Emmy Surprises

In basketball they call it a "jump ball," the method used to determine the possession of the ball wherein the referee tosses it in the air and both teams leap for it. I propose for next year's Primetime Emmy telecast they utilize a "jump Emmy" method. No panels of judges poring over nominee's episode submissions. Put five or six actors on the stage, toss the statue in the air, and whoever scrambles out of the pack with it is its rightful owner. That's about the only thing that would make next year's awards less predictable than this year's.

Granted, the two biggest awards of the night, Best Drama Series and Best Comedy Series, were handed to the most likely suspects, "Mad Men" and "30 Rock" respectively. The latter show, which earned the distinction of being the most nominated comedy in any single year in Emmy history, took home four awards in all, including a writing award for creator/star Tina Fey plus acting awards for Fey and her co-star Alec Baldwin. No surprises there. Nor was it shocking that "Mad Men" took the prize for dramatic writing and best series, even though it made history by becoming the first basic cable show to win those categories. Glenn Close predictably nabbed the Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for "Damages," and Jeremy Piven took home his third consecutive Emmy for Best Supporting Comedy Actor for "Entourage."

In fact, it was the ample representation of totally predictable picks that made the surprises that much more jaw-dropping. Piven's award was the first of the night, and it didn't portend well for the evening, with commonly unpopular incumbents like James Spader poised to ride roughshod over more deserving newcomers. But then, Jean Smart snatched the Best Supporting Comedy Actress award for "Samantha Who," besting hipper, younger choices (Amy Poehler of "Saturday Night Live," Kristin Chenowith of "Pushing Daisies") and a wrongly snubbed nominee from last year, Vanessa Williams, of "Ugly Betty." The shocks kept coming: Not Chandra Wilson or Sandra Oh ("Grey's Anatomy") for Best Supporting Drama Actress, but Dianne Wiest for "In Treatment." No Michael Emerson ("Lost"), Ted Danson ("Damages") or John Slattery ("Mad Men") for Best Supporting Drama Actor, but Zeljko Ivanek of "Damages," whose nomination was a surprising act of competence, and whose win was met by stunned, appreciative applause.

There was no bigger shocker of the evening than the Best Actor in a Drama award, with six nominees, all of who could have realistically walked away with the thing. But if you were to rank their chances going in, at the bottom of most people's lists would have been Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad," who won out over Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Hugh Laurie ("House"), Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment") and James Spader ("Boston Legal"). Hamm had the buzz factor, Laurie's on a beloved procedural, Spader had never lost the category. So who would have expected Cranston, the star of a little-watched but critically acclaimed show that had its season unceremoniously clipped by the writers' strike? Probably not even cable television's AMC network, whose top execs are likely sleeping off the world's biggest hangover.

But the surprises were all pleasant ones, a reminder of how refreshingly shrewd this year's nominations were. Most of the major awards were near-impossible to call, evidence that some of the best, most daring storytelling is being done on television right now, and that the infamously fusty Emmy voters are willing to start recognizing it.

There were unpleasant surprises during the evening though, and their names were Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest, the quintet that stewarded the listless telecast. No one would have expected five hosts, all of whom are perfectly charming on their own shows, to be so boring and tentative as a team. Seacrest, who received less than glowing reviews when he hosted the Emmys last year, seemed to do better by himself than he did with his fellow nominees in the first awarding of the Outstanding Reality Host award. In one of the lone funny segments of the evening, Jimmy Kimmel announced the award, subjecting the hosts to the same fake-outs and contrived suspense they're used to heaping on their contestants. It was a rare moment of funny and charming writing not seen elsewhere in the three-hour broadcast. Fortunately, there were enough fireworks in the awards to compensate for the long stretches of tedium that separated them.