4th Annual Cadet Tv Awards 1999

Here are my annual awards that I like to call “The Cadet Awards”, which I come up with every year to honour those programs and performances I thought were the best of the past US TV season. Winners will be announced soon. If there is anything at all you have to say about these choices, please email me. However, if you strongly disagree with them, please keep in mind this is my personal opinion for which I reserve the right to have. Winners are in bold.

Drama Series

Winner:
The Sopranos – HBO

Nominees:
Felicity – WB
Law & Order – NBC
Oz – HBO
The Practice – ABC

I found that this past season, there were quite a few excellent drama series on the air. Ultimately, I narrowed it down from about eight to the final five. In its premiere season, I was blown away by the beguiling presence of Keri Russell and the magnificent storylines at work in Felicity. The show started off with a lot of hype and publicity, and then generally faded into the WB shadows for the remainder of the season, but throughout, each and every episode was a moving and very entertaining look into college life in the big apple. Every episode was a hit for me, especially the comic ones, and the episodes dealing with the Noel-Felicity-Ben triangle. As per usual, Law & Order delivered on all counts. Its taut storytelling and fast pace were a rush every week for me. Admittedly, I never got into this show in previous seasons, but after sampling the second episode of the season, I was hooked. Each actor works so well, but that is not what the show is about. We rarely get an insight into their private lives, and that is just fine with me, as this show more than any other, is about the story, which was always sharp and engaging. The episodes I particularly enjoyed were “Empire” (featuring Julia Roberts), “Sideshow” (The Homicide crossover), and “Flight” (featuring Dylan Baker). Oz was the show that left me breathless after every episode. I had the fortune of watching this show on tape, so I watched each episode in succession, not being able to stop the tape and continue my look inside Oswald penitentiary another day. This show kept me on the edge of my seat, at times squirming at the shocking developments, and at other times feeling the raw intensity of its brilliant actors and hooking me in emotionally. From its bleak opening titles to the epilogue brilliantly played by Harold Perrineau Jnr as its narrator and conscience, this show was tops in my book. The Practice could so easily have fell into the spiral of the usual network show – one of moralistic and “quirky” storytelling that didn’t try to push the envelope and maintained its banality so as to keep the masses happy (read: L.A. Doctors, Chicago Hope, Party of Five, the latter being a show that has made my top five on previous occasions). This show was razor sharp in the personal lives of these lovable lawyers, and gave us incredible performances from its entire cast, most notably a sharp improvement in plot development for Kelli Williams’ Lindsay Dole, and the incredible guest work of Michael Monks during the whole George Vogelman storyline. I think I only found one or two episodes that bored me in the whole season. That kind of ratio is pretty damn good in a season where there was a lot of crap everywhere else. From the Lyndsay Dole’s college professor Anderson Pearson, to George Vogelman, to Tommy Silva, and to the nun-killer story arc, this series was electrifying in its pace and its writing. Finally to a show that broke with convention, and gave us 13 consecutive hits of pure television perfection. David Chase, a formidable TV pedigree at the best of times, has come up with an incredibly engossing tale of middle-man mobster Tony Soprano and his two “Families”. From impressive direction, to writing that ranged from the hilarious to the inspired, this show dazzled me, and deserves all the recognition it has been getting. The actors were uniformly brilliant, and special recognition must go to each and every writer, who was able to not only write perfectly for the mob, but also for the average middle-class Sicilian-American family. Now to the shows that I did not ultimately include. I cut out three shows from last year’s lineup: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Chris Carter’s two paranormal series Millennium and The X-Files. Firstly, Star Trek’s final season just did not live up to the amazing work of its previous sixth season. Many episodes were wasted in the first half of the show on frivolous stories that simply did not capture me like the final five series I ultimately chose did. Millennium definitely had its moments, but compared to its stellar second season under the watchful eye of the dynamic duo – Glen Morgan and James Wong – it lacked focus and any real mysticism and suspense, not to mention brilliant writing, which was inevitably what led me to give it my award last year. I will still miss it though. Finally, The X-Files was good. Don’t get me wrong, I was going to include it, but it came down to this: these five shows had me on the edge of my seat and looking forward to the next instalment virtually without fail. The X-Files did not. Too many light-hearted episodes this season amounted to a more whimsical and consequently boring season, with the only standouts, such as “Milagro”, “Triangle”, “Drive”, and “Two Fathers/One Son”, not even being as good as standouts from previous seasons. A good show, but just not good enough for the final five. Other shows I thought were pretty great in this category include Buffy The Vampire Slayer (a bit overrated, but still fun), Homicide: Life on The Street (not as good as previous seasons, but still high class), and my guilty pleasure Dawson’s Creek (a show that nobody admits to watching in my circle of friends, but was good entertainment nonetheless).

