Emmy Noms I'd Like To See

These are announced Thursday by Joel McHale and Sofia Vergara. So if good nominations don't ensue - and these are the Emmy's so that is likely the case - hotness will.

Only doing shows I watch...

Also, rather than suggesting nominations for writing and directing, I'm going to combine both into an "episode submissions". Lazy, I know.


30 ROCK
After an uneven but fairly decent season 3, 30 Rock mostly crashed in its fourth season. Every episode did yield a laugh, but one of the major problems was most of them were forgotten seconds later. The biggest problem was that it treated too many of its characters like walking punchlines, recycling too much of Jack and Liz's storylines from seasons past. That being said, I think Elizabeth Banks has been one of the show's best guest stars (that IS saying a lot). Her Overstock.com parody may have been one of the show's funniest moments ever. And there were two or three episodes in season 4 that do rank among the show's best. The James Franco pillow episode comes to mind. And what's with adding hottie Cheyenne Jackson to the show if only to keep him mostly in the background??
30 ROCK Season 4 Grade: C

30 ROCK - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Lead Actor - Alec Baldwin
Lead Actress - Tina Fey
Guest Actor - James Franco
Guest Actress - Elizabeth Banks
Episode Submissions: "Anna Howard Shaw Day" "Klaus and Greta" "I Do Do"


COMMUNITY
The freshman (har-har) series has been a mostly pleasant watch for the year. I still think it needs to find its footing, but I'm glad that the season finale showed that the writers realize that Jeff and Annie is a lot more interesting than Jeff and Britta. Or Jeff and that teacher that was on Grey's Anatomy. Britta should hook up with Abed. Just saying. The cast works together flawlessly and can elevate some of the more tepid material. I'd like to see them figure out the Britta character a little more, Gillian Jacobs looks kinda stranded in what direction to take her, as the writers have maybe painted her a little too broadly. But really, it all comes down to this - they can't get Joel McHale in his underwear enough.
COMMUNITY SEASON 1 GRADE: B

COMMUNITY - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Supporting Actor - Danny Pudi
Supporting Actor - Ken Jeong (no idea if he's placed here or in guest)
Supporting Actress - Alison Brie
Episode Submissions: "Modern Warfare" "Contemporary American Poultry" "The Science of Illusion"


COUGAR TOWN
You guys know I love my CoCo. As the only non-nominated cast member of Friends, Cox is due. I have not seen every episode of the first season, but I've seen enough to know that despite her broad comic tendancies, Courteney is as fun here as she was as Fat Monica and Gale Weathers. Her inability to move some parts of her face is a bit distracting, but she mostly looks great. The writing and her ensemble cast work well around her, particulary Busy Phillips and Adam Byrd. The show could use a little tightening, it's starting to turn into too much of a Friends-esque ensemble. Get Jules back to dating in her 40's.
COUGAR TOWN SEASON 1 GRADE: B

COUGAR TOWN - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Lead Actress - Courteney Cox
Supporting Actress - Busy Phillips
Guest Actress - Lisa Kudrow
Episode Submissions: "Into the Great Wide Open" "Here Comes my Girl"


DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Like just about every other season except the dismal season 2, Housewives suffered the same problem they've always had: start off strong, run through storylines too fast, put certain stories on the backburner so we completely forget about them and stop caring, then somehow pull off a decent season ender. The show's fourth season was its best due to the writers strike causing it to be abbreviated to 15 episodes. The Drea DeMatteo storyline started out great, then by about episode 19 or 20, we totally stopped caring. (Don't get me wrong, my pants still very much cared for her hot son.) And Orson should have been kicked to the curb a long time ago. And at this point, Lynette needs a storyline that doesn't involve her kids. Is Katherine and her les-be-friend coming back? Or is she just off to her own show? That being said, the actors and occasional one liner can make the show sizzle. I am frustrated by this show, but it is insanely watchable and just juicy enough to keep me tuning in. I'm hoping the upcoming Paul Young storyline is a way to bring things full circle and wrap them up. All that being said, I'd love for Eva to finally get some recognition.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES SEASON 6 GRADE: C+

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Lead Actress - Eva Longoria
Episode Submissions: "The Glamorous Life" "Nice Is Different Than Good"


GLEE
When Glee works, there's nothing better on television. Unfortunately, a lot of it is brought down by stupid storylines or questionable character actions. Well, only brought down a tad. Even its toughest critics admit what the show does well, it does really really well. Many elements have simply soared. The first half of the season, which ran from September till December, was bogged down a stupid fake pregnancy plotline that actually had a fantastic payoff. Equally frustrating was a sham marriage between the guidance counselor and football coach. Luckily, that ended too. So then Glee starts anew in the spring and sees an almost 70% increase in ratings, and comes back with even more problems: characters seem to change week to week, forgetting lessons they learned in the last episode; too many musical numbers per episode; overly sentimental storylines; and tone-shifts that can give whiplash. Now, with all that out of the way: the acting is reliably great, the dialogue sparkles, the storylines can occasionally go to surprisingly deep places (Kurt and his father come to mind), and when those kids really nail a tune, it can give chills. There's a lot that needs to be worked out, but there's a lot that shouldn't be touched. And like Community, the romantic pairing that is supposed to pan out isn't. Like Britta and Jeff, Rachel and Finn aren't really that interesting. Rachel should go with Puck, who not only is the better singer, it would create a more interesting storyline.
GLEE SEASON 1 GRADE: B+

