Mad Men Snags 2 Million Viewers -- Does That Make It a Hit?

I read an article this morning about AMC's critically acclaimed, Emmy nominated Mad Men receiving nearly 2 million viewers for it's second season opener. The article started with the line "Maybe Don Draper will become a household name after all."

Um -- when did 2 million viewers translate into household name? That's less than half the viewers than ABC's High School Musical reality show and ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenager, and less than a third of USA's In Plain Sight. Can you name any of the characters on those shows? I think Don Draper may have a ways to go before he reaches "household name" status.

Don't get me wrong -- Mad Men is one of my favorite shows on TV, and I want nothing more than for it to become a mammoth hit and win tons of Emmy Awards. But no show in recent memory (save, perhaps, the fifth and final season of HBO's brilliant The Wire) has received such universal support from the nation's critics. This show has been everywhere -- newspapers, magazines, TV shows. If all of that publicity can only muster up 1 million more viewers than the show was averaging last year, can these new Nielsen numbers really be considered all that promising?

Thoughts?

Predicting the Emmy Award Nominations: Best Drama

All this week I'll be predicting who will receive Emmy Award nominations, based on the Top 10 lists that were revealed by theenvelope.com. Stay tuned for more categories!

*Who will be nominated
+Who should be nominated

All this week I'll be predicting who will receive Emmy Award nominations, based on the Top 10 lists that were revealed by theenvelope.com. Stay tuned for more categories!

*Who will be nominated
+Who should be nominated

*+"Lost"
*+"Mad Men"
"Grey's Anatomy"
+"Friday Night Lights"
*+"The Wire"
"Dexter"
+"Damages"
*"Boston Legal"
"The Tudors"
*"House"

PREDICTING THE EMMY AWARD NOMINEES: ALL CATEGORIES

January Premiere Dates -- Idol, Lost, Gladiators, The Wire and More

With no end in sight to the Writer's Strike, here's a list of January premiere dates (courtesy of TVGuide.com) for shows that will hopefully keep us entertained until the strike is resolved.

PS. I've put asterisks next to the shows I'll be watching and blogging about.

PPS. Writers, producers -- please resolve this strike. Soon!

Friday, Jan. 4
8 pm 1 vs 100 (NBC)
8 pm Flash Gordon (season resumes; Sci Fi Channel)
9 pm How to Look Good Naked (makeover series; Lifetime)
10 pm Stargate Atlantis (season resumes; Sci Fi Channel)

Sunday, Jan. 6
**9 pm American Gladiators (new unscripted; then airs Mondays at 8; NBC)
**9 pm The L Word (Showtime)
**9 pm The Wire (HBO)
**10 pm Cashmere Mafia (ABC; then airs Wednesdays at 10)

Monday, Jan. 7
**8 pm Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (six-week series; ABC)
**10 pm Medium (NBC)

Tuesday, Jan. 8
**9 pm One Tree Hill (two-hour season premiere; The CW)

Wednesday, Jan. 9
9 pm Ghost Hunters International (new series; Sci Fi)

Thursday, Jan. 10
9 pm The First 48 (series returns, A&E)
10 pm Big Shots (season resumes; ABC)
**10 pm Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (new unscripted; VH1)
**10 pm Make Me a Supermodel (new unscripted; Bravo)

Friday, Jan. 11
9 pm Monk (USA Network)
10 pm Psych (USA Network)

Sunday, Jan. 13
**8 pm Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (then airs Mondays at 9; Fox)
9 pm Comanche Moon (three-night miniseries; CBS)
9 pm Rock of Love 2 (VH1)
Check local listings Masterpiece Theatre: Persuasion (PBS)

Monday, Jan. 14
8 pm Kyle XY (season resumes; ABC Family)
**8 pm Prison Break (season resumes; Fox)

Tuesday, Jan. 15
**8 pm American Idol (also airs Wednesdays at 8; Fox)
11 pm 10 Items or Less (TBS)

Wednesday, Jan. 16
10:30 pm Reno 911! (Comedy Central)

Sunday, Jan. 20
**10 pm Breaking Bad (new series; AMC)