Comedy Series

Winner:
Will & Grace – NBC

Nominees:
Ally McBeal – Fox
Friends – NBC
Frasier – NBC
Sports Night – ABC

Firstly, let’s get one thing straight. Ally McBeal is not the greatest thing to hit our TV screens in a trillion years. It is not really that clever, and let’s admit it does get a bit annoying and mushy. But… By-Gons, it is funny! The many detractors still some how didn’t stop me from tuning in week after week, and laughing out loud at this bunch of loons. The show is quirky (you know, the “good” quirky), the actors are almost uniformly great, especially Lucy Liu (the whole “Wicked Witch of the West” theme was inspired), Greg Germann is a hoot, and even Calista Flockhart did some great work this year (just please lose Portia DeRossi!). Friends was a show I could always rely on for a good laugh and some crazy antics. These six characters have really become the standard bearers of TV comedy, and I could not imagine a season without this show. This year, the writing was snappier and the storylines zanier. Keep up the good work I say, but maybe the powers that be could give Ross less screen time, because as the show gets better, he just gets more annoying. Frasier is the old faithful. Clever writing, direction, and acting make this an all round class act. OK, so Kelsey Grammar irritates me to tears, but I keep laughing and that I’m afraid was good enough for me in a season where the laughs weren’t forthcoming for many shows. Sports Night was the find of the season. It was the buzz around this show that made me watch initially, and I have to say, I am glad I have become hooked to this little treat. It needs to be recognised at least for giving the sitcom form a much needed kick in the pants. It is the snappiest, cleverest, and most sincere of comedy shows. I love its cast, and its writing never fails a beat I think. Finally, the show that makes me laugh the most and the hardest, Will & Grace. Its lack of controversy makes it all the more sweeter, where we can have gay characters without having an Ellen-esque sermon every week. McCormack and Messing have perfect timing, but I must concur with just about everyone else, when I say it is the two supporting characters that make this show so much fun. Jack (Sean Hayes) is laugh-out-loud funny, and together with Megan Mullally, they are the funniest people on TV at the moment. Kudos to James Burrows for directing another show to its heights, and to the Kohan/Mutchnick team for its magnificent comic writing. Other shows that did not make the cut included Everybody Loves Raymond (critics darling, a show I love, but not every episode did it for me), That ‘70s Show (nothing too special here, but original and funny), Sex and The City (surprise Emmy nominee, and a show I look forward to watching, but just did not cut it with the top five), Dharma and Greg (I stopped watching for a while, but rediscovered its craziness later in the season), and my three guilty pleasures, all pretty crap, but I like ‘em anyway: Jesse, The Nanny, and Just Shoot Me.

