Laura Dern - "Amy Jellicoe", Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel - "Jessica Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Tina Fey - "Liz Lemon", 30 Rock
Sutton Foster - "Michelle ", Bunheads
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Selina Meyer", Veep
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation
I hope to add to this later, but find comedy leads really difficult to write about for whatever reason. A cursory glance at last year's slate indicates a persistent issue there. I could not manage to narrow from seven to six.
Honorable Mentions: Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Portia DeRossi, Arrested Development; Dakota Johnson, Ben and Kate; Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Martha MacIsaac, 1600 Penn; Ashley Rickards, Awkward.; Krysten Ritter, Don't Trust the B* in Apt. 23; AnnaSophia Robb, The Carrie Diaries
Extra points to Robb for gamely taking on a role that might have had even more baggage attached than Mads Mikkelson in Hannibal.
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Jenna Elfman, 1600 Penn; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
For a second, I forgot what Melissa McCarthy's show was called and I almost typed The Heat. I'm not sure the distinction makes a substantive difference to the television academy voters, anyway.
Showing posts with label new girl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new girl. Show all posts
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actor in a Comedy
Alec Baldwin - "Jack Donaghy", 30 Rock
Jason Bateman - "Michael Bluth", Arrested Development
Louis CK - "Louie", Louie
Jake Johnson - "Nick Miller", New Girl
Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community
Adam Scott - "Ben Wyatt", Parks and Recreation
Honorable Mentions: Justin Bartha, The New Normal; Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation; Josh Radnor, How I Met Your Mother; Andrew Rannells, The New Normal; Jeremy Sisto, Suburgatory
Honestly, I wonder sometimes if Rob Lowe might have been nominated for an Emmy if not for this bizarre insistence on being considered in the Lead category.
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Ashton Kutcher, Two and a Half Men; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Marc Maron, Maron; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Matthew Perry, Go On; Charlie Sheen, Anger Management
Jason Bateman - "Michael Bluth", Arrested Development
Louis CK - "Louie", Louie
Jake Johnson - "Nick Miller", New Girl
Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community
Adam Scott - "Ben Wyatt", Parks and Recreation
Honorable Mentions: Justin Bartha, The New Normal; Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation; Josh Radnor, How I Met Your Mother; Andrew Rannells, The New Normal; Jeremy Sisto, Suburgatory
Honestly, I wonder sometimes if Rob Lowe might have been nominated for an Emmy if not for this bizarre insistence on being considered in the Lead category.
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Ashton Kutcher, Two and a Half Men; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Marc Maron, Maron; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Matthew Perry, Go On; Charlie Sheen, Anger Management
Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: The Unsubmitted
Post dump! I've been so delinquent about posting this entire calendar year that I really wanted to try to get these in under the wire, pre-nomination announcement.
Natalie Dormer - "Irene Adler", Elementary
I don't expect Elementary to make a big showing among the nominees this year, but was still disappointed to see her name only in play for Game of Thrones. Coming at the end of the season, long after Lucy Liu's Watson had disproved initial suspicions of gimmickry in the show's gender swap, Dormer's performance reinforced the extent to which Elementary is gloriously doing their own thing. For the twist to work, Dormer had to present herself as equally self-assured in Irene's banter-heavy chemistry with Sherlock, and Moriarty's egomaniacal delight in presenting herself as the criminal mastermind.
Raymond J. Barry - "Old Nick", New Girl
Merritt Wever - "Elizabeth", New Girl
Both were standouts in a season where New Girl made a big leap forward in their use of guest stars. Barry's crabby energy made it believable that Nick would entertain the idea that a future version of himself had travelled back through time. And Wever's skill with her particular combination of enthusiasm and deadpan - if there's such a thing as acerbic joie de vivre, she might be the master of it - played perfectly against Max Greenfield in working to undercut Schmidt's vainest tendencies.
Chris Coy - "LP Everett", Treme
Michiel Huisman - "Sonny", Treme
Treme has regrettably never been a big Emmy contender, but still draws upon a number of affecting performances to travel down different paths in the show's New Orleans. Coy's non-native investigative reporter spoke to an enduring belief in the potential for the press as a vehicle for change in the face of an entrenched system designed to resist any accusation of corruption or malfeasance. Huisman, like Andre Royo on The Wire before him, shone in the addiction-downfall-and-redeption storyline this year, something most Treme viewers probably couldn't imagine at the end of the show's first season.
James Wolk - "Bob Benson", Mad Men
I actually flipped back and forth between the Supporting and Guest Actor pdfs a few times because I was so shocked not to see Wolk listed. Among viewers of Mad Men, his performance was the buzziest of the season. As the season progressed, the unrelenting cheeriness of Bob's public face grew more unsettling among the increasingly cynical cast of Mad Men characters, and Wolk excelled in the season's later episodes, letting Bob's mask drop by only millimeters and showing in flickers how fast and hard his mental gears were always turning.
Tony Hale - "Buster Bluth", Arrested Development
I can't have been the only Arrested Development season 4 viewer who felt by the middle of the season like they were constantly wondering, "Where's Buster?" Hale's absence from much of the season was the clearest failure of the show's "film whoever's available" model, and even coming near the end the Buster-focused episode was one of the season's best and most narratively cohesive. The Bluths' maniacal egotism needs Buster's guilelessness to be easier to handle in the aggregate.
Nat Faxon - "Ben Fox", Ben & Kate
Lucy Punch - "BJ", Ben & Kate
Again, I don't blame them for sitting this one out, as Ben & Kate was gone by midseason, left only to the fond memories of its fans. But Faxon and Punch's manic irreverence was key to what made the show unique. I was also disappointed not to see Faxon because I always have trouble filling a full slate in the Lead Actor in a Comedy category.
