Snarky Behavior

Final Score?

Sopranos, 15
The Wire, 0

That’s according to the Emmy Awards. As in, 15 nominations for The Sopranos, and an astounding NONE for The Wire.

Now: I don’t understand how Emmy nominations are doled out, nor do I particularly care. But I do recognize that the Emmy Awards are the accolade for television programming.

So, it follows, whatever nominating system the Emmys rely on is undeniably flawed. Because The Wire is the best written show on television, perhaps ever.

This weekend on a car-trip out to West Virgina, someone posed the question: “Has television ever been this bad?” After hemming and hawing over the relative merits of laugh-track sitcoms, I think we came to the consensus that reality television (”reality” being a proxy-term for “controlled spontaneity”) represents the death of television as a medium of artistic expression.

Now art, as a term, is for all intents and purposes, impossible to define. Reality television may still be considered “art” insofar as it is a reflection of our collective tastes and preferences. And there might certainly be somewhat artistic decisions being made on the cutting-room floor. But there is never any plot. It is Jerry Springer banalities mixed with soap-opera story-lines, produced in a game-show competition-and-reward structure that always ends in convenient product placements. Formulaic, like a Greek tragedy. And completely uninspiring.

Television is both a mirror and a portal… the aforementioned “reflection” of culture, and the Alice worm-hole through which we enter into a world of imagination. The complexity and creativity of the programming therefore reflects the degree to which an audience will agree to be captive (an already difficult proposition, given constant interruptions of commercial advertisements). Movies have it easy: they force you in your seat for two and a half hours. Television has to be extremely engaging to get you to “buy-in” every week.

HBO is smart to distance itself from network television (It’s not television… it’s HBO!) And the Emmy’s are smart for recognizing HBO for the quality of its programming (as reflected by The Soprano’s 15 nominations). But nobody is smart for neglecting The Wire, which is, by all accounts, “real” reality television.

The Wire encapsulates the oft-cited “game”… the hustle and flow of any major city. And it’s not limited to the street, although that’s where “the game” is most explicit. In one hour pieces, The Wire offers a window into the social-stratifications of our society. It explores crime and punishment, education, poverty, community, race relations, politics, inter- and intra-personal relationships. And there’s no prescriptive answer to the problems elucidated. The Wire slaps you with an overwhelmingly pervasive sense of brutality, tragedy and desperation–the later seasons tell you this story through city’s youth — without presuming to suggest the appropriate path to redemption. It is what it is. And that’s art.

So shame on you, Emmys, for not recognizing great art in a dying medium. Give your meaningless rewards to Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters if you must. But take time to give due consideration and positive reinforcement to excellence, too.