A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS: Tonight marks the end of the 2004-2005 TV season. After celebrating or lamenting the AI result, and almost certainly wondering "The hell...?" with the Lost and Alias finales, it's time to look back at the season, and I want to start with a question that's been a problem even last year: How do you fill the Best Lead Actress in a Drama category in a year without eligible performances from Sopranos (I was not particularly impressed with the female acting on Six Feet Under last season)? Let's make two assumptions. First, let's assume that ABC and the WB appropriately keep Desperate Housewives and Gilmore Girls in the comedy category, where they belong, taking out four serious contenders (Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Lauren Graham). I expect they will, since the field for nominations is much more open in comedy, where the chief competition is likely Raymond. Second, I assume that the following three nominations are done deals:

• Jennifer Garner, Alias (The glamour girl who kicks ass, and she can act and direct, too!)
• Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU (Defending Golden Globe champ, and consistently solid.)
• Allison Janney, West Wing (Duh.)

OK, so who fills the category? I see the following contenders, all of which have their problems:

Christine Lahti, Jack & Bobby

• Upside: Lahti’s an Emmy darling, and her performance was critically acclaimed by those critics that watched it, in particular Virginia Heffernan of the Times.
• Downside: The character was written to be highly unlikable, and no one watched the show, which was canned.

Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy

• Upside: She’s the clear lead of the most successful reinvention of the medical drama in quite a while.
• Downside: Love the show, love the writing, but Pompeo’s performance is frequently a little bland.

Amber Tamblyn, Joan of Arcadia

• Upside: She sings, she acts, she’s previously been nominated, and carries a show at a young age…
• Downside: that had a dramatic critical and commercial downturn this year, resulting in its cancellation.

Mary Steenburgen, Joan of Arcadia

• Upside: She has an Oscar, and her performance throughout has been good, even giving her a “dealing with past trauma” plotline that would seem to be Emmy bait.
• Downside: Has all the same problems that Tamblyn has, coupled with her part being subordinate.

Bebe Neuwirth, Law & Order: Trial By Jury

• Upside: Lilith returns! And this time, she’s let her hair down.
• Downside: Not in a particularly impressive role, and not having been given much to do.

Marg Helgenberger, CSI, Emily Procter, CSI: Miami, Melena Kanakeredes, CSI: NY

• Upside: The shows are immensely popular and these actresses are well-liked and well-respected.
• Downside: No one watches these shows for the acting, none have apparently had a hugely impressive plot this year.

Emily Van Camp, Everwood

• Upside: Great performances, especially in the final few episodes of the season, and a real break-out year for her and her character.
• Downside: On the WB, may not be considered a lead, and may suffer from the fact that even more worthy castmates (Tom Amandes) are unlikely to be nominated.

Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars

• Upside: The show and her performance are unanimously critically acclaimed, and she’s young and pretty, always a plus.
• Downside: The show’s low-rated, a genre piece, and on UPN.

Evangeline Lily, Lost

• Upside: The show’s hugely popular, the acting throughout has been very good, and there’s not much competition here. Lily’s pretty, which doesn’t hurt, either.
• Downside: Lily’s probably the weakest link in the cast, and while she’s the closest thing the show has to a female lead, it’s an ensemble piece.

Who'd I miss, and who ya got?