Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth in Hollywood! Modern Family won it's fifth Emmy for Outstanding Comedy series and the critics and elites are up in arms! How dare they honor this show that they no longer consider the 'program du jour' when there is so much else available?
Let's keep it real. This past Ripping Good Yarn award winner was one of only two shows nominated from broadcast television. It's on a network that many could see just by sticking up rabbit ears - free TV. So, along with The Big Bang Theory, it is the only one that the wealthy and the poor can enjoy. It has to produce 22 plus quality episodes a year. It deals with broadcast standards - it can't get naked or vulgar. Yet, even within these constrictions, it produced a strong enough show to convince a plurality of Emmy voters to select it.
I say bravo, Modern Family!
I do think Orange Is the New Black, the series streamed on Netflix, was an excellent program. However, I think it was mis-classed as a comedy. It should have been nominated as a drama. Of course, had it been nominated in drama, it would have lost there, too. Because this year, no one was going to beat the farewell episodes of the juggernaut that was.......
Breaking Bad!
For the record, the only free TV program nominated was Downton Abbey, and that show only produces ten or fewer episodes per year.
I was slow coming to this series. A terminally ill teacher who becomes a meth lab cook? Not something I would seek out. So when I began catching up with it on Netflix, I was amazed. And ready for the wild ride of the last season. I am in general agreement that the Ozymandias episode was one of the best episodes of TV ever.
This show has won the Strait Ripping Good Yarn award, but not the Ripper's.
Breaking Bad represents the next level of TV, basic cable. It produced no more than 13 episodes a season. Nevertheless, it is hard to compete with the sheer quality of the show.
Yes, I know it's premium TV and not accessible to everyone, but my favorite is still Game of Thrones. It may not be fair for it to compete against broadcast dramas, but that does not diminish it's overall quality. It is by far the best thing on television, and as it becomes more accessible (heck, The Sopranos is now available on Amazon Prime!), you need to check it out. And don't forget to read the books!
A special shout out to one of my favorites of the year, Fargo, for winning Outstanding Miniseries (of course, I thought it was a series, but you know, Emmy's and their crazy categorizing!).
Thank you, Modern Family, for reminding us that broadcast TV still exists and it can still produce some quality shows!
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