On Saturday (August 6) evening at the Beverly Hilton, the Television Critics Association handed out our annual awards for the best of the small screen.
At the risk of sounding like a homer, I think we did a rather solid job, giving Program of the Year to “Friday Night Lights” and showering awards on the likes of “Mad Men,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Sesame Street.”
We also gave our Outstanding New Program award to HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” another decision I felt pretty good about and not just because I got to present the award to a trio of producers (most of the team was in Ireland where production on the second season is ongoing).
Since a couple people expressed curiosity in the intro on Sepinwall’s recap of the event (and my mother also showed some interest), I’m cutting and pasting the quickie transcript for what was designed as a one-minute intro. I suspect a lot of the intro’s appeal hinges on its successful and breathless delivery (I didn’t drink at the cocktail hour beforehand to avoid alcohol-induced tongue-tying), but the TCA Awards are a video/audio-free zone. In lieu of video/audio, then, I’ve attached an image, part of the annual series of “Dan presents a TCA Award with a raised eyebrow looking off at an indeterminate point in space, varying only his tie” photos which have accompanied each of the previous times I’ve presented.
[Oh and the intro kinda includes spoilers… You’ve been warned.]
Enjoy…
At first glance, many of the nominees for Outstanding New Program fit familiar TV conventions. We have a cop show, a detective show, and a mob drama.
How conventional was our winner? Adapted masterfully from George R.R. Martin’s novel by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and a team of ace writers and directors, it’s outstanding, but it’s also just your basic epic medieval fantasy power struggle featuring dragons and direwolves, white walkers and witches, beheadings and be-tonguings and a crown of gold, whispering eunuchs and plotting pimps, breast-feeding 8-year-olds and little girls with swords, ascending bastards and sincere bastards and secret bastards, Imps and Wards and Hounds and Hands, twincest and sexposition, regicide and infanticide, Lords and Ladies, Sers and Maesters, Khals and Khaleesis, a kingdom wracked by war, a strong-hold in the sky, a giant freaking wall and a throne forged from iron and blood.
Oh and did I mention that much of the story was told in Dothraki?
Hmmm… Maybe this won’t be such an easy formula to replicate.
It is known that the TCA Award for Outstanding New Program goes to HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”
Accepting for “Game of Thrones” are Executive Producers Carolyn Strauss, Vince Gerardis and Guymon Casady.