Since I can't recap every show on the air, I thought I'd do a couple of mid-season and full season reviews for the new shows airing this summer that I'll be watching. That will include Showtime's Ray Donovan, with Liev Shreiber and Jon Voight, and also FX's The Bridge, which premieres tonight and stars Diane Kruger and Demian Bichir. I'll be watching them and checking in on both at their mid-season point. Here are the trailers, if you're curious:
The Bridge:
Ray Donovan:
Dream Nominees- Supporting Actor
So, for the last few years this category has been the toughest one to break into. There could very easily be a list of ten or more worthy men, and it is HARD to narrow it down to six. An entire alternate list of deserving nominees could and probably will show up here (the only reason I left out perennial nominees like Peter Dinklage and John Slattery is because I don't think they had as much to do on their shows this season). But these are my favorites, and of them I think the ones most likely to score noms will be Aaron Paul and Mandy Patinkin. Paul is fantastic on Breaking Bad, has won the last two years in a row, and will definitely be back. Patinkin has not been nominated for Homeland yet, but I have to assume he was in 7th place or so last year, so I'm guessing he makes it this time. The rest of my guys could all fall out for other people. Walton Goggins was nominated two years ago, but is great as lovable antihero Boyd Crowder on Justified, so good that I think he deserves to win. Stoll gave a heartbreaking performance and was the best character on House of Cards for me (review of that show coming tomorrow), Mikkelson is really a co-lead, but I've already talked about how mesmerizing he is on Hannibal, and I was very happily surprised at what a nuanced, sensitive and rich supporting turn Noah Emmerich gave on The Americans this year. To be honest, any of these guys deserve to win, but I chose Goggins because he's been so good for so long now, and I think he's somewhat overdue, especially counting his years on The Shield.
Dream Nominees- Supporting Actress
This field is a bit less crowded, and I have again chosen almost all people who will not make the cut. The only guarantee is Anna Gunn (and she's probably also the winner, because she has an AMAZING episode to submit). Joelle Carter had more screentime as Ava this year than I think she ever has, and as the only woman with any real role on Justified, I think she deserves recognition. It's a similar situation with Emilia Clarke, who was given a lot more to do this year than whine about her dragons, but they don't seem to like anyone except for Peter Dinklage on that show. I went for Kiernan Shipka as Sally on Mad Men over Christina Hendricks, because I think she handles the dark, emotional stuff they give her as well as or better than many of the adults, and Joan was kind of short shrift this season anyway. Olivia Munn was the only woman on The Newsroom who was not written as an idiot, and managed to play both comedy and drama surprisingly well, and finally there's Rose Byrne. Yeah, she was on a show called Damages that most people have forgotten existed entirely, much less that it aired its final season last summer. And that's really too bad, because it was a great show, and the only one I can think of that was entirely about two women as they confronted their professional and personal conflicts as well as any of these shows about male antiheroes that are ubiquitous now. Rose Byrne was essentially a co-lead, but she was terrific, and deserves at least much recognition as Glenn Close got in the show's early years. But it won't happen. Expect this category to be filled with people like Maggie Smith again, and more women from The Good Wife and Downton Abbey.
As a heads up, this summer I'll be recapping Season 2 of HBO's The Newsroom, starting next Sunday, and the final season of AMC's Breaking Bad, when it returns on Aug 11th.
Dream Nominees- Comedy Series
Okay, so out of my dream nominees in this category, only three actually are secured for nods. That would be the past winners 30 Rock and Modern Family, and probably Veep (there's a small chance that could fall out but I doubt it, since its second season was better than the first and the episodes were airing during the nominating period). Parks and Recreation was only nominated once two years ago and stands no chance, while Louie and Arrested are the wild cards. Louie is kind of a bizarre hybrid of occasional comedy but mostly quirky drama, and it's not helped by the fact that the last season aired almost a year ago now. AD was beloved by the TV academy throughout its original run, but the whole Netflix model is a serious question mark- no one has any idea how that's going to play out. I wouldn't be surprised if it's shut out, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it ran the table with nominations. Could go either way. I'm leaning toward it getting in because of its past history though.
