Jack Davenport, "Smash"

Nomination Status: It's not unreasonable to think that the actor-dominated TV Academy would like "Smash" more than some viewers. And if so, you think Emmy voters are gonna nominate Ellis?

In His Favor: It's like this: Every week, I liked "Smash" less and less, but every week, I liked Jack Davenport's performance as Derek Wills more and more. Every week I find myself really liking the brief moments that were just about Derek trying to direct this horribly doomed musical while stupid stuff happened around him. When a supporting character has me wishing that the show were just about him, that's the sign of several things, some of them quite positive. I've always liked Davenport, dating back to "Ultraviolet" and "Coupling" and he's good here.

Working Against Him: Many viewers tired of "Smash" very quickly and unless it has a surprising amount of Emmy support, Davenport doesn't have a chance. Davenport gets his own slide here because I can imagine a world in which "Smash" randomly gets 8 or 10 nominations.