Critics pick top talent of the Decade (Wizbang Pop!)

Oh how the time flies. There's nothing like shutting down a decade to get the 'end of year' lists pumping out early. Daily Variety asked members of the Television Critics Assn. to pick the best of the smallscreen from the past decade. Nominees were announced in June, and a final vote on the finalists took place in July.

And now, the kudos go to ...

Drama Series
Winner: "The Sopranos"
Runner-up: "The Wire"
Other nominees: "Friday Night Lights," "Lost," "Mad Men," "The West Wing"

Drama Actor
Winner: James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"
Runner-up: Michael Chiklis, "The Shield"
Other nominees: Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Hugh Laurie ("House")

Drama Actress
Winner: Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"
Runner-up: Connie Britton, "Friday Night Lights"
Other nominees: Glenn Close ("Damages"), Allison Janney ("The West Wing"), Mary McDonnell ("Battlestar Galactica"), Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")

Comedy Series
Winner: "Arrested Development"
Runner-up: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"
Other nominees: "30 Rock," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "The Office" (U.S.)

Comedy actor
Winner: Ricky Gervais, "The Office" (U.K.)
Runner-up: Steve Carell, "The Office" (U.S.)
Other nominees: Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development"), Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Kelsey Grammer ("Frasier")

Comedy Actress
Winner: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Runners-up: Lauren Graham, "Gilmore Girls" and Sarah Jessica Parker, "Sex and the City"
Other nominees: Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond"), Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine"), Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds")

Comments (1)

Drama ActorWinner: J... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by bryanD | August 10, 2009 6:23 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

bryanD:

Drama Actor
Winner: James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"

I would have given it to Paulie Walnuts or Christopher Moltisanti. Gandolfini too often requires subtitles due his reliance on physiognomy-based imitation as thespian aid, ie. the jaw, the baby bottle mouth, whereas Paulie was 100% organic, Christopher a bona fide talent. Hell, Van Zant's cartoonish Silvio is more effective than Gandolfini (comic relief).