"24" and "The Office" Win Emmys

As boring as I generally find the annual Emmy telecast to be, I can't help but feel satisfied that two of my favorite shows, "24" and "The Office," got some much-deserved Emmy-love last night. No, I didn't watch the awards show--I reserve my Ritalin for the Oscars in the spring--but I was thrilled to read this morning about the event, which wisely redeemed its inexcusable omission of "Lost" among the Best Drama nominees by awarding "24" for its most consistent season yet. Also comforting was Kiefer Sutherland's long-overdue win for playing Jack Bauer, our nation's current favorite superhero (sorry, Superman). Funny to think that this show--now one of Fox's biggest hits--was nearly cancelled after season 1. Can't wait for season 6, starting in January. (By the way, the "24" movie is scheduled to hit screens next summer; only Jack and Chloe have been confirmed to be involved at this point, meaning that they are probably bulletproof during season 6...phew!)

The rise of NBC's "The Office" is one of the more interesting stories in TV these days. It first premiered in the spring of 2005 to abysmal ratings and mediocre reviews (critics compared it to the much-honored BBC version). Nevertheless, a hit-starved NBC renewed the show, hoping to nuture it into the network's next-big-hit, having recently lost "Friends," "Frasier," and "Will & Grace." While the ratings for season 2 were never stellar, they continued to climb gradually thanks in part to a loyal following on iTunes, as well as Steve Carrell's rising star. Meanwhile, the actual quality of the show improved over the course of two seasons; Carell's Michael Scott is now less of a charicature than he started out, the main supporting players (Jim, Pam, and Dwight) have hit their stride, and even the background characters have found their voices (Angela, Kevin, Stanley, etc.). As a result, critics have gradually warmed to the show, and now NBC has another Emmy-winning comedy for its classic Thursday-night comedy block (NBC's first Best Comedy win since "Friends" won a few years back). Season 3 starts on September 21.