Cheyenne Jackson - "Billy", Behind the Candelabra
Coming at the beginning of Behind the Candelabra, Jackson's performance quietly signals to film's arc largely through body language. Jackson as Billy refuses to be ignored - it's through his hostile looks and defensive postures that we can see Scott's downfall as Liberace's romantic cycle clicks back to the start again in the last third of the movie.
Jessica Brown Findlay - "Sybil Branson", Downton Abbey
Allen Leech - "Tom Branson", Downton Abbey
I hope Julian Fellowes varies his m.o. a little and kills off fewer characters played by departing actors in future seasons. But it's difficult to quibble with his tactics when they result in an episode as heartbreaking as the one in which Sybil dies in childbirth. In a season where the dramatic engine behind Downton Abbey's storylines often felt rote and uninspired, the unexpected tragedy was affecting, and more, felt historically honest.
Misc. Cast of Bunheads (Bailey Buntain, Emma Dumont, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Telles)
The young cast of Bunheads are not only skilled, emotive dancers, but jumped in feet-first with Amy Sherman-Palladino's notoriously quick patter and formed the show's strong emotional core.
Misc. Cast of Call the Midwife (Jenny Agutter, Laura Main, Stephen McGann)
Misc. Cast of The Bletchley Circle (Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Stirling, Julie Graham, Sophie Rundle)
I'm not surprised that PBS seems to be throwing whatever campaign muscle they have behind Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge, but I'd have liked to see more names from Call the Midwife, and any names from The Bletchley Circle. Together, the two shows portrayed a vibrant and complex range of post-World War II womanhood. Sister Bernadette's story in falling in love with Dr. Turner and deciding to leave the order was Call the Midwife's best story arc across its second season. And Anna Maxwell Martin seems able to jump in at any point across the last 200 years of British history with portrayals of quiet yet strong women.
As an addendum, I'll say that I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of returning players from last year's post show up on the ballot this year. I like to think that the post made it to the eyes of some beleaguered intern toiling in the bowels of a talent agency somewhere tasked with collecting favorable notices of their clients.
Natalie Dormer - "Irene Adler", Elementary
I don't expect Elementary to make a big showing among the nominees this year, but was still disappointed to see her name only in play for Game of Thrones. Coming at the end of the season, long after Lucy Liu's Watson had disproved initial suspicions of gimmickry in the show's gender swap, Dormer's performance reinforced the extent to which Elementary is gloriously doing their own thing. For the twist to work, Dormer had to present herself as equally self-assured in Irene's banter-heavy chemistry with Sherlock, and Moriarty's egomaniacal delight in presenting herself as the criminal mastermind.
Raymond J. Barry - "Old Nick", New Girl
Merritt Wever - "Elizabeth", New Girl
Both were standouts in a season where New Girl made a big leap forward in their use of guest stars. Barry's crabby energy made it believable that Nick would entertain the idea that a future version of himself had travelled back through time. And Wever's skill with her particular combination of enthusiasm and deadpan - if there's such a thing as acerbic joie de vivre, she might be the master of it - played perfectly against Max Greenfield in working to undercut Schmidt's vainest tendencies.
Chris Coy - "LP Everett", Treme
Michiel Huisman - "Sonny", Treme
Treme has regrettably never been a big Emmy contender, but still draws upon a number of affecting performances to travel down different paths in the show's New Orleans. Coy's non-native investigative reporter spoke to an enduring belief in the potential for the press as a vehicle for change in the face of an entrenched system designed to resist any accusation of corruption or malfeasance. Huisman, like Andre Royo on The Wire before him, shone in the addiction-downfall-and-redeption storyline this year, something most Treme viewers probably couldn't imagine at the end of the show's first season.
James Wolk - "Bob Benson", Mad Men
I actually flipped back and forth between the Supporting and Guest Actor pdfs a few times because I was so shocked not to see Wolk listed. Among viewers of Mad Men, his performance was the buzziest of the season. As the season progressed, the unrelenting cheeriness of Bob's public face grew more unsettling among the increasingly cynical cast of Mad Men characters, and Wolk excelled in the season's later episodes, letting Bob's mask drop by only millimeters and showing in flickers how fast and hard his mental gears were always turning.
Tony Hale - "Buster Bluth", Arrested Development
I can't have been the only Arrested Development season 4 viewer who felt by the middle of the season like they were constantly wondering, "Where's Buster?" Hale's absence from much of the season was the clearest failure of the show's "film whoever's available" model, and even coming near the end the Buster-focused episode was one of the season's best and most narratively cohesive. The Bluths' maniacal egotism needs Buster's guilelessness to be easier to handle in the aggregate.
Nat Faxon - "Ben Fox", Ben & Kate
Lucy Punch - "BJ", Ben & Kate
Again, I don't blame them for sitting this one out, as Ben & Kate was gone by midseason, left only to the fond memories of its fans. But Faxon and Punch's manic irreverence was key to what made the show unique. I was also disappointed not to see Faxon because I always have trouble filling a full slate in the Lead Actor in a Comedy category.
Cheyenne Jackson - "Billy", Behind the Candelabra
Coming at the beginning of Behind the Candelabra, Jackson's performance quietly signals to film's arc largely through body language. Jackson as Billy refuses to be ignored - it's through his hostile looks and defensive postures that we can see Scott's downfall as Liberace's romantic cycle clicks back to the start again in the last third of the movie.
Jessica Brown Findlay - "Sybil Branson", Downton Abbey
Allen Leech - "Tom Branson", Downton Abbey
I hope Julian Fellowes varies his m.o. a little and kills off fewer characters played by departing actors in future seasons. But it's difficult to quibble with his tactics when they result in an episode as heartbreaking as the one in which Sybil dies in childbirth. In a season where the dramatic engine behind Downton Abbey's storylines often felt rote and uninspired, the unexpected tragedy was affecting, and more, felt historically honest.
