3. No love for Ron Swanson.
Parks and Recreation just finished its seventh and final season on NBC. While the series has earned its second nomination in its history, and lead actress Amy Poehler has been nominated each year since 2010, Nick Offerman’s character, the wonderful Ron Swanson, has gone ignored by voters. Besides portraying one of my three favorite television characters of the last ten years (along with Dr. Gregory House and Detective John Luther), Offerman has provided a truly unique voice on a truly unique show. He deserves recognition, but in true Ron Swanson fashion, he would turn it down if you gave it to him anyway. You will be missed, Ron.
2. Still ignoring some comedic gems.
While it is good to see some new blood in the comedy categories (such as Will Forte in the great new show Last Man on Earth), we still see a number of perennial choices that have lost their edge. Modern Family hasn’t been truly funny in quite a while now, and Louie is one of the most overrated comedies on television. Recognition for Key & Peele and Portlandia are well-deserved, as is the nod to SNL’s Kate McKinnon (the only funny person on the show). In the sketch comedy arena, however, it’s a shame the hilariously creative Nick Kroll went unnoticed this year for Comedy Central’s Kroll Show. A strong argument could be made that no one currently has more talent for both writing and acting. Also flying under the radar this year was the off-beat Man Seeking Woman, which tackled dating life more creatively than any other show. Finally, after a few down years, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was back in a big way this season, and after a lengthy run on FX, it deserves official recognition—although, they mocked award-winning comedies in one of their best episodes of last year. Give some credit to Paddy’s Pub!
1. TV pretends it’s not elitist.
Of the 14 shows nominated for best drama and best comedy, only three are on traditional network channels (Modern Family on ABC, Downton Abbey on PBS, and Parks and Recreation on NBC). Every other show is on cable or on a premium network. For an industry with spokespersons that constantly claim to stand up for average Americans, it’s interesting to see how shows that garner the most acclaim are actually shows hardly anyone watches. This seems to be mirroring a trend in film, where several recent Oscar-winning pictures (The Hurt Locker, The Artist, 12 Years a Slave, and Birdman, to name a few) went largely unseen in theaters by average filmgoers. Many of us don’t subscribe to HBO or Showtime, and yes, there are still many Americans that don’t have basic cable. So who is watching all these shows? While I am all for free-market solutions to television production, and it’s great to see what new and creative projects have emerged on those fertile channels in the last ten years especially, one has to wonder about the disconnect between television celebrities and common viewers. It will be fascinating to see if network television will ever be able to keep up with the dynamic proliferation of cable and premium programs. In the meantime, let’s stop pretending that Hollywood really cares about regular viewers. This year, it will continue to honor shows only the privileged are able to see.
Parks and Recreation just finished its seventh and final season on NBC. While the series has earned its second nomination in its history, and lead actress Amy Poehler has been nominated each year since 2010, Nick Offerman’s character, the wonderful Ron Swanson, has gone ignored by voters. Besides portraying one of my three favorite television characters of the last ten years (along with Dr. Gregory House and Detective John Luther), Offerman has provided a truly unique voice on a truly unique show. He deserves recognition, but in true Ron Swanson fashion, he would turn it down if you gave it to him anyway. You will be missed, Ron.
2. Still ignoring some comedic gems.
While it is good to see some new blood in the comedy categories (such as Will Forte in the great new show Last Man on Earth), we still see a number of perennial choices that have lost their edge. Modern Family hasn’t been truly funny in quite a while now, and Louie is one of the most overrated comedies on television. Recognition for Key & Peele and Portlandia are well-deserved, as is the nod to SNL’s Kate McKinnon (the only funny person on the show). In the sketch comedy arena, however, it’s a shame the hilariously creative Nick Kroll went unnoticed this year for Comedy Central’s Kroll Show. A strong argument could be made that no one currently has more talent for both writing and acting. Also flying under the radar this year was the off-beat Man Seeking Woman, which tackled dating life more creatively than any other show. Finally, after a few down years, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was back in a big way this season, and after a lengthy run on FX, it deserves official recognition—although, they mocked award-winning comedies in one of their best episodes of last year. Give some credit to Paddy’s Pub!
1. TV pretends it’s not elitist.
Of the 14 shows nominated for best drama and best comedy, only three are on traditional network channels (Modern Family on ABC, Downton Abbey on PBS, and Parks and Recreation on NBC). Every other show is on cable or on a premium network. For an industry with spokespersons that constantly claim to stand up for average Americans, it’s interesting to see how shows that garner the most acclaim are actually shows hardly anyone watches. This seems to be mirroring a trend in film, where several recent Oscar-winning pictures (The Hurt Locker, The Artist, 12 Years a Slave, and Birdman, to name a few) went largely unseen in theaters by average filmgoers. Many of us don’t subscribe to HBO or Showtime, and yes, there are still many Americans that don’t have basic cable. So who is watching all these shows? While I am all for free-market solutions to television production, and it’s great to see what new and creative projects have emerged on those fertile channels in the last ten years especially, one has to wonder about the disconnect between television celebrities and common viewers. It will be fascinating to see if network television will ever be able to keep up with the dynamic proliferation of cable and premium programs. In the meantime, let’s stop pretending that Hollywood really cares about regular viewers. This year, it will continue to honor shows only the privileged are able to see.