But last night’s broadcast of the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards satisfied on nearly all fronts…unless you happen to be a Lostie or a Gleek. Fans of other great TV shows – and George Clooney, who unexpectedly showed up in a filmed comedy bit as well as to accept the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award – had a lot to be excited about. Best of all, people who love awards shows of all stripes were likely thrilled by Jimmy Fallon‘s tremendous hosting skills, starting with his performance the cheerful, hilarious “Glee”-themed cold open, set to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”

Let’s break it down.

Stephen Colbert gives Jane Lynch some hardware. Photo courtesy of WireImage

You win some…

Overall, the awards themselves were satisfying, even if there were a couple of  repeat performers. The top winners – Best Drama winner “Mad Men” and Best Comedy “Modern Family” were considered industry favorites in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Anyone who watched “Mad Men’s”  rough-and-tumble third season and “Modern Family’s” freshman run aren’t likely to find much to quibble about in those choices, even if “Mad Men’s” win is a three-peat. Emmy loves repeat winners; viewers generally would prefer voters to spread the love around.  (See the full list of winners and nominations here.)

The sentimental choice in the top drama category would have been “Lost,” and if Emmy voters wanted to reward both quality and edge, “Breaking Bad” would have snagged this Emmy. Had voters truly wanted to shock, “The Good Wife” would have won. (This is what TV has come to: it would be shocking if a network drama beat a cable series in the top category.)

In true awards show fashion, however, voters made up with most viewers – not all, but most – by handing out hardware to deserving nominees in the individual achievement categories.

“Breaking Bad” did not win Best Drama, but Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul won Emmys in the Best Lead and Supporting Actor in a Drama categories.

Archie Panjabi. Photo courtesy of WireImage

“The Good Wife‘s” star Julianna Margulies came up empty in the Best Drama Actress category, just as the show itself was passed over. But co-star Archie Panjabi snagged an Emmy, which was equally thrilling and perplexing. Panjabi took a role that would have faded into the background had any other actress been chosen to walk in her signature boots, and she made it one of the most fascinating aspects of the show. Both she and “Breaking Bad‘s” Paul are first time winners, and this was Panjabi’s first Emmy nomination.*

On the other hand, the fact that Panjabi bested “Mad Men” stars Christina Hendricks and Elizabeth Moss in the drama supporting actress slot is bound to be a hot discussion topic for at least the next 48 hours.

Other deserving first timers whose victories aren’t likely to be questioned nearly as much? “Glee‘s” Jane Lynch (best supporting actress in a comedy) and “The Big Bang Theory‘s” Jim Parsons (best lead actor in a comedy). As for shows, “Top Chef’s” win for Outstanding Reality-Competition series, breaking “The Amazing Race‘s” seven-year stranglehold on the competition, is a relief as well as an upset. It’s nice to see Emmy notice that there are other noteworthy unscripted series on television.

Another big winner Sunday evening was host Jimmy Fallon. He may not earn the rave reviews bestowed on last year’s host Neil Patrick Harris, who jammed his night of TV honors with scene-stealing moments galore. But Fallon did viewers the great service of keeping the humor bubbly, keeping his presence relatively scarce, and keeping the pace of the evening fleet. It is as much to his credit, and to the producers’, that the Emmy telecast ended a minute early.

That might not sound like a lot if you’ve forgotten how long and painful some past telecasts have been.

You lose some…

The idea that last night’s telecast may have been both entertaining and satisfying won’t hold much water among Losties, a deeply dedicated bunch with four candidates in major categories: Lead Actor in a Drama (Matthew Fox), Supporting Actor in a Drama (Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson) and Outstanding Drama.  But “Lost” was completely shut out in the end.

“Lost” fans, this may be cold comfort, but remember that your show already has a number of Emmys, including the top drama award and one for Emerson. That already puts it ahead of one of the best series to ever grace our televisions, “The Wire,” which never took home Emmy gold. (UPDATE: Speaking of Emmy’s history of forgetting “The Wire,” the “In Memoriam” segment neglected to include one of its main writers, David Mills, who passed away in March.)

Gleeks have a bit more to sing about, thanks to wins for Lynch and series co-creator Ryan Murphy. But there are bound to be quite a few who are miffed that it didn’t topple “Modern Family” to win Best Comedy.

Here are two truly baffling awards: Edie Falco‘s win in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category for “Nurse Jackie.” Falco is a great actress, but even she declared in her acceptance speech, “I’m not funny!” Neither is the show, really. “Nurse Jackie” is terrific, but it’s more a half-hour drama than a comedy.

Then comes the Kyra Sedgwick victory in Lead Actress in a Drama for “The Closer,” which is less a matter of an outstanding performance than Awards Show Science. In terms of quality, Margulies and Glenn Close (“Damages“) were the top contenders, and Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights“) was the deserving dark horse. But Margulies will be back and Close is a two-time winner here. Sedgwick has been invited to this ball five times already – time for Emmy to pay out.

Besides, without Katey Sagal in this category, is this a contest even worth debating?

And then…

Every decent awards show has a strange moment we’ll recall weeks later, possibly even years. Sunday gave us the phenomenon known as Bucky Gunts.

By this we do not refer to Bucky Gunts, multiple Emmy award-winning producer of Olympics opening ceremonies, but the idea of Bucky Gunts as introduced by Ricky Gervais, who had no idea who he was until he shared his hope that Gunts would win, “because I didn’t know you could say that on television… Let’s face it, we’re all Bucky Gunts here,” Gervais offered with a sly grin.

He opened the envelope, and what do you know – Bucky Gunts! We do not recall what Mr. Gunts said onstage. And it does not matter that his reputation is synonymous with success. No, all that remained was that soon after that #buckygunts was trending on Twitter, attached to all sorts of madness.

The other previously little known personality that won the night was Temple Grandin – the Temple Grandin – who enthusiastically waved as the movie about her life won five Emmys. The highlight was the film’s win for Outstanding Made For TV movie, which prompted Grandin to clasp producer Emily Gerson Saines in a bear hug, interrupting her speech. Someone tweeted that Grandin became the night’s Betty White, which is fine…because on Monday, Betty White went right back to being Betty White, proof that the universe is still unfolding as it should.

Stars join Jimmy Fallon on stage for the opening number. Photo courtesy of WireImage.

See the complete list of winners, and check out photos and every else Emmys-related in this year’s Road to the Emmys section.  And share a comment to let us know what you thought of this year’s Emmy telecast!

*Editor’s note: This updated post includes a correction. The original version stated that Aaron Paul was a first-time nominee last night. Paul received an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama nod in 2009 as well.

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Jimmy Fallon hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards

If awards telecasts could be compared to holidays, the Emmys would be akin to a secular celebration of Easter. The award show usually heralds the beginning of a new television season, which traditionally starts the day after the Emmys broadcast –  in years in which the show airs in mid-September. (It’s early this year.)

Fans of some series will go to sleep happy, their shows having received the award equivalent of baskets of candy. For at least one more year they will believe in the ATAS voters with the same magical faith they once reserved for a gigantic rabbit.  Heck, we may even get a delicious ham, if Jimmy Fallon does a good job of hosting.

Good, bad, and ugly, we’re covering everything Emmy-related leading up to event in our Road to the Emmys section culminating in our live coverage of the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday.

Check our homepage at 4 pm PT/7pm ET to enjoy the red carpet spectacle. Then, beginning at 5pm PT Sunday, the IMDb homepage becomes the headquarters for all things Emmy, including a constant stream of photos as they become available and real-time updates of the winners. You can also join us on Twitter at @IMDbTV.

No matter who wins or loses on Sunday, we can take comfort in a few worthwhile victories awarded last Saturday at the low-key Creative Arts Emmys ceremony.   Betty White, for example, won an Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy for her historic hosting of “Saturday Night Live.”  No doubt her howling of the phrase “wizard of ass!” during a scared-straight skit sealed the deal.

Also proving there is justice in the TV universe was John Lithgow‘s Best Guest Actor in a Drama win for his bone-chilling turn on the fourth season of “Dexter.” So brilliant was Lithgow’s performance that the producers decided to forgo having a single “big bad” for the fifth season, because he could not be topped. Lithgow even made a spectacular gaffe and thanked HBO instead of Showtime in his acceptance speech. Ha!

Other notable victories:

– Ann-Margret received a standing ovation for her Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series win. She did a fabulous job on “Law & Order: SVU.”

– Neil Patrick Harris came up aces in two categories last weekend, winning for his guest star spot in an episode of  “Glee” and returning to the podium to accept the Emmy for the Tony Awards telecast, which won Best Special Class Program.

– “Survivor’s” Jeff Probst won best reality host. (As an aside, all of Chris Harrison‘s contestant-wrangling on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” should give him a shot at placing in this category next year, wouldn’t you think?)

– And this writer’s favorite li’l Emmy victory? The award for best commercial went to  “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” That’s right, Old Spice Man — swan dive!…into an awesome victory for manly men everywhere.

He’s on a horse.

Be sure to join us on Sunday, and remember — you can follow us any day of the week on Twitter for the latest updates on TV news and silliness.

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"Anarchy" at the TCA: Kurt Sutter, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal. Credit: Ray Mickshaw

Pretend for a moment that your favorite cable channels are people. The idea isn’t all that weird when you consider that discussing a channel’s brand identity is, in a sense, outlining its personality. HBO, for example, has a closet full of designer suits and couture dresses. AMC also dresses well, but has a hidden life involving hard liquor and drugs.

Then there’s FX. FX has a five o’clock shadow by 10 a.m.  FX is a beer and whiskey drinker, isn’t averse to getting into a scrap now and then, and has a rowdy sense of humor. If you need dirty work done, you call FX. He is the guy you love to hang with, but you’d stop short of inviting him to a formal affair.

That image is both to FX’s benefit and its detriment.  It’s home to some of the brashest, most thoughtfully-written series on television. That tradition began with “The Shield” and lives on with “Sons of Anarchy,” kicking off its third season Sept. 7 at 10.  In January it adds “Lights Out,” a drama about a boxer whose career is in a downward spiral, and “Terriers,” which follows a pair of down-on-their-luck private investigators, arrives Sept. 8.

FX just picked up Louis C.K.’s comedy “Louie” for a second 13-episode season, and is adding “Alabama” to its lineup. The latter take space in space, and was created by “Reno 911‘s”  Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.

Meanwhile, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is getting a syndicated run on Comedy Central, which could set up its sixth season (starting Sept. 16) to be its most successful so far.

FX has hit its stride, in other words. Yet, it’s becoming rarer for FX’s dramas and casts to be invited to the industry’s most glamorous parties.  “Sons’” Katey Sagal nailed her role in season two, and in the springtime, Timothy Olyphant‘s portrayal of “Justified‘s” quietly simmering U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens seemed to be all that anyone could talk about. The fact that neither received an Emmy nod for their performances is a crime.

This is the curse of having great shows on a network most often associated with the words “raw” and “gritty,” terms that make awards voters shy. “Sons”  is about an outlaw biker club. Emmy can’t have that up there with a meth-cooking teacher, a serial killer and vampires, can it?. What would people think?

But FX president John Landgraf seemed unfazed by the snubs as he introduced panels for his network’s fall series on Tuesday. Landgraf considers himself in the business of promoting what he calls the literature of the common man and common woman, and he’s succeeding in that goal.

Look at the names on the network’s roster: Louis C.K., not only a great comedian but an ace comedy writer and director. Kurt Sutter, executive producer of “Sons of Anarchy,” whose story arcs display a fearlessness otherwise absent in the realm of basic cable or, really, anyplace else on TV.

“Boomtown’s” Graham Yost, the formidable brains behind “Justified.” Shawn Ryan, who has the midseason cop drama “Ride Along” coming to Fox in addition to FX’s private eye dramedy “Terriers,” for which he’s joined forces with screenwriter Ted Griffin (Ocean’s Eleven, Ravenous).  In the world of television literature, they are all amazing authors.

So when the cast of “Sons of Anarchy” was asked for reaction to the Emmy snubs, nobody in the room was surprised when a few F-bombs were dropped — but then, none of the cast seemed too broken up about it either.

“Every year when the Emmys are announced, the stories that come out — half the
stories are about the nominations, and the other half of the stories are about the absurdity of the nominations and the snubs,” Sutter told critics. “So to me, perhaps that suggests that the system is somewhat flawed.”

“Yeah,” said Tommy Flanagan, who plays SAMCRO member Filip ‘Chibs’ Telford on the show. “Emmy, shmemmy.”

Read on for more from FX’s Press Tour day.

– Out of all the series we’ve seen over the past week, “Terriers” may be most pleasantly surprising.  It’s not that we weren’t expecting much; rather, we had no idea what to expect. The title doesn’t exactly tell you anything about the show…which is intentional.

“We are counting on you guys to help tell people what it’s about,” Ryan said playfully.

OK, then. “Terriers” is about two shaggy, stubborn private detectives –  Hank Dolworth, an ex-cop played by Donal Logue, whose weathered face and haggard deportment makes him perfect for the role, and his pal Britt Pollack, portrayed by Michael Raymond-James. The idea is that they’ll take just about any assignment, including cases that get them in situations far beyond their resources and abilities.

“Terriers’” lighter tone may take those who follow Ryan’s work by surprise, but we’re betting it’ll win fans easily once viewers sample it a few times.

