TV Award Winners

Outstanding Drama Program: LOST
Outstanding Comedy Program: GILMORE GIRLS
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Jennifer Beals as Bette Porter, THE L WORD
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Ian McShane as Al Swearengen, DEADWOOD
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore, GILMORE GIRLS
Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series: Taye Diggs as Kevin Hill, KEVIN HILL
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Terry O' Quinn as John Locke, LOST
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Lauren Ambrose as Claire Fisher, SIX FEET UNDER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Kelly Bishop as Emily Glmore, GILMORE GIRLS
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Scott Patterson as Luke Danes, GILMORE GIRLS
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series: David Fury, LOST for "Walkabout
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series: Michael Cuesta, SIX FEET UNDER for "That's My Dog"
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: Amy Sherman-Palladino, GILMORE GIRLS for "A House is Not a Home"
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: Adam Bernstein, SCRUBS for "My Life in Four Cameras"
Outstanding Guest Actor, Drama: Ossie Davis as Melvyn Porter, THE L WORD
Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama: Lena Olin as Irina Derevko, ALIAS
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy: Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy: Heather Graham as Dr. Molly Clock, SCRUBS

#2 Deadwood

The 1st Season of DEADWOOD caught me off guard. I generally have very little use for westerns, with the rare exceptions such has UNFORGIVEN. However, with so much critical acclaim and word of mouth, I decided to give it a try and was able to catch up via Comcast ON Demand. It took a while for the show to get going, but soon I was caught up in it's brilliant dialogue, fresh characters, and compelling stories.

The 2nd season was just as strong as the first, and in some ways it was better. My favorite character, Al Swearengen, was put through the ringer this year. At the beginning of the season he suffered from a series of medical ailments, particularly a gallstone problem that threatened his life. This actually caused the show to start off slow, since Al was incapacitated for a few episodes, but it set up great things for him the rest of the season. Al had to deal with his ruthless competitor Cy Tolliver, who was bringing business interests into town that Al wanted nothing to do with. The battle between Al and Cy drove most of this season's storylines and it was a great battle to watch.

There were some new characters introduced this season, and my favorite was Garret Dillahunt's Francis Wolcott. Wolcott was a truly disturbing individual, with bizaare sexual fantasies and cutthroat ways of doing business. The arc of his character was the most fascinating this year. In fact, the one downside to DEADWOOD is that there are so many fascinating characters that it's impossible to give each of them enough to do in the course of only 12 episodes. Particularly underused was the brilliant Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane. Every time she was on screen, she stole the show fromt he other actors, but there were several episodes that she didn't even appear in. I hope they give her more to do next season.

However, this is a good complaint to have. Most shows don't have enough interesting characters, or have several annoying characters. Deadwood is a unique show in that it contains a longh list of fascinating characters, whether they show up for a few minutes every episode or if they are the center of the show. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue that trend next season.

Outstanding Drama/Comedy Program

Outstanding Drama Program

DEADWOOD (HBO)
JOAN OF ARCADIA (CBS)
THE L WORD (SHO)
LOST (ABC)
SIX FEET UNDER (HBO)
VERONICA MARS (UPN)

Outstanding Comedy Program

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (FOX)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
GILMORE GIRLS (WB)
KEVIN HILL (UPN)
SCRUBS (NBC)

#3 Six Feet Under

After suffering through it's weakest season yet (albeit still a strong season overall), SIX FEET UNDER rebounded with an incredible year of heartbreak and turmoil. The fascinating and extremely dark season premiere started the season off in great fashion. The show continued brilliantly from there, with strong story threads created for each of the main characters. Also, the 4th season of SIX FEET UNDER contained one of the most incredibly disturbing episodes of television I have ever seen.

The episode was called "That's My Dog" and it's central feature was an extremely long sequence in which David is mentally and physically brutalized by a crazed moron. The brilliance of the episode was partly due to it's structure. It started off as a normal SFU episode, with different story arcs for each of the Fishers. When David gets kidnapped, we keep expecting to have the tension relieved by cutting back to one of the other character. But it doesn't happen. Everything stays with David's horrible, nightmarish experience. This gives the audience some sense of what David must be going through. There is no turning back. Michael C. Hall and guest star Michael Weston (who I loved in Getting to Know You) both acted the hell out of this sequence.