Monday, Jan. 21
9 pm Wildfire (ABC Family)

Wednesday, Jan. 23
9 pm Moment of Truth (new quiz show; Fox)

Saturday, Jan. 26
8 pm Miss America: Reality Check (new unscripted; TLC)
9 pm Torchwood (BBC America)

Monday, Jan. 28
**9:30 pm In Treatment (new series, HBO)

Thursday, Jan. 31
**9 pm Lost (ABC)
**10 pm Eli Stone (new series; ABC)

Click to visit Idol Thought's AMERICAN IDOL CENTRAL for show recaps and rankings, news on former contestants, best-of lists and much more

HBO Will Examine The Wire In Back-to-Back Specials This Month

The Wire has been called the best show on television. I'm here to tell you -- it's true.

I've only seen the first three seasons of the HBO drama, which looks at the different, complex areas of life in Baltimore (drugs, the docks, politics, education, and the media), but I can definitively say it is truly transcendant, featuring some of the best writing I have ever experienced on TV. And don't get me started on the acting -- it's first-class from top to bottom.

After a Wire blackout, I'm happy to report that we are in for a Wire bonanza! First of all, the fourth season of the DVD is in stores today (I've already got mine!), and the fifth and final season of the show is set to premiere on January 6.

Now comes word, via a promo on HBO, there will be two specials, which "sit down with the creators, cast and journalists to find out where The Wire's been...and where it's going." The Wire: Odyssey and The Wire: Last Word will air on December 20 and 21 (times not specified).

Back to Baltimore...I can't wait!

Predicting the Emmys: Best Drama Series

I'm still giving my predictions for the 2007 Emmy Awards. Who was overlooked? Who should win? And who's gonna win?

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

Overlooked:
Friday Night Lights
Lost
Rescue Me
The Shield
The Wire

Should Win: The Sopranos

Will Win: The Sopranos

Potential Spoiler: Heroes

Believe it or not, The Sopranos, which many consider to be the best Drama series of all time, has only won one Emmy Award, back in 2004. It would be nothing short of shocking if the Academy didn't recognize the series one last time by giving it the top prize. Boston Legal doesn't stand a chance, House is more often acclaimed for Hugh Laurie than for the show itself, and the consensus is that Grey's Anatomy didn't have it's strongest season last year. That leaves newcomer Heroes as the only possible competition, but really...are they really going to deny Tony and co. one last shot at the gold? Fuhgeddaboutit.

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The Kill Point Gets My Vote For Best New Show of the Summer

Mad Men is great, and Damages rocks, but my vote for best new show of the summer goes to Spike TV's The Kill Point.

Spike TV? Who would have thunk it?

This 10-part series, starring John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg as the leader of a group of bank robbers and the hostage negotiator, respectively, was absolutely riveting from beginning to end. It was a more literate, more morally complex, more thrilling version of 24, and I loved every single second of it.

It all starts with the writing. This show featured characters that were such specific shades of grey that you absolutely didn't know what to make of them -- in a surprisingly satisfying way. I found myself identifying and then re-identifying who were the bad guys, only to discover I was rooting for the hostage takers and not the law enforcement. It used the Iraq war not as a convenient character device, but as a scarily impactful experience that informed every move this group of soldiers made. And it made you feel the plight of the hostages, and the ways it brought a very different group of people together, in a way last year's failed series The Nine never could. Watching a hostage who had fallen in love with her captor bang on the building to get back in after she had been let go was heartbreaking. Simply put, the writing was absolutely top notch.

Then there was the acting. From the top down there was interesting work being done, beginning with the startlingly charismatic John Leguizamo. He was compassionate, scary, vulnerable, showy -- everything you could possibly hope for. I hope he is remembered at next year's Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Miniseries. Wahlberg, too, was his usual sturdy self. It was also a kick to see several actors from The Wire, including JD Williams, my favorite Baltimore drug dealer.

But what makes this show earn my oh-so prestigious title of Best New Show is the fact that I never knew what was going to happen next. I watch a lot of tv -- I know the way things usually go. But The Kill Point didn't follow rules, and in so doing it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the very end.

