Best Web Series (Drama)

Aidan 5

Created by Tim Baldwin and John Jackson, Aidan 5 , set in 2064, is about a detective investigating the serial murders of his clones. Bryan Michael Block plays James Aidan, the detective. The sixteen-episode first season is now available on DVD.

http://www.aidan5.com/

Casual

Written and directed by Jay Diaz, Casual: The Series is the story about a casual relationship between a guy and girl. Starring Lauren Marini and Brian Thomas Smith, Casual is now on its third season.

http://www.casualseries.com/

DeVanity

Directed by Kelley Portier and written by Michael Caruso, DeVanity follows the crumbling lives of the DeVanity family as they try to save their dying jewelry empire in LA. Starring Michael Caruso, Chris Parke, Katie Caprio, Alexis Zibolis, Mike Dirksen and Erin Buckley, Season 2 of DeVanity is now online.

http://www.devanity.com/

Out With Dad

Written, directed, photographed and edited by Jason Leaver, Out With Dad explores the relationship between a single father, Nathan, who wants to understand his daughter, and his daughter, Rosie, who’s growing up and struggling to come out to her dad. Watch the first two seasons online.

http://www.outwithdad.com/

Ragged Isle

Created by Barry and Karen Dodd, Ragged Isle is the story of Vicki Burke as she starts a new life as a newspaper photographer on a small island off the coast of Maine. But, right after she arrives, a slew of murders happen, leaving the town in fear and confusion. Season 1 is now available online and the second and third seasons will premiere in spring and fall 2012.

http://www.raggedisle.com/

Thurston

Written by Kathryn O’Sullivan and directed by Paul Awad, Western drama Thurston is about a woman on the run and a rundown mining town struggling to survive in Kansas. Part 1 of the first season is now online. Part 2 premieres this 2012!

http://www.thurston-series.com/

Find out which web series will win Best Drama Web Series on the Indie Soap Awards! Come back next week for the Comedy Web Series nominations.

http://welovesoaps.com/isa/

Of the five shows nominated for Best Comedy or Musical, one was from HBO (Enlightened), one was from Showtime (Episodes), two were on Fox (Glee and New Girl), and one – the winner – was on ABC (Modern Family). Of the five nominees, two were on premium networks, which is two more than NBC and CBS combined.

In the category for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, three of the five were on premium channels, including the winner, Matt LeBlanc for Showtime’s Episodes. In the Actress category, Laura Dern of HBO’s Enlightened beat out the competition from three network shows and one other premium network.

Adding all that up, two of the three winners and 7 of 15 nominees in the big three comedy categories were on channels that most of America don’t get to see. So what is it about these shows that is capturing the attention of the awards-givers? Is it the freedom to do and say things that wouldn’t fly on basic cable? Is it the money being poured into these programs by the cash-heavy premium channels? Or are they just making better shows right now?

At least NBC snuck in a few nominees in the best Actor and Actress categories. Only Johnny Galecki’s wonderful nerdiness on The Big Bang Theory allowed CBS to even get on the board. The Golden Globes don’t actually get to determine what people watch. The viewers will have their say in the end. But last night’s award show was just one more reminder to the once dominant NBC and CBS that the times, they are a’changing.

Best Television Series – Drama

Nominees:

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
American Horror Story (FX)

American Horror Story is the latest brainchild of creative team, Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk (Glee, Nip/Tuck). A family moves to Los Angeles from Boston to forget their troubles. What they don’t know is that the house they’re moving into is haunted. American Horror Story stars Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton as married couple, Ben and Vivien Harmon. Taissa Farmiga plays their daughter, Violet, and Jessica Lange plays Constance, their neighbor.

Boss (Starz)

Kelsey Grammer stars in Boss as Chicago Mayor Tom Kane, the boss in the center of a world full of deceit and power with the people. As long as he gets them what they want, no matter who he steps on or deceives, they will look the other way. But now, a degenerative brain disorder is preventing him from doing his job efficiently. And now he can’t trust anyone, even himself. Boss also stars Connie Nielsen as his wife, Meredith, Kathleen Robertson as Kitty, his advisor, and Hannah Ware as Emma, his estranged daughter.

Homeland (Showtime)

Homeland stars Claire Danes as maverick CIA agent Carrie Mathison, who has vowed to prevent any further terrorism from happening because she failed to recognize the signs and stop the 9/11 attacks. When MIA Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody is found in Afghanistan, after disappearing for eight years and having been reported dead, Mathison is convinced Brody has been turned by Al Qaeda and will launch another attack at America. Homeland also stars Damian Lewis as Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody and Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson, CIA Middle East Division Chief and Mathison’s mentor in the CIA.

Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical

Nominees

Episodes (Showtime)
Glee (FOX)
Modern Family (ABC)
New Girl (FOX)
Enlightened (HBO)

From Mike White, the writer of School of Rock and Freaks and Geeks, comes a new comedy about learning who you are, who you want to be and what people can stand about you. Laura Dern stars as Amy, a health and beauty executive who has returned  after three months’ meditation in Hawaii, following a public meltdown. And she’s now ready to reshape the world she left behind. Enlightened also stars Diane Ladd as Amy’s mother, Helen, the recipient of all her unwanted advice, and Luke Wilson, as her ex-husband, Levi.

What do you think of the nominees? Who do you think will win? Catch the awards live on Sunday, January 15, 2012, at 8pm EST/5pm PST on NBC.

The level of honesty, character development, and sheer raw humanity in the show has not been achieved by many other shows. Many critics have even given this fact as the reason why the show did not reach immediate popularity. The issues the show presented were so raw, so real, and so emotion evoking that many viewers simply did not want to be confronted with such powerful feelings while watching television. The viewer really felt like part of the small Texas town the series was based around. The lows felt by viewers were not usually evoked by fictional storylines, but neither were the highs.

Outrage struck viewers when a murder plot was introduced, and many viewed it as an ugly, unrealistic tarnish on the show’s otherwise exemplary storyline. In the second season, a high school character killed a man who attempted to rape his crush, and then he and the girl attempted to hide the body and craft a coverup. However, the outrage sparked by the murder plot is simply a testament to how brilliant the show was the rest of the time. Otherwise, it would not have caused such a personal reaction with the viewers.

The fictional community of Dillon, Texas is completely focused on the high school football team that captivates every citizen of the town. The head coach, Eric Taylor, is the central character. His struggles surround whether to put his focus on his family, his status in the hectic community, or his personal goals as coach. His wife, Tami, is the principle at the high school, and his daughter Julie attends the high school. Outside of this family, the story focuses on the lives of the high school football players. Imagine your typical high school students, but with amplified personal issues, and sometimes chilling home issues. Friday Night Lights does a great job of equally balancing the story between the coach, the many players, and other random characters of the town.

Friday Night Lights was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards show earlier this year, along with a Peabody Award, a Humanitas Prize, and a Television Critics Association Award. Although, while airing, the show’s ratings were not spectacular, it has attracted somewhat of a cult following since its cancellation, with several campaigns started to try to keep the show on air. NBC began offering the entire series on DVD as of earlier this year, and if someone you know loved the show or loves football, it will make the perfect holiday gift.

Her Majesty, Nancy Grace. Viewers voted on the worst news anchor of the year, and Nancy Grace came in first. Nancy Grace is the living, breathing example of everything that is wrong with the 24-hour news networks. Although she is a self-proclaimed advocate for the victims, she repeats the same negative story every night, and is downright rude when interviewing anyone involved in the stories. She is the opposite of genuine and honest, and is simply unbearable to watch.

Bill O’Reilly. Bill O’Reilly is a self-proclaimed “traditionalist”, which for my purposes translates as ignorant and hateful. Yes, O’Reilly did stick up for America after the September 11 attacks, but in a brash and frankly uninformed manner. For a television news host to cause controversy is not unheard of, but to cause controversy through their own stupidity is simply unacceptable to viewers like me, who want the news without all of the fluff and blatant egocentrism. If you want the actual, unbiased news, change the channel to someone like Anderson Cooper.

Keith Olbermann. Although he appears to be a saint next to Nancy Grace, Olbermann has his faults as well. He has a very strict adherence to his beliefs, which is perfectly acceptable for a host, but he takes his beliefs to the point of extremism. If you cannot be “fair and balanced”, why are you in charge of telling innocent Americans how to think?

I am curious to know the readers’ opinions as to the worst news show host of the year. All comments welcome!

Held on the last day of the festival, the New York Television Festival announced the award winners.

FOX-NYTVF Comedy Script Contest

Winner: Adulthood for Beginners (Robby O’Connor, New York City)

Adulthood for Beginners is about the lives of five young people in Manhattan and the great divide between classes in the city. Since part of the prize for this contest is a development deal with the network, Robby O’Connor cannot divulge too much information about the script.

Bing Audience Award

Winner: I Hate Being Single (Rob Michael Hugel, Brooklyn, NY)

Created by UCB regular and comedian, Rob Michael Hugel, I Hate Being Single is about a twenty-something trying to bounce back from his most recent break-up to the world of new friends, new relationships and dating in Brooklyn.

Best Comedy

Winner: Duder (Matt Kirsch, Brooklyn, NY)

According to their website, Duder is a web comedy show about “duders who, you know, just sort of duder around a bit”. Duder is written and produced by Matt Kirsch, who also plays Glen, one of the duders.