Misc. Cast of Bunheads (Bailey Buntain, Emma Dumont, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Telles)
The young cast of Bunheads are not only skilled, emotive dancers, but jumped in feet-first with Amy Sherman-Palladino's notoriously quick patter and formed the show's strong emotional core.
Misc. Cast of Call the Midwife (Jenny Agutter, Laura Main, Stephen McGann)
Misc. Cast of The Bletchley Circle (Anna Maxwell Martin, Rachael Stirling, Julie Graham, Sophie Rundle)
I'm not surprised that PBS seems to be throwing whatever campaign muscle they have behind Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge, but I'd have liked to see more names from Call the Midwife, and any names from The Bletchley Circle. Together, the two shows portrayed a vibrant and complex range of post-World War II womanhood. Sister Bernadette's story in falling in love with Dr. Turner and deciding to leave the order was Call the Midwife's best story arc across its second season. And Anna Maxwell Martin seems able to jump in at any point across the last 200 years of British history with portrayals of quiet yet strong women.
As an addendum, I'll say that I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of returning players from last year's post show up on the ballot this year. I like to think that the post made it to the eyes of some beleaguered intern toiling in the bowels of a talent agency somewhere tasked with collecting favorable notices of their clients.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Lead Actress in a Comedy
Laura Dern - "Amy Jellicoe", Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel - "Jess Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation
Ashley Rickards - "Jenna Hamilton", Awkward.
Krysten Ritter - "Chloe", Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23
Honorable Mentions: Christina Applegate, Up All Night; Leslie Bibb, GCB; Rachel Bilson, Hart of Dixie; Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Lea Michele, Glee; Lennon Parham, Best Friends Forever; Amanda Peet, Bent; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope; Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever; Dreama Walker, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Beth Behrs, 2 Broke Girls; Kat Dennings, 2 Broke Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Laura Linney, The Big C; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Zooey Deschanel - "Jess Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation
Ashley Rickards - "Jenna Hamilton", Awkward.
Krysten Ritter - "Chloe", Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23
Honorable Mentions: Christina Applegate, Up All Night; Leslie Bibb, GCB; Rachel Bilson, Hart of Dixie; Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Lea Michele, Glee; Lennon Parham, Best Friends Forever; Amanda Peet, Bent; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope; Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever; Dreama Walker, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Beth Behrs, 2 Broke Girls; Kat Dennings, 2 Broke Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Laura Linney, The Big C; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Adam Driver - "Adam Sackler", Girls
Donald Glover - "Troy Barnes", Community
Max Greenfield - "Schmidt", New Girl
Bill Hader - "Various roles", Saturday Night Live
Danny Pudi - "Abed Nadir", Community
Reid Scott - "Dan", Veep
As much as Lena Dunham obviously shapes the tone of Girls, Driver represented an important aspect of the show in bringing so much oddball energy to bear as a romantic lead truly unlike any other on television. Troy and Abed's relationship formed such a significant through-line for this season of Community that I might venture to say that they functioned more as leads than Jeff did, but not so much so that it seems like category fraud. Both Glover and Pudi grounded Community's wide-ranging universe in real-world emotions in showing Troy grappling with the way he wants and needs to change in growing older, and in recognizing at the same time that there are aspects of Abed's personality that resist that same kind of change. (Also, Troy's reaction to the troll doll when he returns to the apartment in the relevant timeline in "Remedial Chaos Theory" may be my favorite scene of the whole year. I kept that episode on my DVR for months just so I could watch it if I was in a bad mood.) It's repetitive and reductive, but also true to call Greenfield a scene-stealer. I'll also say that he benefitted the most from the New Girl writers shaping the characters as they got to know their actors better, revealing a sweet, somewhat fussy heart underneath Schmidt's player facade. It says "various roles," but in terms of more-or-less single-handedly keeping his show from teetering off the edge into cultural insignificance it might as well say "Stefon" next to Hader's name. Not only funny, but consistently funny on a show that tends to run recurring characters into the ground. It always seems easier to say someone's a charming asshole than to authentically represent one in the flesh, but Scott was more than up to the task of making it clear why Dan is indispensable to the people he works for, as well as why they hate themselves a bit for relying on his particular mode of doing business.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Deklin, GCB; Josh Hopkins, Cougar Town; Jake Johnson, New Girl; Luka Jones, Best Friends Forever; Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live; Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live; Jim Rash, Community; Jeffrey Tambor, Bent; James Van Der Beek, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23; Brian Van Holt, Cougar Town; Mike White, Enlightened; Luke Wilson, Enlightened
Particular props to the ensembles of: Happy Endings (Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr.); Parks and Recreation (Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt); Veep (Tony Hale, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh)
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Chris Colfer, Glee; Kevin Dillon, Entourage; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock; Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live; James Spader, The Office; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Rainn Wilson, The Office
Donald Glover - "Troy Barnes", Community
Max Greenfield - "Schmidt", New Girl
Bill Hader - "Various roles", Saturday Night Live
Danny Pudi - "Abed Nadir", Community
Reid Scott - "Dan", Veep