– “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” castmates Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito and Glenn Howerton also paid a visit to the TCA to promote the show’s sixth season, which  premieres on Sept. 16 at 10 p.m. (Missing was Charlie Day, who is busy filming a feature.) On the show’s list of topics to skewer in the new season are gay marriage, divorce and animal rights.

“Sunny’s” cast revels in putting controversial current topics through its own insane prism, but one thing they’ll have to deal with as a matter of necessity is the impending arrival of Olson and McElhenney’s firstborn. Instead of hiding Olson’s pregnancy, they made her character Sweet Dee pregnant as well. Dee will give birth in this season’s finale, which means the infant will be an official member of the crew as of next season.

A longer discussion with Olson, Howerton and McElhenney about how the baby will change things for the Paddy’s Pub gang will be posted soon.

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter for the latest announcements from the network and cable portions of Press Tour.

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Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice answers questions at TCA.

Monday was the day. It was really supposed to happen. Honest, and for reals! Many of us thought — nay, hoped — Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice and Entertainment President Kevin Reilly were going to announce the new judges for “American Idol,” putting to rest all of the speculative burbling in the trades through the weekend.

Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, seated side by side at the judges table, delivering scathing critiques from behind gigantic Coca Cola cups! Can’t you just see it?

Granted, we are not six-year-olds on Christmas morning, convinced that behind that soft, wrapped package of tube socks our parents have hidden a rocket ship. We cover television and are used to keeping our expectations low.

That’s for good reason. Not long after the trades began quoting unnamed insiders swearing J. Lo and Tyler were in there, other reporters slowed their roll by saying the contracts are still being hammered out. And it appears that the T’s had not been crossed, the I’s dotted or the dollar bills counted by Monday morning.

“The only thing I can tell you with absolute certainty right now is that no one has signed a deal yet on either side of the camera to join ‘American Idol’ next year who wasn’t on it last year,” Rice said. “And I know that that is it’s not particularly a fun announcement. It’s certainly not the choice I would have made, but it is the truth as we sit here today. There are no signed deals with anybody.”

Rice added, “I can tell you that much of the information that has been written is accurate. And some of the information that has been written is wildly inaccurate.”

Did he tell us which tidbits were on the money? Even hint at it? Of course not. We came at him from the front, the side, directly and obliquely. We tried through the normally gregarious Reilly. No luck.

“If variations of ‘I’m not going to get into conversations we’ve had with people’ were a drinking game,” one critic tweeted, “TCA members (would) be dead.”

What Rice did say was that when the main audition rounds kick off in September, the judges will be in place and ready to make dreams come true or irreparably crush hopeful spirits.  Meanwhile, Mr. Tyler, currently on tour with Aerosmith, reportedly let a few details slip through his trademark lips over the weekend.

“This beautiful girl from Fox came up to me and made an offer. I honored her offer… and it’s just a work in progress,”  Tyler said in a radio interview quoted  in a Billboard.com article.

So it remains, for the time being. Keep reading for the day’s other takeaways…

"Lone Star's" cast: (L to R) Eloise Mumford, James Wolk and Adrianne Palicki.

For those who don’t know, Kevin Reilly helped shape FX into the brand it is today. So it’s not altogether surprising to see him take a chance on a show like “Lone Star.”
Creator Kyle Killen says he sold it as “Dallas without the cheese,” but he admitted to critics that he was more inspired by shows like “Breaking Bad.”

The central character is a sensitive, charming guy who is truly, madly, deeply in love with two women, neither of whom knows about the other and both of whom happen to be part of a large con he’s running. The pilot is more enjoyable than one would expect, but it’s tough to say whether it’ll catch on with audiences. While it’s a laudable goal to bring more of a cable sensibility to network television, shows like “Breaking Bad” don’t have the ratings it takes to make it in that arena. That’s why they’re on as opposed to Fox, home to broadcast television’s greatest ratings monster.

– Like so many other fall series, “Running Wilde” is going through a number of changes before it hits the air. Key roles have been reimagined and re-cast, one to include David Cross, with whom co-creators Mitch Hurwitz and Jim Vallely worked on “Arrested Development.” The changes are actually a positive sign, mind you, because the original pilot was tepid, and that’s putting it mildly.

Even if the changes work, Hurwitz and Vallely know they face the bigger challenge of escaping “Arrested’s” shadow. Remember, this is a comedy that is much more beloved in its afterlife; while it ran on Fox, it struggled to maintain its viewership. (Hurwitz later informed a group of reporters that the movie is still in the works.)

Given that history, expect “Wilde’s” humor to be a bit broader in the beginning. “If we can get a big audience interested in the show, more and more of our subversion, hopefully, will be able to come out,” Hurwitz assured critics.

– Later came a panel for “Raising Hope,” the new comedy from executive producer Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl”). Hope is not a concept, it’s a kid that a young adult moron unexpectedly finds himself rearing while living with his parents, who aren’t interested in having another baby in the house. Most of the pilot’s humor is derived from slapstick involving improper child safety precautions, and the rest from Cloris Leachman portraying a senile great grandmother fond of sitting around in her bra. Conservative parent groups are bound to have a field day with this one.

Some may be turned off by “Hope,” but it’s bound to win plenty of fans among viewers who will relate to its working class family’s celebration of imperfection. “Hope” lacks the uplifting elements that made “Earl” so charming during its first season; the humor is, if not dark, than a bit grimy and soiled to say the least. But it has a lot of heart, and like ABC’s comedy  “The Middle,” it should give harried, overworked parents something to laugh at.

– It could not be a Fox TCA day without some celebration of “Glee.” Among the news items its creator shared with critics are details about the first few episodes:  The premiere tackles the idea of constantly having to audition in life, while the third episode looks at faith.

During the second half of the series, creator Ryan Murphy revealed that one episode would feature original songs penned by the characters. Among the guest cast planned are John Stamos and Susan Boyle, and they hope the latter will appear to coincide with a “Glee” holiday CD release. Also, Adam Shankman is on board to direct an episode.

Many (including Murphy) feel “Glee” has passed its popular culture saturation point, but the producers fully intend to keep having fun with it. When asked about a “Glee” novel given to critics, Ryan Murphy added that he hopes to have a storyline in which Sue Sylvester writes her autobiography, followed by Jane Lynch going on book tour as Sue to promote it. But Murphy’s not just taking advantage of the fluffier perks of having a hit series. He also is considering featuring real high school show choirs as New Directions’ competitors.

But the funniest detail he revealed today was about New Directions’ ever-present piano player. The only direction Murphy said he’s given him is, “You hate those kids.” He urges viewers to watch for his glare in scenes from future episodes.

Oh…we will.

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter to get news, and snark,  from the Television Critics Association Press Tour moments after it happens.

