2012 Emmy nominations

Another thing that bothers me about the best supporting actor in a comedy series award: The best male character on Modern Family is Nolan Gould's Luke Dunphy. He's the funniest thing the series has going and had a standout season as he took on a bigger role.

They nominated all the adult males and overlooked the best character.

 

Nothing for 'Luck.'

It's like it never even existed.

The Emmys: Who lobbied the academy hardest and has no gag reflex.

 

I'm a Doctor Who fan. I really am. And I like Matt Smith. But it's not in the same league as Breaking Bad, especially the last couple seasons.
Doctor Who has doubled and tripled back on its own plotlines so much in the Matt Smith/Stephen Moffett era that it's almost impossible to follow. Wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey ... whatever. Just give me at least one straightforward time travel plot that doesn't give me a migraine. Matt Smith isn't bad in the role, though Tennant was much better (and I would've rooted for Tennant to get a nomination).

Breaking Bad is just on another level. It's shot better, the plot doesn't bog down (I can't, off the top of my head, think of a single wasted "filler" episode in the series' run), and the acting is better across the board.
There could easily be three and maybe four supporting actor nominations this year and no one would blink an eye. Even the random part-time actors who come in for bit parts knock it out of the park most times. The way the cast regularly conveys a scene without words is incredible. Esposito's big scene in the Season 4 premiere was damned frightening, and Paul told an entire heart-wrenching story -- which also advanced his character arc -- in another episode just by listening to a voicemail in four 30-second scenes. And that's not even touching on what Bryan Cranston has done over the course of about 50 episodes.

I like both shows, and Who certainly deserves props for the way it embraces its 50-year continuity (even if it is confusing at times). But in terms of recent quality it's like going to a Who convention and looking at a 300-pound girl dressed up like Romana standing next to Karen Gillan.

 

I'm pulling for Fallon this year. Not a thing I thought I'd ever say when his show premiered, but I consistently like his stuff more than any of his contemporaries. A Colbert win would also make me happy. While The Daily Show is still quality I feel like Colbert's been better, and not gotten enough credit for it, the past couple years.

 

This is why I said as a whole. I think season 2-4 are up there with shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. There is a bit more filler, yes, but that's why it's tough to judge these shows against each other. That filler really works in one-off episodes because that's the style of the show. At the same time, they build relationships brilliantly and the writing is top-notch.

Also, I think more highly of the past two seasons than you do. Moffat has taken it in the direction of not having any filler where every little detail matters to add up to what happens at the end of the season. I agree that Smith probably doesn't deserve a nod, but I don't think he'd be out of place there. And Tennant for sure deserved to get nominated and would have been a deserving winner, even against some of the heavyweights he would have been going against at the time. I think Tennant's work for those three seasons could stand up against Cranston. I don't think they actually ever overlapped, but pointing out that if they did, I would have a hard time choosing.

This past season was certainly better than Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. It wouldn't win, but it would not stand out as a bad nomination.

I agree with you that overall Breaking Bad is better, and so is Mad Men, but I don't think the distance from Doctor Who to those two is as far as you do. I misspoke in saying that they're equal. I do think there is a bit of separation, but not much. Also, because of how different Doctor Who is, comparing is difficult.

 

Amazing to see Betty White nominated at age 90 in yet another category: Best Reality Show host for that old folks hidden camera show.