We're all aware that the Oscars mark the dénouement of the movie season, but such a definitive moment is not as clear for television. With the Emmys in September, Golden Globe and SAG awards in January, TV seasons start and stop whenever they please - so how are we supposed to know the final word? Answer: right here and now. Ladies and gentleman, the first annual, 2009 Season Fin-Ali Awards (SFAAs).
The categories for winners:
Proof That There's Still Good Reality TV Out There - Survivor""
After the first few seasons, ""Survivor"" lost many of its viewers. The formula got old, the players got annoying and Jeff Probst became as big a tool as Ryan Seacrest. But for those few loyal fans still watching, ""Survivor"" recently became kind of good again. In its 17th installment, ""Survivor: Gabon"", the players were strategic and the underdogs found a way to overthrow the big alliance, which was what made the show great in the old days. Now that Rob and Amber have somewhat faded from memory, ""Survivor"" is safe to watch again.
Best Guest Star on a Show That Hasn't Yet Aired - Jon Hamm on ""30 Rock""
Put TV's biggest forces of 2008 together and how can it possibly go wrong? Watch this Thursday!
Best Season Finale -
""Meditations in an Emergency"", ""Mad Men""
After a darker, more turbulent second season, all the character arcs and plot lines came to a head against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Great drama and awesome acting from Elizabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser and John Hamm made for the best hour of TV drama this year.
The Biggest Winner is... - ""American Idol""
It's not television's best or most innovative show, but you've got to admire the consistency and success of the highest-rated show on television. The reason: audition week. Last week's auditions from the talented to the laughable made it really hard to turn off the TV. It's proof that as sophisticated as audiences have become, slapstick and the American dream will always win out - don't expect to see AI go anywhere in the next decade.
The categories for losers:
Show that got the biggest head from all of its Golden Globes/Emmys - ""30 Rock""
Tina Fey thinks just because she's the funniest, most likable female in the biz, she can just use her hit show to showcase guest stars and forgo any regular plot lines. Well, maybe she can, but not for much longer. Kenneth, Tracy and Jenna are all becoming caricatures, and Liz and Jack's adoption/CEO plotlines are fading from view. I pray ""30 Rock"" doesn't go the way of ""The Office.""
Show hit hardest by Obama's presidency - SNL
Sure, the presidential campaign material was brilliant. Sure, ""Jizz In My Pants"" is my ringtone. Sure, the current cast boasts a number of talented, funny individuals. But after Obama was elected and SNL realized there was nothing more to mock, all that's left are the tired Macgruber sketches and Kenan Thompson being really unfunny all the time.
Most overrated Best Actor on a TV show - Hugh Laurie on ""House""
This is the same argument I use for Mary Louise Parker on ""Weeds"" - while both are outstanding actors and deserve copious awards for their work, these particular roles are emotionally stilted and rarely go through any changes on their respective shows. Hugh Laurie is talented, but once you've seen one episode, you've seen them all.
The Biggest Loser is... - ""The Office""
It's becoming hard to watch. Steve Carell remains the only bright spot in what was once the funniest show on TV. Between killing a perfectly good plotline by dropping Holly, making Dwight go out of character with an annoying love-triangle and Pam and Jim getting painfully old, it will take a miracle to bring ""The Office"" (and NBC, judging from my list of losers) back to its glory days.
Do you think the Jim and Pam storyline will never get old and Jeff Probst has been too old to host a reality show since his second season of Survivor? E-mail Ali at rothschild@wisc.edu.
