Nice Guys Finish Last At The Emmy Awards

This year's Emmy race will be about the acting as much as it will be about the characters portrayed, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The magazine revealed that Emmy voters are gravitating towards characters who are, "gruff, sarcastic, bureaucracy-defying anti-heroes," rather than the regular "good guys" of the past.

And the main men of CSI certainly fall under that category. Emotionally withdrawn, workaholic, lonely, and anti-social are some of the words used to describe characters Grissom, Caine, and Taylor. Grissom's emotional detachment, especially, is what Emmy voters are looking for. "We gravitate to him. He's so logical. Grissom brings certainty to us because he's a scientist," Carol Mendelsohn told the magazine. "[William Petersen] told us, 'I don't want to be perfect.' It doesn't matter to Grissom what anybody else thinks. He's a loner who would rather have breakfast with a beetle."

Grissom's loneliness, however, might not earn William Petersen a nomination this year. But in a surprising speculative report, the Hollywood Reporter placed Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) in a list of possible nominees for what the magazine calls the most competitive category: Best Actor in a Drama Series. Fans saw Mac Taylor go through a whirlwind of highs and lows this year, fueled by the death of his wife during the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11. But this hasn't stopped Taylor from coming down hard on his CSIs whenever deemed necessary. Too hard, some fans claim, and this certainly places Taylor in the "gray area" the Emmy voters love so much.

The same is true of the ladies of CSI. The Hollywood Reporter also placed Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) and Melina Kanakaredes (Stella Bonasera) in a list of strongest acting contenders for the Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. While their male counterparts preferred to bury their emotions under case files, fans this year saw Willows and Bonasera face their emotional commotions head on. So head on, that they both put their jobs in jeopardy. Some described the ladies as "bitchy," but as it turns out, "bitchy" is in this year.

Helgenberger has been nominated twice for her portrayal of Catherine Willows, but has never walked home with a statuette. Kanakaredes received a TV Guide Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Dr. Sydney Hansen on Providence, and while the actress has been twice nominated at the Daytime Emmy Awards, she has never received a nod at the primetime Emmy awards.

Emmy voters have until June 22nd to turn in their nomination ballots. As the date nears, the "For Your Consideration" ads placed by various studios will become less prominent. The official Emmy nominations will be announced on July 14th, while the ceremony will take place on September 18th.

Head over to the Hollywood Reporter for an in-depth look at the Emmy nomination process. To see a complete list this year's possible nominees, visit the magazine's wishful thinking report.

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