Emmy Voter: Lead Actress in a Drama Series

The final acting category of Emmy Voter is also the only incomplete one. It is...

Drama Lead Actress, and it is incomplete because I'm only on season 3 of Damages and really don't want to watch a random season 4 episode and spoil everything. So Glenn Close won't be included in this ballot, but I doubt she would have won anyway.

Kathy Bates as Harriet Korn in Harry's Law
Submission: "Onward and Upwars"
A.K.A. The One Where... Series finale, where Harry discovers her first husband dies. She also sings and cries and sues the D.A. personally to defend a man considered a "person of interest" in the murder of his wife.

Glenn Close as Patty Hewes in Damages
Submission: "I've Done Way Too Much For That Girl"
A.K.A. The One Where... N/A

Claire Danes as Carrie Matheson in Homeland
Submission: "The Vest"
A.K.A. The One Where... Carrie's bipolar disorder comes out in full while she recovers in the hospital, and Saul, Brody, Estes and Carrie herself must deal with the consequences.

Michelle Dockery as Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey
Submission: "Episode 7 (Christmas)"
A.K.A. The One Where... Mary and Matthew reconnect and he proposed marriage, even after discovering the secret about the Turkish diplomat from season 1.

Julianna Marguiles as Alicia Florrick in The Good Wife
Submission: "Parenting Made Easy"
A.K.A. The One Where... Alicia has bad dreams about something happening to Grace, and Grace ends up going missing. Also, Alicia goes to arbitration with Caitlin against former job applicant Martha and Louis Canning over a woman fired for her religious affiliations.

Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olsen in Mad Men
Submission: "The Other Woman"
A.K.A. The One Where... Peggy gets money thrown in her face by Don and doesn't feel respected or appreciated, so she hands in her two weeks notice and leaves SCDP behind.

Notes: Again, didn't get to see Glenn Close, so no input there. Bates has a surprisingly good showing, but it's not enough to compete with the rest of the ladies here. Marguiles gets to be a good lawyer and a good mom, but overall the episode is just good. Moss is not the focus of the episode, but she holds her own with handling the material in a great way.

Verdict: Dockery knocks it out of the park, but nobody can hold a candle to Danes. She received the only perfect 10 rating I gave out, and should win hands-down tonight.

HOW MY BALLOT WOULD LOOK:

WINNER: Claire Danes
RUNNER-UP: Michelle Dockery
3: Elisabeth Moss
4: Julianna Marguiles
5: Kathy Bates
N/A: Glenn Close

Emmy Voter: Lead Actor Drama Series

Emmy Voter marathon continues with...

Drama Lead Actor!

Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley in Downton Abbey
Submission: "Episode 7"
A.K.A. The One Where... Season finale, where Robert must testify against Bates and finds out about Mary's Season 1 scandal.

Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire
Submission: "Two Boats and a Lifegaurd"
A.K.A. The One Where... Nucky's father dies and he must go to the funeral. He gives up his treasurer position and control of the town to the Darmodys, and is plagued by a recurring dream.

Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad
Submission: "Crawl Space"
A.K.A. The One Where... Walt is tazed and brought before Gus after accidentally accompanying Hank to the laundromat, where Gus threatens to kill his family. Walt tries to check out of the drug game and change the family's identities by calling Saul's contact, but he comes up short for money after Skyler paid off Ted's bills. He ends the episode laughing maniacally in the crawl space.

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan in Dexter
Submission: "Nebraska"
A.K.A. The One Where... Dexter flees with his subconscious dead brother Brian to Nebraska to confront Jonah Mitchell, who he believes killed the rest of the Mitchell clan in the name of the Trinity Killer. Along the way, Dexter acts out by having sex with a gas station employee, shooting a gun and killing a pot dealer among his crops. Dex lets Jonah live and abandons Brian to return to his normal life.

Jon Hamm as Don Draper in Mad Men
Submission: "The Other Woman"
A.K.A The One Where... Don struggles with the Jaguar pitch and refuses the company allow Joan to sell herself out. What he doesn't know is that she does so anyway, after his rousing pitch session. Also, after treating Peggy like garbage, he must deal with her resignation from SCDP.

Damian Lewis as Sgt. Nick Brody in Homeland
Submission: "Marine One"
A.K.A. The One Where... Brody's plan comes together in the season finale. where he has the opportunity to take out the morally tainted Vice President, but is talked down by his daughter. In the end, he makes a new plan and gives some closure to his affair with Carrie.