As much as Lena Dunham obviously shapes the tone of Girls, Driver represented an important aspect of the show in bringing so much oddball energy to bear as a romantic lead truly unlike any other on television. Troy and Abed's relationship formed such a significant through-line for this season of Community that I might venture to say that they functioned more as leads than Jeff did, but not so much so that it seems like category fraud. Both Glover and Pudi grounded Community's wide-ranging universe in real-world emotions in showing Troy grappling with the way he wants and needs to change in growing older, and in recognizing at the same time that there are aspects of Abed's personality that resist that same kind of change. (Also, Troy's reaction to the troll doll when he returns to the apartment in the relevant timeline in "Remedial Chaos Theory" may be my favorite scene of the whole year. I kept that episode on my DVR for months just so I could watch it if I was in a bad mood.) It's repetitive and reductive, but also true to call Greenfield a scene-stealer. I'll also say that he benefitted the most from the New Girl writers shaping the characters as they got to know their actors better, revealing a sweet, somewhat fussy heart underneath Schmidt's player facade. It says "various roles," but in terms of more-or-less single-handedly keeping his show from teetering off the edge into cultural insignificance it might as well say "Stefon" next to Hader's name. Not only funny, but consistently funny on a show that tends to run recurring characters into the ground. It always seems easier to say someone's a charming asshole than to authentically represent one in the flesh, but Scott was more than up to the task of making it clear why Dan is indispensable to the people he works for, as well as why they hate themselves a bit for relying on his particular mode of doing business.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Deklin, GCB; Josh Hopkins, Cougar Town; Jake Johnson, New Girl; Luka Jones, Best Friends Forever; Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live; Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live; Jim Rash, Community; Jeffrey Tambor, Bent; James Van Der Beek, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23; Brian Van Holt, Cougar Town; Mike White, Enlightened; Luke Wilson, Enlightened
Particular props to the ensembles of: Happy Endings (Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr.); Parks and Recreation (Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt); Veep (Tony Hale, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh)
I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Chris Colfer, Glee; Kevin Dillon, Entourage; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock; Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live; James Spader, The Office; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Rainn Wilson, The Office
Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Guest Actor in a Comedy
Max Adler - "Dave Karofsky", Glee
Jimmy Fallon - "Host", Saturday Night Live
Will Forte - "Paul", 30 Rock
Dermot Mulroney - "Russell", New Girl
Paul Rudd - "Bobby Newport", Parks and Recreation
Doug Stanhope - "Eddie Mack", Louie
I noticed when I was pulling these together that a lot of the guest comedy performances mirrored across the gendered divide. To wit: it's always baffled me that the Glee writers have never given Adler more to do instead of dragging him out intermittently to advance his character in a generally heartbreaking direction. But nevertheless, he's maintained an emotional consistency across those appearances that paid off in his big showcase this season in "On My Way." Like Maya Rudolph, Fallon brought a sense of sheer glee in simply returning to SNL that enlivened his whole show. (And the Weekend Update joke-off was a highlight of the season, if not the past few years.) Forte fits in with 30 Rock's tone, and particularly its more absurd flights of fancy, in a way that feels less forced than almost any other guest actor the show's used over the years. Mulroney brought groundedness to Russell that provided a needed counterpoint to Zooey Deschanel at that arc's point in the New Girl season. Rudd scaled Bobby's good-natured idiocy just right, making him frustrating but fundamentally un-hateable. While I didn't love "Eddie" as much as some critics, I can't dismiss Stanhope's misanthropic performance at the heart of the episode. Louis C.K. glories in showing off the talents of the people he uses on Louie, and Stanhope was Season Two's exemplar of that impulse.
Honorable Mentions: Christopher Abbott, Girls; Dane Cook, Louie; Sean Hayes, Parks and Recreation; John Goodman, Community; Jason Lee, Up All Night; Justin Long, New Girl; James Marsden, 30 Rock; Chris O'Dowd, Girls; Mike O'Malley, Glee; Carl Reiner, Parks and Recreation; Chris Rock, Louie; Michael Kenneth Williams, Community; Dean Winters, 30 Rock
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Alan Alda, The Big C; Ed Asner, Hot in Cleveland; Matt Bomer, Glee; Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie; Michael J. Fox, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Ricky Gervais, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Jon Hamm, 30 Rock; Don Johnson, Eastbound and Down; Greg Kinnear, Modern Family; Liam Neeson, Life's Too Short; Carl Reiner, Hot in Cleveland; Ray Romano, The Middle
Jimmy Fallon - "Host", Saturday Night Live
Will Forte - "Paul", 30 Rock
Dermot Mulroney - "Russell", New Girl
Paul Rudd - "Bobby Newport", Parks and Recreation
Doug Stanhope - "Eddie Mack", Louie
I noticed when I was pulling these together that a lot of the guest comedy performances mirrored across the gendered divide. To wit: it's always baffled me that the Glee writers have never given Adler more to do instead of dragging him out intermittently to advance his character in a generally heartbreaking direction. But nevertheless, he's maintained an emotional consistency across those appearances that paid off in his big showcase this season in "On My Way." Like Maya Rudolph, Fallon brought a sense of sheer glee in simply returning to SNL that enlivened his whole show. (And the Weekend Update joke-off was a highlight of the season, if not the past few years.) Forte fits in with 30 Rock's tone, and particularly its more absurd flights of fancy, in a way that feels less forced than almost any other guest actor the show's used over the years. Mulroney brought groundedness to Russell that provided a needed counterpoint to Zooey Deschanel at that arc's point in the New Girl season. Rudd scaled Bobby's good-natured idiocy just right, making him frustrating but fundamentally un-hateable. While I didn't love "Eddie" as much as some critics, I can't dismiss Stanhope's misanthropic performance at the heart of the episode. Louis C.K. glories in showing off the talents of the people he uses on Louie, and Stanhope was Season Two's exemplar of that impulse.
