DOWNTON ABBEY LOCKED OUT OF TV AWARDS

Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

Beloved Grand Eagle
I watched last night's Emmy awards for the best of television the past year and
unless I was deaf, the words DOWNTON ABBEY never were heard beyond the
nominations. Not a single award for what has to be the best and most-watched
series on television, worldwide.

The leading men and women of the cast, the writer-producer, and director were
all nominated and flew in from London but left with nothing.

It seems likely to me that American television academy voters ignored the
intelligent British series in favor of more mindless crap like the HBO movie
about Liberace that won best television film or series. I saw it and it put me to sleep
besides which I thought it was just not very good.

It may all come down to advertising revenue. PBS productions carry no
commercials, as do American network and satellite or cable movies or shows.
So TV members voted their pocketbooks last night, choosing shows and movies
that bring in advertising millions.

Oh, well, I didn't expect much from the Emmys.
 
I have to admit, I've never seen Downton Abbey but I have heard it is just excellent. It's definitely on my to-watch list!

An interesting fact about the Emmys: there are the Primetime Emmy Awards, which are televised, and then there are the Creative Arts Emmy Awards (outstanding choreography, oustanding musical score, etc) whose winners are typically announced before the live show. (I believe Downton Abbey may have gotten a few awards this year in the Creative Arts Emmy Awards category, but still, I think you're not alone in saying they got snubbed.) This year was unique in that the winner for outstanding choreography was announced live on the televised awards show, instead of the weekend before. Unfortunately this didn't save this year's Emmys from being called one of the worst Emmys in existence. I know I personally wanted to tear my hair out when they called Claire Danes for Outstanding Lead Actress...
 
Television has reached a new low in being a "Great Wasteland."
I'll never watch another Emmy show. It was a bore and just a bunch of idiots awarding each other.

I hope DOWNTON ABBEY got some awards, even if not in prime time.
 
Amazing, it really is one of the best TV show ever. When Season 4 starts, no spoilers please! We get it somewhat later here than in the US.
 
I see a few short articles about Season 4 and they give a few reports on what to expect,
but I won't share them here and will even stop reading them. I prefer being surprised.

I spent several nights recently watching all three seasons and heard and saw some things
I had missed on first seeing. I'm really ready now for Season 4.
 
Walt, I'm the same way. I too like to be surprised...I really hate knowing what might happen next. I mean, really hate it. Some shows (mostly reality shows) have "after the break" previews - I honestly can't stand that! I either have to mute the TV or leave the room. It drives me nuts. And I hate the "next week on..." or "this season on..." previews as well. It takes away the fun for me. What's the point of good, unpredictable (but still believable) storylines if you're always given these not-so-subtle hints on what's going to happen? The best shows for me are the ones where you can't always predict what will happen, but where you aren't constantly surprised. (I find those to be a bit exhausting and frankly not that believable. Life is full of surprises, but it also has some predictability!)
 
I did watch. It was one of the better ones, but unfortunately Downton Abbey was only nominated for Best TV Series, Drama and it was going up against some incredible, incredible shows: Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, House of Cards, and Masters of Sex. I was guessing it'd be between Breaking Bad and House of Cards. Breaking Bad ultimately won (the entire series just ended, and it apparently is just a monumental television show) but House of Cards is also apparently phenomenal. Really, though, all of these series are just terrific, not to mention all the fantastic (I am running out of adjectives here!) shows that didn't get nominated...It's been an amazing year for television!
 
I just rented Breaking Bad from Netflix but it doesn't sound like anything I will like.

I am sorry to see that now Downton Abbey is making life impossible for sweet Anna Bates.
 
Jen and I are watching season 3 now. I know that everyone has been talking about Breaking Bad recently, but I'll take this over that any day. Shows produced by US cable channels are great at building tension, but I always feel manipulated. Downton just felt more honest to me. I'm really enjoying it.
 
I agree about US television. I'll watch the first part of Breaking Bad but I expect it to be more about tension, as you say, than feeling. Glad you and Jen are enjoying Downton. It's the best thing I've seen in years.

Thanks again for the tribute. It's so nice of you, and the replies are beyond words.
 
All of the words from everyone in the tribute were heartfelt. It was our pleasure.

By the way, I wonder if you might like a BBC show called Ballykissangel. Its main character is a shy and very sincere English priest sent to a very rural backwoods Irish town, but it is really about the entire town and the sense of community they feel. It is unashamedly heartwarming but also doesn't hesitate to treat controversial issues. The characters are warm, human, and appropriately complex. It is one of my favorite shows. I wouldn't call it high theater - it is simple episodic 90s TV - but I have a soft spot for British shows about community and family. It made me feel good to watch it at the end of the day without feeling saccharine.

The following clip from the first episode involves the English priest meeting the local tavernkeeper, Assumpta, who unfortunately is suspicious of both clergy and the English. Despite these differences, they develop a strong mutual respect and friendship over the course of the series, perhaps because they are the both the type of people whom others turn to when things go wrong.
 
Thanks, Forest. Ballykissangel looks good. I'll rent it from Netflix.
I too love movies and tv series about British small town life.
Doc Martin is one of my weekly regular viewing habits, set in a Welch town.
 
walt glenview said:
I just rented Breaking Bad from Netflix but it doesn't sound like anything I will like.
Click to expand...
Walt, from what I know about the show (and you) I don't think you'd like Breaking Bad. But who knows, maybe not! The acting is supposedly outstanding, as is the writing, and the concept/basis of the show is one of the most original ones on TV, at least in the 21st century.

But just like any art form (painting, music, etc), TV shows can both be brilliant and also not really up your alley. The two aren't mutually exclusive. This really is common sense, but for some reason I have found it is harder for me to accept this "common sense" when watching TV shows (and to some extent, literature as well) than when, for instance, looking at a sculpture. I find I just cannot get into certain acclaimed, award-winning TV shows, but I really want to. I often feel like I should like certain TV shows simply because they are talked about as these brilliant works, and have sometimes become upset with myself if I don't love the show! Yet, I have absolutely no problem saying I really don't like the majority of Picasso's work (with the exception of the Dance of Youth print...I love that one!) when obviously, Picasso's works have been critically acclaimed, are lauded as "brilliant" etc. Curious...
 
...Picasso's The Dance of Youth print. I know it's a little off-topic here but I really couldn't resist! Look at it, it's so happy and peaceful! I wish all his works were like this...

pablo-picasso-the-dance-of-youth.jpg
 
Hi, Becca. I watched five minutes of BREAKING BAD on a rented DVD from Netflix
but already lost interest. I watched another 10 minutes, then turned it off.

Just more Hollywood stuff about people I don't care about involved in crime.

Awards are given to dumb movies. It's pathetic. Thank heaven for the Brits.
 
I love Ballykissangel, Downton Abbey, and Doc Martin, too. But I also loved Breaking Bad. To me it is a show about the conflict between the id and the superego, and yes, it is violent and tense at times. But the acting, writing, and cinematography are movie quality for each episode. But then I also like Walking Dead, and it doesn't get much more bloody and gory than that. I just don't watch it right before I go to bed.
 
Hi, Ellen. Maybe I need to watch more of Breaking Bad. I just didn't care about the people in it.
Lots of people liked it because it's winning lots of awards.
 
Walt,
No one is very likable in Breaking Bad, and it only gets less so as the show progresses. So if caring about the characters is important to you, I say skip it. Plenty of other things to watch.
 
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