An open letter to the Academy: CW shows deserve recognition

Dear The Academy (and other awards organizations),

As I am typing this, I have just finished another round of voting at the People’s Choice Awards website, frantically hoping that some of my favorite shows get a chance at prestigious recognition. Most of the categories are closed, except for favorite new TV drama and comedy. Who did I vote for? Well, it’s none of your business!

Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. What can I say? You wore me down. I voted for Revenge and The Secret Circle. Yes, twice. I just couldn’t decide which one I liked more at the moment. One is a Hamptons sudser about a girl who comes back to town to take revenge on the people who plotted her father’s demise. The other is about a girl realizing she’s a witch and having to take on the responsibility that comes with it — I only tell you this because it seems you don’t have a clue what’s on The CW at all!

You’re right. I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I apologize.

In the comedy categories, I was underwhelmed, if you must know. I think New Girl is funny, but sometimes a bit too intense and 2 Broke Girls goes for the jugular more than the gut at times… I even stopped watching Up All Night earlier this season, but not because I didn’t like it, I just haven’t found the time.

I fret you haven’t found the time to enjoy some of The CW’s greatest offerings, either. That seems to be the only explanation.

I admit that as a television fan, I have a limited and basic understanding of how the industry works, including but not limited to the way awards organizations operate. But my limited and basic understanding doesn’t impair my knowledge to just how oblivious you are for snubbing some great CW shows every, single year. I admit, The CW and prestige don’t really work together in the same sentence, but it’s this very misconception that has caused you not to recognize great shows on the network.

This goes far back, however, to when The WB and UPN were separate entities. Honestly, how you could have snubbed Veronica Mars and Kristen Bell’s performance for three consecutive years continues to baffle me. The show was so good that CBS decided it should air a few reruns on its own network. (There goes that silly the-show-needs-to-be-on-the-big-four-to-be-considered-worthy ideology again!) It very well may have been the most critically acclaimed show of its time… or at least one of them. No joke. And the writing on that show may have been one of the smartest ever as well.

I know, I know. You’re shocked at this very moment. “What? A good show on The CW!? We missed it because we don’t watch anything on that channel! Darn.” As you say those words, let me add this: what you’re saying is completely true. You did miss one of the best and smartest shows of our era all because you never flip on the green network.

But what’s done is done. There’s no sense in getting upset over what we cannot change. On to 2011 and a little question:

What, nothing for The Vampire Diaries? Yes, I know, you probably don’t think of it because it’s a show with a cast that’s in high school and—

Oh, wait. Is that Glee that I see racking up all the nominations and wins?! Oh, so I guess that’s not your problem. Okay, moving on… I know that you generally don’t like to nominate genre shows, including supernatural—

Wait a minute. Did you say True Blood has been nominated (and won!) in the past and that one of this year’s most incoherent shows, American Horror Story, was nominated as well? Oh. I agree, however, that Jessica Lange deserves something for making sense of her script week by week.

I suppose Nina Dobrev’s superb mastering of two different characters, or Paul Welsey’s ability to give me goosebumps, or Ian Somerhalder’s skill of giving a villain numerous layers will go unnoticed by you just because. Nor will you know of how it’s one of the best-paced, best-written shows on TV at the moment (not that you like a show that moves faster than Christmas decoration sales on December 26th).

I could go on and on — Sarah Michelle Gellar being able to make terrible writing something addictive every week on Ringer is probably too C-Dub for you too, perhaps the escapism of Gossip Girl never caught your fancy, methinks the mastered suspense of The Secret Circle was too tweenish for you, I suppose Supernatural‘s mythology is just a tad too amateur — but instead I’ll concede and say congratulations on the nomination choices for this year.

I won’t mention other great shows that have been snubbed too many times or this year alone (Chuck, Community, Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother, In Plain Sight, Louie, Cougar Town and Courtney Cox on her own…).

I think the public could have done a better job… but who cares about the public’s opinion? It’s not like you televise these events or anything!

I really hope you’ll consider branching out. The CW recently added its shows on Netflix.

Sincerely yours,
Michael Collado
TV Watcher