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Kevin Brockman and friend address the TCA. Photo courtesy of ABC

You can assume it’s  going to be an interesting day when the network you’re covering has lost its head…of entertainment programming. This kind of thing happens quite a bit. Usually lawyers get involved, as is the case ABC’s freshly ousted head of entertainment Steve McPherson.

Then there’s the question of handling the next guy, Paul Lee. Two days ago, Lee was the former head of entertainment programming for ABC Family, a.k.a. the guy who gave us “Kyle XY,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” and “Pretty Little Liars.”  Now the mothership’s  programming lineup and overall reputation is in his hands.

ABC’s publicity department was quick to put the kibosh on any questions about McPherson, however. On Sunday morning publicity head Kevin Brockman came to the podium to welcome critics, accompanied a gigantic stuffed pink elephant. Talk about getting literal.  Following brief announcements, he informed the room that last Tuesday’s statement on McPherson’s departure holds, and no further questions would be answered. With that, Lee took the stage and Brockman exited, taking Dumbo with him.

Generally a move like this would result in some sort of upheaval but frankly, people like Lee. A little more about him: He also breathed new life into BBC America and did some good work at Auntie Beeb before that.  The guy seems straightforward and slightly in awe at the job that has fallen in his lap.

ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee talks to critics on Sunday.

“I think there’s a whole load of brand equity there,” Lee told critics, referring to the hits ABC has built over the past few years.

Yes, having new blood at the top can be a very good thing, unless you happen to be the producers and stars of one of the new shows premiering  during 2010-2011. None of the new dramas and comedies set to premiere in fall or midseason, including “Mr. Sunshine” starring erstwhile “Friend” Matthew Perry (who experienced a legendarily awkward moment himself) are Lee’s babies.

Lee has also proven that his love for his own discoveries does not blind him to the reality of ratings, which he cited himself when he professed his adoration for “The Middle Man,” a wonderful ABC Family series that was cancelled after one season. If he’s willing to do that with a show running on cable, where the stakes aren’t nearly as high as they are on network…well, let’s just say the new showrunners must be quaking in their boots.  The ratings and creative development of every new show will be under scrutiny, but we’re betting Lee will be closely watching the following…

– “Detroit 1-8-7.” This raw, dark cop drama starring Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel originally adopted a documentary format to take us into the stories of homicide detectives in the Motor City. Producers wisely decided to scrap that approach following a real incident in Detroit in which a reality show crew was filming a police raid that resulted in the death of a young girl.

ABC hasn’t had outstanding luck finding a successful police procedural since “NYPD Blue” left the air, but it’s tough to see how this series will find its place in a lineup that leans toward escapist entertainment. Also telling was that Lee mentioned his admiration for “Criminal Minds” at least twice during his session, a show “1-8-7″ doesn’t resemble in the least.

– “No Ordinary Family.” Although Michael Chiklis did his best to deflect inevitable comparisons to “Heroes” and “The Incredibles,” this is a show about a family that develops superpowers. Let’s be honest with ourselves.

Then again, one understands completely why Chiklis would want to differentiate “Family” from “Heroes,” give the way that NBC show ended with a whimper. “Family’s” task will be to remind parents and kids of a time when everyone  sat down together and watched shows like “The Greatest American Hero” or “Lois & Clark.”  This is a tall order considering the mediocrity of the pilot, which was only saved by the presence of Romany Malco, the comedic sidekick to Chiklis’s invulnerable strong man.  Lee’s experience with light genre series like this could work in “Family’s” favor, giving the writers time to work out the kinks.

– All of the new comedies. Lee is head over heels in love with “Modern Family” (with good reason) and well-aware that his job will be to strengthen the Wednesday night beachhead it has established. But the comedy on deck for fall, “Better with You,” gets off to a terrible start.  ABC wisely has two more sitcoms waiting in the wings for midseason: “Happy Endings,” an ensemble comedy (that includes Elisha Cuthbert) about an aborted wedding that threatens to cause a rift in a group of friends, and the Matthew Perry vehicle “Mr. Sunshine,” about the wacky hijinks that occur in the day-to-day life of an arena manager.  “Endings” is better than “Sunshine,” but can you think of the last time ABC scored with one of its midseason comedies?…We can’t either. (Sorry, “Better Off Ted” does not count.)

– “My Generation.” Another faux-doc drama, this one with a then-and-now concept, looks at a group of young, beautiful people who graduated high school in Austin, TX., in 2000 but, surprise surprise, turned out very differently ten years later.  It’s ABC’s Thursday night lead-in and could hit home with millennials, but the pilot isn’t particularly exciting. If it doesn’t show signs of life early on, we won’t be talking about it for very long.

More in line with ABC’s brand are the legal drama “The Whole Truth,” and “Body of Proof.”  Maura Tierney, looking very healthy following her bout with cancer, took over the prosecutor’s role in  “The Whole Truth”  after Joely Richardson dropped out, and critics have yet to see how well she pairs with Rob Morrow, who plays a dogged defense attorney and her main adversary.

“Body” is Dana Delany‘s drama about a top neurosurgeon turned medical examiner after an accident destroys her ability to operate. Both shows share a much more common problem of tough timeslots; Delany’s drama is on Fridays, a night ABC previously left to “Supernanny,” “Wife Swap,” and “20/20.”  “The Whole Truth,” meanwhile, is being sent up against tough competition in the 10 o’clock Wednesday night timeslot.

Other news from Sunday:

–In a case you didn’t click on that link up top,  Matthew Perry spun comedy gold out of what was a deeply weird question that baited him to talk smack about fellow “Friend” David Schwimmer, who the questioner pointed out hasn’t appeared in TV much (save for guest spots on shows like “30 Rock” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”). Perry pointed out that Schwimmer’s been directing and doing theater — “that lame stuff — and later said of his own break into film, “You can tell how successful the movies were by the fact that I’m here.”

If he could channel half of the humor powering that panel into his pilot, Perry might have something.

– During a coffee break, “Modern Family” e.p. Steven Levitan announced to a group of reporters that Nathan Lane would guest star next season as Cam and Mitch’s pal Pepper. Those who watch the show are familiar with the name…should be fun.

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter for TCA Press Tour news (and snark)  served directly from the source.

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You may not know what you’ve won, mind you, but what does it matter? It’s an open bar function with dim sum and pizza, followed by tiny desserts when the show’s over. Most attractive to the stars and producers who show up? No red carpet. The fun part for the critics is casually mingling with the people who make shows we like so much that we voted to have them here. In a sense, the TCA Awards are the small way we try to make up for the grave omissions made by Emmy and the Golden Globes each year.

But last night’s awards ceremony, the 26th in the organization’s history, was particularly special for a number of reasons.

