With the Emmy nominations coming Thursday morning and no Dodger game until Friday night, I’ve been trying to predict, for my own entertainment, which drama and comedy series will get 2011 Emmy nominations.
The comedy field might even be more crowded than the drama field this year, reversing recent trends. Here are some top contenders:
Comedy
“30 Rock” (a perennial)
“The Big Bang Theory” (last year’s most surprising omission)
“The Big C” (the hot new Showtime show often gets a long look)
“Community” (also beloved but perhaps only a cult favorite)
“Glee” (polarizing show creatively, but a nominee last year)
“Louie” (deserving but probably too narrow an audience)
“Raising Hope” (the best of a poor year for new broadcast comedies)
“Parks and Recreation” (critically beloved — this should be its year)
“Modern Family” (defending champ)
“Nurse Jackie” (nominated last year)
“The Office” (another perennnial: not as consistent as in past years, but its good episodes were great)
Drama
“Boardwalk Empire” (high-profile new HBO show, generally considered a success)
“Dexter” (nominated the past three years)
“Friday Night Lights” (still a longshot, but broke through with acting nominations last year)
“Game of Thrones” (fans are even more passionate about this HBO show)
“The Good Wife” (top broadcast network candidate)
“Justified” (critically beloved and represents FX well)
“The Killing” (hotly disputed finale might have left bad taste for some voters)
“Mad Men” (perennial that should have no trouble with “Breaking Bad” off the air this past year)
“Men of a Certain Age” (has its fans, but maybe not enough)
“The Walking Dead” (nominated for Golden Globe last winter, but it’s been off the air since early December)
“True Blood” (nominated last year, but probably fades away)
My personal favorites (not predictions):
Comedy: “Bored to Death,” “Community,” “Louie,” “Modern Family,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” though I wouldn’t complain if “The Big Bang Theory” got in.
Drama: “Boardwalk Empire,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Justified,” “Mad Men,” “Terriers,” “Treme”
You can see Variety’s Emmy preview coverage here.
I’ll be in the office at Variety at dawn to help start our Emmy news coverage — make sure you stop by — then will be heading over later in the morning to the Variety Sports Entertainment Summit, which ends with a “Moneyball” panel at 5:05 p.m.
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