Notes: Bonneville is out of his league here, as the overlong episode doesn't showcase his strengths. Hall is so uncharacteristic of the character in this episode it made me uncomfortable. Buscemi submitted well but doesn't pack enough punch- he's still only half a gangster at this point, and he should have submitted the finale. Hamm did some great work, especially with the kiss, but this is not a winning episode.

Verdict: It's a tie for me between Cranston and Lewis, and either winning would be fantastic. I think "Crawl Space" was the best dramatic episode of TV in the season, but "Marine One" should not be counted out. However, over the course of the season, Cranston did more amazing work than Lewis. Cranston has won this award three times before, so we'll see if the streak continues or if Lewis is given a shot at gold.

HOW MY BALLOT WOULD LOOK:

WINNER: Bryan Cranston
RUNNER-UP: Damian Lewis
3: Jon Hamm
4: Steve Buscemi
5: Michael C. Hall
6. Hugh Bonneville

Emmy Voter: Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Next on the list in the Emmy Voter category is...

Drama Supporting Actor

Jim Carter as Mr. Carson in Downton Abbey
Submission: "Episode 2"
A.K.A. The One Where... Carson doesn't do much of anything in this episode and I'm not sure why Carter picked it when he had the great heart-issue episode to choose from as well.

Brendan Coyle as Tom Bates in Downton Abbey
Submission: "Episode 7"
A.K.A. The One Where... Bates is put on trial and charged with murdering his ex-wife, but is given a stay of execution. He also shares some tender moments with Anna.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones
Submission: "Blackwater"
A.K.A. The One Where... Tyrion leads the Lannister army against Stannis' men in the epic Battle of Blackwater.

Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad
Submission: "Hermanos"
A.K.A. The One Where... Gus flashes back to when he and his partner approached the Salamancas for a business venture, but Tio ended up shooting his partner and forcing Gus to look into his eyes. This is paralleled with the present, where Gus confronts wheelchair-bound Tio after killing everyone left in the cartel.

Jared Harris as Lane Pryce in Mad Men
Submission: "Commissions and Fees"
A.K.A. The One Where... Don discovers Lane's forged check and fires him. A disgraced Lane returns home and tries to kill himself, but can't even manage to do that right. Everyone returns to the office the next day to find Lane hanged himself on the back of his door.

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad
Submission: "End Times"
A.K.A. The One Where... Brock gets sick and Jesse thinks its because he got ahold of the ricin cigarette. He accuses Walt of giving it to Brock and holds a gun to Walt's head, but Walt convinces Jesse that Gus must have been behind it, and the two reunite against Gus.

Notes: The Downton men, Carter and Coyle, don't stand a chance against these dramatic powerhouses. Harris, while incredibly emotional, actually doesn't have a large amount of material, and most of the episode revolves around how others relate to the suicide. Dinklage had a great, inspirational and funny tape, but he isn't number 1.

Verdict: The Breaking Bad boys are the top 2 here, and it's incredibly close. Paul won this award two years ago, so I'm giving the edge to Esposito, who was brilliant his whole run on the show and deserves recognition.

HOW MY BALLOT WOULD LOOK:

WINNER: Giancarlo Esposito
RUNNER-UP: Aaron Paul
3: Peter Dinklage
4: Jared Harris
5: Brendan Coyle
6: Jim Carter

Emmy Voter: Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

ML- In all the acting categories at the Emmys, nominees submit one episode (or "tape") they feel showcases their best work of the season. Ive been watching all the submitted "tapes" and reviewing them critically to help determine which actor/actress is most deserving come Emmy night.

Next up is Comedy Lead Actress

Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day in New Girl
Submission: "Bad in Bed"
A.K.A. The One Where... Jess tries to be "erotic" with Paul after discovering porn because she feels she needs to be better at sex, having only been with Spencer before. 

Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath in Girls
Submission: "She Did"
A.K.A. The One Where... Finale, where Hannah goes to Jessa's surprise wedding and asks her gay ex to move in with her, after already giving Adam the green light. Adam gets upset and calls her out on all her bull, but gets swiped by a car. He won't let Hannah in the ambulance, so she takes the train to Coney Island and eats on the beach.

Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton in Nurse Jackie
Submission: "Disneyland Sucks"
A.K.A. The One Where... Jackie checks into rehab, nearly quits, asks O'Hara to bring her daughter to visit and saves the life of her elderly roommate when she suffers a stroke.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock
Submission: "The Tuxedo Begins"
A.K.A. The One Where... Liz, fed up with people not following the rules, turns into a Joker-like character wielding a smelly gym bag who must be stopped by Jack's new Batman-like mayoral candidate.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in Veep
Submission: "Tears"
A.K.A. The One Where... Season finale where Selina is asked not to back the Ohio governor due to her low polling numbers, but after crying on camera he wants her back again. He flips and flops until the last minute, and eventually word gets out that her tears were manipulated, sending the office into a tailspin.

Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn in Mike & Molly
Submission: "The Dress"
A.K.A. The One Where... Molly is determined to lose her last 6 pounds in the week before the wedding to fit into her dream dress. The crash diet makes her wild and an unfortunate encounter at the gym lands her in jail. 

Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation
Submission: "Win, Lose or Draw"
A.K.A. The One Where... Season finale, where the election finally arrives and Leslie wins, delivering a powerful speech to the town and the viewers.

Notes: All 7 of these women were exceptionally funny, but there can only be one winner. I'd say the least funny was McCarthy, but I said that last year, too, and she went on to win. Falco gave an impressive performance, but it was more dramatic than comedic, so her placement in this comedy doesn't really fit. Fey was wild and outrageous, but the concept of the episode was better than her actual material in it. Louis-Dreyfus, one of the front-runners to win, didn't have a lot of standout moments, but the ones she did have were hilarious. Dunham had more humor in the episode than I first remembered, really shedding light onto the flaws of Hannah. 

Verdict: That leaves two funny ladies. I think Deschanel was uproarious in this episode, but still falls short of the emotional/comedic punch that overdue Poehler wallops in an election-themed episode. Did we already get a preview of her victory speech?

HOW MY BALLOT WOULD LOOK:

Winner: Amy Poehler
Runner-Up: Zooey Deschanel
3: Lena Dunham
4: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
5: Tina Fey
6: Edie Falco
7: Melissa McCarthy

Emmy Voter 2012: Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

ML- In all the acting categories at the Emmys, nominees submit one episode (or "tape") they feel showcases their best work that season. I've been watching all the submitted "tapes" and reviewing them critically to help determine which actor/actress is most deserving come Emmy night.

Next up today is Comedy Supporting Actress

Mayim Bialik as Amy Fowler in The Big Bang Theory
Submission: "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver"
A.K.A. The One Where... Sheldon isn't excited about Amy's publication in a scientific journal, so she gets angry, forcing Sheldon to take Penny's advice and buy her some jewelry: a tiara, which Amy flips out over.
Notes: Bialik only appears in two scenes, one at the beginning and one at the end, and the one at the beginning isn't funny. Her excitement when she sees the tiara is funny, but hardly enough to pass as a well-rounded acting performance.
Verdict: Apparently Bialik has many better episodes and is a fan favorite, as well as a veteran actress. I would hate to see her win this year, but Big Bang has defied my predictions before.
Grade: 4.5/10

Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy in Modern Family
Submission: "Go Bullfrogs!"
A.K.A. The One Where... Claire has a free night and, rather than watch Gone With the Wind with the other moms, goes out on the town with Mitch and Cam's friend, who isn't gay like she assumes, making for an awkward, inappropriate night.
Notes: Bowen lets loose in this one, for once not being the uptight one, and its a relief. Her scenes with Gilles Marini are farcical and fun and the payoff with the other moms at the end is a fine comedic moment.
Verdict: Bowen won last year and should take this again. While I'd rather see someone else win, I can't deny she was the best.
Grade: 8/10

Kathryn Joosten as Karen McKluskey in Desperate Housewives
Submission: "Finishing the Hat"
A.K.A. The One Where... Karen asks Bree to find her a specific record (and record player) before she dies. Later, Karen succumbs to her cancer while listening to the record.
Notes: Joosten passed away just a few months after this aired of the same cancer as her character. Joosten, who was beloved in Hollywood, may receive the Emmy posthumously. Unfortunately, like Bialik, she has only a couple scenes in the episode before her death, and they're more sad than funny.
Verdict: Joosten is given little material of merit, but outside forces could give her another Emmy for the role, which she won Guest Actress for twice in the past.
Grade: 3.5/10

Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in Modern Family
Submission: "Tableau Vivant"
A.K.A. The One Where... Gloria is jealous of Jay's friendship with a waitress at the restaurant where he has a sandwich named after him. She also refuses to eat the sandwich, upsetting him.
Notes: Gloria is likable and funny here, a solid tape for Vergara who, like Ed O'Neill, had little to do this season. Her jokes land better than usual and her jealousy makes her more relatable.
Verdict: Good episode, but probably not going to sway enough voters to give her the win.
Grade: 7/10

Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow in Nurse Jackie
Submission: "One-Armed Jacks"
A.K.A. The One Where... Zoey looks for a roommate but has her posters torn down by Cruz. Later, Jackie lets her stay with her while Kevin has the kids, and Zoey does a happy pancakes dance.
Notes: Wever in Nurse Jackie seasons 1 and 2 was one of my favorite comedic actresses ever. Season 4 marked a return to form for the show, but I feel this nomination comes too late for Wever. Her pancake dance is incredibly charming, but it probably won't be enough to send her dancing up to the podium Sunday.
Verdict: Wever deserved this nomination a few years ago, and good for her for getting it now. Will she win for her body of work rather than this episode? That's the only way I see it happening.
Grade: 6.5/10

Kristen Wiig as Various Characters in Saturday Night Live
Submission: "Mick Jagger"
A.K.A. The One Where... Kristin has her emotional farewell to SNL, and acts in sketches like Secret Word, the Lawrence Welk Show and The Californians.
Notes: Wiig is a love-her-or-hate-her force on the show, but personally, I love her. Even Secret Word and Californians make me laugh. Plus, the farewell at the end where every cast member and Lorne Michaels all dance their goodbyes and sing with Arcade Fire was really moving.
Verdict: McCarthy won last year thanks to her Bridesmaids affiliation. Will Wiig ride that success wave to her last chance at an Emmy? It's highly possible.
Grade: 7.5/10

How My Ballot Would Look:

Winner: Julie Bowen
Runner-Up: Kristen Wiig
3. Sofia Vergara
4. Merritt Wever
5. Mayim Bialik
6. Kathryn Joosten

Emmy Voter 2012: Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

ML- In all the acting categories at the Emmys, nominees submit one episode (or "tape") they feel showcases their best work that season. I've been watching all the submitted "tapes" and reviewing them critically to help which actor/actress is most deserving come Emmy night.

First off today we have Comedy Supporting Actor

Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy in Modern Family
Submission: "Lifetime Supply"
A.K.A. The One Where... Phil goes to the doctor and thinks he is going to die, especially after his lifetime supply of razors he won on a game show runs out.
Notes:
Verdict:
Grade: 8.5/10

Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett in Modern Family
Submission: "Leap Day"
A.K.A. The One Where... Mitchell tries to plan the perfect Wizard of Oz themed birthday party for Cameron, which he must cancel because of a tornado hitting Cam's hometown. He tries to throw together a last-minute boat party, which also falls through, and Cam thinks he waited until the last minute to start planning.
Notes:
Verdict:
Grade: 7.5/10

Max Greenfield as Schmidt in New Girl
Submission: "Control"
A.K.A. The One Where... Schmidt stops being Schmidt-like and gives up all the things he loves, like cleanliness, cooking and organization. The rest of the apartment must deal with the fallout and get old Schmidt back.
Notes:
Verdict:
Grade: 8/10

Bill Hader as Various Characters in Saturday Night Live
Submission: "Katy Perry"
A.K.A. The One Where... Hader portrays such characters as Stefon and Clint Eastwood.
Notes:
Verdict:
Grade: 6.5/10

Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett in Modern Family
Submission: "Baby On Board"
A.K.A. The One Where... Jay has to take Lily to her dance recital, but when Lily is too scared to dance, Jay must get on stage and help her.
Notes:
Verdict:
Grade: 5.5/10

Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker in Modern Family
Submission: "Treehouse"
A.K.A. The One Where... Cam pretends to be straight to prove Mitchell he can land attractive women, but things go too far when the woman wants to come over to the house. It turns out she knew Cam was gay and just wanted to be friends, but pretends to be in love with him for Cameron's sake.
Notes: 
Verdict:
Grade: 7/10

How My Ballot Would Look:

Winner: Ty Burrell
Runner-Up: Max Greenfield
3. Jesse Tyler Ferguson
4. Eric Stonestreet
5. Bill Hader
6. Ed O'Neill

Emmy Voter 2012: Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

ML- In all the acting categories at the Emmys, nominees submit one episode (or "tape") they feel showcases their best work that season. I've been watching all the submitted "tapes" and reviewing them critically to help determine which actor/actress is most deserving come Emmy night.

Today, I'll focus on Drama Supporting Actress.

Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife
Submission Tape: "Alienation of Affection"
A.K.A. The One Where... Diane is courted by a process server who brings bad news: a husband and wife that Lockhart/Gardner helped divorce are suing, saying the company forced them into splitting up.
Notes: Baranski didn't have as much chemistry with this guy as she had with Gary Cole's character, who has frequented her past tapes. Obviously, she likes to submit episodes with a mix of professional and romantic, which is a good choice, because Diane can often be bland. This was a good showing that gave her a decent amount of screentime, but not enough oomph to leave a lasting impression.
Verdict: Baranski is a great talent who gives consistently good performances, but this wasn't a winning tape.
Grade: 6.5/10

Joanne Frogatt as Anna Smith (Bates) in Downton Abbey
Submission Tape: "Episode 7 (Christmas)"
A.K.A. The One Where... Bates is convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, which shakes Anna to the core. She pleads to the Crawleys to help fight it, and Bates is awarded life in prison foe the time being.
Notes: Frogatt is strong and likable as a woman who stands by her man, but like Baranski, there is so much else going on in the episode that her presence gets overshadowed by other plots and actors.
Verdict: It was an honor for her to be nominated, and I see a great possibility of her building her character more and getting in again next year. For now, Anna will have to settle for the victory of getting Bates' life saved.
Grade: 6.5/10

Anna Gunn as Skyler White in Breaking Bad
Submission Tape: "Cornered"
A.K.A. The One Where...  Skyler worries to Walt about the frantic phone calls and thought he was in danger, to which Walt famously replies "I AM THE DANGER!" Now more aware of the scope of his power, she drives to the four corners to seek out a new life, but can't bring herself to move away. She returns, and vows she has to save the family from the man trying to save the family.
Notes: Love her or hate her, Skyler is brilliantly acted by Anna Gunn, who captures all the emotions needed for a woman in Skyler's position. She is limited to few scenes, but the ones she is in feel important and resonate with the audience.
Verdict: Gunn may benefit from Season 5 airing during the voting period. I don't think she has enough support to take the top prize, but she's going to give them one hell of a fight.
Grade: 7.5/10.

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris in Mad Men
Submission Tape: "The Other Woman"
A.K.A. The One Where... Joan sleeps with the Jaguar executive to land the account for the company in exchange for being promoted to partner.
Notes: This one had everyone talking, and really showcased Hendricks. The look she gives Don when he comes to the house to talk her out of it (after she's already done it) and her look at the end to Peggy conveyed more emotion and emphasis than some of the other nominees in their entire tapes. She took us on the journey of Joan's decision and made what could have been an eye-roll worthy piece of contrived melodrama into a game-changing moment.
Verdict: Mad Men has never had an actor win an Emmy, and this year their best bet is this Mad woman.
Grade: 8.5/10

Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife
Submission Tape: "The Dream Team"
A.K.A. The One Where... Alicia finds a check that should have been in Kalinda's personal belongings, and when she calls the number a mysterious man answers. When Kalinda finds out she freaks, buys a hammer and tears apart her wall to get a bunch of hidden money that she packs into a bag. Later, she reveals the man is her crazy husband she escaped Canada from, and waits with a loaded gun as he approaches the apartment after stealing the money, Yowza.
Notes: Panjabi, who won this award two years ago, had to battle against the regular cast plus the "Dream Team" of Michael J. Fox and Emmy-winner Martha Plimpton for screen time. Did she hold her own? Unfortunately, not as much as she needed to. Kalinda is never the most compelling character, but she is the most mysterious, so the hook outshines the acting.
Verdict: Panjabi will probably not repeat for this role, and she shouldn't. Basically a Lisbeth Salander copycat with less intensity, Kalinda the character doesn't get the meaty stories needed to break to the top of the pack, or even the middle.
Grade: 6/10 

Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey
Submission Tape: "Episode One"
A.K.A. The One Where... Violet snarks at everyone and fusses over the flowers.
Notes: This character is fun and funny, but is Maggie Smith really reaching to portray her? My grandma can be just as funny as the Dowager Countess. Yes, she is beloved, and will probably win another Emmy for the role (she won while Downton competed in miniseries last year) but as far as tapes go, this was not incredily strong, a shame for a character I do like so much.
Verdict: She's a safe bet to win, but I would hate to see it for this particular tape.
Grade: 7/10

How My Ballot Would Look:

Winner: Christina Hendricks
Runner-Up: Anna Gunn
3. Maggie Smith
4. Joanne Frogatt
5. Christine Baranski
6. Archie Panjabi