Since Parks and Rec stands no shot, what replaces it? Unfortunately my guess is either Girls or The Big Bang Theory. Of those two I'd vastly prefer Big Bang- and I actually wouldn't be too surprised if my distaste for Girls is shared by a lot of the TV academy as well. We'll see on July 18th.
As for the win, I do think the voters are tired of picking Modern Family and will go with something else this year, but the question is what. My vote's for AD for pulling off an unprecedented return in an audacious and bold new format, but the whole structure might have been too weird for the Emmys. Could it be a return to 30 Rock for its final season? Or might they go with Arrested Development after all as a big welcome back? Maybe even The Big Bang Theory due to its ever increasing ratings and popularity? It's an open field. If they can't rally around an alternative, Modern Family may just pull off a fourth win after all.
Dream Nominees: Lead Actress in a Comedy
It pains me to have to put Lena Dunham on that list. But, since I don't actually watch every comedy show on the air anyway, and I have seen it, I can begrudgingly admit that she does put herself out there every week (anyone who watches it will know what that means) in a pretty brave way- not sure I'd call it funny, especially this season, but brave is a word that works, I guess. Laura Dern is terrific on Enlightened, but the show was just canceled, so that does not bode well for her- she'll probably be replaced by Edie Falco from Nurse Jackie. All of the other women would be repeat nominees and likely to get in, but they're all good, so that's ok with me. I have to go with JLD for the win again- even if it's getting old to see her win all the time, she really does deserve it, even more so this year than last. I'd be thrilled if Amy Poehler won, since it'd be a shame to see Parks and Rec go off the air without her ever being recognized, but hey, they did it to Steve Carell for The Office, and that was a much more iconic character, so I wouldn't put it past them.
Dream Nominees : Lead Actor in a Comedy
Ok so, right off the bat I have to admit there are a couple of supposedly deserving contenders in this field from shows that I have never watched, namely Matt LeBlanc from Episodes and Jake Johnson of New Girl- but hey, what are you gonna do? I hear they're both great, so I wouldn't have a big problem if they replaced one of the above. From my own personal list, the most likely to make it in are Baldwin, Bateman, Parsons and CK. Jason Bateman is right on the edge- he was only nominated once before and it's going to depend on how much the voters liked this new season of Arrested. Peter Capaldi and Adam Scott have zero chance, but they are both great on their shows- especially Capaldi, who's won virtually every British award they have over there and really does deserve it here too (he's eligible because Hulu broadcast the fourth season of The Thick of It). I hate to say this but Jon Cryer might take one of their slots (ugh) and in that case, the winner will be either Alec Baldwin or Jim Parsons for the repeat. I'd love for Jason Bateman to win, but something tells me it's not happening.
The latest Netflix original series, from the creator of Weeds. All 13 episodes of the first season drop Jul 11th.
With the Emmy nominations for the 2012-2013 season just a little over two weeks away, i thought i'd post my dream nominees for the major categories. Starting tonight, with the supporting actors in a comedy, here are my thoughts on who deserves to make the cut and then win the trophy.
Dream Nominees- Supporting Actress:
This is probably the weakest field in any category, and i'm betting the nominations will be filled with repeaters. Julie Bowen has won the past two years for Modern Family and could do so again, if not for the weaker season she had this year. Her co-star Sofia Vergara will be in the mix, but doesn't deserve to be, so I replaced her with Anna Chlumsky, who does a great job with the difficult part of straight woman on Veep. Kaley Cuoco fills a similar role on Big Bang, but will likely be overlooked as well. The rest of them I do believe will actually get in and deserve to be there, but this field is so weak it was difficult to make out a full list of "dream" nominees. Jessica Walter is overdue and deserves to take this in a walk. If she somehow doesn't get in, it's probably Bowen for the third year in a row.
Dream Nominees- Supporting Actor
Now, this category I filled with a whole list of people who probably stand no chance at nominations (except for Will Arnett- if he doesn't get in I will throw a massive hissy fit). Cera was the funniest he's ever been on AD for this fourth season, but will be passed over in favor of the "adults" on the show, while Bill Hader's surprise nomination last year was most likely a fluke. Plus, he had less screentime for his last season on SNL, but sentiment and love for Stefon could always drive a final nod. Tony Hale on Veep stands out from his cast in the second season, while Nick Offerman has always been wonderful on Parks and Rec, but who am i kidding- that show's in its fifth year and Emmy voters have never liked it that much. Finally, Girls is a show that I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate, but Adam Driver is the only person on it who is actually funny and whose character is complex, unique, and creepy- he deserves to be recognized for a bold and original performance. None of this will happen though, because the Modern Family guys aren't going anywhere- only one of them will be knocked out to make room for Will Arnett, who, like Jessica Walter, deserves to take this thing lying down and has the episode to do it.
