Emmy Nominations Announced

Want to know why I love Twitter? It gets me my news in the most convenient way for me. Had it not been for Twitter I likely would have had to wait until I watched the six 0'clock news to learn that the nominations for the Emmys were announced today. Instead the nominees were placed right in front of me (because I follow the right people I suppose). And guess what; I didn't even know they were being unveiled today!

My personal favorite television blogger, Caitlin Heaney of The Evening Sun (full disclosure: also a personal friend) has your entire list of the nominees, but I wanted to touch on a couple of my favorites and make some early predictions.

Drama Series: Mad Men

Mad Men is a show that everyone should be watching on AMC. Do yourself a favor and rent season one of the show on Netflix or at Blockbuster and get caught up (season two was just released this week as well). Jon Hamm plays the role Don Draper, a master of the advertising business who battles the ability to combine his business success with having a healthy family relationship. Mad Men won the Emmy for this category a year ago and should be a favorite to win it again.

AMC strikes gold though by having another high quality drama series that is up for the nomination.

Breaking Bad is a drama on AMC about a high school science teacher who has learned he only has so long to live and has a child on the way and a teenage son with a handicap. Desperate not to leave his family behind in a poor economic situation he teams up with a former student to make and sell crystal meth in secret. Sometimes episodes of Breaking Bad can drag on a little too much, but usually the next episode picks it up a bit. I was skeptical of this show in the beginning but Bryan Cranston (most famous for his role on Malcolm in the Middle) is incredible, evidenced by his Emmy for the leading role in Breaking Bad last year and his nomination for this year.

Comedy Series: 30 Rock

This is generally my favorite category when it comes to the Emmys because I tend to watch more shows from this genre than most others (Phillies baseball never seems to be nominated, oh wait) and I have been saying for a few years now that 30 Rock, if I had to choose, is my favorite show on television. My response before that would have been How I Met Your Mother (which is also nominated) but 30 Rock's cast and writing gels in ways few shows can.

How I Met Your Mother is actually receiving its first nomination for this category, which is surprising to me because I feel that the show definitely has tailed off recently. Neil Patrick Harris remains the best character on the show but his love storyline with the character of Robin has taken away some of the comedy from the role of Barney Stinson.

Perhaps as some time goes by I will touch on a couple other favorites for the award, but I'll hold off until closer to Emmy time.

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will air Sunday September 20, 2009 at 8pm on CBS live from the NOKIA Theater in Los Angeles.