Honorable Mentions: Christopher Abbott, Girls; Dane Cook, Louie; Sean Hayes, Parks and Recreation; John Goodman, Community; Jason Lee, Up All Night; Justin Long, New Girl; James Marsden, 30 Rock; Chris O'Dowd, Girls; Mike O'Malley, Glee; Carl Reiner, Parks and Recreation; Chris Rock, Louie; Michael Kenneth Williams, Community; Dean Winters, 30 Rock
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Alan Alda, The Big C; Ed Asner, Hot in Cleveland; Matt Bomer, Glee; Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie; Michael J. Fox, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Ricky Gervais, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Jon Hamm, 30 Rock; Don Johnson, Eastbound and Down; Greg Kinnear, Modern Family; Liam Neeson, Life's Too Short; Carl Reiner, Hot in Cleveland; Ray Romano, The Middle
Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Guest Actress in a Comedy
Pamela Adlon - "Pamela", Louie
Lizzy Caplan - "Julia", New Girl
Patricia Clarkson - "Tammy One", Parks and Recreation
Kathryn Hahn - "Jennifer Barkley", Parks and Recreation
Dot-Marie Jones - "Coach Shannon Beiste", Glee
Maya Rudolph - "Host", Saturday Night Live
I've mentioned my love of "Subway/Pamela" before, but here want to specifically credit the way Adlon's acerbity keeps the story tethered to the ground even as Louie attempts to lift off into romantic ambitions. Caplan's dry humor brought a unique quality to her arc on New Girl and Julia functioned well as a vehicle for the show's writers to demonstrate that they understood how Jess plays to people not naturally receptive to whimsy. Clarkson lived up to the promise of the threat of the first Mrs. Swanson, hilariously undercutting Parks and Recreation's crew of optimists. Hahn similarly reveled in Jennifer's mercenary cynicism, providing a "real world" view of Pawnee and its citizens that still fit with the show's tone. Jones, who never gets enough to do on Glee, found the emotionally authentic heart of an episode otherwise written like an after-school special. Rudolph's returns to SNL are not only funny, but suffused with what feels like a genuine love of her former castmates and of the show's capacity for zaniness.
Honorable Mentions: Gideon Adlon, Louie; Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock; Zooey Deschanel, Saturday Night Live; Hadley Delany, Louie; Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live; Idina Menzel, Glee; Megan Mullally, Happy Endings; Megan Mullally, Parks and Recreation; Becki Newton, How I Met Your Mother; Joan Rivers, Louie; Kristen Schaal, 30 Rock; Sherri Shephard, 30 Rock; Kiernan Shipka, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23; Mary Steenburgen, 30 Rock
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Ellen Barkin, Modern Family; Barbara Barrie, Enlightened; Kathy Bates, Two and a Half Men; Margaret Cho, 30 Rock; Lauren Potter, Glee; Doris Roberts, Hot in Cleveland; Susan Sarandon, The Big C; Susan Sarandon, 30 Rock; Alicia Silverstone, Suburgatory; Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock; Lily Tomlin, Eastbound and Down
Lizzy Caplan - "Julia", New Girl
Patricia Clarkson - "Tammy One", Parks and Recreation
Kathryn Hahn - "Jennifer Barkley", Parks and Recreation
Dot-Marie Jones - "Coach Shannon Beiste", Glee
Maya Rudolph - "Host", Saturday Night Live
I've mentioned my love of "Subway/Pamela" before, but here want to specifically credit the way Adlon's acerbity keeps the story tethered to the ground even as Louie attempts to lift off into romantic ambitions. Caplan's dry humor brought a unique quality to her arc on New Girl and Julia functioned well as a vehicle for the show's writers to demonstrate that they understood how Jess plays to people not naturally receptive to whimsy. Clarkson lived up to the promise of the threat of the first Mrs. Swanson, hilariously undercutting Parks and Recreation's crew of optimists. Hahn similarly reveled in Jennifer's mercenary cynicism, providing a "real world" view of Pawnee and its citizens that still fit with the show's tone. Jones, who never gets enough to do on Glee, found the emotionally authentic heart of an episode otherwise written like an after-school special. Rudolph's returns to SNL are not only funny, but suffused with what feels like a genuine love of her former castmates and of the show's capacity for zaniness.
Honorable Mentions: Gideon Adlon, Louie; Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock; Zooey Deschanel, Saturday Night Live; Hadley Delany, Louie; Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live; Idina Menzel, Glee; Megan Mullally, Happy Endings; Megan Mullally, Parks and Recreation; Becki Newton, How I Met Your Mother; Joan Rivers, Louie; Kristen Schaal, 30 Rock; Sherri Shephard, 30 Rock; Kiernan Shipka, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23; Mary Steenburgen, 30 Rock
I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Ellen Barkin, Modern Family; Barbara Barrie, Enlightened; Kathy Bates, Two and a Half Men; Margaret Cho, 30 Rock; Lauren Potter, Glee; Doris Roberts, Hot in Cleveland; Susan Sarandon, The Big C; Susan Sarandon, 30 Rock; Alicia Silverstone, Suburgatory; Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock; Lily Tomlin, Eastbound and Down
Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: The Unsubmitted
It's well past time to get this show on the road. Ideally, I like to get these done and posted before the nominations get announced. We'll see how far we get before tomorrow morning.
Andrew Scott - "Jim Moriarty", Sherlock
Here's where I wish for a site that focused on the mechanics of how the television academy votes, because I'm not sure whether PBS electing to submit "A Scandal in Belgravia" for Sherlock precluded Scott from submitting his work in "The Reichenbach Fall". (It's a curious decision overall, as I think "Reichenbach Fall" is a stronger episode all around, especially for the central actors.) If that isn't the case, it's not surprising, necessarily, that Scott didn't submit, given that Cumberbatch and Freeman didn't get nominated last year, but his performance was such a standout that it's disappointing regardless. (He just won a BAFTA, for goodness' sake.) The scene where Moriarty insists he's actually an actor was eerie perfection in sowing little seeds of doubt.
Indeed, there's a whole chunk of British actors who I was surprised to see unlisted in the ballot of prospective nominees. Underinformed management teams across the pond?