As far as I was concerned, Armando Iannucci's Veep had a lot to live up to. Coming off the hilariously pointed BBC series The Thick of It, which spawned an equally great spin-off movie In the Loop, I really thought there was no way an Americanized version of this very British political universe could work, especially coming from the same mind. That's not an insult, I was just utterly convinced of his specific knowledge of the ins and outs of UK politics and feared that his innate foul-mouthed, witty and particular dialogue would never sound right coming out of the mouths of Americans who work in the White House. We may all speak English but our cultures still harbor very distinct differences (especially in attitudes), and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The last thing I wanted to see was a dumbed down version of The Thick of It.
So while the first season of Veep had its moments, my fears weren't entirely alleviated. The exploits of vice president Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her cohorts in the halls of Washington, D.C. often felt like a paler imitation of its predecessor, and while Iannucci can sling the word "fuck" around in ways that can't help but amuse (he's like a Picasso who specializes in swearing), it did feel at times to me like the inherent meanness and insults coming from and towards every single character just weren't very American.
Still, Julia Louis-Dreyfus' performance made the show worth sticking with- she's a fearlessly talented comedienne who can make just about anything funny, whether it's slapstick, verbal insults, embarrassment, sometimes shifting between them all in one scene. She embodies this incompetent veep fully, and can handle anything the carefully crafted scripts throw at her, and with some deftly ad-libbed jabs of her own as well.
Dreyfus won a well-deserved Emmy for Lead Actress last year, and will likely win one again for the second season, which I'm happy to say was a big improvement on the first as a whole, with the secondary cast seemingly finding its footing. While the first season was focused on domestic side issues Selina was helplessly shoved into, the focus shifted this year to foreign policy and involved the veep more directly in the White House. It even coincidentally mirrored a timely storyline involving overseas spies and the CIA. Every politically themed show or movie is enhanced by some recognition of reality within the fictional universe, something The Thick of It understood well, by directly mirroring scandals and party shifts within Parliament.
By involving the veep more directly in the White House it suddenly feels contemporary (Joe Biden may be seen as a goofy, but we haven't actually had an uninvolved, outsider veep since Al Gore), and the increased group dynamic among Selina's aides, plus the softening of a couple of characters who are made to seem more human (especially Tony Hale, who's great as Selina's utterly devoted lackey) immediately connects as more recognizable American comedy and characters. Happily, the show manages to accomplish this without losing any of the biting Iannucci wit, and added to the great central performance from JLD, it's a show that just keeps getting better as you watch. I'm all in.
Grade: B+
Bonus Recommendation- you really should watch The Thick of It if you haven't seen it, or at least In the Loop. Malcolm Tucker is a legendary TV character they were wise not to even try emulating for Veep- a political spin doctor played with insane, electric energy and timing from Scottish actor Peter Capaldi. Seriously, no one should be deprived of seeing this performance. Seek it out. He's incredible.
Here's what the Academy of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror honored in TV last night. I'm really not sure which of those three categories Breaking Bad is supposed to be in, though. Maybe they just consider it a generally "out there" kind of show, and therefore it qualifies?
TELEVISION AWARDS
Best Network Series: Revolution
Best Cable Series: The Walking Dead
Best Presentation on TV: Breaking Bad
Best Youth-Oriented Series on TV: Teen Wolf
Best Actor on TV: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) & Kevin Bacon (The Following)
Best Actress on TV: Anna Torv (Fringe)
Best Supporting Actor: Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad)
Best Supporting Actress: Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead)
Best Guest Star: Yvonne Strahovski (Dexter)
Well, that wraps up another season, folks. It was quite an eventful episode, as we see major turning points for just about every main character tonight, so we'll start off with Pete before we get to Don's epiphany and what should be Jon Hamm's Emmy submission tape.
