Okay, okay, we get it. Mad Men is great. The AMC period drama has been racking up awards since it first came on the air four years ago, and it shows no signs of stopping. The fourth season of the show recently nabbed the top prize at the first Critics' Choice TV Awards. Now, while I watch and enjoy Mad Men immensely and appreciate just how great it is, there's just one problem: seeing it win all these awards is getting boring. It's also getting slightly frustrating for those of us who have other dogs we love in the fight. For example,Game of Thrones is a brave new contender, but even with its near-perfect season, it probably doesn't matter so long as Mad Men's on the table; the reigning champ's going to win the top drama award everywhere it goes. And every year that it does, however much it might deserve it, it gets a little tougher for shows that are just as good to get the recognition they deserve.
So I propose having a change to all television awards shows. This addition could take one of two forms, and either would be sufficient. Let's put them in the context of the Emmys, for example:
Option #1
For option number one, we have a very simple solution. When we come down to the final award, for Best Drama, they'll open up the card and announce the inevitable winner, Mad Men. Everyone will cheer mildly as Matt Weiner comes to the stage and accepts the award with a speech that's slightly smugger than the previous years.
Then, as he and the entire cast return to their seats, the presenters will return to the microphone. Let's assume, for the sake of the hypothetical, that the presenters are Joshua Jackson and Melissa McCarthy, who will be announcing the Emmy nominations on July 14.
If you're feeling classy, you can even name the award "First Alternate," and give the executive producer of the show a sash, beauty pageant style. Both "Runner-up Best Drama" and "Best Drama - First Alternate" would great stickers for DVD packaging, and could give any of the shows a glimpse recognition that Mad Men would have otherwise entirely eclipsed.
Option #2
At the beginning of the ceremony, even before the cute little opening video that Jimmy Fallon or whoever is doing, have us cut to the center of the stage, where a presenter is already standing, holding a small card. Without any introduction, he loudly and clearly speaks. "And the Mad Men Award for Best Drama Goes to...," he says, and then pauses to open the card. "Mad Men!" he excitedly shouts feigning surprise. Weiner and the rest of the cast, flattered, come up to the stage as Weiner delivers a speech that is on roughly the same level of smugness as his speech the previous year.
Then, we play through the entire ceremony without any further mention of Mad Men. The Best Drama category doesn't include the show, and a new show is crowned Best Drama. Maybe it'll beBoardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, or The Walking Dead, or Fringe. Viewers get a break from the anticlimax of the past three years of Emmys, and the voters at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences can live with themselves knowing that they once again gave Mad Men the glory it deserves.
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