NBC has prided itself on quality entertainment. With the advent of the Thursday night “Must-See” television, which began in the early ’80s with The Cosby Show, Cheers and Hill Street Blues and continued with Seinfeld, Fraiser, Friends, ER and Will & Grace NBC has topped the Emmy list year after year.
This year, NBC comes in second to HBO with 89 nominations. Friends (11 nominations) and Will & Grace (13) are neck and neck for best comedy series, while best drama contender The West Wing (21) outshined other NBC nominee Law & Order (2).
Friends‘ past season saw big changes for the sextet; mainly, Joey falling in love with Rachel, who gives birth to Ross’s child in the season finale. As well, this year for the first time all six stars–Courteney Cox Arquette, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow–submitted their names in the best actor in a comedy series category rather than just in the supporting category, and it paid off. Perry as the sarcastic Chandler and LeBlanc as the surprisingly sweet Joey are both nominated for lead actor, while Aniston as the ever-changing Rachel snagged a nod for lead actress. It could very well be a Friend-ly kind of year.
The fab four on Will & Grace had another wacky season as Will and Grace almost have a baby. Debra Messing goes for her third try as lead actress in a comedy series as the neurotic Grace. Her co-horts Sean Hayes as “Just Jack” and Megan Mullally as boozy rich girl Karen, both of whom won supporting category Emmys in 2000, get nods once again. And oddly, even after winning the award for lead actor last year, Eric McCormack as the sharp-witted Will was left out of the Emmy scenario this year.
Rounding out NBC’s nominations in the comedy acting categories, Kelsey Grammer got his eighth nomination as lead actor playing alter ego Frasier Crane. He has won the award three times already and considering how Frasier (which did not receive a nomination for best comedy series this time around) is winding down, chances are slim he’ll get it this time. His comrade-in-arms David Hyde Pierce received his ninth best supporting actor nomination for his uptight Niles Crane, having also won that particular award three times. And Wendie Malick, who plays the sex-crazed editor Nina Van Horn on Just Shoot Me, gets a second shot at the best supporting actress prize.
Of course, once again the excellent White House drama The West Wing, with its stellar cast, is NBC’s heavy hitter. Last year it took the best drama series award but this year may face some stiff competition from HBO’s Six Feet Under. Nominated in the lead acting categories are favorites Martin Sheen going for his third try as the too-good-to-be-true President Josiah Bartlet, and Allison Janney, as the sharp-as-nails Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, nominated as best actress for the first time. Janney has already won the best supporting actress Emmy two years in a row.
But just about every other major West Wing-er was nominated in the supporting categories, including actors Dule Hill as earnest presidential aide Charlie Young, John Spencer as loyal Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, Bradley Whitford as determined Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman and Richard Schiff as the frenetic Director of Communications Toby Ziegler. In the supporting actress area, there’s newcomer Mary-Louise Parker as feminist activist Amy Gardner, Stockard Channing as ever-patient First Lady Abigail Bartlet and Janel Moloney as Lyman’s resourceful assistant Donna Moss. Schiff and Whitford have been lucky winners before. Let’s see who picks them up this year.
