My Take on Emmy Nominations: 2009

Emmy nominations will be announced next week, so I've compiled a list of actors, shows, and personalities that the Emmys would be remiss not to include.

(I have not broken them into categories because I'm often completely befuddled by who is deemed "supporting" and who is "lead" and what is a "comedy" and what is a "drama" and I'm trying to avoid that headache.)

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad: Paul has been flawless at handling everything Breaking Bad has thrown at him. He's been brilliant at comic relief and gut-wrenching with dramatic material. In fact, there's no one I want to see on the Emmy nomination list more.

Adam Baldwin, Chuck: Baldwin is perfect as the gruff Major Casey, giving us little glimpses into the character's humanity but never becoming too much of a softy.

B.J. Novak, The Office: He's just so good at playing such a cocky little jerk (while never losing sight of Ryan's inherent patheticness).

Breaking Bad: I've documented my love for this show before, so should come as no surprise that I'm pegging it not only for a Best Drama nomination, but also for the freaking Emmy itself.

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad: There's a reason he won the Emmy last year, and Cranston continued to excel this season as Walter's morality became even more nuanced.

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance: Deeley is easily the best reality competition show host around as anyone knows who has watched her interact with contestants, the judges and the audience. And she's a fashion icon to boot. It's insulting that she wasn't nominated last year.

Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies: If McBride's surly and sassy (but secretly sweet) private investigator isn't on the list of Emmy nominations, I'm going to pull an Emerson Cod and yell, "Oh, HELL no!"

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?: Applegate was effortlessly charismatic and hilarious as the lovable amnesiac, and it's a bummer that ABC didn't give her more support.

Chuck: The top-notch quality of the show's sophomore season cannot be ignored. With the possible exception of those episodes with that annoying MI-6 spy who kept getting shot, Chuck was firing on all cylinders this season and capped it all off with a season finale that was easily one of the best hours of television all season.

Gabrielle Anwar, Burn Notice: I realize that Burn Notice is one of those quasi-comedy, quasi-drama type shows that people enjoy watching but the Emmys tend to completely ignore (while being all over stuff that nobody is enjoying anymore like Boston Legal), but nevertheless I think Anwar deserves a nod. You'd be hard pressed to fine anyone on TV who is cooler than Anwar's Fiona, and that's got to count for something.

James Roday, Psych: Roday's been overlooked in the past, but as Shawn, a fast-talking, pop culture-obsessed genius, he has proven time and again that he's got serious acting chops.

January Jones, Mad Men: Jones absolutely stole the show's second season with her depiction of cold-hearted Betty Draper. Jones was masterful at giving us glimpses of the fragile girl behind her character's ice queen facade.

Jennifer Esposito, Samantha Who?: Esposito's Andrea is horrendous, but she's also wickedly funny.

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory: Everyone on this show is funny, but Parsons is consistantly hilarious as Sheldon's scientific, antisocial temperament gets pushed to the limit by his friends and surroundings.

Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies: Pace's turn as the sweet and funny Piemaker ended far too soon, but it was beautiful to watch while it lasted.

Lost: Overall, I probably liked Lost's fourth season better than its fifth season, but this show was undeniable as it ratcheted up the suspense and the stakes ever-higher to lead into its final season.

Pushing Daisies: Sure, the second season was ridiculously abridged, but it was also ridiculously good.

Rose Byrne, Damages: Supporting/lead/whatever, Byrne really held her own during Damages' second season, as her Ellen Parsons went toe-to-toe with Glenn Close's Patty Hewes and didn't back down.

Steve Carell, The Office: I adored the high jinks of the Michael Scott Paper Company, and Carell shone throughout, especially in the conference room scene where he masterfully cut David Wallace down to size.

Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung and Jeremy Davies, Lost: Since so many supporting actors had very strong showings on Lost this season, the Emmy list could very well include any or all of them.

Zachary Levi, Chuck: Perfectly balanced Chuck's humor with his humanity, adding a lot of soul to a very fun show.

