The 53rd annual Emmy Awards didn’t grip my attention this year. And it’s not simply because they were postponed twice. (For those not in the awards circuit, they were originally scheduled to take place on Sept. 16 when the country was in the midst of its grief, and their rescheduled date was the day the United States began bombing Afghanistan.) When they finally aired on Sunday night, not only were they competing with Game 7 of the World Series, but they also clashed with my post-marathon celebratory dinner. (For those who didn’t pick up the Current last week, I ran the New York City Marathon.) But despite the fact that I didn’t watch the actual ceremony, I still have something to say about the final results.
First of all, "Sex and the City" simply wasn’t the best comedy series last year. Don’t get me wrong, I watched every episode with bated breath, waiting to see if Carrie would end up with the furniture maker or Mr. Big. But each week, when I tuned into "Will & Grace," without fail, I laughed out loud. Now that’s comedy!
Also, Peter MacNicol from "Alley McBeal" is anything but the Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series. And who the hell watches "Everybody Loves Raymond?" On a positive note, Sally Field completely deserved the award for Best Guest Actress on a Drama Series, and Bradley Whitford was totally the Best Supporting Actor for his role on "The West Wing."
If, like me, you were busy doing other things on Sunday night, here is a partial list of the winners. – JS
The winners are…
Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Comedy Series: "Sex and the City"
Lead Actor, Drama Series: James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"
Lead Actress, Drama Series: Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Lead Actor, Comedy Series: Eric McCormack, "Will & Grace"
Lead Actress, Comedy Series: Patricia Heaton, "Everybody Loves Raymond"
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Allison Janney, "The West Wing"
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Bradley Whitford, "The West Wing"
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Peter MacNicol, "Ally McBeal"
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: "Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond"
Directing, Drama Series: Thomas Schlamme, "The West Wing"
Directing, Comedy Series: Todd Holland, "Malcolm in the Middle"
Writing, Drama Series: Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, "The Sopranos"
Writing, Comedy Series: Alex Reid, "Malcolm in the Middle"