2018 Emmy Nominations
The Emmys Have Been Announced And I Have Lots Of Thoughts
The 2018 Emmys nominations have arrived. Its time to take a look at the nominees and the categories and the Emmys at large. As I talk about various shows and topics I want to make a few things clear. First, THERE ARE NO SNUBS. While there are certainly shows and/or writers and actors and directors I wish would have been recognized that weren't, they aren't snubs. There is more TV shows than there is time to watch which means there are a lot of shows that will fail to get recognized that are deserving. Its tough but that's just how it is these days. Second, no one who got nominated is not worthy. The sentiment above applies again. There is a ton of shows to sort your way through. More than is possible to watch or nominate. Just because I would trade out a nominee for something else doesn't make them unworthy. Put simply, too much is worthy. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's pick this stuff apart.
Best Comedy Series
This category is pretty simple. Atlanta is the best show on Tv full stop. And with Veep not in the fold this year it should win this category easily.
The side notes for this category are two-fold. First is that I'm thrilled that Glow got a nomination. This is a show that probably would have been forgotten had it not released its second season right before voting (but late enough that its first season qualified). Glow is great. And the recognition of it is exciting. The second side note is that this category finally is free of Modern Family. The fact that its string of nominations in this category got broken would only have been more noteworthy if I realized that the show still existed.
Best Drama Series
This is easily the most uninspiring category of the year. Handmaid's Tale seems like a lock to repeat despite the fact that most reviews of it can be summed up as saying that it is a show so punishing to sit through that it might not be worth watching anymore. I forgot Game Of Thrones was eligible. And despite its highs, Thrones just wasn't as consistently great as its been in years past. This Is Us is probably the runner up as the last hanger-on for the networks.
The real take away in this category though is the general laziness of it. I'm fine with Netflix and HBO dominating the drama category but the choices are just bland. Westworld is deeply flawed at best and bad at worst. I'd happily trade Stranger Things and The Crown for Mindhunters. But alas, one of the certainties of the academy is that once shows are part of the "in crowd" they tend to stay there. And while we're at it lets wish there had been a nod for an upstart like the much deserved Killing Eve or even the suprise hit of the spring in Cobra Kai. There were two open slots to fill with Better Call Saul and House of Cards not in the mix this year. I wish the choices to fill those spots had been more inspired.
That all being said, with this selection of nominees I will put my unbridled optimism behind the final season of the Americans. Let's send one of the best shows ever off in style with the award it has long deserved.
Best Limited Series
Speaking of down years, this category has been stealing the show recently. Best Limited Series is the worst its been in at least five years. So, with an eye roll, I say that I'm expecting American Crime Story to win this category for the second time in three years. Of the nominees I suppose I'd like to see Godless win. A beautiful, slow burn western with vast landscapes and patient storytelling and acting. There are other categories Godless can take but I suppose this one would be nice too.
But let's get to the elephant in the room. Twin Peaks: The Return was eligible for this category. Not only should it have been nominated, but it should have been a runaway favorite to win. Twin Peaks was not without its flaws but it was a joy to watch as David Lynch gave to his viewers one of the most ambitious, creative, stimulating pieces of work in television history - much like the original. I figured when The Return got green-lit that it was a show without middle ground. It was going to be great. Or it was going to be one of the greatest trainwrecks ever. It was great. And while I opened this post by saying there are no snubs, I will probably never understand how Twin Peaks isn't winning this category let alone being nominated. This is also not the last Peaks related rant of this post.
Best TV Movie
I'm thrilled that this category has given Black Mirror nominations and wins. I hope it happens again. That being said, this would have been an ideal year to make the jump to limited series considering the general weakness of that category.
Lead Actor Limited TV Series or Movie
John Legend getting nominated is... interesting? Darren Criss feels like the favorite. i'm rooting for Jesse Plemons for Black Mirror. But this should be Kyle Maclachlin's award. He was brilliant in Twin Peaks. Ok, I'm not going to rant again. Agent Cooper I know this award is yours.
Lead and Supporting Actress Limited Tv Series or Movie
These two categories should go to the women of Godless who were, as an ensamble, what made the show so great.
Lead Actor Comedy
Ted Dansen's nomination for The Good Place is one of the most welcomed of the year. He is a Hall of Fame actor turning in some of his best work on one of the funniest shows on TV(by the way The Good Place was more than deserving of a best comedy nomination as well as other acting considerations). But while I'm overjoyed for Dansen, this is Donald Glover's award. Despite his having a smaller role this season, he is the engine of the best show in the game. If you are looking for a sleeper, bet big on Bill Hader in Berry. HBO has enormous pull at the Emmys and Hader was fantastic in his showcase piece's first season.
