Emmy Picks

The Emmys are tomorrow night and since we are a television blog I figured I should probably weigh in on who I think is most deserving. I’m just going to stick to the main categories for this post, but I encourage you all to pay attention to some of the more behind the scenes categories as well. I’m that nerd who can’t wait to see who wins the writing awards.

Please keep in mind that these picks are who I want to win. Not who I think will win. Unfortunately I’m not a voting member of the academy so this is as close as I can get.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Amy Poehler

Apparently Laura Linney is favoured to win this award for The Big C, and in all honesty I haven’t seen any of that show. For my money though, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone funnier last season than Amy Poehler. She has this uncanny ability to somehow play the straight man and the comic all at the same time, sometimes even just with herself. It’s just a pity she’s the only one from the terrific Parks and Rec cast to get nominated this year.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Steve Carell

After 5 nominations you’ve just gotta give Steve Carell this one. Michael Scott will probably go down as one of the iconic characters in television history and Carell did such a fantastic job of seeing him off that his farewell episode could have been finale of the series and it wouldn’t have bothered me one bit.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Julie Bowen

This is actually a really strong category this year, but I’m going to have to go with Julie Bowen. Watching Claire and Phil interact on a weekly basis is the best part of Modern Family.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Ty Burrell

The other half of that tandem. Phil Dunphy is my favourite character on Modern Family and Ty Burrell is the main reason why.

Comedy Series – Parks and Recreation

If you read the blog with any regularity this pick shouldn’t be a surprise at all. I still love Modern Family but I didn’t think its second season was as good as its first. Parks and Recreation’s third season was so funny I’d actually say that it’s as good if not better than The Office was in its prime. The cast has really come into their own over the past couple of years and right now you’d be hard pressed to find a weak link among them. And that’s not even mentioning the writing, which at the moment is firing on all cylinders. I really do mean it when I say that this is the funniest show on television right now.

Oh, and just a quick side note: Community was robbed of a nomination in this category. If I were voting between it and the 6 other current nominees I would put Community second only behind Parks and Rec.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series – Connie Britton

It’s tough to think of anyone more deserving to win in this category than Connie Britton. Friday Night Lights has been such an underrated (and under viewed) show for so long that it wasn’t until last year that she got her first nomination in this category. But Britton is a phenomenal actress and her portrayal of Tami Taylor, the coach’s wife, was too perfect for her to not win this award at least once.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series – Kyle Chandler

This one is a lot tougher for me to pick. Jon Hamm deserves to win one for Mad Men, and heck, I have a soft spot for Hugh Laurie as well, but both of those shows are getting another season, and much like Connie Britton, Chandler has been giving award worthy performances for far too long to not be recognized tomorrow night. Together the two of them formed perhaps the most realistic marriage I’ve ever seen on television.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Christina Hendricks

This one was a bit of a tossup for me between Christina Hendricks and Kelly MacDonald, but Joan is one of my absolute favourites on Mad Men so I had to give Hendricks the edge. Hopefully this is her year.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Peter Dinklage

My favourite new discovery this year was Game of Thrones, and of its many characters I found Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister to be one of the most interesting. I honestly didn’t realize how good of an actor this guy is until I saw him on that show, so I’m happy that he’s finally gotten some material that lets him show off his chops.

Drama Series – Friday Night Lights

Think I’m overdoing it with the Friday Night Lights picks? Well I’m serious when I say this isn’t just a ploy to validate my love of the series. I’ve seen the other contenders, and while this isn’t necessarily an easy pick (Mad Men, Game Of Thrones), I think it’s the right one. What Friday Night Lights has done over its 5 year run is nothing short of amazing – hell, just surviving that long with those ratings is nothing short of amazing – so the fact that its final season was able to wrap up the series in such a moving and satisfying way makes it more than a worthy choice for this award.