It’s fitting that in a time when “Breaking Bad” is rerunning every season in order in Sunday night marathons, there was a marathon, too, for Emmy Awards showered on the program that seems to have ended so long ago now.
In a pronounced sweep of an Emmys where nearly ever winner was a repeat, “Breaking Bad” won best drama, best lead and supporting actors and best writing.
It was a great show, with a strong ending. But the Emmys results (and that of the TV Critics Associations awards earlier this summer, to be honest) was that it blew everything else away, when in fact it was very good and stayed good. You would hardly know that 2014 was the year of “Fargo” and “True Detective” — the standout shows on my roster in part because they were so new — from the results of the show.
True the Emmys are absolutely meaningless in terms of how they convey “best” anything. I don’t get involved in office pools, don’t even have an office, and have no horse in this race at all. But like you, I don’t mind watching stars mingle and talk off the top of their head for a night. But really, look at the results and you’d think “Mad Men” was crap instead of something you look forward to seeing every episode; or that “Game of Thrones” or “Silicon Valley” weren’t much.
I’m happy Julia Louis-Dreyfus won again for “Veep” — she’s actually very good in a strong field. But that anything Chuck Lorre produces would win conflates what is popular with the public with what is actually quality comedy. “Louie” is superior in every way to “Big Bang Theory” and especially “Mom” even if it doesn’t pander for every laugh.
Seth Meyers wasn’t a bad host. His monologue was filled with true facts, but not a lot of hilarity. That was saved for pretty good “Billy on the Street” segment that proved that, yes, to most people the Emmys don’t really mean anything.