I enjoyed the story arcs for the rest of the characters, too. Claire had an interesting storyline that at first sounded like it could be trite (lesbian infatuation), but I loved the way they handled it. Her ventures as a serious artist and the confusing entanglements of her love life were constantly fascinating to watch. Keith and David sometimes get on my nerves, but this was by far their best season, particularly because of the episode I mentioned above. Nate continued to bounce between wanting to live a normal life and going back to his carefree days. The cast was as strong as ever, and special credit must go to each of the actors playing the Fisher family (Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, and Lauren Ambrose). I hope the final season sends this great show out on a strong note.

Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Drama

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Beals as Bette Porter, THE L WORD
Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars, VERONICA MARS
Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher, SIX FEET UNDER
Mia Kirshner as Jenny Schecter, THE L WORD
Katee Sackhoff as Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, BATTLESTAR: GALACTICA
Amber Tamblyn as Joan Girardi, JOAN OF ARCADIA


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard, LOST
Michael C. Hall as David Fisher, SIX FEET UNDER
Peter Krause as Nathaniel Fisher, SIX FEET UNDER
Ian McShane as Al Swearengen, DEADWOOD
Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock, DEADWOOD
Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24

#4 Gilmore Girls

When GILMORE GIRLS premiered 5 years ago, I certainly had no idea that it would still be on today. The success of this little show is one of the great things that has happened on TV in a long time. It's refreshing that you can have a successful family show that does not condescend to it's audience (like, say 7TH HEAVEN). What's even more refreshing is that this show has remained remarkably consistent over it's 5 year run. Sure, there have been some weaker seasons and some stronger seasons, but there have been no absolute disaster seasons like the 3rd season of Alias. That being said, the 5th season of GILMORE GIRLS was the very best since the original season.

The best thing about this season was the Luke-Lorelai relationship. Usually when a show finally puts its central couple together, it begins a long decline in quality. Instead, this reinvigorated a show that was running out of storylines for these two characters. How many times can Luke and Lorelai's relationship be interrupted because one or both are suddenly involved with a new person. Over the years I have enjoyed some of these characters, particularly Scott Cohen as Max Medina and Chris Eigeman as Digger Stiles, but enough is enough. It was clear from the start of this show that Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson had terrific chemistry and it was time to finally utilize that. Graham has been the best comedic actress on television for the last 5 years, and even with the inclusion of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES this year, the incredible season she had cemented that status for her. This was also Patterson's best year. We were able to see his character in more vulnerable situations than ever before, and Patterson knew how to perfectly balance that while still retaining the old, grumpy Luke that we love.

Another interesting aspect to this season was the changes that Rory's character went through. The beginning of the season saw the usually "perfect" Rory involved in an affair with her married ex-boyfriend Dean. It was different territory with her character, but it finally allowed Alexis Bledel to showcase more of her range and it turned out to be one of her best seasons in a while. This was despite the fact that I hated her new love interest Logan, who was pretty much a ripoff of Chad Michael Murray's Tristan fromt he early seasons, except Tristan was far mroe interesting. While I disliked Logan's character, the overall effect the storyline had on Rory's character worked, and the controversial season finale promises to take her character in an even new direction. I'm not sure what I think of where theyre going, but I'm very interested in finding out.

Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Comedy

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore, GILMORE GIRLS
Marcia Cross as Bree Van De Kamp, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore, GILMORE GIRLS
Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series

Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Zach Braff as Dr. John "J.D." Dorian, SCRUBS
Steve Carell as Michael Scott, THE OFFICE
Taye Diggs as Kevin Hill, KEVIN HILL
Eric McCormack as Will Truman, WILL & GRACE

#5 Veronica Mars

One of the most surprising things about this last fall season was that two of the most mature new shows came from UPN. The network that once gave us THE SECRET DIARY OF DESMOND PFEIFFER now brought to us a mature show about a single father adopting and raising his cousin's child (KEVIN HILL), and this hip, smart show about a teen detective trying to solve her best friend's murder. What's even more impressive is that UPN stuck by this show, despite low ratings, and even renewed it for a full season.

VERONICA MARS had one of the most interesting and diverse casts on TV this season. Kristen Bell is an incredibly strong actress and she carries this show with her wonderful mix of quiet rage and powerful vulnerability. She is ably assisted by Enrico Colantoni, a character actor that I have enjoyed for a long time. This is the best role he has had to date, and there is a strong father-daughter chemistry created between Colantoni and Bell. There is an incredibly touching moment between then in the season finale. Other cast members include Percy Daggs (a weak actor but one that fits perfectly within the parameters of the show) as Veronica's best friend, the smarmy but surprisingly appealing Jason Dohring as her arch nemesis, and the charismatic Francis Capra as the local hoodlum who helps Veronica out.