Variety, Music, or Comedy Series

Winner:
Tracey Takes On… – HBO

Nominees:
The Daily Show – Comedy Central
Dennis Miller Live – HBO
Late Night With Conan O’Brien – NBC
Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher – ABC

Variety, Music, or Comedy Special

Winner:
1998 MTV Movie Awards – MTV

Nominees:
The 71st Annual Academy Awards – ABC
1999 Grammy Awards – CBS
Jerry Seinfeld: I’m Telling You For The Last Time – HBO
1998 MTV Video Music Awards – MTV

TV Movie / Mini-Series

Winner:
The Passion of Ayn Rand – Showtime

Nominees:
Great Expectations – PBS
Horatio Hornblower – A&E
Pirates of Silicon Valley – TNT
Shot Through The Heart – HBO

Debut Series

Winner:
The Sopranos – HBO

Nominees:
Felicity – WB
Sports Night – ABC
Total Recall 2070 – Showtime
Will & Grace – NBC

Lead Actor, Drama Series

Winner:
James Gandolfini – The Sopranos – HBO

Nominees:
David Duchovny – The X-Files – Fox
Lance Henriksen – Millennium – Fox
Dylan McDermott – The Practice – ABC
Sam Waterston – Law & Order – NBC

Lead Actress, Drama Series

Winner:
Keri Russell – Felicity – WB

Nominees:
Gillian Anderson – The X-Files – Fox
Edie Falco – The Sopranos – HBO
Sarah Michelle Gellar – Buffy The Vampire Slayer – WB
Peta Wilson – La Femme Nikita – USA

Lead Actor, Comedy Series

Winner:
Peter Krause – Sports Night – ABC

Nominees:
Ted Danson – Becker – CBS
Josh Charles – Sports Night – ABC
Eric McCormack – Will & Grace – NBC
Ray Romano – Everybody Loves Raymond – CBS

Lead Actress, Comedy Series

Winner:
Sarah Jessica Parker – Sex and The City – HBO

Nominees:
Calista Flockhart – Ally McBeal – Fox
Pam Grier – Linc’s – Showtime
Felicity Huffman – Sports Night – ABC
Debra Messing – Will & Grace – NBC

Supporting Actor, Drama Series

Winner:
Lee Tergeson – Oz – HBO

Nominees:
Steve Harris – The Practice – ABC
Clark Johnston – Homicide: Life on The Street – NBC
Jerry Orbach – Law & Order – NBC
Kyle Secor – Homicide: Life on The Street – NBC

Supporting Actress, Drama Series

Winner:
Kelli Williams – The Practice – ABC

Nominees:
Lorraine Bracco – The Sopranos – HBO
Angie Harmon – Law & Order – NBC
Camryn Manheim – The Practice – ABC
Nancy Marchand – The Sopranos – HBO

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

Winner:
Sean Hayes – Will & Grace – NBC

Nominees:
Greg Germann – Ally McBeal – Fox
Robert Guillaume – Sports Night – ABC
Matt LeBlanc – Friends – NBC
David Hyde Pierce – Frasier – NBC

 

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

Winner:
Lucy Liu – Ally McBeal – Fox

Nominees:
Lisa Kudrow – Friends – NBC
Megan Mullally – Will & Grace – NBC
Lynn Redgrave – Rude Awakening – Showtime
Debra Jo Rupp – That ‘70s Show – Fox

Variety Performance

Winner:
Tracey Ullman – Tracey Takes On… – HBO

Nominees:
Whoopi Goldberg – The 71st Annual Academy Awards – ABC
Dennis Miller – Dennis Miller Live – HBO
Rosie O’Donnell – The 1999 Grammy Awards – CBS
Jerry Seinfeld – I’m Telling You For The Last Time – HBO

 

Lead Actor, TV Movie/Mini-Series

Winner:
Vincent Perez – Shot Through The Heart – HBO

Nominees:
Don Cheadle – A Lesson Before Dying – HBO
Anthony Michael Hall – Pirates of Silicon Valley – TNT
Stanley Tucci – Winchell – HBO
Noah Wyle – Pirates of Silicon Valley – TNT

 

Lead Actress, TV Movie/Mini-Series

Winner:
Helen Mirren – The Passion of Ayn Rand – Showtime

Nominees:
Stockard Channing – The Baby Dance – Showtime
Charlotte Rampling – Great Expectations – PBS
Susan Sarandon – Earthly Possessions – HBO
Cicely Tyson – Mama Flora’s Family – CBS

 

