Season six of
24 was a misfire. It was the show's worst season, by far, and made it clear that
24's current formula was simply not going to cut it anymore. Not that the season was terrible. Far from it. Even bad
24 is still better than most things on TV, if just for the fact that we get to watch Jack Bauer be Jack Bauer for 42 minutes. That will always make for riveting TV. When it came to the Emmys, it was hard to predict what kind of reception
24 would get. It had previously been a voter favorite, but would they be stubborn enough to reward one of their favorite shows with undeserved nominations? The answer, fortunately, was no. Besides the one, major and predictable nod,
24 was shut out of the major categories. Let's take a look:
Major Nominations:
Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series -
Kiefer Sutherland
Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series -
Jean Smart
Kiefer Sutherland, as long as he plays Jack Bauer, will be nominated for the Best Actor Emmy. That's a given. He carries the show and, without him, it wouldn't work. No on else could ever be Jack Bauer. Could he win this year? The chances are very slight. In all likelihood, James Gandolfini will be handed the statue. If not, next in line is probably Hugh Laurie. Maybe next year, Kiefer.
Jean Smart's nomination makes me happy. In her one episode, reprising her season 5 role as Martha Logan, estranged wife of former President Charles Logan, Smart was great. And she stabbed Charles Logan, killing him, which was a wonderful thing for fans of
24 to see.
Possible Snubs:
Frankly, there isn't much to complain about.
24 deserved to be more or less shut out. You could make the case for a supporting actor nod for either Powers Boothe (VP Noah Daniels) or James Cromwell (Phillip Bauer), but that category is stacked with more deserving entries. One year from now, I hope we're discussing
24's seventh season renaissance amongst a large handful of nominations, because this past season was a big disappointment.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)