VERONICA MARS had one of the most interesting season long story arcs on TV. Not only did it deal with Veronica trying to solve her friend Lily's murder, but she was also determined to find out who raped her at a party, and she was trying to salvage not only her own reputation but also her father's, who was ostracized as the town sherrif after he dared to investigate Lily's father. Each episode gave us a little more information to work on, and the eventual result of the mystery was surprising and credible. The only question is where do they go from here? I'm sure they will come up with somethign interesting for next season, but I'm extremely curious as to what exactly that will be.

Awards: Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah, LOST
Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars, VERONICA MARS
Garret Dillahunt as Francis Wolcott, DEADWOOD
Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran, DEADWOOD
Victor Garber as Jack Bristow, ALIAS
Terry O' Quinn as John Locke, LOST

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lauren Ambrose as Claire Fisher, SIX FEET UNDER
Leisha Hailey as Alice Pieszecki, THE L WORD
Laurel Holloman as Tina Kennard, THE L WORD
Paula Malcomson as Trixie, DEADWOOD
Becky Wahlstrom as Grace Polk, JOAN OF ARCADIA
Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane, DEADWOOD

#6 Joan of Arcadia

My #1 show from last season took a little bit of a dive this year, but it was still one of the best shows on television. No other show mixed teen drama and thoughtful religious themes, without ever sounding preachy. Despite a season long arc that enver really developed, the writing of Barbara Hall and performances from the cast kept the show going strong.

Amber Tamblyn leads the ensemble, and she is one of the best young actresses in Hollywood. Even when an episode was weak, she made things consistently watchable with her sensitive and powerful performances. She was ably assisted by a great ensemble cast. Becky Wahlstrom and Michael Welch were especially good this season, and Constance Zimmer and Sprague Graydens were terrific additions as recurring characters.

What went wrong? Well the first half of the season suffered because of the incredibly annoying performance of Annie Potts as Will's scheming new boss. Then when they finally dump her, the show decides to bring in Hilary Duff for one episode, and follow it up with her sister Haylie Duff in the next three episodes. Hilary and Haylie aren't the worst actresses I've ever seen, but when sharing the screen with Amber Tamblyn they sure seemed to be. They probably would've been fine on something like One Tree Hill. The show was able to rebound after this, closing with a strong series of episodes featuring Wentworth Miller (seemingly as the Devil or someone working for him). These episodes proved that Joan of Arcadia was still a quality show, but CBS decided to replace it with a show where Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to ghosts. Fuckers.

Awards: Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Kelly Bishop as Emily Glmore, GILMORE GIRLS
Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, THE OFFICE
Kate Levering as Veronica Carter, KEVIN HILL
Christina Hendricks as Nicolette Raye, KEVIN HILL
Judy Reyes as Nurse Carla Espinosa, SCRUBS

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Will Arnett as George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Patrick Breen as George Weiss, KEVIN HILL
Edward Herrmann as Richard Gilmore, GILMORE GIRLS
John C. McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox, SCRUBS
Scott Patterson as Luke Danes, GILMORE GIRLS

#7 The L Word

One of the most provocative and interesting shows last season, The L word continued in fine fashion with a strong sophomore season. Last season's incredible season finale (one of the best I've seen for a show) really powered most of this season, and created my two favorite story threads. The first involved the deconstruction of Bette's character after her breakup with Tina. This story was a showcase for the talent of Jennifer Beals. She turned in an incredible performance this season, making her character far more interesting, complex, and likeable than in the first season. The other interesting storyline involved the developing romance between Alice and Dana, two of my favorite characters from last season. After they finally got together midway through the season, the stories written for them were a refreshing mix of silliness and subtle melodrama. They are one of the most interesting couples on TV right now.

The season was not perfect, though. Although they wisely got rid of Karina Lombard's character from the 1st season, they added Rachel Shelley in a role that functioned essentially the same as Lombard's, except far less likeable (although arguable better acted). Shelley never fit in and I'm not even sure there was an attempt to do that. The other problem was the addition of Eric Lively as the token straight male. Lively's character was a terrible mess at first, and the fact that the network basically forced the show to bring him on did not make it any better. However, much credit must go to creator Ilene Chaiken, for turning this character around. By the end of the season, he was at least a likeable addition and nowhere near the annoyance that Shelley's character provided.

What I really appreciate about the L Word is it's originality. There are things constantly happening on this show that you won't see anywhere else. That often leads to cancellation for most shows. However, Showtime has already renewed this for a 3rd season. It's really great to be able to watch such an original show without worrying that each episode might be the last. I look forward to seeing if The L Word continues it's mix of strong acting and original storylines next season.