GLEE - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
BEST SERIES - COMEDY/MUSICAL
Lead Actor - Matthew Morrison
Lead Actress - Lea Michele
Supporting Actor - Chris Colfer
Supporting Actress - Jane Lynch
Guest Actress - Kristin Chenoweth
Guest Actor - Jonathan Groff
Guest Actor - Neil Patrick Harris
Episode Submissions: "Pilot" "Showmance" "The Rhodes Not Taken" "Vitamin D" "Mash-Up" "Wheels" "Sectionals" "The Power of Madonna" "Dream On" "Journey"
(These are episodes the producers should like to as guidelines for how to make this show.)


MODERN FAMILY
Starting out with a bang, Modern Family had the best comedy pilot since Arrested Devlopement. (Keep in mind that future classics The Office and 30 Rock started out a little rocky.) I don't know how long this show will be good, but the thing I like about it is the way it sort of reinvents the classic family sitcom. We got those touchy-feely moments we're everyone wants to give each other a hug, but we also get some pretty great verbal/visual payoffs and character humor. The Columbia/Brown gag from the episode Starry Night is a perfect example, and one of the best jokes I've seen on television since the illustrious Arrested Development. My only complaint about the show is that each family's stories are a little too self-contained. This is one of the best ensembles on TV - mix them up. Use what Friends did as reference: 3 storylines per episode (much of what Family does now), but put each character with a different character. Friends was able to take any two of its characters for a storyline and strike gold, this show should, too.
MODERN FAMILY SEASON 1 GRADE: B+

MODERN FAMILY - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
BEST SERIES - COMEDY/MUSICAL
(I don't have a problem with anyone from this show getting a nomination)
Supporting Actor - Ty Burrell
Supporting Actor - Rico Rodriguez
Supporting Actor - Eric Stonestreet
Supporting Actress - Julie Bowen
Supporting Actress - Sofia Vergara
Guest Actress - Shelley Long
Episode Submissions: "Pilot" "The Incident" "En Garde" "Not In My House" "Moon Landing" "Starry Night" "Hawaii" "Family Portrait"


THE OFFICE
The Office's sixth season probably wasn't as good as 30 Rock's third season. It's gotten a little too uneven, and too many of the supporting characters have become one-note. Creed and Meredith, in particular, are being used for the same joke over and over. Of course, some of these jokes fly high, but too many have crashed. They've thrown in some nice meta-humor, but I miss those small little jokes, those little interactions between characters that were painfully real and painfully funny. The show had some of its worst episodes this season, and even if season 4 was semi-uneven, I don't thik it had a bad episode, whereas this season did. "Niagra", as iconic of an episode as it was, worked mostly for the YouTube parody at the end, and it's hard to fault a show that finally put the PB with the J, had them doing their standard puppy-in-love expressions, and made us love them even more. There were some hilarious moments and I love the addition of that Sabre guy who was in In the Loop. Promoting Ellie Kemper to main characters was very smart, too. And the promise of Amy Ryan returning for season 7 has me tingling. If there's any show that can smooth out its problems for its hopefully last season, it's this one.
THE OFFICE SEASON 6 GRADE: B-

THE OFFICE - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Lead Actor - Steve Carell
Supporting Actor - Ed Helms
Supporting Actor - John Krasinski
Supporting Actress - Jenna Fischer
Episode Submissions: "The Meeting" "Niagara" "Murder" "Happy Hour" "Body Language"


PARKS AND RECREATION
Television's best series. Hands down. I think this might rival Arrested Development Season 1 and The Office Season 2 as the best season a television comedy has produced in the last 10 years. I mean, how does a show come up with something like DJ Roomba, let alone The Ghost of DJ Roomba?
PARKS AND RECREATION SEASON 2 GRADE: A

PARKS AND RECREATION - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
BEST SERIES - COMEDY/MUSICAL
Lead Actress - Amy Poehler
Supporting Actor - Aziz Ansari
Supporting Actor - Nick Offerman
Supporting Actor - Chris Pratt
Supporting Actress - Aubrey Plaza
Guest Actor - Rob Lowe
Guest Actress - Megan Mullally
Episode Submissions: "Pawnee Zoo" "Practice Date" "Kaboom" "Greg Pikitis" "Ron and Tammy" "The Camel" "Hunting Trip" "Sweetums" "94 Meetings" "Telethon" "The Master Plan"


SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Shock of all shocks, Saturday Night Live was about as even this season as The Office and on par with 30 Rock. Not saying much, and a lot of episodes (January Jones, ouch!) were clunkers, but it did have some episodes that were strong. While the show has yet to find a female cast member it knows what to do with other than Kristen Wiig, the cast has delivered most of the season. I don't think it was too smart getting rid of Mychaela Watkins, but Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate seem pretty good when they are given adequate material. Abbie Elliot, similarly, seems to be forgotten each episode. It didn't help that her best moment this season was her spot-on parody of Brittany Murphy that I would have loved to seen again if, you know, Murphy hadn't died two weeks later. (RIP Luanne Platter) Bill Hader's Weekend Update character, Stefon, may have been the comic breakout of the season. It was probably the hardest an update segment has made me laugh outside of Maya Rudolph's insane version of Whitney Houston. (Great to see her back!) The Betty White/Jay Z episode was obviously the highlight of the season, an episode that managed to live up to its massive hype, and a wonderful return of many of the show's strongest female cast members. Again, give the gals you've got something to do, and I think the show will be in a better position next year.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SEASON 35 GRADE: B-

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Supporting Actor - Bill Hader
Supporting Actress - Kristen Wiig
Guest Actor - Zach Galifianakis
Guest Actor - Jon Hamm
Guest Actress - Drew Barrymore
Guest Actress - Tina Fey
Guest Actress - Sigourney Weaver
Guest Actress - Betty White
Episode Submissions: "Jon Hamm/Michael Buble" "Sigourney Weaver/The Ting Tings" "Zach Galifianakis/Vampire Weekend" "Tina Fey/Justin Bieber" "Betty White/Jay Z"

Additionally...

I didn't see any episodes of Season 2 of ABC's BETTER OFF TED, but I heard they were even better than season 1. Why, oh Why!, couldn't this show have been given a chance? It was freaking hilarious! Portia De Rossi - I'd love to see her get an Emmy nom even if I haven't seen any of her work for the season. I heard she was even better than the first season. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE discover this gem on DVD. (Please!)

LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT - LOL. The Kathy Griffin (MITCH! BABS DUFFY! FAT ASS!) episode made my life. So did the season finale. OMG SHARON STONE holding Isabelle Huppert's dead son. While Stabler crawled through an airvent! And Melinda got shot! OMG! EPIC EPICNESS. When this show is good, it's good. But when this show is bad, it's fucking great. (Think the Cynthia Nixon episode.) I really think next season Meloni needs to go undercover as some kind of gay pimp.

Speaking of Kathy Griffin, I haven't seen any eps yet of Season 6 of MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST, but I thought season 5 was so much fun. Yeah, a lot of it was staged. And it just seems like her going to meet random famous people (Hi, Lily Tomlin!). But her humor comes through in each episode, and I love it. The episode titled Norma Gay was especially terrific, even moving.

And I have True Blood: Season 2 to watch here on Blu-ray. I should get that started soon.


Finally, my ten favorite TV episodes for the 2009-2010 season:

1. Community: "Modern Warfare"
In which Jeff and Britta finally consumate their relationship against a post-apocalypical backdrop of a paintball competition gone very wrong. And Shirley's "Britta, I'm going home" line had me in stiches.

2. Glee: "Pilot"
In which I fell in love with a club of misfits, divas, popular jocks, dreamers and a kid in a wheelchair crooning to Journey while Jane Lynch tried to take all of them down in an hourlong musical dramedy.

3. Parks and Recreation: "Sweetums"
In which you can't beat em, so you should sweet'um. And Leslie and Ann mess up the library. And the Ghost of DJ Roomba haunts Jerry by playing the Black Eyed Peas endlessly.

4. Parks and Recreation: "Ron and Tammy"
In which Nick Offerman's real life wife Megan Mullally plays his bitch of an ex-wife who works at the worst place imaginable: the library department.

5. Kathy Griffin - My Life on the D-List: "Norma Gay"
In which Kathy takes on a group of homeless gay teens and teaches them the importance of activism and being yourself - no matter what anyone says.

6. Modern Family - "Pilot"
In which we learn three very different families are actually one - and that the circle of life is not just for The Lion King.

7. Saturday Night Live - "Betty White/Jay Z"
In which a TV veteran completely owns some of the funniest people on television. And Maya Rudolph as Whitney Houston may be one of my favorite things ever.

8. Parks and Recreation - "The Master Plan"
In which Rob Lowe makes us forget he was on Brothers and Sisters and Adam Scott could be the perfect man for Leslie. And April realizes that she might have to wait even longer for Andy. And Rashida Jones proves how awesome she is at playing drunk.

9. Glee - "The Rhodes Not Taken"
In which Kristen Chenoweth and Lea Michele's cross-scene duet of "Maybe This Time" makes you forget everything bad in your life.

10. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - "P.C."
In which BABS DUFFY points out what Darren has known and always loved: Christopher Meloni's ass. LESBIAN HATE CRIME! POLICE BRUTALITY! MITCH! MITCH! MITCH!