Don’t forget–Critics Choice Television Awards!

I’m preaching to the choir here. Is there anyone reading this who doesn’t recognize the show’s excellence? A weak moment on Mad Men is still stronger than anything we’ve seen to date. The show started off a compelling revelation, and it has only ever moved forward. There has never been a predictable moment. The writing, the direction, the acting only gets better. Every episode takes us on a new ride, but always consistent within the world that has been created by Matthew Weiner and his team. And Season 4 broke new ground. When has a show taken such a risk as to walk away from the entire original premise (without a force from the network, *cough* Boston Legal *cough*)? Remember when this was a show about Sterling Cooper and its Creative Director and his marriage? So all that’s gone now.

Here’s a fun game–try describing Mad Men to someone who’s never seen it. The thing is that with all the hype, people actually think they know what kind of show it is. But they’re wrong. You can’t compare it to any other show–it doesn’t feel like any television show you’ve ever seen. It’s that unique. And while unique is not necessarily synonymous with fantastically high quality, it’s still a winning feature. And it just so happens that in the case of Mad Men, it does in fact go hand in hand with fantastically high quality.

So Mad Men should win. Make it so.

Let’s all watch this Sunday at 4pm (what an odd time!) on VH1. Open Thread you asked? You shall have!!

Below the fold is the full nominations list…

Best Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Dexter – Showtime
Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Fringe – FOX
Game of Thrones – HBO
The Good Wife – CBS
Justified – FX
The Killing – AMC
Mad Men – AMC
The Walking Dead – AMC

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Kyle Chandler – Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Michael C. Hall – Dexter – Showtime
Jon Hamm – Mad Men – AMC
William H. Macy – Shameless – Showtime
Timothy Olyphant – Justified – FX

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights – DirecTV
Mireille Enos – The Killing – AMC
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife – CBS
Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men – AMC
Katey Sagal – Sons of Anarchy – FX
Anna Torv – Fringe – FOX

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alan Cumming – The Good Wife – CBS
Walton Goggins – Justified – FX
Shawn Hatosy – Southland – TNT
John Noble – Fringe – FOX
Michael Pitt – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
John Slattery – Mad Men – AMC

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Michelle Forbes – The Killing – AMC
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men – AMC
Margo Martindale – Justified – FX
Kelly Macdonald – Boardwalk Empire – HBO
Archie Panjabi – The Good Wife – CBS
Chloe Sevigny – Big Love – HBO