Michael Becker/FOXEmmy nominations are out tomorrow, and you know what that means: American Idol could be one step closer to not claiming the top Reality-Competition prize—again.
If you think Idol is cursed, you may be right. As bad luck would have it, AI is exactly the wrong kind of show to rule at the Emmys.
And you know what kind of show is the wrong kind of show?
A No. 1 show.
Historically, the TV season's most-watched show has gone onto to claim the top award in its category almost never.
In the comedy division, it's happened six times, most recently when Nielsen champ Friends capped its run with the 2002 Emmy.
In the drama division, it's happened only twice—once, back in 1958 when Gunsmoke reigned, and again in 1996 when ER did.
And in the reality-competition division? Nothing.
Every year since the category's inception, American Idol has been nominated. And every year, save one, it's come into the game as TV's most-watched show. And every year, bar none, it's lost .
And that, boys and girls, is called being cursed by success.
Elsewhere, here's a quick look at some of the key performances from the latest Nielsen rankings:
• True Blood: Rebounding from an off performance, the vampire fave rose all the way to No. 2 on the cable side, with 5 million newly dedicated viewers.
• Curb Your Enthusiasm: New York agreed with Larry David, as his newly set Big Apple comedy's eighth-season premiere scored the show's biggest audience in more than seven years.
• Jaycee Dugard: The kidnap victim's sitdown with Diane Sawyer was watched by more than 15 million, a huge number for the summer, and finished second in the broadcast standings.
• Casey Anthony: An ABC special on the acquitted murder suspect notched a Top 25 finish, but wasn't half the draw that Dugard was.
• The usual suspect(s): America's Got Talent was TV's No. 1 show. It was also its No. 3 and No. 4 shows, too.