It marked the first time that Dax Shepard hosted an awards ceremony, an honor he handled with aplomb and no shortage of nervousness — which is to say he went off script quite a few times and had the room in stitches.

It also marked the last time Damon Lindelof would appear for “Lost,” and he entertained the room by reading a number of the angry tweets he received following the finale.  For the record, it looked like Lindelof also teared up when he accepted his award; he explained that it meant a lot because TV critics were the first supporters of “Lost” and in most cases, stuck with the series through its bittersweet end.

TCA awards night happened to coincide with “Modern Family” star  Rico Rodriguez’s 12th birthday, and a room full of critics sang “Happy Birthday” to him along with the casts of “Breaking Bad,” “Glee,” and Tom Hanks, who gracefully showed up to accept an award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries & Specials for “The Pacific.”

In fact, Hanks even stuck around afterwards to chat with critics and take a few pictures with “Yo Gabba Gabba’s!” stars Foofa, Plex, Toodee, Muno and Brobee, who made a surprise appearance to accept their second TCA award for Outstanding Children’s programming.  Say what you will about the overall cultural impact of this organization’s small slabs of Lucite — you won’t see anything that cool at the Emmys.

Here is the full list of 2010′s TCA Award recipients, taken from the press release:

• PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Glee” (FOX)
• OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “Glee” (FOX)
• INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Jane Lynch, “Glee” (FOX)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “Modern Family” (ABC)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: TIE – “Lost” (ABC) and “Breaking
Bad” (AMC)
• INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
(CBS)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “Life”
(Discovery)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING: “Yo Gabba
Gabba” (NICK JR.)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES & SPECIALS: “The
Pacific” (HBO)
• HERITAGE AWARD: “M*A*S*H*” (CBS)
• CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: James Garner

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It has been a long time since anyone who cares about TV took NBC very seriously. From the top down, the network spent more than a decade making a hobby of ruining its brand and trashing its relationship with viewers.

But what’s done is done…we hope.

On Friday, network executives Angela Bromstad and Jeff Gaspin humbly expressed their hope that viewers are willing to get over the multiple betrayals and move forward. Join us, they said in so many words, won’t you?

This fall NBC has a couple of decent shows — and the guts to let “30 Rock” air a live episode on October 14 — so they’re not completely blowing smoke. That said, none of the critics here seem particularly excited about NBC’s new crop. The J.J. Abrams-created romantic spy dramedy  “Undercovers” is a bit of an exception; most poeple seem to like it, but even that excitement is slightly muted.

Instead, as we watched most the new candidates make their cases onstage, we couldn’t help thinking of Dick Wolf’s fresh quote on a TV show’s life expectancy. Among the seven new series NBC showcased, only “Undercovers” has a pilot indicating the show could have the goods to make it to a May finale.  Another, “The Event,” is already pleading for your faith that it knows where it’s going, and a third, “Outlaw,” is banking on the audience’s decades-long love affair with Jimmy Smits. The L.A. version of “Law & Order” is still casting and, according to Wolf, still figuring out what it’s going to look and feel like.

Then there’s “Outsourced” and “Chase“…we’ll rip into those in a bit.

First up was a panel for “The Event,” which is a show about…honestly, I can’t tell you. It’s not that I’ve been sworn to secrecy, it’s that the pilot is fairly elaborate and involves a lot of time jumping, a guy running from security on what it supposed to be a pleasure cruise, and a crisis involving an airplane. People have mixed feelings on “The Event,” largely born out of “24” and “Lost” fatigue.

The executive producers were careful to let us know, many times, that the inciting moment that occurs in the pilot will be explained in the second episode, and that the writers do not intend to drag things out like a certain other show. One even went so far as to call the premiere an “invitation” to the series.”

“You have to go on faith that we know what we’re doing,” said series creator Nick Wauters. “We will reveal as many answers as we can and set up more mysteries.”

Here’s the flaw in that plan. If people do not care about what happens in the pilot, they will not be back for the second episode.  Meaning, the producers are putting a lot of faith in the audience’s patience for mysterious shenanigans.

In contrast, “Undercovers” grabs you, drops you right in the middle of the party for an hour and then gives you the option of heading for the door, which is what any well-made pilot should do.  “Lost” followers might be a bit taken aback by its light, frothy tone (courtesy of E.P. and “Felicity” alum Josh Reims)  but overall the first hour gives us multiple payoffs immediately. There are two gorgeous leads (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw), there’s the crisp and humorous script and heavy dollops of action.

Then came Wolf, who gave no clear indication that “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (or LOLA, as NBC would like us to call it) would be remarkably different from the classic version. That would be fine, about ten years ago. There are a few reasons “Law & Order” died following one of the longest runs on television history; one is that the franchise has saturated the cable TV schedule thanks to syndicated cycles. There is never, ever a day that you can’t find at least two “Law & Order” episodes playing somewhere. While that’ s a testament to the franchise’s success, its also proof that Wolf might want to update its tone. He’s a smart man, he knows this.

As such, we’re betting “Law & Order: LA” will look more like the “NCIS’s” and “Criminal Minds” of the world, with more action and fewer Dragnet-style, “just the facts, ma’am” moments. One exciting item that came out of Friday’s panel was the hire of Terrence Howard as the second Deputy District Attorney, a position he’ll split with Alfred Molina. Each will appear in half of the first season’s episodes.

Wolf’s appearance represented the apex of the day. The afternoon brought “Outsourced,” an alleged comedy about an American manager who is ordered to head up a call center in India.  The cast includes Diedrich Bader, an actor who has not let his relative success get in the way of his charming personality. One desires nothing but success for Bader. One also wishes he were in any show but this one.

There are a number of problems with “Outsourced,” although a favorite theme of Friday’s panel had to do with the perceived stereotypes in the pilot. Two more prevalent issues, however, became apparent when one critic told the producers that he had to show the pilot to his teenage son to gauge whether it was funny or offensive. The man said his son informed him that it was funny because it’s offensive.  I submit that a) it is neither absolutely offensive nor at all funny, and b) if you have to ask anyone else, regardless of age,  if a sitcom pilot is funny, the pilot doesn’t work.

“Chase” is a different animal, basically an NBC version of a high-velocity CBS procedural. Kelli Giddish heads up a team of U.S. Marshals whose job is to track and capture a dangerous criminal every week, which leads to a lot of scenes that have Giddish’s and fellow castmate Cole Hauser‘s’ characters getting inside the heads of the felons in order to guess where they’re going. Unless you’re a fan of that procedural style, this show will not be for you.

One bad sign for “Chase” is that this writer was in a minority of critics who admitted, out loud, that they liked the pilot (even if I would not go out of my way to watch subsequent episodes).  Then again, many critics couldn’t stand “Criminal Minds” when it first came to TCA. Look at where that ended up.