Best Drama

Winner: Finding Hope (Dianne Namm, Malibu, CA)

Finding Hope follows the story of Esmee, a teenage girl who runs away from the cult she’s known all her life. In her escape, the government also pursues her to use her as a witness against the cult. To survive and stay alive, she continues to run.

Check out more of the winners at the New York Television Festival official website.

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. The crime solver is insulting and only creates paranoia for the viewers. It was called the “worst show of the year” by the New York Post.

No Ordinary Family. This was a show that runs on ABC that was a combination science fiction comedy-drama about a family who gains super powers. The story lines are immature and could not be saved. It was cancelled halfway through the year.

Outlaw. This show appears at the top of nearly every single “worst show” list. The premise of the show is a judge played by Jeremy Smits, who steps down to open his own law firm. There was no saving this show, and it was cancelled near the beginning of the year.

Off the Map. Called a cross between Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, this show was about a group of new doctors trying to give medical care in the tropics. In typical form, they are self-absorbed and constantly insult the area they are trying to help.

Blue Bloods. This show has been renewed for a second season, which leaves many viewers and critics stumped. It is the typical story of an “off-the books, break the rules” cop. Although the story line could have been made more interesting, although not much more, by good acting, Tom Selleck adds a dose of sleeping pill to the show with his often boring performance.

Law & Order: Los Angeles. Basically has to be redone to mimic the original Law & Order. Many critics, including myself, think this leads to one conclusion: cancel it. Why make two of the same shows?

Some other titles that make the “worst reviewed list” include $#*! My Dad Says, The Paul Reiser Show, The Hasselhoffs, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, Bridalplasty, Gigolos, and The Real Housewives of Miami, which has been one of Bravo’s biggest flops of the decade. I recommend you either avoid these dramas, or thank the networks for cancelling them.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire

Kelly McDonald plays Margaret Schroeder, an Irish immigrant. She is a member of the Women’s Temperance League and has learned to become a survivor, especially in the company of the powerful men of Boardwalk Empire.

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Christina Hendricks plays Joan Harris, the office manager at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. She is married to Dr. Greg Harris, a surgical resident. She gets the job when her husband doesn’t get the Chief Resident promotion they’ve been waiting for.

Michelle Forbes, The Killing

Michelle Forbes plays Mitch Larsen, Stan’s wife and mother to their three children, Rosie, Denny and Tom. She raised Rosie to be more modest and accomplished than girls her own age and some believe this drove Rosie to lead a secret life that led to her murder.

Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

Archie Panjabi plays Kalinda Sharma, the firm’s in-house private investigator. She once had an affair with Peter Florrick, Alicia’s (Julianna Margulies) husband, before he knew Alicia. She’s got a cynical outlook on life and on humans and will do anything to win their cases.

Margo Martindale, Justified

Margo Martindale plays Mags Bennett, the matriarch of the Bennetts, a family of pot growers. She operates a successful marijuana business with her sons as well as a general store. She was once liked and respected by their community but is now reviled by the same people when she sold the land she was sworn to protect.

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

Christine Baranski plays Diane Lockhart, a senior partner at Alicia’s firm, very liberal and opinionated. She is a strong supporter of other female lawyers and opposed to guns and violence, while dating an ultra-conservative ballistics expert.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

John Slattery, Mad Men

John Slattery plays Roger Sterling, a partner at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. He is a World War II veteran and ruins the agency’s chances of landing a Japanese client, Honda Motorcycles, when he insults its executives with his feelings about the war.

Andrew Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age

Andrew Braugher plays Owen, who, to provide for his family, works for one of the most difficult and demanding bosses imaginable, his father. After a lack of self-confidence issue, he bounces back and is being trained by his father to take over their auto dealership.

Walton Goggins, Justified

Walton Goggins plays Boy Crowder, a former robber/white supremacist, who finds religion after a stint in jail. He is now a born-again messiah at war with his father’s drug involvement.

Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones

Peter Dinklage plays Tyrion Lannister, the youngest of son of Lord Tywin Lannister. He doesn’t let his father’s shame of him and his height get to him. Instead, what he lacks in height, he makes up for with wit and wisdom.

Josh Charles, The Good Wife

Josh Charles plays Will Gardner, a partner at Alicia’s law firm and Alicia’s old boyfriend from Georgetown. Both still share an ongoing attraction for each other.

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

Alan Cumming plays Eli Gold, Alicia’s husband’s blunt, rude and headstrong campaign manager.

Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Set in Atlantic City, NJ, Boardwalk Empire follows the life of historical criminal kingpin Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, played by Steve Buscemi.

The Good Wife (CBS)

Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies, enters the workforce as a defense attorney after her husband gets caught in a political sex scandal.

