A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM AMC

Cynopsis Media presents
Before the Ballots: Drama
2012 Primetime Emmy® Award Pre-Nomination Special Report
by Daisy Whitney
06/27/12

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 27, 2012, and this is the 5th of a five-part series predicting the nominees for this year’s primetime Emmy® Awards. Today’s installment looks at the potential nominees for Outstanding Drama Series.

BEFORE THE BALLOTS: Outstanding Drama Series
By Daisy Whitney

All the drama surrounding the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is on whether Mad Men will go down in history as the first show to win the award five times. We’ll have to wait until the telecast on September 23 to know for sure, but the four-time winner is coming off its best season ever in ratings and is a sure-fire bet for a nomination when they’re announced the morning of July 19.

But the prospect of a new victor is alluring for show biz, and so the buzz centers on whether young turks such as Homeland, Downton Abbey or Game of Thrones could topple Mad Men in its Michael Phelpsian quest. In fact, a roundtable of 10 leading TV critics at awards site Goldderby.com has five of them picking Mad Men as the likeliest winner, but three are betting Showtime’s Homeland can stop the juggernaut and two critics contend AMC twin Breaking Bad has the best chance.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM AMC

A Mix of Old and New

There are plenty of other shows in the running though, and if there’s one thing predictable about awards, it’s that winning year after year is the hardest feat of all. This year’s competition will be the fiercest the AMC period drama has ever faced, experts say. Here’s how the dramatic competition shapes up.

The ballot is likely to include some familiar names as well as first-time shows. “This was a good year for the drama category,” said Lauren Swanson, SheKnows.com Senior Entertainment Editor. “Some of the staples, like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, are to be expected on the list of Emmy noms, especially since they delivered killer seasons. But we’ve also seen new standouts crop up, including Homeland, Boss, Smash, and Downton Abbey. All of those have a high likelihood of grabbing the one or two available slots for fresh meat on the Emmy nomination list.”

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM AMC

The Biggest Threats from a Sister Show and a Premium Program

Breaking Bad may represent the biggest threat to its AMC sibling, especially given the regard for the caliber of acting on the show and the critical reception to its return to air after a long hiatus. Also look for Showtime’s Homeland to not only earn a nomination, but to bring some serious heat to the race. The show already took home the Golden Globe award for best dramatic series, and while those awards are not always predictive of the Emmys, they do speak to the positive critical reception the freshman drama has earned.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM AMC

More than a Fighting Chance for HBO’s Fantasy

Other worthy contenders could include Game of Thrones on HBO, which earned a nod last year, and has inspired a widespread following. CBS’ The Good Wife also stands a shot at a nomination; it’s been tapped the last two years. Interestingly, The Good Wife is probably the only broadcast show that has a serious chance of even making the ballot.

Don’t discount HBO’s Boardwalk Empire either, a program that critics say improved in its second season on an already strong first outing. There’s also perennial nominee Dexter on Showtime, as well as the possibility of four-time nominee House on Fox landing a long-shot slot in its last season on TV.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM AMC

The drama category is bursting with worthy shows this year and that’s as good as a reason as any for Mad Men’s reign to end, some say. Game of Thrones may have the strongest chance of thwarting Mad Men, said Shari Anne Brill, President and CEO of media strategy consultancy Shari Anne Brill Media and author of the Primetime TV Insight Series report published by Baseline Intelligence. “I love really good storytelling and there’s the mythology, the quality of the acting, the scenery, the costumes. The show is just genius,” she said.

PBS’ Downton Abbey is a well-done show too, and is virtually guaranteed a nod. There’s also a chance that NBC’s Smash could be in the running. “I doubt it will win, but it deserves a nomination for trying to do something a little bit different,” Brill said.

Later —
Daisy Whitney for Cynopsis
[email protected]
06.27.12

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