Emmys 2013: Cory Monteith’s ‘In Memoriam’ tribute raises controversy with Jack Klugman’s son

There is a reason why we traditionally prefer “In Memoriam” segments at awards shows every year to treat everyone the same; if you don’t, there is always protest about the way in which some deaths are overshadowed by others. Even this is not perfect, since it is almost impossible to appease everyone, and someone will always come out and say that they were offended by something.

This time around, we are talking about the 2013 Emmy Awards and the well-intentioned decision to have special tributes to five of the people who passed in the past year: “Glee” alum Cory Monteith, writer-producer Gary David Goldberg, comic Jonathan Winters, and actors James Gandolfini and Jean Stapleton. Some are particularly upset that Monteith was included with a smaller career resume, and the son of Jack Krugman even told the Los Angeles Times that the Emmys were celebrating “self-inflicted tragedy” with this move rather than honoring his father. (Larry Hagman is another major omission that was made.)

Do we understand why the Klugman family would be disappointed? Sure, but it seems wrong to judge who is right or wrong to include in a tribute. Cory may have not have had the same resume as a Gandolfini, but he was someone who made a huge impact on young people everywhere. The shock of his death made a huge mark in the past year, and to see him being honored will mean a lot to many people.

Unfortunately, though, this is the business you get into when you try and differentiate one death from another on television. It’s risky, and it leads to unfortunate conflicts when we should be celebrating.