The side plot of this episode is a rather surreal and hilarious ending to the Bob Benson arc this year. Manolo apparently marries Pete's mother on a cruise at sea, then tosses her overboard to inherit her money, which of course she doesn't actually have. Pete and his brother are understandably upset about this, but only up to a certain point, as neither of them is willing to shell out the big bucks to hire a PI in order to solve their mother's murder. "She did love the sea," Pete rationalizes to himself in the office, as his brother agrees. Those Campbell boys are real prizes, aren't they?
After having to deal unpleasantly with an increasingly troubled Sally's hatred of him, Don gets drunk in a bar and ends up spending the night in jail after punching an offensive preacher, who implies the victims of this year's assassinations might have deserved their fate. This appears to finally be rock bottom for Don, as he admits he has to get a handle on his drinking and decides to steal what was Stan's idea to start anew in California, where the agency needs to set someone up solo. California as we know has always beckoned Don in the past, and he tells Megan, who tearfully agrees that they could be happy there again, in the place where they got engaged.
As he sets everything up for the transition though, Ted and Peggy finally give in to temptation, and while Peggy is ok for now with him being married, however unhappily, Ted is not, and that very night seems to have regrets as he climbs into bed with his wife after having been with Peggy. He then begs Don the next day to let him go to California with his family, in order to get as far away from Peggy as possible. Don doesn't agree at first but in the client meeting with Hershey, he suddenly decides to be honest about himself at work for the very first time, and describes in detail to the clients, Ted, Cutler and Roger that he grew up in a whorehouse and savored Hershey as the only sweet thing in his life. This stunning monologue is Jon Hamm's finest moment of the season, and if he was ever going to win the Emmy, it's another worthy reel to send in, but yeah- don't hold your breath. His best shot will probably be for the final season next year.
After this dramatic scene, Don gives the California spot to Ted after all, a decision which upsets Megan greatly, and despite his promise to her that they will be a bi-coastal couple, she seems to be heading out west in bitterness and the state of their marriage is left ambiguous. Don is then given an indefinite leave of absence by the partners the next morning due to his "behavioral problems," and the episode ends with him driving his kids to PA to show them the abandoned whorehouse he grew up in, and presumably open up to them about who he really is, answering Sally's question from a few episodes ago. There's a look of understanding exchanged between them in the final shot, and it's the first uplifting moment of the season. Is Don finally coming to terms with who he is and ready to live his life openly? Will he follow Megan to CA after all, since there's nothing stopping him now? You're never promised an answer to anything for sure on Mad Men, but that will never stop me from returning to this world every year to find out. It will be a momentous event when the final episode airs next summer. I can't wait to savor every moment of it.
Character Notes:
Pete- after Pete yells at Bob over the Manolo con, he claims no knowledge of it, and then humiliates Pete in front of the Chevy guys, which apparently gets Pete tossed from Chevy, as he either quits or is fired from the firm, because in his last scene he states that he's now going to CA too. This part was pretty muddled, as we never saw Pete getting fired or quitting, and I don't know if he's moving there on his own or is still involved in the business somehow. If anyone caught something that I didn't that explained this part, let me know, will you?
Roger and Joan- now that Bob Benson's war against Pete is over, he seems ready to start one with Roger, who warns him not to mess with Joan and her son, Kevin. Joan decides to let Roger to be in Kevin's life after all and invites him to Thanksgiving, where Roger encounters Bob at the table, cutting the turkey and defying him openly. I hope this isn't the beginning of some series ending arc where Bob Benson takes down the partners one by one and takes over the agency in record time next season, leaving everyone else out in the lurch. He's not nearly compelling enough to be that guy.
Peggy- when Ted dumps Peggy after spending the night with her, in what was really his first kinda dick move that we see, Peggy responds by showing up in Don's now vacated office in a Brady Bunch pantsuit, and laying claim to his chair as she surveys the city through the office windows. It looks to me like Peggy's rise to replace Don has officially begun, and all i can say to the poor, perpetually unlucky-in-love Peggy is you go, girl. Have at it.
The Movie Seasons
Use this site for movie and television recommendations throughout the year- we have picks for the changing seasons, holidays, and moods, along with new releases and recaps of the best shows on TV
