WGA TV NOMS FAIL AGAIN
January 16th, 2002
The Writers Guild's nominations for best writing in TV is once again a kneejerk capitulation to the show You Must Like.
Check out the nominations:
For Drama:
No less than three SOPRANOS episodes: "Pine Barrens," "Prochai, Livunshka" and "Employee of the Month."
Two WEST WINGs: "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" and "Two Cathedrals."
And one episode of CBS' breakout hit CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION. A show titled "Blood Drops."
For Comedy:
Fox's MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE got two nominations, for "Bowling" and "Grandparents."
HBO's SEX AND THE CITY also got two noms: for "Just Say Yes" and "My Motherboard, My Self."
EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND: "Italy, Parts 1 & 2."
TITUS: "The Pendulum."
I'm a little nauseated that they give so many nominations to one show, and essentially let it rule the category. Its an insult to all other TV writers: they are gently saying that no one else is doing a job that compares to those wonderful SOPRANO boys, who are able to pull in about as many people as a hit UPN show.
Whats with this genuflection to THE SOPRANOS? Good show? I guess. But the Single Best Thing to Ever Appear on TV? Or The Best Thing on the Air? Not at all. SOPRANOS actually ranks fourth (if not fifth) in the overall HBO lineup. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is the best; SIX FEET UNDER after that; and then OZ. Ill even venture out onto a limb and say SEX AND THE CITY is superior -- because with all the meaningless, goose-you sex talk and nudity, its less tiresome.
Of course they must honor Big Fish Aaron Sorkin, whose stamp is so indelible on his hit TV show that we get to know exactly what hes thinking, as he beats us over the head with his ideals and tells us how to think.
I just find this totally unfair, to award half of the category to one show, give two more noms to another show, and then toss a bone to everyones favorite rookie. Wheres the acclaim for the amazing work going on over at NYPD BLUE? Where the Connie McDowell character has turned out to be one of BLUEs best creations. And the death of Danny toned the show into zero-fat shape. Im curious to know where BOSTON PUBLIC, THE PRACTICE and ALLY MCBEAL are. (David E. Kelley is still the best writer working in TV.)
At this point, there are too many shows (not eligible just yet for this award) on the air to bow down and kiss SOPRANOS ring. Click on the tube and youll find: ALIAS, which has turned into a topnotch story machine, that leaves you breathless at the end of each episode. 24 -- a show that has finally hit its stride and is more intriguing than ever. Rene Balcers CRIMINAL INTENT. A show that has taken over from the original LAW & ORDER in the Big Issues Discussion department.
On the comedy side, the choices are mind-boggling. MALCOLM deserves all the praise it gets. Its fast, its funny, its true, its nutty, its smart, and its one of the best things on the air. But EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND? TITUS? And two nominations for SEX AND THE CITY? Theres so much great comedy writing on TV right now; why let a flagrantly bumptious and vexing show like SEX hog the noms? (At a measly half-hour and with its super-short schedule -- not to mention its ability to gleefully expose flesh -- SEX AND THE CITY has never been able to do what ALLY MCBEAL does with much less strain.) Think of all the deserving shows on right now: THE SIMPSONS. (THE SIMPSONS has the best writing staff on TV -- past and present -- and it never gets its due.) ED. (The best post-PICKET FENCES small-town show that has a flavor and sweetness all its own.) THE KING OF QUEENS. (Only funny post-SEINFELD sitcom on the air.) And dont forget the impeccable work done by Lewis Morton on FUTURAMA.
This year we find UNDECLARED, which should be the next MALCOLM-sized hit for Fox, but hasnt found its audience yet. Its easily the best of the new comedies on the air; it brings a magical amalgam of your real-life memories of college and friends and the offbeat humor of its creator, Judd Apatow, into a sidesplitting alchemy.
It doesnt surprise me that the WGA missed the boat. Its just disappointing that, despite being at a high point in TV creation, people are still too narrow-minded and acquiescing to see beyond what theyre told to like.