Lead Actress Comedy
As great as all of the women in this category are, the biggest story is its absence. VEEP took some extra time off before its final season, meaninig that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is not going to win for the first time since VEEP came on the air. Look, she is the queen. And a new face will be exciting. But her absence leaves this as the most wide open field of the bunch. I have no clue who is going to win. And most importantly, this win will have little bearing on the future with JLD coming back next year. Bet your heart. Or if your me, wish you could bet on Kristen Bell or Allison Brie.
Lead Actor Drama
This award is Sterling K. Brown's to lose. He is great as the best part of his award nominated show. And he won last year. That being said, I am me and so I hoping Mathew Rhys wins for The Americans. (*quick aside, actors as well as writers and directors get nominated for specific episodes, not the entire series) Rys was devestating in the series finale, which he was surely nominated for and his eleven minute standoff with neighbor/FBI agent/best friend Stan was the payoff the show deserved even if fans like me didn't know we wanted it when it started. I would love to see him walk on the stage and stun everyone with his Welsh accent.
Two actors I would have loved to see be nominated in this category besides basically anyone but Rhys would be Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter and Billy Zabka for his astounding and delightful work in Cobra Kai.
Lead Actress Drama
The big story in this category is not the picks so lets get through that quickly. Elizabeth Moss is a mortal lock to win this category. She is arguably(maybe not arguably) TV's greatest actor. I would love to see Keri Russell win for her portrayal as the ice queen of the cold war in my favorite show. Sandra Oh is a fantastic surprise in Killing Eve, one of the best shows of 2018 and has enough good will with voters from her Grey's Anatomy days to be a super deep upset pick.
The real story of this category is its future. Russell and Tatiana Maslany are seeing their shows end. Claire Foy will no longer be on The Crown as Queen Elizabeth ages out of its actress. Moss should be a mainstay, but her show may be facing critical decline. And while I suspect a nomination for Robin Wright next year, it will be in House Of Cards final season. I am sure that there are plenty of brillaint female characters coming in the next few years that we will not be feeling left short in this category. But the future of the lead actress category is facing near total uncertainty. This kind of overturn is certainly something that could be viewed as worisome. I would like to think its exciting. I can't wait to see who is coming next.
Supporting Actor Drama
Another wide open category. But this one is different. Instead of a few others that have been wide open for their lack of a great choice, this one has four great choices. I would suppse that Joseph Fiennes is the favorite for his role in Handmaid's Tale. But Peter Dinklage has long been an Emmy favorite. David Harbour could be the lone winner for Stranger Things(look up his SAG awards speech and you'll want him on every stage he can win an award to get on). And a shout out to the great Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. His ability to make Jamie Lannister an empathetic and sometimes sympathetic character has been one of the great achievements of Game Of Thrones. While he may not be a favorite and this past season may not be his best work, I am thrilled to see him rewarded for years of great and sometimes thankless work. And don't sleep on Matt Smith. The former Dr. Who, like Harbour, is his shows best chance for a win.
I would quickly like to say that I am sad that The Americans has come and gone without Noah Emmerich not getting a single nomination in this category. I'm not surprised at this point. But his understated tone managed to carry such emotional depth in a character that could have been one note in lesser hands.
Supporting Acress Drama
Before we talk about winners and losers I need to get on a soap box. I think that in the current landscape of TV, where there are literally about 500 new shows a year, that shows should be limited to one nomination per category. In years past this may not have mattered. And in the future it may not. But as much as these awards shows are stupid entertainment made for people like me to write too many words about, I'd like to think they are something of a historical record. That they are a reflection of what mattered to the viewing public. With that being said, while anyone and everyone involved in the making of Handmaid's Tale are worthy of honor for their work, nominating three people from the same show is insane in my opinion. One of them will win. My guess would be Alexis Bledel. But there is so much more to recognize. Lena Heady, who got a nomination, is so great in Game Of Thrones that I am sad to admit she will never win. Jodie Comer would have been a deserving member of this list for her fun and terror filled turn as Villanelle in Killing Eve. Holly Taylor, as Paige in The Americans, has been the best under twenty actress for years at this point. Anna Torv was the turning point of Mindhunter. Makcenzie Davis and Keri Bische will unfortunately be lost to history on the all time great but little watched Halt And Catch Fire. Dear White People? She's Gotta Have It? I'm not saying that the women of Handmaid's Tale aren't great. But let's do a little better to show how great TV is. That list could have been twice as long just for women in supporting roles. There is a lot of TV. Let's represent it.