Other highlights of from Friday:

– NBC’s executives made a few special announcements about adjustments to the fall schedule, including early premieres for “Parenthood” (now starting its new season on September 14) and new series “Outlaw” (debuting 9/15). “Law & Order: SVU” will get a two-hour premiere on 9/22, leaving “Law & Order: LA” to bow on 9/29.

– Rob Lowe is officially a series regular on “Parks and Recreation,” and Drew Carey will make a multi-episode guest appearance on “Community.”

– Fall will include a test of how well the audience loves Jimmy Smits.  Yes, he was darn sexy in “L.A. Law,” and he even mentioned Victor Sifuentes during “Outlaw’s” panel, but that was a long time ago. Plus,  “Law” operated on a far less ridiculous premise than a womanizing  Supreme Court justice with a gambling problem (??) who quits (!!!) to defend people caught up in hopeless cases. Oh, Jimmy…good luck with the Nielsen ratings jury on that one.

– “School Pride,” an unscripted series executive produced by “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Cheryl Hines, would likely be called “Extreme Makeover: High School Edition” if it were on ABC, because that’s what it is. Each week a crew goes to a different inner city school lacking decent facilities and gives it a structural and cosmetic upgrade.  It’s a heartstrings-tugger with its intentions in the right place. Yet to be proven is if it’s a good fit for this network.

– There was no presentation for “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” but chef’testants were on hand to present four delicious, eye-popping creations, including a margarita truffle and a bite-sized lemon meringue treat topped by sparkling blueberries. This made the announcement of the “Ghost Hunters“/”Real Housewives of Atlanta” crossover event much more palatable.

Next up: ABC.

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter to get the latest breaking information on Fall TV developments as they’re announced at TCA.

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Without Press Tour, however, think of all the wrangling they’d have to do when major TV news implosions occur. Phones would be ringing off the hook. Reporters would be jockeying for position and screaming if they don’t get the story angles they want when they want it. Mass hysteria.

Tour is also something of a mixed blessing for TV writers. Entertainment business news is breaking all the time, but it certainly seems to go nuclear when most of us are brought together in a hotel ballroom. Often the news is very inside baseball, such as the sudden resignation of ABC Entertainment head Steve McPherson on the first day of Tour, followed shortly by trade reports that he was the subject of a sexual harrassment probe. Critics care because McPherson’s the guy we talk to about ABC’s lineup, and as such, some of us like to imagine we have something of a relationship with him.

So things of this nature happen, we express shock! (Not really.) Alarm! (Actually, executives get spectacularly booted all the time. Right, Ben Silverman?) Then we sharpen our knives for the network’s executive session. Sadly, the word is that ABC isn’t having one. (UPDATE: On Friday ABC announced that ABC Family’s Paul Lee had officially been named as McPherson’s successor, so there will be a short  session on Sunday after all.)

This news has very little impact on the typical viewer. As such, it was quickly swept under the rug when Fox’s (highly orchestrated?) “Idol” bombshell exploded late this afternoon in the form of a Variety story announcing Ellen DeGeneres‘ sudden and not altogether surprising exit, either by choice or by force. That, people care about.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.  “Idol” dominated the early evening news, but Showtime opened the day with four panels, three of them actually worth our time.

The day started with a tour of “The Big C,“  which stars Laura Linney and officially premieres August 16, although you can watch the pilot right now. In the half-hour dramedy, Linney plays a woman who receives a cancer diagnosis and decides to take what time she has left and live it to the fullest.

Whether the show becomes a hit depends largely on how much people are willing to spend time with a character who may be outlandish and hilarious, but is dying before their eyes.  It’s a tough sell. But there’s no denying the cast’s chemistry and the absolute luminosity of Laura Linney. The entire panel was something of an eat-pray-love fest as the stars talked about the beauty of living in the now. After Oliver Platt asked, “Why do we start to live beautifully when we get a death sentence?” and Gabourey Sidibe pointed out, “whatever plan you have for your life, you are wrong a lot of times,” it was hard not to commit for at least a few installments.

Once that panel’s high wore off, though, I remembered a vexing truth about Showtime comedies: they’re not particularly funny. “Comedy” seems to be a term the premium cable channel uses because it’s more succinct than “half-hour oddity,” or “30-minute award nomination bait.”

Happily we were reminded of that by watching the clip for “Episodes,” an upcoming comedy about a disastrous American remake of a nice British series.  The clip reel was genuinely hilarious, and what exchanges we saw between series star Matt LeBlanc and his British co-stars Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan were gut-busting.

Executive producers and writers David Crane (“Friends”) and Jeffrey Klarik (“The Class”) consistently made us giggle as they described the horrific sausage making process a series goes through as its churned through the Hollywood machine, which is precisely what “Episodes” is about. It’s a shame we have to suffer through a slew of substandard comedies this fall while we wait for it; “Episodes” premieres in January.

Keep reading for more details on “Dexter” and a breakdown of the CW panels.

Before “Episodes,” key cast and producers from “Dexter” took the stage and told us absolutely nothing about the numerous guest stars set to appear this season, a list that includes Julia Stiles, Shawn Hatosy, Peter Weller and Katherine Moennig. But what they did say is a) this season is about “atonement,” b) Julie Benz will be back in some capacity, but not as a ghost because Harry is the sole owner of that territory;  lastly,  c) Dexter’s fellow cops are getting very suspicious of him.

In short, Showtime continues to be worth the extra charge on our cable bills. With time, its series may get bigger ratings than some of their network counterparts…well, at least the ones on The CW.

This is not to imply the tiniest network is set for a middling fall. It’s premiering two new shows, and each stand a good chance of finding an audience.

“Nikita” has enjoyed positive buzz since critics received the pilot a few weeks ago, and Maggie Q‘s friendliness pretty much completed the seduction. In fact, many were so charmed by Miss Quigley that they were able to forgive and forget the fact that series executive producer McG, who professed an affection for empowering female characters, was the man responsible for giving The Pussycat Dolls a TV show that lasted for two cycles.

This could have something to do with the fact that in the posters for “Nikita,” she’s holding a gun and wearing a tight bodysuit that shows off a tattoo on her hip. A real tattoo. That touched off about ten minutes of conversation about her tats and what they mean, which is what happens when a gorgeous model-slash-action-star gets a decent pilot nobody wants to bad mouth.

“Hellcats” also could be largely critic-proof because the pilot that looks and feels like a standard CW show, and should be helped along by the fact that it stars Ashley Tisdale, aka “High School Musical‘s” Sharpay. Good fit is everything with this boutique network.

The main piece that everything else seems to hang off of is “Gossip Girl,” which opens the season with a two-episode Paris fling that pulls Clemence Poesy in for a guest star stint. Executive producer Stephanie Savage also said that Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) is returning, and we will be seeing more of her “in more ways than one.”