-- Darwin Mayflower (darwinmayflower@yahoo.com)
Check out the nominations:
For Drama:
No less than three SOPRANOS episodes: "Pine Barrens," "Prochai, Livunshka" and "Employee of the Month."
Two WEST WINGs: "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" and "Two Cathedrals."
And one episode of CBS' breakout hit CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION. A show titled "Blood Drops."
For Comedy:
Fox's MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE got two nominations, for "Bowling" and "Grandparents."
HBO's SEX AND THE CITY also got two noms: for "Just Say Yes" and "My Motherboard, My Self."
EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND: "Italy, Parts 1 & 2."
TITUS: "The Pendulum."
I'm a little nauseated that they give so many nominations to one show, and essentially let it rule the category. Its an insult to all other TV writers: they are gently saying that no one else is doing a job that compares to those wonderful SOPRANO boys, who are able to pull in about as many people as a hit UPN show.
Whats with this genuflection to THE SOPRANOS? Good show? I guess. But the Single Best Thing to Ever Appear on TV? Or The Best Thing on the Air? Not at all. SOPRANOS actually ranks fourth (if not fifth) in the overall HBO lineup. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM is the best; SIX FEET UNDER after that; and then OZ. Ill even venture out onto a limb and say SEX AND THE CITY is superior -- because with all the meaningless, goose-you sex talk and nudity, its less tiresome.
Of course they must honor Big Fish Aaron Sorkin, whose stamp is so indelible on his hit TV show that we get to know exactly what hes thinking, as he beats us over the head with his ideals and tells us how to think.
I just find this totally unfair, to award half of the category to one show, give two more noms to another show, and then toss a bone to everyones favorite rookie. Wheres the acclaim for the amazing work going on over at NYPD BLUE? Where the Connie McDowell character has turned out to be one of BLUEs best creations. And the death of Danny toned the show into zero-fat shape. Im curious to know where BOSTON PUBLIC, THE PRACTICE and ALLY MCBEAL are. (David E. Kelley is still the best writer working in TV.)
At this point, there are too many shows (not eligible just yet for this award) on the air to bow down and kiss SOPRANOS ring. Click on the tube and youll find: ALIAS, which has turned into a topnotch story machine, that leaves you breathless at the end of each episode. 24 -- a show that has finally hit its stride and is more intriguing than ever. Rene Balcers CRIMINAL INTENT. A show that has taken over from the original LAW & ORDER in the Big Issues Discussion department.
On the comedy side, the choices are mind-boggling. MALCOLM deserves all the praise it gets. Its fast, its funny, its true, its nutty, its smart, and its one of the best things on the air. But EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND? TITUS? And two nominations for SEX AND THE CITY? Theres so much great comedy writing on TV right now; why let a flagrantly bumptious and vexing show like SEX hog the noms? (At a measly half-hour and with its super-short schedule -- not to mention its ability to gleefully expose flesh -- SEX AND THE CITY has never been able to do what ALLY MCBEAL does with much less strain.) Think of all the deserving shows on right now: THE SIMPSONS. (THE SIMPSONS has the best writing staff on TV -- past and present -- and it never gets its due.) ED. (The best post-PICKET FENCES small-town show that has a flavor and sweetness all its own.) THE KING OF QUEENS. (Only funny post-SEINFELD sitcom on the air.) And dont forget the impeccable work done by Lewis Morton on FUTURAMA.
This year we find UNDECLARED, which should be the next MALCOLM-sized hit for Fox, but hasnt found its audience yet. Its easily the best of the new comedies on the air; it brings a magical amalgam of your real-life memories of college and friends and the offbeat humor of its creator, Judd Apatow, into a sidesplitting alchemy.
It doesnt surprise me that the WGA missed the boat. Its just disappointing that, despite being at a high point in TV creation, people are still too narrow-minded and acquiescing to see beyond what theyre told to like.
-- Darwin Mayflower (darwinmayflower@yahoo.com)
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