July 2002

Emmy Picks

by Charlie McCollum

If I were an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences voter, these would be my picks in the Emmys' major categories:

BEST DRAMA
"24" (Fox)
"CSI Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)
"Six Feet Under" (HBO)
"The Shield" (FX)
"The West Wing" (NBC)

BEST COMEDY
"Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS)
"Friends" (NBC)
"Gilmore Girls" (WB)
"Sex and the City" (HBO)
"The Bernie Mac Show" (Fox)

BEST ACTOR/DRAMA
Michael Chiklis ("The Shield")
Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under")
Peter Krause ("Six Feet Under")
Martin Sheen ("West Wing")
Kiefer Sutherland ("24")
Chiklis' performance over 13 episodes was a tour de force; Krause and Hall's relationship was the core of a very good series; Sutherland turned Jack Bauer into more than just another Jack Ryan; and Sheen carried his show every week.

BEST ACTRESS/DRAMA
Jennifer Garner ("Alias")
Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under")
Allison Janney ("West Wing")
Marg Helgenberger ("CSI")
The decisions by Janney and Griffiths turned this into a very tough field. Garner and Gellar brought weight to characters that have been played as cartoons. On a formula show that doesn't allow much room for acting, Helgenberger was memorable on "CSI."

BEST ACTOR/COMEDY
Kevin James ("King of Queens")
Matt LeBlanc ("Friends")
Bernie Mac ("Bernie Mac")
Ray Romano ("Raymond")
Denis Leary ("The Job")
A tough field got tougher when LeBlanc moved over from supporting actor and became the front runner. Leary deserves a shot even though his show got axed. Bernie Mac essentially played his comedy club character without the blue language (but that's OK.) James and Romano continued their strong work.

BEST ACTRESS/COMEDY
Jennifer Aniston ("Friends")
Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls")
Patricia Heaton ("Raymond")
Sarah Jessica Parker ("Sex and the City")
Leah Remini ("King of Queens")
Remini probably won't get a nod but she should.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/DRAMA
Victor Garber ("Alias")
Dennis Haysbert ("24")
Rick Hoffman ("Philly")
Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under")
John Spencer ("The West Wing")
Even in "The West Wing's" off year, Spencer deserves /warrants/ a chance at the Emmy he richly deserves.

© Knight Ridder Newspapers 2002

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