I may be guilty of paying inordinate attention to the Oscars, but only because movies are my life. Well, that and I'm always trying to find an outlet for my inner homosexual. Even if I'm self-aware enough to admit that they're rarely a true indicator of cinematic quality (Chicago? Crash?), I still enjoy the history and the dazzling sense self-importance on display.
However, I have no such attachment to other award shows. Which is why last week's announcements from the Writer's Guild of American and the Hollywood Foreign Press regarding their 2006 nominees were particularly aggravating:
Golden Globes - Best TV Drama
24
Big Love
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
Lost
Writer's Guild Awards - Dramatic Series
24
Deadwood
Grey's Anatomy
Lost
The Sopranos
24 is a Sean Hannity wet dream, which doesn't say anything about the quality of its writing. What does is the laughable quality of the lines the writers put in Keifer Sutherland's mouth each season ("You are going to face justice?"). Lost has rapidly succumbed to the Chris Carter Effect, in which the show's creators are starting to realize the folly of not planning the show out beyond a season or so. Heroes is pretty decent. So far. And Deadwood - sheer tonnage of "cocksuckers" aside - is a good show. The Sopranos is coasting on former greatness, though it's still better than 80-85% of other TV.
I haven't seen Big Love, but I've already made a case for why at least three of the shows nominated by either organization don't belong there, and I haven't even gotten to the main offender: Grey's Anatomy.
As The Wife is one of the many unsuspecting citizens of this once great country apparently afflicted with alien brain parasites compelling them to watch ABC on Sunday nights, I saw a good chunk of Grey's' first season, and aside from the joy brought on by seeing Katherine Heigl in a bra, I'm at an utter loss to understand what the fuck the fuss is about.
I'm usually out of the loop in such matters, and whether this is due to my being out of touch with popular tastes or because I'm a contrarian asshole (as certain other members of my household have maintained), that's for history to decide. But I do know this: when a manipulative, simplistic pap smear of a TV program like Grey's Anatomy can be nominated by two separate bodies for best TV series in place of The Wire - a show virtually all media outlets (some three years after this blog, as it turns out) have trumpeted as "the best of all time" - it only proves my opening statement. No one who honestly valued "quality" over "ratings" or "key demographic market" could ever say with a straight face that Grey's was the better show. But then, nobody watching the Golden Globes, be they housewives tipsy on half a bottle of white zinfandel who use words like "McDreamy" without irony or nerds who continue to delude themselves that "4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42" will ever mean anything, care about the best show on TV getting any awards love. They just want to see what Katherine Heigl will be wearing.
And at least in that respect, I'll be right there with them.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on 24 (but only for this last season, mind you). The last year was BRILLIANT, and skewered every trope of the series to date fantastically. I hated previous seasons of 24 (in fact, mostly skipped em) with the exception of a chunk of season 1.
Peter Weller was one of the main bad guys (in fact the ‘anti-Jack’, as it were)this year- nuff said.
Oh, and the best line of the season:” The only reason why you’re still conscious is because I don’t feel like carrying you!”
Seriously, I was VERY surprised at how good it was.
I’ll cop to watching Grey’s Anatomy. It’s a nice antidote to whatever theory I’ve had to wrap my head around in seminars that week. But my friend and I are usually drinking pinot noir while we’re watching. That’s gotta count for something, right?
The fact that there was no love for at least one of ‘Weeds,’ ‘Dexter,’ ‘The Wire,’ or ‘Battle Star Galactica’ is complete crap.
Hey. There’s no Battlestar Galactica on those lists. Bastards!
I confess to liking Grey’s Anatomy, and here’s why: It’s one of the few shows conceived, written and overseen by a woman, and it shows. It’s approach to relationships is so different from other shows, most of which are written by men. I like watching it almost as a sociological experiment.
But when it’s over, I kind of need an antidote to all the estrogen. Like … Battlestar Galactica!
It’s one of the few shows conceived, written and overseen by a woman, and it shows.
Dude, Gilmore Girls. They hit all the sensitive high points without the excruciating emo soundtrack. And Lauren Graham is hotter than doughnut grease.
Ahhhhh Battlestar Galactica. Best show on television. Hands down. I’m going to be Starbuck when I grow up!! ;)
Believe it or not, the best TV series ever according to rankopedia.com is Law & Order. I can think of 10 better picks. Can’t you?
Good LORD I’m so glad you don’t like Grey’s Anatomy either. I’ve tried to watch it a couple of times and I just hate it. HATE IT.