Top 10 drama and comedy series finalists announced, many surprises

By Brian Frederick

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/26/08 – - “Entourage,” “Two and a Half Men,” and the new comer “Pushing Daisies,” are inching their way towards an Emmy win while last year’s comedy series winner “30 Rock” is back to defend it’s title.

Last year’s champion for best drama series “The Sopranos,” finished out it’s six year run winning it’s 21^st Emmy overall. “The Wire” which has been given the cold shoulder for the past five years hopes to win the big prize in its final year like “The Sopranos.” The competition will be tough, since “The Wire” must go against long-running hit TV shows “Boston Legal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” although there never is a guarantee that a ratings favorite will win at the Emmys — in fact they rarely do.

The top 10 comedy series finalists are:

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Entourage

Family Guy

Flight of the Conchords

The Office

Pushing Daisies

30 Rock

Two and a Half Men

Ugly Betty

Weeds

The top 10 drama series finalists are:

Boston Legal

Damages

Dexter

Friday Night Lights

Grey’s Anatomy

House

Lost

Mad Men

The Tudors

The Wire

The finalists represent the top 10 vote-getters for outstanding comedy series and outstanding drama series as voted by the entire Television Academy.

The second step in voting for the eventual winners will be the Blue Ribbon Panel screenings conducted this weekend on June 28 and 29.

The panels will watch and judge the work for each finalist and then elect the final five nominees for each category. The five finalists in each category will be announced on behalf of the Television Academy by Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, and TV Chairman John Schaffner at 5:40 a.m. on Thursday July 17.

All of the panel’s participants have been selected and the votes from the panelists are monitored by the accounting firm Ernest & Young.

There is little confidence in having an accounting firm monitor the process since the TV Academy revealed the finalists today due to an earlier leak. Hopefully Ernest & Young will restore the integrity of the selection process and monitor big mouths before the nominees are announced July 17 and take that even further by keeping the winners secret before the awards ceremony.

The winners of the 60^th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on September 21 at the Nokia Theatre and aired on ABC.