As we were settling into “Gossip” bliss, BAM! The “Idol” tweet went out.

So, as in life, Fox trumped The CW yet again…and that network’s turn isn’t until next week. However, “Idol” has a long tradition of giving gossipy gifts to Press Tour, and Fox publicists had hinted that several key announcements about the judges panel would be made on Monday.

As Day 2 came to a close, other “Idol” morsels leaked into the press, including the far from surprising report that Kara DioGuardi also got cut, and that the new panel would consist of Randy Jackson and…Jennifer Lopez? And Steven Tyler?

Follow IMDbTV on Twitter to get TCA news as it breaks.

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Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco. Courtesy of WireImage.

Sometimes skepticism gets in the way of everyone’s enjoyment.  This idea occupies the same flavor territory as “ignorance is bliss.” It is a vote for the willful flooding of the brain with seratonin and other happiness-inducing substances, something that often happens when we turn off the internal mechanisms that regulate intellect in favor of turning on,  say, G4′s late night programming.

The next eleven days are not part of this idea. At the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, currently underway at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA.,  skepticism hangs heavily in the air. There are a couple hundred of us here, and we’ve seen the fall pilots. Not only that, we get to confront the people who are bringing them to us — executives, producers, and the stars — and find out what they were thinking.

That, in essence, is the point of TCA: to look under the hood of each network’s programming and see whether the new fall crew has any hope, or if old favorites are worth sticking with. A pilot can look perfectly fine, but unless the people writing it know what they’re doing, it won’t have a chance as a series. The opposite can be true as well; “30 Rock’s” pilot, for example, was mediocre. That’s putting it kindly. But after a chat with Tina Fey, it was easy to have faith that it would improve. Midway through the first season, it did.

All of this is in service of you, the television viewer. You know how difficult it is to decide what to watch in the best of circumstances. Now the networks and cable channels want you to make room for new series, most of which won’t make it through the winter.

Mind you, there are a few CBS shows that we can say, with a degree of certainty, that you’ll be happy to load onto your DVR.  CBS’s new crop looks fairly typical and as such, its TCA day was generally painless and free of controversy…save for the panel for “$#*! My Dad Says.” Even that wasn’t awful, per se; rather, it did precisely what a TCA panel is supposed to do. It showed us why that show, in its present incarnation,  is destined to crash and burn.

At one point, “$#*!” executive producer Max Mutchnick explained how he and David Kohan came to be a part of the project by saying, and this is a real quote, “We got involved because, when we heard this and we read about this, we saw Justin’s beautiful tw*ts.” Yes, that’s right — he referred to tweets by using a vulgar reference to female genitalia. And he kept on doing it.

By the time Mutchnick tried to correct himself by calling tweets “twits” and about the 10th time series star William Shatner referred to it as “The Twitter,” the panel had lost control of the room.  It was a beautiful cringeworthy moment.

Overall, CBS started the day with its greatest assets and stumbled on down the mountain from there.  Keep reading for the full diary.

“The Big Bang Theory“ presented the very first panel of the Tour, a welcome entry at 9:15 a.m. While it’s no surprise that the stars Jim Parsons,  Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar and Johnny Galecki were happy to bask in the love-fest — a rare commodity in a room full of critics — even executive producer Chuck Lorre was in a pretty good mood. And why not? Not only is “Big Bang” moving to Thursdays, a TV network programmer’s ultimate show of faith, but Lorre has another series premiering in the fall,  “Mike & Molly,” which is getting a relatively warm reception.

Fans will be happy to know that “Big Bang” plans to have a number of familiar guest stars return, including Melissa Rauch and, happily, the very evil, very funny Wil Wheaton.

Also returning is Mayim Bialik, whose character Amy Farrah Fowler is set to have “a very specific relationship” with Sheldon. Interesting.

Billy Gardell and Reno Wilson. Courtesy of WireImage

Moving on to “Mike & Molly,” a comedy starring Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy, things became a tad awkward as some critics tried to dance around the fact that the stars happen to be overweight.

In fact, nobody actually wanted to use the word “fat” or talk about fat jokes until Gardell, a plain-spoken comedian, essentially gave us permission to do so.

“Of course I think I’d like to lose some weight,” he said, talking about his size.  “I mean, everybody’d like to be a little bit better than they are, you know, but everybody has a different tick, man.  Mine just happens to be pizza.”

When the room stayed silent, he quickly added, “It’s okay.  You can laugh at that.  I’ve got a mirror.  Lighten up.”

The core of “Mike & Molly” is a very sweet love story about people trying to move forward in their lives, and that sweetness permeates the pilot. But as both McCarthy and Gardell point out, it also takes the unusual step of putting two plus-sized actors at the center of a show.

Gardell observed, “when you’re a fat guy in Hollywood, you’re the bad guy, the cop, or the neighbor.  That’s what you’re doing.  ‘Bring them to me!’ ‘You kids get out of here!’ ‘He’s going to kill us both!’” he vamped as the room broke up with laughter.

Given that experience, to be one of the leads in a CBS comedy is “like I got the Willy Wonka ticket, you know? ‘Run, Charlie.  Run home as fast as you can.’”

“Mike & Molly” could be a tougher sell at first, but “Hawaii Five O” is one of those pilots kissed by fortune and good buzz from the jump.  From the moment Alex O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park were named to the cast, people have been curious about this show. (TV superfans, by the way, were likely just as excited to hear James Marsters and Norman Reedus would appear as the bad guys.)

The only negatives critics could pick at had to do with the pilot’s violence, and it’s true: a lot of auxiliary characters get shot in that first hour. Take into account that this is an action series on CBS, a network that climbed to the top of the ratings on miles of simulated entrails courtesy of “CSI,” and it’s not really a big deal. The scenery is beautiful, and the theme song lovingly resurrected by the same musicians who recorded it the first time.

Also — and this is very important to a number of people — it looks like it’ll keep O’Loughlin on the air for more than half a season.  Remember, he’ s the star of “Moonlight” and “Three Rivers,”  so CBS has gotten his hopes up before. But with “Hawaii Five-O,” “There’s something special about it,” he admits. “I mean, if this one doesn’t go, I’ll be completely bewildered. I mean, I’ll have no idea how television works at all.”

Those represent CBS’s winners. Another entry, “Blue Bloods,” could go either way. Many agree it’s a well-made pilot, but the actors could not get their New York accents straight.  The one thing everyone could get behind is that it gets points for bringing Tom Selleck back to network television.  Meanwhile, Selleck was quick to assure us that while “Blue Bloods” is fine and dandy, he still intends to produce more Jesse Stone movies.  Great news for your Aunt Doris!

