All of these people are awesome and deserve Emmys. That is all.

It’s Emmy Season! With the nominees officially announced, and months to go until the actual broadcast, there’s only one thing for TV bloggers to do: speculate and complain! But first let’s kick things off with what makes me happy.

The Good

Mad Men got 17 nominations, including one for Jared Harris (aka the mopey, bespectacled Brit Lane Pryce) for best supporting actor! Of course he should still lose to the brilliant Peter Dinklange from Game of Thrones, but I’m still glad to see his stellar work get some recognition. Louis CK, and his amazing show Louie, also got a ton of nominations! Yay good comedy! Speaking of, the comedy series they chose this year are mostly spot on, without any of those pesky pay cable “dramadies” poking their nose in and bumping out shows that actually have way more, you know, comedy. And finally, Margaret Cho was nominated as a guest star for her hilarious performance as Kim Jong-il on 30 Rock. If you saw any of those episodes, you’ll understand why it’s ok to root for Kim Jong-il.

The Bad

Sure, Amy Poehler got her much deserved best comedy actress nomination, but no love for the rest of Parks and Recreation?! No nomination for Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson?! Come on Emmys, get it together. You’ve had 4 seasons. The man is a living TV icon. Nick Offerman should be awards best actor in a comedy and his mustache best supporting actor in a comedy. That’s how good he is. And although I praised the academy for recognizing Louis CK for his acting, writing, and directing… why wasn’t the show nominated for best comedy? So you guys love every important element of the show but not the show itself? What, was the lighting not Emmy worthy or something?

The Ugly

Betty White is nominated as best variety program host for her show Betty White’s Off their Rockers. I get it, America still can’t get enough of Betty White for whatever reason. But this means a show about old people pulling lame pranks on young people is officially nominated for an Emmy. I’m not the only one who finds that unacceptable, right?

Why haven’t every single one of these people won every single Emmy?

Ok, best comedy show. But seriously, are you watching Parks and Recreation yet? What started out as a re-branded version of The Office has morphed over 4 seasons into both the funniest and sweetest show on television, even outshining the consistently hilarious (and award show darling) 30 Rock which airs right before it. I love good comedy, and there is certainly a lot of it on TV right now, from well-crafted standard sitcoms like Modern Family and Up All Night to original and off the wall creations like IFC’s The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and Adult Swim’s Delocated. But in my humble opinion Parks and Recreation stands above them all for constant laughs and characters I can’t wait to check in on weekly, and for my money the recent string of episodes since the holiday break could stand up against any Emmy winning comedy episodes throughout the decades. Of course Parks (much like my beloved, in danger of cancellation Community) has been snubbed by the Emmys, with no awards for the stellar writing and only Amy Poehler earning a nomination among the actors. The fact that Nick Offerman hasn’t been nominated for his brilliant performance as Ron Swanson, probably the greatest character on TV at the moment, is an outrage. Or, as Amy Poehler famously commented, “a hot load of bullsh**”. Well said. But if the shows keeps up this quality, a lack of recognition will be downright criminal.

If you’re still not on board, enjoy this video which proves that Rob Lowe, once stuck in boring old dramas like The West Wing and Brothers and Sisters, is actually one of the funniest men on TV:

The Emmy nominations have been revealed! You can check them all out here if you’re a big fan of lists. Sure there were the usual suspects (The Office, Tina Fey, Mad Men, Pawn Stars…wait, that last one might only be in my dreams) but this year’s lost actually has quite a few surprises! Including the most surprising snubs, of course. So let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of this year’s Emmy noms!

The Good

Parks and Recreation finally got nominated for best comedy series! About damn time if you ask me. Parks and Recreation has been by far the funniest sitcom to grace the small screen in the past few years, so I’m glad it’s finally getting the attention it deserves for such fantastic comedy writing and performances. Amy Poehler is also up for best comedic actress! Yay! I was also ecstatic to see that Louis C.K. from Louie got nominated for best actor in a comedy series, a category that rarely pays attention to cable channels like FX. Of course he should have been nominated in every single category for writing, directing, editing and starring in it, but baby steps I suppose.