Supporting Actor, TV Movie/Mini-Series

Winner:
Don Cheadle – The Rat Pack – HBO

Nominees:
John Goodman – The Jack Bull – HBO
Peter Fonda – The Passion of Ayn Rand – Showtime
Paul Sorvino – Houdini – TNT
Skeet Ulrich – A Soldier’s Sweetheart – HBO

 

Supporting Actress, TV Movie-Mini-Series

Winner:
Irma P. Hall – A Lesson Before Dying – HBO

Nominees:
Glenne Headley – Winchell – HBO
Lynn Whitfield – The Color of Courage – USA
Gina Gershon – Legalese – TNT
Julie Delpy – The Passion of Ayn Rand – Showtime

 

Writing, Drama Series

Winner:
J.J. Abrahms – Felicity, “Finally” – WB

Nominees:
Tom Fontana – Oz, “Animal Farm” – HBO
Rene Balcer – Law & Order, “Sideshow, Part 1” – NBC
David E. Kelley – The Practice, “Trench Work” – ABC
David Chase, David Manos – The Sopranos, “College” – HBO

 

Writing, Comedy Series

Winner:
Alexa Junge – Friends, “The One Where Everyone Finds Out” – NBC

Nominees:
Dave Hackel – Becker, “Pilot” – CBS
David Kohan & Max Mutchnick – Will & Grace, “Big Brother Is Coming, Part 1” – NBC
Jay Kogen – Frasier, “Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz” – NBC
Aaron Sorkin – Sports Night, “The Apology” – ABC

 

Directing, Drama Series

Winner:
Paul Shapiro – Millennium, “The Sound of Snow” – Fox

Nominees:
John Wells – ER, “The Storm, Part 1” – NBC
Ed Sherin – Law & Order, “Sideshow, Part 1” – NBC
David Chase – The Sopranos, “Pilot” – HBO
Chris Carter – The X-Files, “Triangle” – Fox

 

Directing, Comedy Series

Winner:
Thomas Schlamme – Sports Night, “Pilot” – ABC

Nominees:
Alex Graves – Ally McBeal, “Sideshow” – Fox
Michael Lembeck – Friends, “The One Where Everyone Finds Out” – NBC
Alison Maclean – Sex and The City, “Valley of The Twenty Somethings” – HBO
James Burrows – Will & Grace, “Pilot” – ABC

 

Guest Actor, Drama Series

Winner:
Michael Monks – The Practice, as George Vogelman – ABC

Nominees:
Tony Danza – The Practice, as Tommy Silva – ABC
Charles S. Dutton – Oz, as Alvah Case – HBO
Reed Diamond – Homicide: Life on The Street, as Mike Kellerman – NBC
Christopher Meloni – Oz, as Keller – HBO

 

Guest Actress, Drama Series

Winner:
Amanda Foreman – Felicity, as Meghan – WB

Nominees:
Linda Hunt – The Practice, as Judge Hiller – ABC
Meredith Monroe – Dawson’s Creek, as Andiee – WB
Julia Roberts – Law & Order, as Katrina Ludlow – NBC
Holland Taylor – The Practice, as Judge Kittleson – ABC

 

Guest Actor, Comedy Series

Winner:
Jesse L. Martin – Ally McBeal, as Dr Greg Butters – Fox

Nominees:
Woody Harrelson – Frasier, as Woody – ABC
Bob Odenkirk – Just Shoot Me, as Donnie – NBC
John Ritter – Ally McBeal, as George Madison – Fox
Giovanni Ribisi – Friends, as John Jnr. – NBC

 

Guest Actress, Comedy Series

Winner:
Teri Polo – Sports Night, as Rebecca – ABC

Nominees:
Rosie O’Donnell – Ally McBeal, as Dr Hooper – Fox
Tracey Ullman – Ally McBeal, as Dr Tracey Clark – Fox
Kathy Bates – 3rd Rock From The Sun, as Charlotte Everly – NBC
Debbie Reynolds – Will & Grace, as Mommy Adler – NBC

 