(photos: amctv.com, abc.com, usanetwork.com, cbs.com)

My Take on Pilot Season: Returning (and Not Returning) Shows

Yeaaaaaa to NBC for renewing Chuck!!! If only the network would please now order more than 13 episodes and bring it back before mid-season. (Ugh, I just noticed that Chuck's official NBC Web site now says that Chuck will return in March 2010. That's horrendous.) Seriously, we have to sit though another painful cycle of Heroes before our weary eyes will again behold the sheer awesomeness that is Chuck? That's just mean.

Yeaaaaaa to FOX for renewing Dollhouse!!! I didn't see that one coming at all. After years of watching quirky and/or complicated show after quirky and/or complicated show get summarily dismissed by virtually every network, it just seemed so bizarre that this one didn't get the heave-ho too. Good for FOX for taking a chance on it. At the very least, Dollhouse will have a small but devoted fanbase next season, which is more than some new shows will garner. Perhaps Dollhouse will even meet with some increased commercial success. The fact that the show was steadily increasing in quality after a lackluster beginning should help. I just hope that Mellie and Victor will get to come back.

After those two announcements, I began to develop the sinking feeling that Upfronts and pilot season were going far too well, and sure enough:

Major boooooooooooooooooooooo to ABC for cancelling Samantha Who? There is NO REASON why this show needed to be canceled. Sure, its audience wasn't great when ABC began jerking it all around the schedule and forcing it into abrupt hiatuses. What show's ratings would survive that kind of cruel Men In Trees-esque treatment? What makes the cancellations more upsetting is that Sam Who? is not really a niche-based show. It had fairly broad appeal, which it demonstrated when it pulled some big numbers leading out of Dancing With the Stars. Christina Applegate is one of the most likable women on TV and the supporting cast was hilarious. The only reason this show had issues was that ABC didn't seem to know what to do with it, which is astounding, because all they had to do was leave it on after DWTS. There's no need to try to make Surviving Suburbia happen at the expense of Sam Who? Any network that airs According to Jim for eight seasons but cancels quality comedies like Sam Who? after two (abridged) seasons, needs to do some serious atoning.

(photos: NBC.com; ABC.com)

Premiere Watch '08: Samantha Who?

Samantha Who?: "So I Think I Can Dance"

The season 2 premiere of Samantha Who? reminded me how much I enjoy this show. Christina Applegate is so funny and likable as the mentally born-again title character. (I totally think she should have won the best lead actress in a comedy Emmy... Tina Fey didn't need 3 awards.) And, to a person, the supporting cast is excellent.

I didn't think that this episode was the funniest Samantha Who? ever, but it packed in some interesting moments: Christina got to show off her Broadway dancing skills, Todd had a bit of a breakdown, Sam and her mom actually acted like they like each other for a while, Andrea showed that she does have actual, human feelings, and there was a big dance number.

Highlights and random thoughts:

• Sam's mom taped Oprah over the home video of Sam's first birthday party.
• Regina: "Oh crap! Paula Drake! I knew should never leave the house without a bra!"
• Sam: "I'm not brain damaged. I have my own spatula."
• Dina: "It's the one night I get to be on tech crew!"
• Sam (to her mother): "I can't wait to put you in a home."
• Dina saying that Sam flashing the judges during the live nativity scene was edgy.
• Sam: "You just said that a Newly never gives up!"
  Mom: "On themselves! On each other all the time!"
• Uh oh, Todd's got some Sam issues, and they're boiling over. So, he says he held her hand while she was in the coma even though she cheated on him? I didn't know about that; that's so sweet! However, he sure didn't seem to like her right after she woke up from the coma--his attitude was not that of someone who had just been holding her hand.
• I think Mrs. Drake's dance routine looked pretty beatable.
• Wow, Sam's pretty good! Or not... Awww. Poor Sam.
• Dina's boyfriend: "Are you sure you want more light? Because I was thinking more darkness."

The rest of Samantha Who?'s second season looks pretty promising with guest appearances by Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development), James Tupper (Jack from Men In Trees) and Mary-Kate Olsen. Bring it on--I'm excited.

