
Most glaring is the writing, which is downright atrocious - often laugh-out-loud bad. "Cold Case Files," which examines murder cases solved years after their initial investigations, has no trouble rounding up intriguing tales the real-life crime world, after all, comes with as much drama as any season of "CSI." The show's problem lies in its presentation. While nobody claims that the Emmys represent the paragon of mankind's artistic achievement, the fact that "Cold Case Files" managed to sneak into the Outstanding Nonfiction race was a disservice to all the truly talented folks who work in television.


A&E's prime-time whodunit show is chock full of mysteries, but perhaps the biggest puzzler came in late 2003, when the program received an actual nomination for an actual Emmy Award.
