2011 Emmy Award Picks.

Since my most anticipated movies of the summer seem determined to avoid playing around me at all costs, it's been a slow summer movie-wise for me. I've needed a good distraction during the calm before the storm that is Harry Potter and while I wait to finally see Tree of Life. With there being so much quality TV on right now, I've managed to watch enough to last a lifetime. And with the Emmy nominations coming out this week, I'm putting out my picks for who my favorites in the TV world are.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men
Justified
Treme
The Walking Dead

This selection may seem dull, but Mad Men remains one of the best shows on TV and its fourth and most recent season managed to be its best yet. If the Emmys want something fresh however, I hope they go with Game of Thrones, the best new show of the year.

Best Comedy Series -

30 Rock
Archer
Community
Cougar Town
Modern Family
Parks & Recreation
United States of Tara

Parks & Recreation topped its magnificent second season with an equally hilarious third season. It remains the best comedy on TV by a mile, but it probably won't even land the nomination so that instead we can honor Glee again. As for the others, Archer, Community, and Cougar Town remain some of the most underrated comedies on TV, but will also probably get no love.

Best Leading Actor in a Drama -

Sean Bean, Game of Thrones
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
William H. Macy, Shameless
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

This category was a tough one, but as deserving as Sean Bean and Jon Hamm may be, there's no more entertaining performance than Timothy Olyphant each week on Justified. The rest of this category filled out great actors who outshined their show, including Michael C. Hall who had a great season even if his show was at its weakest.

Best Leading Actress in a Drama -

Mireille Enos, The Killing
Melissa Leo, Treme
Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy

This category is Marguiles vs. Moss for me, but "The Suitcase" episode of Mad Men gives Moss the edge in my eyes, although I'd be happy either way. Katey Sagal remains fantastic on her show even when its weak, same for Emmy Rossum's excellent work on Shameless. And even if The Killing turned out to be a dud, Mireille Enos was always on top of her game.

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy -

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Steve Carell, The Office
Louis C.K, Louie
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Rob Lowe, Parks & Recreation
Joel McHale, Community

This is actually the weakest category for me. I'm not crazy about The Office or Episodes, but their lead actors are top notch. As is Louis C.K. on the underrated Louie. And Rob Lowe in this category is absolute nonsense, he's barely a supporting actor, but there's so little competition that his work gets through in the end. I'll give the edge here to Joel McHale for his hilarious work on Community, even if he's not the cast's funniest.

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy - 

Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary Louise-Parker, Weeds
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler Parks & Recreation

Amy Poehler is still the queen when it comes to comedy's leading ladies. Courteney Cox doesn't get enough credit for being great on her show and Toni Collette's show never got enough credit in the first place. Martha Plimpton and Mary Louise-Parker are both on shows I'm not crazy about anymore, but they're certainly worthy nominees.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama - 

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Walton Goggins, Justified
Denis O'Hare, True Blood
Michael Pitt, Boardwalk Empire
John Slattery, Mad Men

I'll be really upset if Peter Dinklage doesn't get a nomination in this category for being the best part of the best new show on TV. I could also fill this category with the men of The Good Wife or Boardwalk Empire alone, but in the end I chose the two who stand out most. And with that, last season of True Blood was pretty weak, but Denis O'Hare lived up to the role as Big Bad of the season.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama -
 

Khandi Alexander, Treme
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Margo Martindale, Justified
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

Narrowing down this category was an impossible task because I would have loved to make room for some more, but in the end I think all of these women were pretty extraordinary this year. Last year's nominees Christina Hendricks and Archie Panjabi are pretty much consistently great, as is the underrated Khandi Alexander on Treme. As for the newbies, Emilia Clarke was the standout of this season of Game of Thrones, and Michelle Forbes deserves to finally be nominated here when she should have for being so excellent on True Blood. But nobody here is more sinister or affecting than Margo Martindale.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy -

Keir Gilchrist, United States of Tara
Donald Golver, Community

Nick Offerman, Parks & Recreation

Chris Pratt, Parks & Recreation
Danny Pudi, Community
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

I could have easily added at least two more cast members from Parks & Recreation, but this category belongs to Nick Offerman who gives the best comedic performance on TV. Chris Pratt gets outshined by him on the show, but he's also consistently great. So are the perfectly matched Community boys as well as the consistently underrated Keir Gilchrist.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy -

Alison Brie, Community
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Brie Larson, United States of Tara
Busy Phillips, Cougar Town
Aubrey Plaza, Parks & Recreation
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie

Probably the hardest category of them all to narrow down, because I could have easily added at least one more woman from all of the mentioned shows (maybe not 30 Rock, Jane Krakowski shines all her own on that show). But to me it's all about the hilarious Busy Phillips, who narrowly edges out Aubrey Plaza's perfect deadpan and Merrit Wever's over-enthusiasm.

Best Directing in a Drama Series -

1. "Baelor" - Game of Thrones
2. "Days Gone Bye" - The Walking Dead
3. "Boardwalk Empire" - Boardwalk Empire

For the sake of my sanity, and time, I won't go through every episode of every TV show I watched last here. But instead, here are three of my favorite directorial efforts in TV this year. The latter two, done by Frank Darabont and Martin Scorcese respectively, were great examples of film directors making TV their own, but the best of the year was easily the penultimate Game of Thrones.

Best Writing in a Drama Series -

1. "The Suitcase" - Mad Men
2. "The Beautiful Girls" - Mad Men
3. "VIP Treatment" - The Good Wife

As I said, this was Mad Men's best season yet, and they had quite a few of their best episodes ever, including the incredible "The Suitcase" which is easily my favorite episode of television in the last year.

Best Directing in a Comedy Series -

1. "A Fistfull of Paintballs" - Community
2. "Flu Season" - Parks & Recreation
3. "Queen of Jordan" - 30 Rock

Best Writing in a Comedy Series -

1. "Flu Season" - Parks & Recreation
2. "Lil Sebastian" - Parks & Recreation
3. "Pipeline Fever" - Archer

If you couldn't tell, I really thought Parks & Recreation knocked it out of the park this year.

And for some awards that aren't even handed out by the Emmys:

Best Drama Ensemble -

Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men
Shameless
Treme

Best Comedy Ensemble -

Archer
Community
Cougar Town
Modern Family
Parks & Recreation
United States of Tara