Making amends, Emmy voters fall short

Emmy voters tried to be less clueless than usual yesterday. And, bless their hearts, they kind-of sort-of succeeded.

Lest they be accused of old schoolism, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences membership handed down a list of nominees, featuring a slew of new names and faces. "Ugly Betty," America Ferrera, "30 Rock," Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais of "Extras," "Entourage," Rachel Griffiths and Sally Field of "Brothers & Sisters," "Heroes," and sweet Masi Oka were acknowledged. And overdue supporting comedy actors Kevin Dillon, Neil Patrick Harris, and Rainn Wilson were finally named, making their category extremely competitive.

Also, Emmy voters recovered from last year's near-fatal bout of idiocy by returning Hugh Laurie of "House" and James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of "The Sopranos" to the acting categories . Indeed, HBO's "The Sopranos" came back with a vengeance, taking 15 nominations in all for its triumphant final run, second only to the 16 nods for AMC's miniseries "Broken Trail" and the 17 nods given to HBO's dutiful and dull movie adaptation of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."

But -- and there are few serious buts to be addressed here -- the Emmy voters almost entirely ignored three of TV's finest drama series: "Dexter," "The Wire," and, most ridiculously of all, "Friday Night Lights." Certainly NBC's ratings-starved "Friday Night Lights" could have used the Emmy attention, as it will enter its second season with an ax hanging over it. And, judging from new NBC co chair Ben Silverman's flashy tastes, including an open invitation to Rosie O'Donnell to appear on "The Apprentice" and the casting of Isaiah Washington on "Bionic Woman," the nuanced "Friday Night Lights" is not going have time to spare.

But more important , "Friday Night Lights" and many of its actors, including Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, truly deserve notice. I suppose I can understand why "The Wire" and its actors are never given props by the Emmys; it's a challenging show to watch, because it's seriously realistic and narratively complex. And, you know, "Dexter," about a serial killer who kills serial killers, is grisly and perhaps even bloodier than "The Sopranos." But "Friday Night Lights"? A major, unforgivable oversight.

The absence of these dramas, as well as the grandly entertaining "Rome," the resurgent "Lost," and the richly textured "Deadwood," is only more painful in light of the presence of "Grey's Anatomy," which had a dog of a year, despite its strong ratings. I am cynical enough to believe that the voters included "Grey's" in this category only to appear in tune with popular tastes. In order to keep viewers interested in the Emmy telecast, which is on Sept. 16, the Emmy competition must boast shows and actors that are familiar to mainstream viewers. Would T.R. Knight, who plays George with exactly one somber expression, be nominated if he weren't in a top 10 drama?

The many slots given over to CBS's Nielsen hit "Two and a Half Men" in the comedy categories also represent an effort to attract a quantity of viewers rather than to honor the quality of product. Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Holland Taylor, and Conchata Ferrell put on an ordinary sitcom for audiences looking for a half hour of easy farce; they're not aiming for anything more than that. And yet they are celebrated as the best of the year? Meanwhile, the extremely tight "Scrubs" ensemble is still ignored, with no love for Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke, and then "How I Met Your Mother" and Jason Lee of "My Name Is Earl" are snubbed yet again.

The TV academy's nominee selection process is clearly flawed. Ten nominees are chosen by a popular vote among members, and then those 10 are narrowed down to five by a panel of judges. That means the likes of "The Wire" don't stand a chance of making it into the top 10, since they are not widely enough watched to make it into the popular vote. Meanwhile, names and shows such as William Shatner, James Spader, "Boston Legal," and Tony Shalhoub are automatically shoveled in alongside "Grey's Anatomy" and "Two and a Half Men" merely because they are familiar and safe.

Last season, the Emmy voters shamed themselves by nominating Ellen Burstyn for a 14-second performance in "Mrs. Harris," giving us solid evidence that too many actors are nominated simply because they are known, or admired. Other automatic Emmy nominees this year include Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Arquette, and Kiefer Sutherland, whose nod as best actor takes up a slot that more rightfully belongs to Chandler, Michael C. Hall of "Dexter," Matthew Perry of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Ray Stevenson of "Rome," or Eddie Izzard of "The Riches." When the Emmy committee creates a best-grunter category, then Sutherland will have earned his nod.

The movie and miniseries categories are a mixed bag this year. "Wounded Knee" was a textbook of a movie, with no standout performances, despite its nominations for August Schellenberg, Aidan Quinn, and Anna Paquin, who barely registers in the drama. Perhaps political correctness led to its 17 nods; perhaps it was just laziness.

That Paquin supporting nomination more rightfully belongs to Lindsay Duncan, so effective in "Longford" (and "Rome," but that's another story). Fortunately, "Longford" did get notice for best movie and actor Jim Broadbent. Broadbent deserves to walk off with the prize, although Robert Duvall was quietly powerful in the affecting "Broken Trail."

Lastly, and locally, WGBH received 15 of PBS's 24 nominations, 13 of which went to "Masterpiece Theatre" -- nine for "Jane Eyre" and four for the excellent "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" (including one for Helen Mirren as best actress). But both "Prime Suspect" and "Broken Trail" are up against Debra Messing's "The Starter Wife," and in the askew Emmy universe, that's probably the favorite.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit boston.com/ae/tv/blog/.