Over in drama, Peter Dinklage got nominated as a supporting actor for Game of Thrones, which is completely awesome. Peter Dinklage is a very cool guy better known for his comedic roles in Elf and 30 Rock, but he also happens to be the best character on Game of Thrones, so it’s very nice to see him getting the respect he deserves. Also in drama there’s one familiar face missing: no 3 year in a row winner Bryan Cranston? Apparently Breaking Bad wasn’t on in the qualifying period, so no nominations this time around. He’s amazing on that show, but I simply put this in the “good” category because it gives someone else a chance in the category he’s had a lock on. Could it be Jon Hamm’s turn?

The Bad

Nick Offerman was somehow ignored for his always hilarious performance as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. Listen, I love Modern Family too, but did all 4 of those guys really need nominations in the supporting actor category? And did the guys from The Big Bang Theory really deserve nominations? Are we awarding them for the way they pause and wait for the fake laughs to die down? Put Offerman in one of those categories! Ron Swanson isn’t just the best character on TV, he’s the best thing about TV. Period. As Amy Poehler said about Offerman’s Emmy snub: “It’s a hot load of bull**** that he didn’t get a nomination and you can quote me on that.” Will do!

The Ugly

Not a single nomination for Community?! Not the show? Not the writing? Not any of the brilliant cast-members? Not the directing? Are you serious?! Emmy voters, you people are watching TV wrong. That’s all I can say.

Seriously, no nomination?! Chevy disapproves.

America’s sweetheart, Steve Buscemi.

Watch out Mad Men, there’s a new critically acclaimed period drama hitting TV this Sunday to serve up some actual competition for the title “Best Show on TV.” Premiering this Sunday (9/19) at 9pm, Boardwalk Empire brings back that touch of class to HBO programming that made their original shows stand out in the first place (not that there is anything wrong with the crass, hilarious absurdity of my current favorite HBO series, Eastbound & Down, which premieres a new season the following Sunday). Created by some of the minds behind that former HBO gangster hit The Sopranos and  director extraordinaire Martin Scorcese (you know, he made some films called Goodfellas, The Departed and some of the other greatest movies ever made), Boardwalk Empire stars everyone’s favorite character actor/weird looking dude Steve Buscemi. Finally, Steve gets to step it up and be a gangster boss rather than a guy who ends up being whacked by the gangster boss! About time! Disclaimer: I tend to love Steve Buscemi in anything, so this series would have gotten a season pass recording from me based on his name alone.

Ok, enough hype about why this series is gonna be awesome, what’s it actually about? Boardwalk Empire opens on 1920 Atlantic City as Prohibition is passed into law, making alcohol illegal. And, of course, making gangsters very, very busy and very, very wealthy. Buscemi stars as “Nuchy” Thompson, treasurer and powerful political boss of Atlantic City, who splits his time between politics and general gangstery shenanigans (that’s what the tough guys refer to it as, right?). On his tail is Prohibition Agent Van Alden, played by the wonderfully talented Michael Shannon. Rounding out the core cast is Kelly MacDonald as unhappily married Irish immigrant Margaret Schroeder and Michael Pitt as Nucky’s war veteran driver Jimmy Darmody. Some folks are already saying Michael Pitt should start preparing an Emmy acceptance speech for his performance, but from the sounds of it most people involved in the show should start clearing off some shelf space for the inevitable awards. Back to the cast, since the show is based in Atlantic City history, look for appearances by noteworthy gangsters like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Arnold Rothstein.

The show looks amazing (with a budget in the tens of millions it looks better than most movies these days), so I would say it is well worth a watch for anyone with HBO. The first season will be 13 episodes, and although there has been no mention of a second, one would imagine something with this much critical hype has a pretty strong shot. But don’t take my word for it, check out the trailer below!

The people have spoken!  Votes for the first official Square Eyes poll have been tallied and we have a winner!

Q: Which 30 Rock guest star should return this season?

A: Jon Hamm!

He looks like a cartoon pilot!  The Hamm-ster played Liz Lemon neighbor and love interest Dr. Drew Baird in three episodes in Season 3, whose mail led Liz to believe he was the perfect man.  She later breaks off the relaysh due to his living in a bubble (a hot-person-who-always-gets-what-he-wants bubble, that is).  The role earned Hamm an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

Thanks to everyone who voted!