Jack Gleeson - "Joffrey Baratheon", Game of Thrones
Charles Dance - "Tywin Lannister", Game of Thrones
More than the others, I think these two being absent from the ballot represents someone asleep at the wheel in compiling HBO's submission package. Gleeson and Dance helped the show's writers demonstrate a sense of scope in depicting the Lannisters and their thirst for power - Tywin as the craftiest guy in the room, but also a man who recognizes the potential inherent in being the one pulling the strings instead of the public face, and Joffrey as the rotten manifestation of all his family's foibles.
Laura Carmichael - "Lady Edith Crawley", Downton Abbey
Zoe Boyle - "Lavinia Swire", Downton Abbey
The Downton Abbey-as-convalescent-home storyline gave Carmichael an opportunity to grant some much-needed shading to Edith as she discovered a sense of purpose in helping others. (And Carmichael pretty much single-handedly kept that whole potential-heir/burn-victim story from going too far off the rails.) I think the fundamentally good-hearted but ultimately doomed young woman (Beth March, Melanie Wilkes, etc., etc.) is a deceptively difficult role, but Boyle performed hers capably.
Anna Chancellor - "Lix Storm", The Hour
An old-school character for a period show, Chancellor's savvy, experienced newswoman provided good low-key balance to the energies brought by Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai. (And her character feels more and more valuable the more I watch of The Newsroom. Another rant for another time.)
Alex Karpovsky - "Ray", Girls
Andrew Rannells - "Elijah", Girls
Both Karpovsky and Rannells performed admirably in their roles as the blunt truth-tellers of the Girls universe, keeping the show on an even keel by tempering the self-absorption of other characters. They also had my absolute favorite moments in the finale - Karpovsky's scenes with Zosia Mamet (there is like not even enough material there to get shipper-y over, and yet I am slightly obsessed with the concept of Ray and Shoshanna together. I need it to happen in Season Two) and Rannells' line reading of "Girls who huff." (The tone of which is difficult to communicate here, but it cracks me up every time.)
Matt Ross - "Dr. Charles Montgomery", American Horror Story
I already think Ross was criminally underrecognized for his work on Big Love, so that's probably giving him a boost here. But he made Dr. Montgomery's Frankenstein-esque forays into medical experimentation some of AHS's best trips over the top.
Lamorne Morris - "Winston", New Girl
Dan Byrd - "Travis Cobb", Cougar Town
I tend to take a sort of "Throw your hat in the ring! Why not?" attitude towards most potential submissions, especially when most or all of the other members of an ensemble present as contenders. It took New Girl's writers longer to "find" Winston than it did for Nick and Schmidt, but by the end of the season, Morris had turned in some good moments too. (Like the Theodore K. Mullins speech). And some of Byrd's best work on Cougar Town came this year in their exploration of Travis and Laurie's relationship.
Taran Killam - "Mr. Rad", Community
Maybe Community's best one-off, grounding the show's Glee parody in crazy-eyed mania and subtly sending up Matthew Morrison's performance as Will Schuster.
Roger Bart - "Mason Treadwell", Revenge
Ashton Holmes - "Tyler Barrol", Revenge
Bart was the best of the characters against whom Emily sought revenge, showing the cracks in his man-about-town facade where his image of himself as a journalist comes into conflict with the knowledge of how he sold his soul and screwed the Clarkes over. And Holmes' performance fit perfectly into the vein of classic crazy soap villains, from quiet menace to devourer of scenery.
Jay Jackson - "Perd Hapley", Parks and Recreation
Jackson has become Parks and Rec's most valuable tertiary player over four seasons, representing the heart of Pawnee's absurd media culture. The fourth season's depiction of the election cycle gave him ample opportunities for more examples of Perd's affable cluelessness - my favorite might be his running out the clock on Leslie's response in "The Debate."
Morena Baccarin - "Isobel Swift", The Good Wife
Mary Beth Peil - "Jackie Florrick", The Good Wife
Parker Posey - "Vanessa Gold", The Good Wife
Baccarin held her own as a foil to Dylan Baker's Colin Sweeney, a character who is essentially designed to suck all the air out of the room. Peil was great both in shrouding Jackie's machinations in a faux-innocent "who, me?" exterior, and in muddling her motivations as potential mental issues came into play in the latter episodes of the season. And maybe it's residual Josie and the Pussycats love, but I thought Posey and Alan Cumming were delightful together as politically minded exes.
Kate Burton - "Vice President Sally Langston", Scandal
Burton had twice as many potential submissions as ultimately ended up on the ballot, so I'm not surprised that her Scandal role fell by the wayside. Nevertheless, her scenes as the evangelical Christian VP of Scandal's universe didn't veer over into caricature when they easily could have and suggested that the show going forward may have some very interesting things to say about women in politics. (And as a lover of troupe-building creators, I love that Shonda Rhimes gave her such a different character from Ellis Grey to play here.)
Alison Brie - "Trudy Campbell", Mad Men
Embeth Davidtz - "Rebecca Pryce", Mad Men
Christine Estabrook - "Gail Holloway", Mad Men
Sam Page - "Greg Harris", Mad Men
None are terribly flashy performances, but all contribute to the fully realized world of Mad Men, particularly in the interplay and contrast between home and office beyond whatever Don's situation is in any given year. I've always been disappointed not to see Page submit his name for consideration - true, most (if not all) Mad Men fans hate Greg, but Page has always done a great job of presenting him without judgment, with all his weaknesses. You want Greg to accept responsibility for why things in his life are the way they are, but also understand why he doesn't feel the need to be introspective. I don't think Page gets enough credit for that.