Cinematography

Winner:
Felicity – “The Force” – WB

Nominees:
Brimstone – “Encore” – Fox
Millennium – “The Sound of Snow” – Fox
The Sopranos – “I Dream of Jeannie Cusumano” – HBO
The X-Files – “Drive” – Fox

 

Music Composition

Winner:
Millennium – “The Sound of Snow” – Fox

Nominees:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer – “Amends” – WB
Felicity – “Pilot” – WB
Total Recall 2070 – “Machine Dreams” – Showtime
Stargate SG-1 – “Into The Fire” – Showtime

 

Sound

Winner:
The Sopranos – “College” – HBO

Nominees:
The Practice – “Happily Ever After” – ABC
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – “What You Leave Behind” – Syndication
Star Trek: Voyager – “Dark Frontier” – UPN
The X-Files – “One Son” – Fox

 

Editing

Winner:
Oz – “Strange Bedfellows” – HBO

Nominees:
Homicide: Life on The Street – “A Case of Do or Die” – NBC
Law & Order – “Empire” – NBC
Millennium – “TEOTWAWKI” – Fox
The Sopranos – “Nobody Knows Anything” – HBO

 

Casting

Winner:
Oz – HBO

Nominees:
Homicide: Life on The Street – NBC
Law & Order – NBC
The Practice – ABC
The Sopranos – HBO

 

Production Design

Winner:
Star Trek: Voyager – “Bride of Chaotica” – UPN

Nominees:
Brimstone – “Pilot” – Fox
Fantasy Island – “Pilot” – ABC
La Femme Nikita – “Looking For Michael” – USA
Total Recall 2070 – “Machine Dreams” – Showtime

 

Costume Design

Winner:
Tracey Takes On… – “America” – HBO

Nominees:
Ally McBeal – “Sideshow” – Fox
Buffy The Vampire Slayer – “Doppelgangland” – USA
Total Recall 2070 – “Machine Dreams” – Showtime
The X-Files – “Triangle” – Fox

 

Makeup/Hairstyling

Winner:
Total Recall 2070, “Machine Dreams” Showtime

Nominees:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer , “The Zeppo” – WB
Earth: Final Conflict, “The Gauntlet” – Syndication
Tracey Takes On…, “Drugs” – HBO
Stargate SG-1, “One False Step” – Showtime

 

Animated Series

Winner:
King of The Hill – Fox

Nominees:
Batman Beyond – WB
Dilbert – UPN
Futurama – Fox
The Simpsons – Fox

 

Visual Effects

Winner:
Total Recall 2070 – “Machine Dreams” – Showtime

Nominees:
Babylon 5 – “A Call To Arms” – TNT
Stargate SG-1 – “A Matter of Time” – Showtime
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – “What You Leave Behind” – Syndication
Star Trek: Voyager – “Dark Frontier” – UPN

 

Network Totals

HBO – 39
NBC – 31
Fox – 28
ABC – 25
Showtime – 16
WB – 13
CBS – 6
TNT – 6
UPN – 4
Syndication – 4
USA – 3
MTV – 2
PBS – 2
A&E – 1
Comedy Central – 1

Nominations Tally

The Practice – 12
The Sopranos – 12

Ally McBeal – 10

Law & Order – 9
Sports Night – 9
Will & Grace – 9

Felicity – 7
Oz – 7
The X-Files – 7

Friends – 6
Total Recall 2070 – 6

Homicide: Life on The Street – 5
Millennium – 5

Buffy The Vampire Slayer – 4
Frasier – 4
The Passion of Ayn Rand – 4
Tracey Takes On… – 4

Pirates of Silicon Valley – 3
Stargate SG-1 – 3
Star Trek: Voyager – 3

The 71st Annual Academy Awards – 2
Becker – 2
Brimstone – 2
Dennis Miller Live – 2
The 1999 Grammy Awards – 2
Great Expectations – 2
Jerry Seinfeld: I’m Telling You For The Last Time – 2
La Femme Nikita – 2
A Lesson Before Dying – 2
Sex and The City – 2
Shot Through The Heart – 2
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – 2
Winchell – 2