Emmy, Please Don't Forget...

I planned to write this list before Popwatch encouraged me to, just for the record. After last year’s bizarre Emmys-in-the-round, with winners seemingly pulled from a hat (I’m still bitter that James Spader beat James Gandolfini), maybe they can redeem themselves this year by taking a long look at worthy performances that might be on struggling shows, un-buzzy networks, or stuck in such a dynamic ensemble, that it’s difficult to single out. There are plenty of incredible performances that the Emmys don’t neglect, so I’m not too worried about everyone on 30 Rock, Mad Men, or Lost’s Michael Emerson.

So, as Emmy votes start to get their nomination ballots in orders, I’m throwing this plea out into cyberspace: Please don’t forget about the following:

Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) for Best Actress in a Drama
Goodwin pulled off a helluva feat: while urging her husband to pursue a fourth wife, she came off as sensible and loving. She gracefully balanced Margene’s petulance and family-focused idealism and revealed the many layers of a character who once seemed to naïve for her own good. The third wife has pushed her way into the prime position.

Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America) for Best Actor in a Comedy
As foreign exchange student Raja, Kalyan has, over the course of the first (and only) season, developed one of the best senses of comic timing on television. When his sweet, foreign earnestness gives way to the mania and frustration of teendom, Kalyan creates laugh-out-loud moments with his grand gestures and expressive eyes. And yet it never feels like he’s chewing the scenery.


Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!) for Best Actress in a Comedy
The fact that she’s improvised most of her best lines should be reason enough, but you could add the fact that Kenney-Silver’s portrayal of the completely hopeless—and useless—Deputy Trudy Weigel is one brave, unrelenting commitment to character, whether she’s topless and pregnant and hurtling down a crowded street stuck in a giant cake or, later, trying to sell that baby on the black market.

Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Although Mad Men has been (rightfully) soaking up critical praise, I can see Jon Hamm being the only player in the cast to get any awards attention. Kartheiser, though, does the most nuanced acting on the show, letting man-boy Pete’s fractured ego steer the character’s misguided attempts at machoism. He even sips his Tom Collins as if he’s trying to impress, but with the broken spirit of a man who knows what everyone else thinks about him.

Kristen Wiig (SNL) for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Show
Maybe I’m being generous, but I feel like SNL has had a fairly strong season this year (see: Tina Fey and Ellen Page episodes.) I’m pretty sure I’d be singing a different tune, though, if it weren’t for Kristen Wiig. She turns every single skit into a showcase for her comic range. Just kidding. No, seriously though, rather than having a fallback character or style like so many SNL-ers in the past, she can take on any role—balloonist, Suze Orman, surprise party enthusiast—and make it feel like the centerpiece in a whole new franchise.



Tyler Labine (Reaper) for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Ray Wise may be great as the devil, but it’s Tyler Labine who has the good time as Sock, the titular Reaper’s best pal. His delivery is always sharp; he’s like a toned-down Matthew Perry in a Jack Black bodysuit. But he also manages to often be the heart of the show. He’s one of the only actors on television that can deliver packaged life lessons with believable conviction and still come off as the funniest one on screen. Hopefully, there’s some awards in his future for the reaping.

Judy Greer (Miss Guided) for Best Actress in a Comedy
Yeah, it only lasted 8 episodes and it got by on charm more than anything, but Miss Guided was (finally) the vehicle that let America (or the fraction of America that tuned in to Miss Guided) see what a fresh, goofy, relatable actress Greer is. She played well with both the students and teachers in this high school-set comedy, using her penchants for physical comedy and humiliation gags to squeeze carefree laughs out of uncomfortable situations. Just watch her sing “Don Cha” in the bushes at prom.


Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) for Best Actor in a Comedy
My guess is that USA will probably push Donovan in the Drama category which would be a big mistake, since his debonair wit is usually at the front and center of his scenes. Whether resisting torture or blowing up a coke kingpin’s yacht, he always delivers with a smirk, letting his colleagues—and the audience—in on the secret that Michael Westin, ex-spy, is having a whole lot of fun. He’s already got a big role in the next Eastwood movie; I hope his career continues to explode—like a illegal arms dealer’s black market helicopter—as long as it means he won’t be leaving Burn Notice for at least 7 seasons.

Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords) for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
He had me at, “G’day, mate.” Actually, I think the first thing he did was take attendance as Murray, the Flight of the Conchords’ incompetent, idealistic band manager. Darby is the bouncy ying to the Conchords’ droll yang and his (often) smiling/bewildered presence is the heart of the show. Also, he can deliver a “dimwit line” brilliantly.

Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and everyone having anything to do with Friday Night Lights
Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton do the best acting on television. I’m thisclose to believing that that is an inarguable fact. Subtle and lived-in, the two of them go through the emotional roller coaster of marriage and parenthood using just their eyes and body language. It’s near impossible to imagine that they’re not a couple in real life—in fact, I refuse to do so—so natural and intimate are their performances. But why stop there? Adrianne Palicki, Aimee Teegarden, Liz Mikel, Brad Leland, Gaius Charles, and even Taylor Kitsch deliver performances that are so…real, it feels like you’re watching a documentary at times. Any nomination for this show would thrill me, though, as it continues to be one of the most underappreciated shows on television.



So, who are your picks for dream Emmy noms?