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Pushing the envelopes | page 1, 2, 3, 4
Best drama series Last year's nominees: "ER" (NBC); "Law & Order" (NBC); "NYPD Blue"
(ABC); "The Practice" (ABC, winner); "The X-Files" (Fox) My nominees: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (WB); "Homicide: Life on the
Street " (NBC); "NYPD Blue"; "The Practice"; "The Sopranos" (HBO) The big question is, Will the academy have the cannolis to snub "The Sopranos," far and away
the best drama series of the year? Given academy voters' history of
embarrassing cluelessness, don't be surprised if the nominations come out
and the sublimely written, directed and acted "Sopranos" is as invisible as
Jimmy Hoffa. In my fantasy, it gets a nomination (and the award). It's an even safer bet that the academy will once again ignore WB's "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" as best drama. Most voters probably hear that title,
look down their noses at its WB pedigree and dismiss it as "teen junk." The
media uproar over (nonexistent) similarities to Littleton in the "Buffy"
season finale won't help either. But "Buffy," a dazzlingly original tour de
force of drama, comedy, horror and romance is second only to "The Sopranos"
on my list. Series creator Joss Whedon gets nominated, too, for his writing
and directing. Last year's best drama series winner, "The Practice," is assured of another
Emmy nomination, and that's OK by me -- David E. Kelley's legal drama had
another fine season of attorney angst and juicy personal crises. "NYPD
Blue" had a transitional year that dealt viewers one too many heartbreaks
and focused too heavily on Dennis Franz in the wake of Jimmy Smits' departure. Yet
it remains the most haunting, emotionally naked series on TV. It's more
than the sum of its parts, so I'm giving it the edge over "Law & Order,"
even though "L&O" has dealt with cast changes better (and more often) than
any other series on the air and keeps pumping out good, solid
entertainment. It just doesn't move me the way "Blue" does. I'm also torn when it comes to a personal favorite, "The X-Files." The show
had some amazing episodes last season -- Chris Carter deserves directing
nominations for "Triangle" and "Two Fathers"/"One Son." But the conspiracy
angle seems to have run out of gas. And while the light-hearted episodes
were fun, they didn't add up to much. So I'm going with "Homicide." I know,
I know, I dissed it all year. But even though the show has lost some of its
luster, it still had enough left over to make you sorry to see it get axed.
"Homicide" has never been nominated for a best drama series Emmy, and
that's a crime; I'm giving it a nomination for old times' sake. Yes, I'm
breaking my "on merit only" rule, but this is my fantasy, so I get to do
stuff like that. Best actor, drama Last year's nominees: Andre Braugher ("Homicide," winner); David
Duchovny ("The X-Files"); Anthony Edwards ("ER"); Dennis Franz ("NYPD
Blue"); Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue") My nominees: Duchovny; James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos"); Steve
Harris ("The Practice"); Dylan McDermott ("The Practice"); Smits Franz's three Emmys for "Blue" disqualify him under the Bergen Statute.
Braugher left "Homicide" before last season began. Edwards does a solid
job, but I think there are worthier contenders. That leaves three slots,
and I'm filling them with James Gandolfini, Dylan McDermott and Steve
Harris. As Tony Soprano, the Jersey mobster and upwardly mobile suburban
family man on Prozac, Gandolfini gives the sort of powerhouse performance
you'd expect to find in a big-screen mob epic. His portrait of a man in the
middle -- middle manager, middle-age, middle-class -- is both tough and
lean. The bearish Gandolfini makes Tony as poignantly confused as any guy
who only wants to do what's best for his family, but he doesn't spare us
from the tension-sprung violence coiled around his heart. In any other TV season, Gandolfini for best actor would be a no-brainer.
But this was the season Jimmy Smits died. Well, he didn't really die, but
he had you fooled, didn't he? Smits made a stunning exit from "NYPD Blue"; his
deathbed scenes were a lesson in subtlety and control. My vote still goes
to Gandolfini, but Smits sure did earn his nomination -- even if he only
appeared in four episodes. As for Duchovny, he's at his best when he's
doing dryly mischievous comedy with an undertone of desperation, and last
season gave him ample opportunity to get seriously silly. Don't hate Dylan McDermott because he's beautiful. McDermott is an unlikely, but fascinating, father figure on "The Practice."
As the founder of his law firm, McDermott's Bobby Donnell has to make the
decisions for his squabbling brood. But deep down, this whip-smart stud is
a package of insecurities and neuroses. I'm nominating McDermott's burly
castmate, Harris, as a lead actor, not a supporting actor. Harris'
character, lawyer Eugene Young, carries as much of the emotional weight of
"The Practice" as McDermott's Donnell. And Harris brings a quiet passion
to his role as an idealistic guy who can't figure out whether his loyalties
should belong to the black community, to the law or to the dollar.
McDermott and Harris are an acting team. Look out, Franz and Rick Schroder.
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