Emmy inside track: The race for TV drama series

Our message board moderators agree that three TV shows are seriously in the Emmy running for outstanding drama series: "Mad Men," "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Good Wife."

Matthew Cormier and Marcus Dixon back "Boardwalk Empire," which won best drama series at the Golden Globes and best ensemble drama series at the SAG Awards earlier this year. Chris Beachum, Darrin Dortch, Rob Licuria and Matt Noble pick "Mad Men" to win for a fourth year in a row.

Curiously, all six moderators rank "Boardwalk Empire" and "Mad Men" in their top two positions — and they all rank "The Good Wife" in third place.

"The Good Wife" has several strong pluses. For starters, it's a hit legal-eagle show in the tradition of past winners "The Practice" and "L.A. Law." It airs on a broadcast TV channel (CBS). Broadcast channels employ the vast majority of the 14,000 members of the TV academy, and they haven't won best drama series since 2006 ("24"). Futhermore, it's airing new episodes right now, so it's fresh in the minds of Emmy voters. "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire" are old news, having aired in late 2010.

Nominations will be unveiled July 14, winners Sept. 18.

— Tom O'Neil

DRAMA SERIES	Beachum	Cormier	Dixon	Dortch	Licuria	Noble
‘Big Love’						6
‘Boardwalk Empire’	2	1	1	2	2	2
‘Dexter’	4	5	4	4	4	4
‘Friday Night Lights’			6	5		5
‘Game of Thrones’	6		5
‘The Good Wife’	3	3	3	3	3	3
‘In Treatment’		6
‘The Killing’	5	4			5
‘Mad Men’	1	2	2	1	1	1
‘Sons of Anarchy’				6
‘The Walking Dead’					6

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Photos: "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO), "Mad Men" (AMC), "The Good Wife" (CBS)

Comments

[Andrea]

Boardwalk Empire is alright. Mad Men is exhausting. I wish the Good Wife luck over media's infatuation with cavalier White male characters tormenting women, minorities, and kinder members of their own sex. Exulting those two shows worries me about what White men in Hollywood and media really want to see in fantasy projected.

I excuse the violence of some of the other shows listed because they just don't rile up White male entertainment and media cheerleaders as much as the characterizations and themes that Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire does.

Boardwalk Empire is rather boring compared to a lot of shows listed. Do we have to suck up to Scorcese and fawn over Boardwalk Empire because he's an elite?.