Mad Men (AMC)

Set in 1960s America, Mad Men follows the life of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director of the former Sterling Cooper advertising agency, and the people who work with him at the same company.

Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)

Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) tries to lead a forgotten football team to victory.

Dexter (Showtime)

A blood analyst for the Miami-Dade police by night and a serial killer by day, Dexter Morgan (Anthony Michael Hall) must keep his killer’s life secret while he raises a baby.

Game of Thrones (HBO)

The Mad King has been dethroned. Now it’s a struggle to claim the Iron Throne by others, who could be worse than the Mad King himself.

Find out the winners on September 18, Sunday, 8p ET/5p PT on FOX.

I’ll admit this right from the get-go; Breaking Bad may just not be my cup of tea. I mean, it must have some appeal to receive the six Emmys. The only thing I find remotely redeeming about the series is the story lines that leave you with a definite — albeit tiny– level of suspense. Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and cannot afford his medical bills, let alone provide for his family. So, as a high school chemistry teacher, he comes up with the idea of producing and selling methamphetamine; something he could perfect very easily as a chemistry expert. He then recruits a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to link him up with all of the meth buyers in town. Did I mention Walter’s wife happens to be pregnant, his son is handicapped, and his brother-in-law is a DEA agent? Honestly, it is at this point that I think the series is vastly overrated and overdone.

The cinematography used in the show is critically acclaimed. Could this perhaps be because the show is set in the desert and all of the colors are slightly faded? That is not ground-breaking cinematography, that’s poor use of color and lighting. I do not want to come off too harsh, as the storyline did sort of reel me in, but I think all of my problems with the show begin with the amount of drama that the producers introduce every episode.

For example, the first episode I saw, Walter has just gotten home from a drug deal, and is refusing to respond to his obnoxiously pregnant wife. His next move is to walk into the kitchen and attempt to rape her, while smashing her head against the refrigerator. Is the viewer ever told why?  Of course not. He has lung cancer, not a brain tumor.

The New York Times claims that Breaking Bad is a “revolutionary take on the serial drama.” The idea of it may be revolutionary, but the reality of it is sorrowfully disappointing. I genuinely feel uncomfortable watching the show. Even if that is the producer’s point, it is done in a lackluster manner. The dusty and dull setting in Albuquerque is unflattering, and Bryan Cranston falls short of spectacular acting. In my opinion, it is worth watching for one episode to see what all the hype is about. But if you’re anything like me, prepare to be disappointed.

Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Elisabeth Moss plays Peggy Olson on Mad Men, who started out as Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) secretary and has gone up to copywriter at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency.

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

Connie Britton plays Tami Taylor, “Mrs. Coach”, on Friday Night Lights, wife to Kyle Chandler’s Coach Eric Taylor. She is a former counsellor and now principal at Dillon High. As principal, she tries to keep the students’ focus on academics, instead of just football.

Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU

Mariska Hargitay plays Detective Olivia Benson, partner to Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She’s a competent, street-smart cop, who has no problem using herself as bait to track down criminals.

Mireille Enos, The Killing

Mireille Enos plays Sarah Linden, a homicide detective with the Seattle PD who wants to live a normal life with her fiancee in Sonoma, CA. But the death and murder of Rosie Larsen has since changed her priorities, even if it means changing her whole life.

Julianna Margulies The Good Wife

Julianna Margulies plays Alicia Florrick, the wife of a politician embroiled in a sex and corruption scandal, which forces her to take full responsibility for her family. She enters the workforce again through her original career as a defense attorney.

Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law

Kathy Bates plays Harriet “Harry” Korn, an ex-patent lawyer fired from her former luxurious job and forced to start over on her own.

Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Steve Buscemi plays Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, Treasurer of Atlantic City, who is both a corrupt politician and a gangster, controlling everything, including the illegal activities in “The World’s Playground”.

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Michael C. Hall plays Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter analyst by day for the Miami Dade Police Department, and a serial killer by night, exacting revenge on the criminals who got away.

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights

Kyle Chandler plays Coach Eric Taylor, the dedicated coach for the West Dillon Panthers. But when the town was split into two districts, east and west, he became the coach of the East Dillon High Lions.

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Jon Hamm plays Don Draper on Mad Men, formerly the Creative Director of Sterling Cooper, and now Partner and Creative Director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency. He’s known for his womanizing ways and cutthroat approach to advertising.

Hugh Laurie, House

Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House, the world-renowned chief of the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital’s diagnostic department. He’s excellent at diagnosing medical mysteries but doesn’t concern himself with practicing social courtesies.

Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Timothy Olyphant plays Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens and practices an unconventional enforcement of justice, making him a perfect target for criminals and a big problem for the US Marshal’s office.

Who are your bets?