Andrew Scott - "Jim Moriarty", Sherlock
Here's where I wish for a site that focused on the mechanics of how the television academy votes, because I'm not sure whether PBS electing to submit "A Scandal in Belgravia" for Sherlock precluded Scott from submitting his work in "The Reichenbach Fall". (It's a curious decision overall, as I think "Reichenbach Fall" is a stronger episode all around, especially for the central actors.) If that isn't the case, it's not surprising, necessarily, that Scott didn't submit, given that Cumberbatch and Freeman didn't get nominated last year, but his performance was such a standout that it's disappointing regardless. (He just won a BAFTA, for goodness' sake.) The scene where Moriarty insists he's actually an actor was eerie perfection in sowing little seeds of doubt.
Indeed, there's a whole chunk of British actors who I was surprised to see unlisted in the ballot of prospective nominees. Underinformed management teams across the pond?
Jack Gleeson - "Joffrey Baratheon", Game of Thrones
Charles Dance - "Tywin Lannister", Game of Thrones
More than the others, I think these two being absent from the ballot represents someone asleep at the wheel in compiling HBO's submission package. Gleeson and Dance helped the show's writers demonstrate a sense of scope in depicting the Lannisters and their thirst for power - Tywin as the craftiest guy in the room, but also a man who recognizes the potential inherent in being the one pulling the strings instead of the public face, and Joffrey as the rotten manifestation of all his family's foibles.
Laura Carmichael - "Lady Edith Crawley", Downton Abbey
Zoe Boyle - "Lavinia Swire", Downton Abbey
The Downton Abbey-as-convalescent-home storyline gave Carmichael an opportunity to grant some much-needed shading to Edith as she discovered a sense of purpose in helping others. (And Carmichael pretty much single-handedly kept that whole potential-heir/burn-victim story from going too far off the rails.) I think the fundamentally good-hearted but ultimately doomed young woman (Beth March, Melanie Wilkes, etc., etc.) is a deceptively difficult role, but Boyle performed hers capably.
Anna Chancellor - "Lix Storm", The Hour
An old-school character for a period show, Chancellor's savvy, experienced newswoman provided good low-key balance to the energies brought by Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai. (And her character feels more and more valuable the more I watch of The Newsroom. Another rant for another time.)
Alex Karpovsky - "Ray", Girls
Andrew Rannells - "Elijah", Girls
Both Karpovsky and Rannells performed admirably in their roles as the blunt truth-tellers of the Girls universe, keeping the show on an even keel by tempering the self-absorption of other characters. They also had my absolute favorite moments in the finale - Karpovsky's scenes with Zosia Mamet (there is like not even enough material there to get shipper-y over, and yet I am slightly obsessed with the concept of Ray and Shoshanna together. I need it to happen in Season Two) and Rannells' line reading of "Girls who huff." (The tone of which is difficult to communicate here, but it cracks me up every time.)
Matt Ross - "Dr. Charles Montgomery", American Horror Story
I already think Ross was criminally underrecognized for his work on Big Love, so that's probably giving him a boost here. But he made Dr. Montgomery's Frankenstein-esque forays into medical experimentation some of AHS's best trips over the top.
Lamorne Morris - "Winston", New Girl
Dan Byrd - "Travis Cobb", Cougar Town
I tend to take a sort of "Throw your hat in the ring! Why not?" attitude towards most potential submissions, especially when most or all of the other members of an ensemble present as contenders. It took New Girl's writers longer to "find" Winston than it did for Nick and Schmidt, but by the end of the season, Morris had turned in some good moments too. (Like the Theodore K. Mullins speech). And some of Byrd's best work on Cougar Town came this year in their exploration of Travis and Laurie's relationship.
Taran Killam - "Mr. Rad", Community
Maybe Community's best one-off, grounding the show's Glee parody in crazy-eyed mania and subtly sending up Matthew Morrison's performance as Will Schuster.
Roger Bart - "Mason Treadwell", Revenge
Ashton Holmes - "Tyler Barrol", Revenge
Bart was the best of the characters against whom Emily sought revenge, showing the cracks in his man-about-town facade where his image of himself as a journalist comes into conflict with the knowledge of how he sold his soul and screwed the Clarkes over. And Holmes' performance fit perfectly into the vein of classic crazy soap villains, from quiet menace to devourer of scenery.
Jay Jackson - "Perd Hapley", Parks and Recreation
Jackson has become Parks and Rec's most valuable tertiary player over four seasons, representing the heart of Pawnee's absurd media culture. The fourth season's depiction of the election cycle gave him ample opportunities for more examples of Perd's affable cluelessness - my favorite might be his running out the clock on Leslie's response in "The Debate."
Morena Baccarin - "Isobel Swift", The Good Wife
Mary Beth Peil - "Jackie Florrick", The Good Wife
Parker Posey - "Vanessa Gold", The Good Wife
Baccarin held her own as a foil to Dylan Baker's Colin Sweeney, a character who is essentially designed to suck all the air out of the room. Peil was great both in shrouding Jackie's machinations in a faux-innocent "who, me?" exterior, and in muddling her motivations as potential mental issues came into play in the latter episodes of the season. And maybe it's residual Josie and the Pussycats love, but I thought Posey and Alan Cumming were delightful together as politically minded exes.
Kate Burton - "Vice President Sally Langston", Scandal
Burton had twice as many potential submissions as ultimately ended up on the ballot, so I'm not surprised that her Scandal role fell by the wayside. Nevertheless, her scenes as the evangelical Christian VP of Scandal's universe didn't veer over into caricature when they easily could have and suggested that the show going forward may have some very interesting things to say about women in politics. (And as a lover of troupe-building creators, I love that Shonda Rhimes gave her such a different character from Ellis Grey to play here.)
