CAILLEY:

This really is a question that answers itself. Was Neil Patrick Harris royally fucked over at the Emmys Sunday night?

Here’s the thing: In those painfully long few seconds before the winner of Best Supporting Actor was announced, I sat here at the Herald office, waiting with unwavering confidence. I watched each nominee absorb respectful applause while they try to look humble. A few of them had definite promise in their category, yes, but I knew who would win. But then the unthinkable happened: Jon Cryer of “Two and a Half Men” won the Emmy.

What makes this whole debate shocking really isn’t the fact Neil Patrick Harris lost. The problem is that Neil Patrick Harris lost to Jon Cryer.

Maybe I’m wrong about “Two and a Half Men.” Maybe its plot ? which focuses on the concept of, get this, two people with totally different personalities that are forced to live together ? is really original. Maybe the performance of the super uptight, I-wear-button-down-shirts-all-the-time Jon Cryer really goes outside the box. Maybe there’s a deeper level to the whole canned laughter-filled show that I’m totally missing, because I don’t know what the hell would qualify a performance like that as Emmy material.

My condescending commentary, however, is also applicable to really all of the other shows that feature Emmy-nominated supporting actors. “Entourage” is about an entourage. “30 Rock” is about the happenings of a comedy show. “The Office” is about what happens in an office. And “How I Met Your Mother” is about five friends in New York. So, in a landscape of pretty superficial material, what sets any one supporting performance apart from the rest?

Maybe it’s a matter of finding the least unoriginal content. And if that’s the case, Neil Patrick Harris was robbed.

We’re talking about a man ? a gay man ? who plays straight. And he’s not just any straight guy, he’s a conniving womanizer who acts out of total selfishness while still exuding charm and class. The act of maintaining such a delicate balance between class and sleaze — and doing so believably — is by far more worthy of an award than being a one-dimensional foil to Charlie Sheen.

And honestly, Neil Patrick Harris would have looked damn better accepting that Emmy compared to Jon Cryer in that God-awful sweater vest. That travesty alone is worth another 350 words.

TONY:

Cailley, I have to agree with you. NPH was fucked over harder on Sunday than he probably has been in a while — at least by a woman, that is. Even worse, he lost to Jon Cryer. It takes talent to be so whiny and despicable that a viewer actually enjoys watching Charlie Sheen’s acting. Then again, maybe that’s why he won.

Alas, even though he deserved the Supporting Actor Emmy, Harris does not deserve the crown for biggest Emmy snub. That title goes to Ms. Tina Fey.

I will be the first to admit that I don’t particularly enjoy “30 Rock” on a regular basis. In fact, my basis for whether I watch “30 Rock” or not depends on whether there is going to be a guest star I want to see. That said, I can throw my bias out of the way enough to admit that Fey and Alec Baldwin are absolutely terrific on the show. The energetic, hilarious, sometimes volatile chemistry they share together is perfect for the roles they play. I would be just fine if Fey lost to Baldwin. That I could understand (minus the confusion of why Baldwin ended up in a female category, of course). But Toni Collette? For the “United States of Tara”? Huh?

Well, the show is about a woman named Tara who has an identity disorder. So maybe Collette won because she plays four alter egos. But not even all five of these Collettes added together match Fey’s Liz Lemon.

You could say Collette won because Fey took home the award last year. But that’s never stopped Emmy voters before. They are infamous for giving out multiple wins in a row. So maybe voters were going down the ballot and realized they got to the award for Best Actress in a Comedy and still hadn’t awarded a show from a premium channel. I mean, what are the Emmys if HBO or Showtime isn’t winning something?

It is truly a mystery what exactly the reasons were. What gets me is that they added an additional nomination slot this year, so in the past, Collette wouldn’t even have been nominated. Other nominees Christina Applegate, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mary-Louise Parker are customary nods in this category, and Emmy voters love consistency, so the three were assured spots. Sara Silverman is certainly funnier than Collette — point in case the mustache — so she deserved the final spot. That leaves no room for Collette, not to mention those four alter egos. So, sorry NPH, but Fey’s snub was far more legen … wait for it … dary.