Supporting Actor Comedy
Time for me to instantly flip flop on my position. If we're nominating multiple people from one show in a category then we need to include Lekeith Stanfield for Atlanta alongside Bryan Tryee Henry. I would have submitted Stanfield for the episode Teddy Perkins. It wasn't funny. It was actually quite scary. But Stanfield is the avatar for the shows surrealism in a way that is transportive, exciting, and almost always hilarious. I don't know if I'd want him to win over Henry, who is right now as funny as anyone on TV and at least that good an actor. But if Handmaid's Tale get's five acting nominations, one more for Atlanta is not too much to ask.
Supporting Actress Comedy
Time for another rant. I don't get why Saturday Night Live gets to be in the acting categories. Especially when there are rules in place to prevent hour long "dramedies" like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from participating. Saturday Night Live is not a scripted episodic show. In my continuing discussion of the sheer volume of TV, there are plenty of actors that could fill these nominations. A perfect example of this would be Jameela Jamil from The Good Place.
Anyways, don't bet against any of the SNL nominees to win this. But the award should be going to either Zazie Beetz or Betty Gilpin. Both play single mothers staring down the complexity of their lives with an earnestness and grace that should be reserved for a great hour long drama but is on two of the best comedies out there. And they're both also hilarious when the moment calls for.
Supporting Actor Limited Series/Movie
Brandon Victor Dixon who is nominated for Jesus Christ Superstar is most famous for being the man who implored Vice President Pence to incorporate a more inclusive world view while on stage playing Aaron Burr on Broadway. I'd say he has a near zero percent chance of winning, but in a category that falls by the wayside he might say something we'd all be proud to hear.
Documentary Non-fiction Special
This is a category that may have to be abolished. Icarus won the Oscar for best Documentary and Jim And Andy was given heavy consideration for a nomination as well. This is the start of what may be an ongoing discussion about the place streaming services have in media. What if Netflix produces a movie that gets nominated for best picture? Can it still be nominated for best TV movie? I don't know. Its just something to think about moving forward as we grapple with the place that streaming services hold in our lives. That being said, Icarus was a gripping thrill ride. And Jim And Andy was as fascinating a look at an actor as I've ever seen.
Documentary Series
Wild Wild Country almost made my "Top Five Shows Everyone Should Watch". The story of an Indian cult that moved to a small town in Oregon and almost took it over is one of the most interesting stories told in the documentary medium. Watching the push and pull between the people who saw the illegalities of the cult and those who were a part of it and believed they were doing something good is a fascinating case study in the question of right. It's easily six of the best hours anyone could spend.
Guest Actor Drama Series
Jimmi Simpson for Westworld feels like a cheat that will get Westworld a win. But this should be Cameron Britton's award for his delightful portrayal of a serial killer letting the dectives of Mindhunter into the psychology of a killer that they are craving.
Guest Actor Comedy
If you watch Atlanta and you are not rooting for Katt Willams then I don't know what to tell you. And if you don't watch Atlanta then that is a problem.
Writing Drama Series
So if you had to bet on this one I'd tell you to go with Handmaid's Tale. That being said, if the floodgates for The Americans are going to open this is where it starts. START, the shows finale, was a gorgeous piece of writing. And quietly root for Killing Eve. If you're looking for a show to gripe about not being included its probably Mindhunter(unless you want to stand for Halt And Catch Fire, which is a great life choice). The show was dialogue driven in a way that feels meant for this award.
Writing Comedy Series
If its up to me Atlanta gets this in a walk with either of its nominees winning and a third - Teddy Perkins- being capable of the win as well. But I feel a Berry upset coming here. Call me crazy but I just think its happening.
Writing Limited Series/Movie
I will ride for Black Mirror till the day I die. Godless was beautiful. But if this doesn't go to Twin Peaks then the only explanation is that no one who votes for these awards watched Twin Peaks.
Directing Drama
This is a category that you can whittle down to one of two options. Thrones will win because it is the biggest spectical on TV or Handmaid's Tale will win because a sweep is coming.
But let me throw a few choices out there that aren't on the list. Any episode of Killing Eve would have been welcomed for its pace, tone, and ambition. David Fincher set the mood of Mindhunter with his usual dark brilliance. The Americans relative low standard for production has created a look for a period piece that is as wonderful as it is challenging to watch. Mr. Robot created one of the most ambitious episodes of TV in recent memory with its all one-er action episode. And then there is Legion. The only show that designs itself as David Lynch's decendant.
Directing Comedy Series
Its time for Hiro Murai to step into the spotlight. He is one of the great young directors out there and an Emmy for is always outstanding and pitch perfect work on Atlanta would be his coming out party and hopefully a stepping stone to more opportunities.
Directing Limited Series/Movie
Our final category of the night is pretty cut and dry. David Lynch might be the greatest director of all time and he showed why in making Twin Peaks The Return. There really isn't even a challenger to the throne in this category. Its him and then everyone else knowing they have no hope of sniffing his level of greatness.
