Vacation Robo-Post: The Alt-Emmys

There should be a category for best canceled show, like the wonderful “Dead Like Me”

There should be an award for best reruns. Not like Nick-at-Nite ones, but for those sitcoms you’d never waste valuable primetime on but that are funny enough in 1 to 2 hour blocks in the mid-afternoon while the laundry is in the machine. I’m not entirely sure what it would be called though.

Polly Walker, James Purefoy, Ray Stevenson and Kevin McKidd from the cast of Rome would have acting nominations if it was up to me. They were all magnificent and they fact that they got so little awards attention is appalling.

How about an award for best villain on a competitive reality show. My only problem would be deciding between Marcel on Top Chef, Jeffrey on Project Runway, and Evil Dick on Big Brother 8.

Honestly, the last thing they need is more categories. I’ll probably just end up watching the monologue and then flipping channels in between when I suspect Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert will be shown.

Speaking of the monologue, does anyone know who is hosting this year?

Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights

How about a an award for “Critically Acclaimed Excellence.” This award would be taken out of the hands of Emmy voters (but presented as an Emmy) and be voted on by television critics. The award would go to one writer/actor/actress/director/show/episode per year, and would be rewarded for a performance that “while not nominated for an award by the Emmy voters,” so embodied the excellence (ahem) that Emmy strives to honor that it was deserving of special merit. There would be no nominee list for this category – they’d just announce it at the ceremony.

This award, then, could give critics a seat at the table for Emmy purposes, and reward those shows that while excellent get overlooked by lazy Emmy voters due to low ratings or popularity.

Past/current winners would/could include Lauren Graham (hell, you could practically christen it the Lauren Graham Special Achievement Award), The Wire, Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni (together, based on their excellent work as the father-daughter Mars Detective Agency), Anthony Edwards (chronically overlooked on ER), Seinfeld (or Jerry himself, or Jerry and Larry David), Lost’s Season 3 Finale (mindblowing, and better than anything I saw in movie theaters all summer), Friday Night Lights, and Dexter.

@stephanie willis – I’d love this as an annual award – “Best Show to be Cancelled this Year.” Although knowing the Emmy’s, this year they’d give it to King of Queens instead of its rightful winner Veronica Mars.

I think there should be a category called, “Best Show Never to be Nominated for an Emmy” and they should give it to The Wire.

This year’s host: Ryan Seacrest. This year’s viewing mandate chez moi: Record the show and watch later with one finger on the Fast Forward button.

Christine: Ryan Seacrest is hosting this year. It’s on FOX, and you can’t expect anything more from them.

How about an award for best guest star actor and actress not played by a big movie star taking a role on an episode just for fun.

Another one: award for show that portrays the business of the show in the worst and least realistic way. This years winner….Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. Worst. Show. About. Television. Ever.

I would have an all-Wire emmies with categories like “Best Guest Performance on Law & Order by a Wire actor” and “Best Show That’s Kind of Like The Wire for When You’re Waiting Two Years for a New Season of The Wire.” Stuff like that.

If I Ran the Emmys:

Best Drama: Friday Night Lights
Best Comedy: The Office
Best Actor: Edward James Olmos, Battlestar Galactica
Best Actress: Connie Britton, FNL
Supporting Actor: Michael Emmerson, Lost
Supporting Actress: Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost
Writing: Joss Whedon for The Office
Directing: FNL
Comedy/Variety Show: Colbert Report

Alas, probably only one or two of those people were nominated in reality…

I’ve got to put in my 2 cents and say Kristen Bell is the best up and coming actress and its a crime that she hasn’t gotten more attention. If anyone has caught 30 seconds of Veronica Mars, regardless of whether or not you enjoyed the show (I for one lived for it), her looks, her sass, her comedic timing and her grasp of every emotion flawlessly would make me at least give her an Emmy nod.

If i could give out awards:

James Purefoy and Polly Walker for Rome.
BSG – for best series and writing.
Katee Sackoff – BSG best actress.
James Callis – BSG Best actor
Jason Dorhing – Best Suppporting actor – VM’s
Veronica Mars – Best Series, writing.
Chris Meloni – Law and Order: SVU.

To add my voice to the others: The Wire, The Wire, The Wire. Any season could win Best Drama over any other show. A bold statement, I know, but if you haven’t watched, you can’t understand. Karen and Ronnie know what I’m talking about. Any actor could win for either lead or supporting. I personally vote for Omar. No doubt.