I'll See You In Hell, Emmy Voters! (Part 2)

After learning that Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell wasn't among the nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, I figured that this year's Emmy ballot would be nothing but a disappointment. At least in that sense, I wasn't disappointed.

Once again, the voters for the best in television prove they don't actually bother to watch the medium.

To wit, here's the complete list:

Drama Series: ‘‘Boston Legal,’’ ABC; ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,’’ ABC; ‘‘Heroes,’’ NBC; ‘‘House,’’ Fox; ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO.
Comedy Series: ‘‘Entourage,’’ HBO; ‘‘The Office,’’ NBC; ‘‘30 Rock, NBC; ‘‘Two and a Half Men,’’ CBS; ‘‘Ugly Betty,’’ ABC.

Actor, Drama Series: James Spader, ‘‘Boston Legal,’’ ABC; Hugh Laurie, ‘‘House,’’ Fox; Denis Leary, ‘‘Rescue Me,’’ FX; James Gandolfini, ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, ‘‘24,’’ Fox.
Actress, Drama Series: Sally Field, ‘‘Brothers & Sisters,’’ ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, ‘‘The Closer,’’ TNT; Mariska Hargitay, ‘‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,’’ NBC; Patricia Arquette, ‘‘Medium,’’ NBC; Minnie Driver, ‘‘The Riches,’’ FX; Edie Falco, ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, ‘‘Boston Legal,’’ ABC; T.R. Knight, ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,’’ ABC; Masi Oka, ‘‘Heroes,’’ NBC; Michael Emerson, ‘‘Lost,’’ ABC; Terry O’Quinn, ‘‘Lost,’’ ABC; Michael Imperioli, ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths, ‘‘Brothers & Sisters,’’ ABC; Katherine Heigl, ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,’’ ABC; Chandra Wilson, ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,’’ ABC; Sandra Oh, ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,’’ ABC; Aida Turturro, ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO; Lorraine Bracco, ‘‘The Sopranos,’’ HBO.

Actor, Comedy Series: Tony Shalhoub, ‘‘Monk,’’ USA; Steve Carell, ‘‘The Office,’’ NBC; Alec Baldwin, ‘‘30 Rock,’’ NBC; Charlie Sheen, ‘‘Two and a Half Men,’’ CBS.
Actress, Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman, ‘‘Desperate Housewives,’’ ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ‘‘The New Adventures of Old Christine,’’ CBS; Tiny Fey, ‘‘30 Rock,’’ NBC; America Ferrera, ‘‘Ugly Betty,’’ ABC; Mary-Louise Parker, ‘‘Weeds,’’ Showtime.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Kevin Dillon, ‘‘Entourage,’’ HBO; Jeremy Piven, ‘‘Entourage,’’ HBO; Neil Patrick Harris, ‘‘How I Met Your Mother,’’ CBS; Rainn Wilson, ‘‘The Office,’’ CBS; Jon Cryer, ‘‘Two and a Half Men,’’ CBS.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly, ‘‘My Name Is Earl,’’ NBC; Jenna Fischer, ‘‘The Office,’’ NBC; Holland Taylor, ‘‘Two and a Half Men,’’ CBS; Conchata Ferrell, ‘‘Two and a Half Men,’’ CBS; Vanessa Williams, ‘‘Ugly Betty,’’ ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, ‘‘Weeds,’’ Showtime.

OK, so now we know the hundred people who watch "Boston Legal" - they all work for the academy. How else to explain all of the nominations for a series that no one else barely acknowledges?

Hey, I love The Shat as much as anyone, but wasting a nomination in Best Supporting Actor for William Shatner is a crime, as is James Spader in Best Actor.

And "2 1/2 Men" proves to be the "Boston Legal" of the comedy world, though at least that show does have legitimate ratings. That Emmy voters continue to show it the love they have is mind-boggling, however.

It's amazing that Emmy voters expanded many of the categories to six nominees, yet still managed to make so many mistakes.

Among the most glaring: Nothing, zip, nada for "Friday Night Lights," one of TV's finest dramas. No mention of the series, nothing for actors Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton (the most shameful and glaring omission, IMO) nor any of the talented young actors that make up the core of the cast, such as Zack Gilford and Scott Porter.

Zilch also for "The Shield," when CCH Pounder was getting a lot of notice for Best Supporting Actress and Walton Goggins ought to have been a slam dunk for Best Supporting Actor. But then, "The Shield" has been shockingly ignored over the past few years despite the superior work turned in by lead Michael Chiklis and supporting actors Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson and Forest Whitaker, among others.

At least fellow FX show "Rescue Me" earned one nod for Dennis Leary as Best Actor, but nothing for Andrea Roth as Best Supporting Actress.

Part of the problem is that Emmy voters fall so much in love with one show, they stuff the category. With Best Supporting Actress in Drama, for example, you have Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson and Katherine Heigl. For God's sake, just pick one. Emmy voters will have to pick one anyway for the statue, so why not knock out two of them and spread the wealth around with the nominations?

And pick supporting actors who appear in more than just five episodes, such as Lorraine Bracco and Aida Turturro of "The Sopranos." I like both actresses, but neither had the impact of someone like Mitchell or Roth.

And stop going with the same actors year in and year out. Mariska Hargitay? Kiefer Sutherland? Patricia Arquette? (Seriously?) I've given up hope that actors and actresses on shows like "Veronica Mars" or "Battlestar Galactica" will ever earn nominations, but when a show like "Friday Night Lights" or "The Shield" or "The Wire" is passed over, there is something seriously wrong with the process.

I will give the Academy credit for getting a few picks right, however. I was pleased to see Hugh Laurie finally get a nom for Best Actor, and Edie Falco return to the ranks of Best Actress. I was happy to see "Lost's" Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn be so honored. And I had all but given up hope that Neil Patrick Harris would be recognized for "How I Met Your Mother," but I was glad to be proven wrong.

I'll save my Emmy predictions for later in the year when the show is broadcast, but this seems like another year worth skipping.

BEST BETS: American Movie Classics airs one of my favorite shows, "Hustle," and now is adding to its original programming with the debut of "Mad Men" (AMC, 10 p.m.) The show, created by "Sopranos" writer Matthew Weiner, is set in the rather politcally incorrect 1950s and in the world of advertising. The show has generated a lot of critical buzz, so it's worth catching the pilot.

"Burn Notice" (USA, 10 p.m.) continues to be a lot of fun, with Jeffrey Donovan as the unemployed secret agent who finds himself helping people of all sorts, and Bruce Campbell as one of his sidekicks. Think "The Equalizer" with a much lighter tone.