July 20, 2000
Emmy 2000 - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- This morning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will unveil it’s nominations for the 52nd Annual Emmy Awards. For the uninitiated, the Emmy is the highest honour given in the field of television. The Emmy’s of last May were that of the daytime variety, these Emmy’s are given for the primetime type. Again, for the unknowing primetime is for evening airing television. I digress.
Last year, the big nod getter was The Sopranos, it however, failed to win the big prize, best Drama Series, as David Kelley’s The Practice won for the second time in a row.
This year the field is different. There are a number of shows that are worth noting, in their chances at capturing Emmy gold. Could The West Wing steal the nominations? How about Judging Amy or Third Watch? Law and Order: SVU or Malcolm In The Middle? Truth be told, this year hasn’t really been setting the TV sets a blaze. The real biggest of hits this past season were Survivor, Millionaire and Brother, but those aren’t eligible this time around. I am, for certain, hoping that Emmy host Garry Shandling will poke fun at that reality trio.
In the Best Drama category, I’m gunning that the usual suspects of Law and Order, The Sopranos and NYPD Blue will make the nod cut. ER, which made the nod cut last year, only won it out of sympathy. The show’s really been off it’s rocker this season and really failed to be that bankable hit it’s been in the last number of seasons. I’m betting, ER getting a nod, only for the great PR campaign it will have put up to get nominated. The Practice, may get the nod for best Drama, but it too has been relegated to the back of our consciousness as we’ve been watching other stuff. The West Wing, could surprise and get a nomination in this category. It certainly deserves it, but so does a show like Oz, which has been on HBO for four seasons now, but has gone unrecognised by the Academy.
For Best Comedy series, it’s a safe bet that last year’s winner Ally McBeal will get nodded, as will Everybody Loves Raymond. Raymond, is as conventional as a sitcom as they have nowadays and with critical acclaim, it finally got noticed last year. This year is probably winning time. Frasier, which won 5 out of the last 6 years, could get nominated, but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t. After 7 seasons it’s getting tired and NBC’s figured that out and dumping it from it’s Thursday night perch, next season. Friends, which was nominated last year, could get nodded, if for only the kind of PR they put out. They deserved to win last year, but this past season has been lackluster at best. It doesn’t even deserve a nomination for Best Comedy. Sex and the City, one of the nominees last year, is certainly deserving. It will get a nod, but whether it’ll win is for Emmy to decide. Will and Grace, which was virtually shut out last year, will emerge with a nomination in this all-important category. Besides the critical acclaim of the show, it’s got great chances at getting noticed, as the viewing public has been noticing in good numbers. New shows to be nominated? Not really anything to notice. Malcolm In The Middle has been hailed as the best new sitcom, but it’s too risky for the Academy to notice.
This year will be an interesting race. The voting system has changed. Although, the Emmy winners chosen have been a consternation for industry observers, as usually only the same players win, the Emmy has always been an almost-far more superior gauge of excellence. The voters are required - get this - to watch all the eligible works, to vote! The Oscars on the other hand are a bunch of old farts choosing the best from the video’s and gifts sent to them by the studio.
This year the Academy endorsed the same system as the Oscar process, so it could very well be the year that the entire landscape of Emmy procedure be changed. It could be that thanks to good PR a show like Oz or Sports Night will get noticed.
We’ll see come Emmy morning. I’ll be back in a future edition with the skinny on who got nominated. The Emmy announcement airs at 5:38 AM, this morning, Thursday, July 20, 2000.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .