Emmys 2012: âThat this has happened is ridiculousâ
âTwo and a Half Menâ won as many Emmys this year as âMad Men,â âBreaking Badâ and âGirlsâ combined.
How did this happen? And why, outside of âHomelandâsâ coronation as TVâs best drama, did the eveningâs âsurprisesâ feel stale and a tad bit dispiriting?
Letâs review the tape of last nightâs show and gather a few lessons:
1) Donât bet against Maggie Smith. Ever.
Donât get us wrong. Weâve enjoyed watching Smithâs sour pickle face on âDownton Abbeyâ these last two seasons. She looks great in purple, cuts people down to size like nobodyâs business and could win a staring contest with a diamondback rattler. But, letâs face it, Smith probably makes withering remarks in her sleep. (âLook at that dreadful woman in my dream! Dear me, she shouldnât wear black!â) For this she wins an Emmy over Christina Hendricks, who, in âThe Other Womanâ episode of âMad Men,â sells herself for a partnership at the advertising agency? (âWell, itâs like going up against Betty White,â remarked someone at the Governors Ball last night. âWhat are you going to do?â)
What will a member of the âMad Menâ ensemble have to do to win an acting Emmy? The mind buckles. Which brings us to âŠ
2) âMad Menâ goes 0-17
All things must pass, but âMad Menâsâ run of Emmy glory flamed out in a spectacular fashion. Not only did the show not win a record fifth consecutive Emmy for drama series, it didnât win anything. At all. Talking to pundits and television academy members today, explanations ranged from âvoter fatigueâ to a need to send a message to âMad Menâ creator Matthew Weiner, i.e.: âGet over yourself.â This shut out Hendricks, Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss, as well as the writers and the team responsible for Jessica Pareâs mod hairdo, where, again the Dowager prevailed.
3) But why âHomelandâ over âBreaking Badâ?
Itâs still possible that âBreaking Badâ might win a drama series Emmy for one of its two remaining eight-episode runs. It also remains well within the realm of possibility that Hamm will take a lead actor Emmy and that Earthlings will join forces with our newfound friends from the planet Zutron and colonize Mars within our lifetime. After last night, weâre not putting money on any of these propositions, though.
Older votersâ prejudices against âBreaking Badâ â âtoo dark,â âtoo methamphetamine-y,â âI donât like that ironic use of Nat King Cole ⊠I donât like it one bitâ â made the rounds, but, in the end, âHomelandâsâ victory for drama series made perfect sense. The show is great, and itâs about Something Important in a way thatâs a little more obvious than watching Walter Whiteâs soul slowly rot away.
4) And speaking of obvious: Ladies and gentlemen, Jon Cryer
âThat this has happened is ridiculous,â Cryer said, receiving the Emmy for lead actor in a comedy. We couldnât agree more. Backstage, Cryer worked the interview room and was genuinely funny. We laughed more in the five minutes we spent with him than we have watching any random episode of âTwo and a Half Menâ on those long, cross-country flights when every other viewing option on the airplane has been tragically disabled.
The message here and throughout the comedy categories seemed crystal clear: If broadcast networks canât make decent one-hour dramas anymore, voters are going to circle the wagons and reward comedies whenever possible, both deserving (âModern Family,â though, câmon, spread the wealth will you?) and ridiculous.
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