A TV Critic Marks His Emmy Ballot

--Lead Comedy Series Actress. Blair Brown of NBC’s canceled “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” deserves to win over Kirstie Alley of NBC’s “Cheers” and Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Betty White of NBC’s “The Golden Girls.”

The behind-the-scenes politicking and self-congratulatory advertising campaigns are history. Now it’s time for the results--the 1987-88 prime-time Emmys, airing at 8 p.m. Sunday on Fox Broadcasting (Channel 11, and also Channels 3 and 6).

But first a critic’s minority report:

--Comedy Series. “Frank’s Place” on CBS deserves to win over “The Wonder Years” on ABC and NBC’s “Cheers,” “Golden Girls” and “Night Court.”

--Drama Series. ABC’s “thirtysomething” is the Emmy pick here, edging “Beauty and the Beast” on CBS, NBC’s “L.A. Law” and “St. Elsewhere” and “Rumpole of the Bailey” on PBS.

--Miniseries. “Gore Vidal’s Lincoln” on NBC is more deserving than NBC’s “Billionaire Boys Club” and “The Murder of Mary Phagan” and ABC’s “Baby M” and “The Bourne Identity.”

--Variety, Music or Comedy Program. NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman” is the choice over Letterman’s “Sixth Anniversary Special” on NBC, “The Tracey Ullman Show” on Fox and “Irving Berlin’s 100th Birthday Celebration” and “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” on CBS.

--Drama or Comedy Special. “Foxfire” on CBS deserves to win. Other nominees are “The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank” on CBS and “The Ann Jillian Story,” “Inherit the Wind” and “The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story” on NBC.

--Informational Series. The PBS series “Nature” merits an Emmy over “The Barbara Walters Specials” on ABC, “Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow” on PBS and the syndicated series, “Entertainment Tonight” and “Siskel & Ebert.”

--Informational Special. More than one Emmy is possible in this category. However, HBO’s “Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam” is the choice here over PBS offerings “Bacall on Bogart,” “Directed by William Wyler,” “George Gershwin Remembered” and “Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist.”

--Lead Comedy Series Actor. The vote here is for Dabney Coleman of ABC’s canceled “The ‘Slap’ Maxwell Story” over Tim Reid of “Frank’s Place” on CBS, John Ritter of ABC’s “Hooperman” and Ted Danson of “Cheers” and Michael J. Fox of “Family Ties,” both on NBC.

--Lead Drama Series Actor. Richard Kiley of NBC’s canceled “A Year in the Life” is the pick over Ron Perlman of “Beauty and the Beast” and Edward Woodward of “The Equalizer,” both on CBS, and Michael Tucker and Corbin Bernsen of NBC’s “L.A. Law.”

--Lead Drama Series Actress. Jill Eikenberry of “L.A. Law” merits a nod over Susan Dey of “L.A. Law,” Angela Lansbury of CBS’ “Murder, She Wrote” and Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly of CBS’ now-ended “Cagney & Lacey.”

--Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special. Stacy Keach should earn an Emmy for his work in the syndicated “Hemingway.” Other nominees are Hume Cronyn of “Foxfire,” Danny Glover of HBO’s “Mandela” and Jason Robards of “Inherit the Wind” and Jack Lemmon of “The Murder of Mary Phagan,” both on NBC.

--Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special. Mary Tyler Moore deserves it for “Gore Vidal’s Lincoln.” Others nominated are Ann Jillian of “The Ann Jillian Story,” Mary Steenburgen of “The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank,” JoBeth Williams of “Baby M” and Jessica Tandy of “Foxfire.”