You go, Spike TV. Let's see what you got for us next.

The Wire Star Lance Reddick Gets Lost

This bit of casting news probably won't mean much to the 99% of the population that are foolishly not watching HBO's The Wire, which is hands-down the best show on television, but for those who care...

Michael Ausiello from TVGuide.com is reporting that The Wire star Lance Reddick, who plays Lt. Daniels on the Baltimore crime drama, will play the recurring role of a corporate recruiter on the upcoming season of ABC's Lost. According to Ausiello, the casting notice for the role read "a very tall and thin corporate recruiter who is smart, capable and ruthless. He may smile and his words may sound soothing but their effect can send chills up your spine."

Sounds like Reddick to me!

Now, does anyone know when Season 4 of The Wire comes out on DVD??

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Predicting the Emmy Nominations: The Dramas

There's still about a month until this year's Emmy Award nominations are announced, but since the 2006-2007 television season has come to an end, I thought it would be fun to try and predict who will and won't make the cut.

This list actually includes two sets of predictions -- who I think should be nominated, and who I think will be nominated. First up -- the prizes for Best Drama, Best Actor and Actress in a Drama, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama. The rest of the categories will follow later in the week.

Best Drama Series
Will 24 be rewarded, even though last year's Best Drama had it's worst season yet? Will bad feelings about The Sopranos finale cause it to miss out on a nod? Will The Wire, hands down the best show on TV, or any of FX's dynamite shows (Rescue Me, The Shield, The Riches) make the cut? How about deserving newbies Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, and The Tudors?

Should Be Nominated:
Friday Night Lights
Grey's Anatomy
Lost
Rescue Me
The Wire

Will Be Nominated:
Friday Night Lights
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
Lost
The Sopranos

Best Actor in a Drama
Will 24's creative slump mean last year's champ Kiefer Sutherland will be left off the list? Will last year's egregious snub of Hugh Laurie be rectified this year? Will Kyle Chandler be rewarded for his superb work on Friday Night Lights? And how about other stars of freshman series, The Tudors' Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Dexter's Michael C. Hall?

Should Be Nominated:
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael Chiklis, The Shield
Matthew Fox, Lost
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me

Will Be Nominated:
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Best Actress in a Drama
For the first time in years The West Wing's Allison Janney is not eligible, which opens up at least one new spot on the list. Could that spot be taken by perpetual Emmy snubee Lauren Graham, whose show, Gilmore Girls, has made the switch from Comedy to Drama? Or what about Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell, whose beloved show was killed before it's time? Will former champs Mariska Hargitay and Patricia Arquette make the list again? And which of Brothers & Sisters leading ladies will get a nod?

Should Be Nominated:
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Calista Flockhart, Brothers & Sisters
Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy

Will Be Nominated:
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
You could fill this entire category with the cast of Friday Night Lights, but will Emmy recognize any of the incredibly naturalistic young actors? Will Walton Goggins garner a nod for his shattering work on this season of The Shield? And what about the men of Lost? Dominic Monaghan, Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim, Ian Cusick, Naveen Andrews, and Jorge Garcia are all worthy, but will any of their names be called on July 19?

Should Be Nominated:
Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights
Walton Goggins, The Shield
TR Knight, Grey's Anatomy
Dominic Monaghan, Lost
Scott Porter, Friday Night Lights

Will Be Nominated:
Michael Emerson, Lost
Walton Goggins, The Shield
TR Knight, Grey's Anatomy
Dominic Monaghan, Lost
Masi Oka, Heroes

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
This seems to be the hardest category to call, with almost a dozen deserving candidates in the mix. Chandra Wilson, Katherine Heigl, Kate Walsh, and Sandra Oh are all worthy contenders, but which of Grey's Anatomy's supporting ladies will make the cut? Will Gilmore Girls' Kelly Bishop finally get the recognition she deserves? And will Lost's newest cast member pick up a nomination?

Should Be Nominated:
Kelly Bishop, Gilmore Girls
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost
CCH Pounder, The Shield
Callie Thorne, Rescue Me

Will Be Nominated:
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
CCH Pounder, The Shield
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

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