Alison Brie - "Trudy Campbell", Mad Men
Embeth Davidtz - "Rebecca Pryce", Mad Men
Christine Estabrook - "Gail Holloway", Mad Men
Sam Page - "Greg Harris", Mad Men
None are terribly flashy performances, but all contribute to the fully realized world of Mad Men, particularly in the interplay and contrast between home and office beyond whatever Don's situation is in any given year. I've always been disappointed not to see Page submit his name for consideration - true, most (if not all) Mad Men fans hate Greg, but Page has always done a great job of presenting him without judgment, with all his weaknesses. You want Greg to accept responsibility for why things in his life are the way they are, but also understand why he doesn't feel the need to be introspective. I don't think Page gets enough credit for that.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Week in TV: September 4-10
Sons of Anarchy, 4.1: "Out"
- The few reviews I've read of this premiere emphasize this season returning the focus to the club as it functions in Charming as opposed to the more wide-ranging search for Abel last year. While I'm looking forward to the return to that scope of storytelling, in this episode I was most excited to see the show introduce new antagonists (and, at least based on their first appearances here, specifically non-crazy antagonists) for SAMCRO. By the end of last season, Stahl became too manic and desperate, to the point that, while it didn't rob the triple-cross in "NS" of its dramatic weight, it felt inevitable that her all-consuming desire to entrap the club would come back to bite her in the ass. And Hale's death left the show with a void regarding a practical, reasoned perspective on the club and their role in Charming. I also come in already liking Rockmond Dunbar and Ray McKinnon, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the show uses them across the season's arc.
- Not only was Ryan Hurst great in infusing the wedding scene with just a hint of sadness, but the show demonstrated a lot of respect for the audience's ability to retain information in letting that subtle undercurrent of grief be the episode's most direct reference to Donna. Semi-Related: I also love Lyla's tacky wedding platforms.
- They're awfully fond of musical montages on this show, with this episode bookended by them, so this EW gallery with Kurt Sutter and Paris Barclay breaking down the one that closed out "Out" was an interesting glimpse into that particular creative process.
The Hour, "Episode Four"
- I've enjoyed this show from the beginning, but I think this was the episode where the tone really clicked and the disparate storylines felt like they were all of a piece, joining comments on suppression and repression to construct a portrait of people striving together to challenge a status quo that leaves too many things unquestioned and unsaid.
- How great is Jessica Hynes? Her terse, matter-of-fact tone in her scene at the beginning of the episode beautifully established the tension that drove the remainder of the hour. In recent weeks, I've also seen her appear as an oversharing hippie on Skins and as an Edwardian-era boys' school matron on Doctor Who, so I'm sort of in awe of her range. (I also watched Paul over the weekend, and it's really interesting to see the more drama-focused track she seems to have taken post-Spaced as opposed to the genre work for which Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have gained international attention.)
- I've gone down a slight rabbit hole of British television recently, and it's really highlighted why comparisons between this show and Mad Men are simplistic and unfair. It's not just that the only thing they really have in common is the era, and even then not really. There's the difference in years, but more importantly, there's the different trajectories in global identity that the United Kingdom and the United States take during those years, which necessarily and dramatically inform the goings-on on both shows. But the striking thing you notice after watching more than a few British productions? Quite simply, they've been owning us at period pieces for decades, and have a deep pool of acting talent to back up that continuing engagement with the past.
- Just because it's not really like Mad Men in any way doesn't mean I can't still obsess over the fashion. I love everything about Bel's wardrobe, especially the scarves-as-headbands. And this show really makes me want to try to work some red lipstick into my repertoire.
Doctor Who, 6.10: "The Girl Who Waited"
- A great episode, with one of Karen Gillan's best performances in the series - I was particularly, and somewhat unexpectedly, pleased to see the return of Amy's bitterness towards the Doctor, which has largely dissipated in the episodes since "The Eleventh Hour."
- I again felt like I was waiting for a direct reference to what happened with Melody - you'd think that that's a thought that would come up in thirty-six years of stewing. In interviews I've read with Steven Moffat, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, it seems like they've got a handle on what keeps Amy and Rory traveling with the Doctor after that kind of traumatic experience, but I'm not sure that that's coming through on screen. There's an argument to be made that it would make sense for them to decide that being on the TARDIS is better than staying in Leadworth alone with their thoughts, but I think they need to specifically say so out loud, instead of leaving it to conjecture. I'm not sure how long the issue can go under-addressed without the arc (or lack thereof) starts undermining the quality of individual episodes.
Revenge, "Pilot"
I was really intrigued by the specific promotion offered for an early viewing of this pilot - ABC offered the pilot script as a free Kindle download on Amazon, which concluded with a link to watch the episode online. The changes from the script to the screen made for an unexpectedly interesting glimpse into the creative process of setting up a show's world to start off a drama series, particularly one like this where a good chunk of the story is dependent on past events. I love a good primetime soap, so I hope this one sticks around long enough to dig into its central mysteries. The pilot shows a lot of potential without seeming too high-concept to be sustainable past thirteen episodes.
The New Girl, "Pilot"
- Took advantage of this one showing up free on iTunes. I liked it, though I felt like I'd already seen about 90% of the pilot in the ads that have been running all summer for the show. I also feel like this pilot is difficult to use as an indicator of how the show will be going forward, since they had to replace Damon Wayans, Jr. and the pilot is so focused on the four roommates. Still, I like Zooey Deschanel (and Max Greenfield - Deputy Leo!), and as a nerdy, crafty twenty-something, I'm excited to see how they develop her character in further episodes.
- I found this profile of Zooey Deschanel from New York Magazine really interesting, especially in its take on both positive and negative reception of her star persona.
Miscellaneous Links:
- I love a good Mad Men dissection, so this Daily Beast post with Matthew Weiner and Jon Hamm breaking down "The Suitcase" was right up my alley.
- An interesting AOLTV piece (shared by Katie) by Mo Ryan about declining numbers of women writers on television staffs.
- More Downton Abbey! (The pieces coming out about the show right now must drive PBS's marketing people crazy.) This time, a New York Times article profiling Julian Fellowes. I love that he defends Thomas to the interviewer.
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