'CSI' Formula May Hinder Actors' Chance At An Emmy

With the Emmy nominations exactly one month away, the CSI franchise continues to strongly campaign for its actors. This week, however, the Hollywood Reporter talked to Miami producer Ann Donahue about the lack of actor nominations for the show.

Donahue explained that the CSI formula may not be conducive to Emmy nods in Miami. "I really feel that David Caruso (Horatio Caine) and Emily Procter (Calleigh Duquesne) get overlooked because they don't do arias. They do something that's actually harder," the producer told the Hollywood Reporter. "What they convey is believability (as forensic detectives)."

But though the same could be said for the CSI actors, it hasn't stopped the network from pushing them towards Emmy nominations. The CSI Emmy campaign includes every star of the show, having recently added Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) to its list of hopeful nominees. The spotlight, however, is currently on William Petersen (Gil Grissom) and Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), whose individual 'For Your Consideration' ads can be found in the Hollywood Reporter. Though Helgenberger has been nominated twice for her role as Catherine Willows, she has never walked home with a statuette.

The Hollywood Reporter has also placed "Grave Danger" as one of the top contenders for the Outstanding Direction category. The magazine earlier reported that the Quentin Tarantino directed episode might finally earn CSI the Emmy win (news). "Grave Danger," along with the episode "Ch-Ch-Changes," were included on the CSI showcase DVD sent out to Emmy voters.

But even if CSI does not get the Emmy win, producer Carol Mendelshon agreed, and told the magazine having Tarantino on the set was thrilling enough. "I feel like with every passing season we've grown stronger," she said. "Quentin's being here really invigorated everyone and reminded us why we do what we do. It was so exciting. But beyond that, I think each member of our cast and crew gave every ounce of energy and blood they had this season. So, no matter what happens as far as Emmys is concerned, I have to feel like we fired on all cylinders, and that's all we can do."

A complete coverage of the Emmy process can be found at the Hollywood Reporter. The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 14th.

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