Awards: Drama Series - Writing/Directing

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof, LOST for "Pilot"
Scott Buck, SIX FEET UNDER for "That's My Dog"
David Fury, LOST for "Walkabout
Ellie Herman, JOAN OF ARCADIA for "The Book of Questions"
Ted Mann, DEADWOOD for "Boy the Earth Talks To"
Rob Thomas, VERONICA MARS for "Pilot"

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

JJ Abrams, LOST for "Pilot"
Jack Bender, LOST for "Walkabout"
Michael Cuesta, SIX FEET UNDER for "That's My Dog"
Michael Fields, VERONICA MARS for "Leave it to Beaver"
Steve Shill, DEADWOOD for "Something Very Expensive"
Lawrence Trilling, ALIAS for "Before the Flood"

#8 Scrubs

When I first heard about and saw ads for this show five years ago, I was not interested at all. The ads made it look like a stupid comedy that ripped off the fantasy technique from Ally McBeal. The only reason I watched was because of Zach Braff, who I had previously seen in a couple of independent films. What really surprised me about Scrubs was how it balanced it's wacky humor with slight touches of drama. As crazy as the sight gags are, I always care about what's gonna happen to each of the people on this show. The 5th season of this show was as strong as ever, thanks to interesting storylines and a terrific recurring performance by Heather Graham. Graham fit into the cast so well this season that I hoped she could be added as a regular. Her timing with the rest of the cast, particularly Braff and Sarah Chalke was impeccable. I actually look forward to her upcoming sitcom, whereas before I probably would not have bothered. The main cast also had a fine season. This was probably the best year for Donald Faison and Judy Reyes, as their characters went through marital difficulties and both actors handled the touchy subject very well.

The 5th season also showcased the finest episode of Scrubs to date. The episode was called "My Life in Four Cameras", and mixed the single camera and four camera TV formats in a story about J.D.'s sitcom hero who is dying of cancer. The first half was done in Scrubs usual single camera style but switched to four camera (and a laugh track) for the 2nd half. This episode came along at a perfect time. With the four camera style dying a slow death, this episode poked fun at the format while also showing how much fun it can be. Even a cameo by Clay Aiken was perfectly fit into the episode. This great episode in a very strong season just shows how original and inventive Scrubs can be. It's one of the most enjoyable shows on television, and I hope it keeps going for a while.

Awards: Comedy Series - Writing/Directing

Outstanding Writing in Comedy Series

Marc Cherry, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for "Pilot"
Debra Fordham, SCRUBS for "My Life in Four Cameras"
Lisa Randolph, GILMORE GIRLS for "So... Good Talk"
Amy-Sherman Palladino, GILMORE GIRLS for "Wedding Bell Blues"
Amy Sherman-Palladino, GILMORE GIRLS for "A House is Not a Home"

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Jamie Babbitt, GILMORE GIRLS for "So... Good Talk"
Adam Bernstein, SCRUBS for "My Life in Four Cameras
Charles McDougall, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for "Pilot"
Joe Russo, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT for "The Immaculate Election"
Amy Sherman-Palladino, GILMORE GIRLS for "A House is Not a Home"

#9 Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives was one of the biggest, and most surprising hits of the fall season. I have to say it's really pleasing that this refreshingly original show has been so successful. The only unfortunate thing is that it did not completely live up to the promise of it's terrific pilot. Somne episodes in the middle half of the season really dragged, as they seemed to slow down the plot development a bit. Still, it was one of the funniest shows of the year and contained a mystery plot that kept me constantly interested in what was going on.

The best thing Deperate Housewives has going for it is the cast. Chief among the four regulars is Teri Hatcher, an actress on the brink of career obscurity until this show saved her. Her character was put through the most humiliating moments, but Hatcher's sympathetic portrayal never made her pathetic. As the uptight Bree, Marcia Cross brings the same energy and spunk that she did on Melrose Place. While Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria's characters had the weaker storylines, they still created very interesting characters and their performances made up for the flaws in their stories.

I'm really looking forward to what's gonna happen next season. While the season long mystery was wrapped up (in an admirably dramatic and logical fashion), there are still plenty of story threads left hanging. I'm particularly interested in the appearance of Alfre Woodard. She's only had a minor part in the last two episodes, but both scenes hinted at something very suspicous going on. I can't wait to see how much fun they have with the always terrific Woodard.