year at the awards ('Family Guy,' 'Conchords,' 'Pushing Daisies,' 'Weeds'), or the opposite ('Boston Legal,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'House,' 'Lost'). It's safe to bet that the actual nominees will be a mix of the boring and exciting. We'd make some predictions, but it's gonna be hard to type between now and July 17 with all our fingers crossed. It5'[s reqally nopt as easy as y6ou'd thinjk."
BOSTON GLOBE (Matthew Gilbert) — "I just don't understand how anyone can think "Two and a Half Men" is in any way better than "How I Met Your Mother" .... Yes, I am pouting. The good news, though, is that the Academy has seen fit to put "Flight of the Conchords" and "Pushing Daisies" on the list. Both are unique accomplishments.
"So glad to see 'The Wire,' of course, and 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Dexter.' But 'Boston Legal'? 'Grey's Anatomy'? Really? REALLY? "In Treatment" deserves one of those slots for sure."
ZAP2IT.COM — "I'm halfway tempted to say 'good job' to the voters — a strange situation, I know, given the amount of criticism we've heaped on the awards and their process in the past."