Premiere Rating: 6.5/10

(photo: ABC/Samantha Who?)

Samantha Who?: Turning 1

Samantha Who? "The Birthday"
With the plethora of TV shows I watch on Monday nights (and the several that I am committed to blogging about), I haven't gotten around to commenting on Samantha Who? in quite a while. I want to rectify that fact, however, in honor of the show's season 1 finale.

To say that Samantha Who? is my favorite new half-hour comedy series of the year doesn't give it the credit it deserves, since I don't watch any other new half-hour comedies (except Miss Guided, which didn't last very long). What's more to the point is that this show is solid, it's funny, and it's very entertaining. Personally, I haven't tired of the amnesia plot device, and I genuinely enjoy watching Samantha try to reinvent herself. Christina Applegate makes for a charismatic heroine. (Oh, and her wardrobe is fantastic.)

The main strength of the show, in my opinion, is that every character on the show can consistently deliver funny lines. Samantha, Andrea, Dena, Sam's parents, Todd, and Frank are all capable of complete hilarity. I especially want to send kudos to Jennifer Esposito, because I remember that I expressed worry at her over-the-top antics after the pilot episode. She's completely won me over as Andrea, however. I love how funny she is even when she doesn't have a line and is just sending someone (usually Dena) a look of total disgust.

And Barry Watson was never this dreamy on What About Brian? and especially not in (ugh) 7th Heaven.

Finale Highlights:

• Sam: "...and, thank you for helping me find this book on tanks, sir!"
  Todd: "No, tank you!"
  
• Sam: "A hospital is kind of like a club; they've got cute people, skimpy outfits, and drugs!"
  
• Evil Sam wore seriously dark lipstick.
  
• Frank is great. His omnipresent condescension is definitely a highlight of the show.
  
• Howard (Sam's dad): "Well, I'm sorry I don't dress like the internet."
  
• Andrea (about her kitchen): "It's just, I've never been in here before."
  
• It's pretty cute that Sam is saying that she's "turning 1."
  
• Howard: "You know some of these people--the glitterati--don't roll in until at least 8:30!"
  

Premiere Watch '07: Samantha Who?

Samantha Who?

Well, this is my last premiere review of the fall season, unless I blog Viva Laughlin for some evil fun tomorrow...which, face it, I'm totally going to do.

Anyway, Samantha Who? was a pretty darn delightful show, which is much more than anyone can say for ABC's other new comedies (Cavemen, Carpoolers), which I couldn't even sit through. I enjoy seeing Christina Applegate back on television, as I was a bit of a Jessie fan back in the day. At times, Christina seemed just a little over-the-top in her portrayal of Sam, but I guess she was going for the always-on-the-verge-of-a-freak-out thing that is popular among female TV characters (and Chuck from Chuck).

After the first episode, I feel pretty sorry for "new" Sam since she's stuck with "old" Sam's scary parents and friends. I love Gilmore Girls' Sookie, but her character was pretty freaky on this show. And, let's just say, if that's how Jennifer Esposito acts in real life (I assume it's not), then I can see why Bradley Cooper divorced her.

I did love Barry Watson in this show. I think he's becoming one of those people who just get cuter and cuter all the time (or maybe he just seems cuter since I don't have to be watching 7th Heaven to see him). It was a nice twist that Todd had already tried to break up with pre-coma Sam. That revelation made a lot of sense because he didn't really seem all that into having her around. I also liked how all the messages on his answering machine were his friends bad-mouthing Sam.

I hope we get to see more flashbacks to pre-coma Sam, because she seems pretty entertaining in her horribleness.

Funniest Part:

Sam: "You raised me. You made me who I am!"

Sam's mom: "What a horrible thing to say!"

Sam's dad: "Apologize to your mother."

What I liked most about this pilot is that it made it seem like there's plenty more material to cover in this story. So hopefully the show won't peter out in the next few episodes, like I think Reaper sadly has.

But I would be remiss not to mention that this show is almost exactly 13 Going On 30 without the fairy dust and the "Thriller" dance sequence.

Premiere Rating: 7 / 10

(photo: abc.com)