"Frasier" (2-1)Outstanding Comedy Series
"Ally McBeal" (3-1)
Oh, the controversy! Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Will Vonda Shepherd sing an awards show duet with the dancing baby? The nomination of "Ally" has left critics more puzzled than the title character herself. Which is, perhaps, the point of it all. As far as charismatic casts go, you can't get much better these days. Calista Flockhart, Lisa Nicole Carson, and Peter MacNichol are superb in each of their roles, and the courthouse scenes can be very amusing. However, I happen to dislike the little wandering that Ally's mind does (example: the dancing baby), which the majority of the audience seems to love. True, those scenes do help to make "Ally" quirky, but funny? Only occasionally. I'll pass on it this year, but I'm not so sure Emmy voters will.
"Frasier" (2-1)
Well, this is it. History making time. Last year, I said that if "Frasier" won, it would be four in a row, an Emmy record. They did win, but I was wrong. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" also won four times in a row. So now, here it is. A chance for an unprecedented five in a row. Can "Frasier" do it again? You bet. Fantastic episodes abound, such as the "ski lodge" episode (the third time I've mentioned this episode), the one where Lilith comes back and sleeps with....Niles(!), and the ongoing storyline involving the decision by Roz (Peri Gilpin) to go ahead with single motherhood. Last year, "Larry Sanders" was exceptional, and "Frasier" still won. This year, "Frasier" is, in my opinion, much the best, and even more deserved of keeping its winning streak alive than last year.
"The Larry Sanders Show" (4-1)
I'm still puzzled as to how "Sanders" didn't win last year, but never mind that. It's in the past. As far as this, the final season of "Sanders" is concerned, I wasn't laughing nearly as much. The only real standout episode was the series finale, which managed to be bittersweet and hilariously irreverent at the same time. The rest of the season - save for Larry's crying jag on "Extra," and his expletive-laced tirade at Michael Bolton - seemed to be stuck on auto-pilot. Goodbye, Larry. Thanks for the laughs. Now get away from this statuette.
"Seinfeld" (5-1)
In case you were somehow not watching the series finale in May, you may not know that this was the last year for "Seinfeld," which will become a true American institution, and will undoubtedly be hailed as the greatest show of this decade. Ironic, since the finale may go down as the worst of the decade, and one of the worst in history. It was clever, but utterly unfunny. When your show is a comedy, laughs should be the goal. Luckily for "Seinfeld," there were some classic regular season episodes the producers can enter for consideration. These include the much ballyhooed "backwards episode;" "The Burning," in which Kramer became famous at the hospital for acting out diseases for fledgling med students; and my personal favorite, the auto dealership episode, in which Jerry wants a discount, Elaine and Puddy keep breaking up, Kramer takes a test drive until the gas is used up, and George hunts down any food to satisfy his delirious hunger. That one was in the mold of such classics as "The Chinese Restaurant" and "The Parking Garage." However, it cannot be ignored that overall, "Seinfeld" has had better seasons, and that the competition in this category is just too tough for a win.
"3rd Rock From the Sun" (10-1)
The absolute outsider. Much was said about the episode in which John Cleese guest starred as a professor challenging Dick for Mary's affections, but other than that, there were no episodes that stand out. If the Academy wants to honor this show, they'll honor John Lithgow and/or Kristen Johnston, but not the show itself, which has been off its game while competitiors like "Ally McBeal" are just beginning to ascend.
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