Further down the slide is “The Defenders,” a show starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell. Both showed up and answered random questions about sets and their enjoyment of gambling, which is what happens when a show is so painful to watch that nobody in the room really wants to engage in a meaningful discussion about it. Rather, we were left to contemplate the shelf-life of a series that represents the meeting of a showkiller (O’Connell) and a man at the center of an unkillable sitcom (Belushi). The good news is Belushi is more fun and palatable here than he was in “According to Jim.” Unfortunately it’s still not a very good show.

Mind you, at least the armada of producers behind “The Defenders” had an inkling of how to present the subject matter. They compared well to “$#*! My Day Says’” executive producers  Mutchnick and Kohan, who clearly have no idea how Twitter works and as such, probably should not be driving the “$#*! My Dad Says” party bus.

A lack basic understanding of Twitter isn’t the problem here, though — that tidbit simply illustrates the producers’ overall cluelessness.  The main issue is that the real Shatner is far goofier and more engaging than the old guy he’s portraying. The pilot is being re-cast, but unless the producers drastically rewrite the script, we predict this will be one of fall’s first flushes. No, we couldn’t resist.

Thus ended Day 1. Day 2 represents the CBS Corp. cleanup, including Showtime and The CW.

You can follow what Mutchnick would call our “beautiful tw*ts” at http://twitter.com/IMDbTV, where we tweet the freshest TCA news as soon as we get it.

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This year, however, there was more cheering than griping. Some would say this is not necessarily a “new” idea, since the tides seemed to turn our way last year — meaning, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences voters’ tastes may have at long last aligned with critics and the public’s.  Let’s give an example:  A few years ago, most people would have expected Emmy voters to snub “Lost” in its final season. Perhaps the thought would be that it was too complex for its own good or, having won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama in 2005, that its moment had already been acknowledged.

But “Lost” will get its shot in the category once again, alongside CBS’s deserving new series “The Good Wife,”  HBO’s fan favorite “True Blood” (which began to soar, creatively speaking, in its second season), Showtime’s “Dexter,” and AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men,” a two-time winner already.

Nominees for Best Actress in a Drama include the usual suspects ( as in  “The Closer’s” Kyra Sedgwick, “Damages’” Glenn Close, and “Law & Order: SVU’s” Mariska Hargitay), the easily predictable but deserving nomination for “The Good Wife’s” Julianna Margulies…and hello, January Jones! “Man Men’s” Betty Draper showed a variety of colors last year, and Jones took the storyline and ran away with it.

Our next gift-wrapped present: Fox’s “Glee,” a welcome addition to the Outstanding Comedy mix (just one of its 19 nominations) and another one of those no-brainers that probably would have come up empty on past nomination rounds.  ABC’s “Modern Family,” on the other hand, was a shoo-in,  and joins past winners “30 Rock” and “The Office,” both on NBC, as well as Showtime’s dark half-hour “Nurse Jackie” and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Among “Glee’s” nominations were individual nods for Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison in actress and actor categories.

Also very much expected was the nominations avalanche for HBO’s “The Pacific.” The premium cable channel’s latest World War II epic racked up 24 nods, nearly a quarter of HBO’s total of 101. That also means that for a straight decade, HBO has led in total nominations.  (Since HBO has had a pretty good year, we’re not yawning this time.)

A complete list of Emmy nominees is, of course, available here.

This is not to imply that everything’s rosy in TV Land today. The voters are getting more things right these days, but Emmy being Emmy, there are enough snubs each year to make TV fans groan loudly and painfully. Here are but a few.

Katey Sagal in "Sons of Anarchy"

1. No Best Actress in a Drama nod for “Sons of Anarchy’s” Katey Sagal. Now, while this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with Emmy’s habits — we’ll elaborate in a moment — Sagal gave a beautifully multifaceted performance as SAMCRO’s matriarch Gemma Teller Morrow. We won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the second season yet, but Sagal took an incredibly difficult plot twist and a controversial treatment of its aftermath, and handled it with dignity, fragility and in the final moments of the season, a sense of controlled power.

The problem is that the second season opener of FX’s “Sons” was overwhelmingly difficult to watch, even for diehard fans, because of what happened to Sagal’s character. The way she dealt with it in subsequent episodes may have rubbed people the wrong way. Emmy voters tend to behave more cautiously than the average viewer. In other words, Katey probably knew she would be sleeping in this morning.

2. No nomination for “Modern Family’s” Ed O’Neill. Given the above snub, we’re wary about mentioning some alleged “Married with Children” curse, but someone should give this kind of omission an official name. How about, the  Eva Longoria Parker Snub? As in, the kind of snub where everyone else in the cast gets nominated, but you come up empty?

Not that we’re quibbling with the nods for Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Plus, whenever Sofia Vergara says “cop-cake,” this writer giggles. (I am not the giggling type, so that has to be worth something.)  But honestly — why not show Ed some love?  We all love Duckie, but did Jon Cryer really need to get nominated again?  Discuss.

3. “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” — denied! “Survivor” is another past winner and frequent nominee in the reality competition category, but this season was arguably one of the best in the show’s history. Even if you want to debate that point,  one thing you’d be hard-pressed to defend is Emmy’s choice of “Project Runway” over “Survivor.”  Did “Project Runway” ever deserve an Emmy? Of course. Does the most recent season deserve it? Uh…no.

4. No love for any of the leads from “The Pacific.” Yes, the miniseries led HBO’s pack in terms of total nominations. Yes, the odds that viewers watching the Emmys telecast will get the chance to see Jon Seda, James Badge Dale and Joseph Mazzello on the stage at some point are rather high. That does not lessen the sting for anyone who watched these men make us gasp  and tear up for 10 episodes. Additionally, while it’s hard to feign surprise that Rami Malek was left out of the supporting actor mix, we sure think he deserved to be acknowledged.

5. Ditto for anyone from the cast of “True Blood.” Again, Emmy voters, thanks for acknowledging the show. But maybe next year you’ll have seen enough to realize that what makes it so addictive are stellar performances from the likes of Alexander Skarsgård and Nelsan Ellis.  That’s OK, we’ll wait.

But let’s give credit where credit is due. There are some snubs that we’re completely fine with.

Thank you, Emmy, for leaving Katherine Heigl out this time around, giving someone who actually appreciates having a job on a good TV show a shot at some hardware.

Bless you, Emmy, for giving the Heisman hand to Jay Leno in favor of a nod to “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.” Surely that scored big points with Team Coco.

We are also completely fine with you denying major category recognition to Charlie Sheen, “24“, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Family Guy” and, although it seems odd to credit you for doing so, “Jersey Shore.” Admit it, voters. You know you thought about pandering to the kids.

Your turn: Were you satisfied with this round of Emmy nominations?

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