That being said, the shootout on the rooftop in Godless is one of the best shots of the past year. From the framing to the whip camera movement to the lense flair of sunset in the background to a great moment of strength for the two heorins of the show. Godless cannot match Lynch's wierd, spooky, genius with a camera. But it can show you beauty.
There we go. I think I've sifted through all of the scripted Emmy nominations. I think in my final rant I will say that most of the reasoning behind my issues with nominations or lack there of (besides personal bias) is because of how the categories are handled. The Emmys are basically the wild west. There is basically no regulation to state where and how shows have to nominate themselves. As a result you get shows, writers, actors, and directors in categories where they don't belong or you'd love to see others. As the year unfolds that's part of the fun. Trying to figure out where everything will sort itself out. I was having fever dreams of Twin Peaks taking on the drama category. But until there is some sort of clarity on where shows can declare themselves beyond "hour long shows can't be comedies", the historical record I hope to achieve may never happen and I will just be writing thousands of words into the void hoping that someone out there is watching a handful of the too many shows that I am.
The 2018 Emmys nominations have arrived. Its time to take a look at the nominees and the categories and the Emmys at large. As I talk about various shows and topics I want to make a few things clear. First, THERE ARE NO SNUBS. While there are certainly shows and/or writers and actors and directors I wish would have been recognized that weren't, they aren't snubs. There is more TV shows than there is time to watch which means there are a lot of shows that will fail to get recognized that are deserving. Its tough but that's just how it is these days. Second, no one who got nominated is not worthy. The sentiment above applies again. There is a ton of shows to sort your way through. More than is possible to watch or nominate. Just because I would trade out a nominee for something else doesn't make them unworthy. Put simply, too much is worthy. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's pick this stuff apart.
Best Comedy Series
This category is pretty simple. Atlanta is the best show on Tv full stop. And with Veep not in the fold this year it should win this category easily.
The side notes for this category are two-fold. First is that I'm thrilled that Glow got a nomination. This is a show that probably would have been forgotten had it not released its second season right before voting (but late enough that its first season qualified). Glow is great. And the recognition of it is exciting. The second side note is that this category finally is free of Modern Family. The fact that its string of nominations in this category got broken would only have been more noteworthy if I realized that the show still existed.
Best Drama Series
This is easily the most uninspiring category of the year. Handmaid's Tale seems like a lock to repeat despite the fact that most reviews of it can be summed up as saying that it is a show so punishing to sit through that it might not be worth watching anymore. I forgot Game Of Thrones was eligible. And despite its highs, Thrones just wasn't as consistently great as its been in years past. This Is Us is probably the runner up as the last hanger-on for the networks.
The real take away in this category though is the general laziness of it. I'm fine with Netflix and HBO dominating the drama category but the choices are just bland. Westworld is deeply flawed at best and bad at worst. I'd happily trade Stranger Things and The Crown for Mindhunters. But alas, one of the certainties of the academy is that once shows are part of the "in crowd" they tend to stay there. And while we're at it lets wish there had been a nod for an upstart like the much deserved Killing Eve or even the suprise hit of the spring in Cobra Kai. There were two open slots to fill with Better Call Saul and House of Cards not in the mix this year. I wish the choices to fill those spots had been more inspired.
That all being said, with this selection of nominees I will put my unbridled optimism behind the final season of the Americans. Let's send one of the best shows ever off in style with the award it has long deserved.
Best Limited Series
Speaking of down years, this category has been stealing the show recently. Best Limited Series is the worst its been in at least five years. So, with an eye roll, I say that I'm expecting American Crime Story to win this category for the second time in three years. Of the nominees I suppose I'd like to see Godless win. A beautiful, slow burn western with vast landscapes and patient storytelling and acting. There are other categories Godless can take but I suppose this one would be nice too.
But let's get to the elephant in the room. Twin Peaks: The Return was eligible for this category. Not only should it have been nominated, but it should have been a runaway favorite to win. Twin Peaks was not without its flaws but it was a joy to watch as David Lynch gave to his viewers one of the most ambitious, creative, stimulating pieces of work in television history - much like the original. I figured when The Return got green-lit that it was a show without middle ground. It was going to be great. Or it was going to be one of the greatest trainwrecks ever. It was great. And while I opened this post by saying there are no snubs, I will probably never understand how Twin Peaks isn't winning this category let alone being nominated. This is also not the last Peaks related rant of this post.
Best TV Movie
I'm thrilled that this category has given Black Mirror nominations and wins. I hope it happens again. That being said, this would have been an ideal year to make the jump to limited series considering the general weakness of that category.
Lead Actor Limited TV Series or Movie
John Legend getting nominated is... interesting? Darren Criss feels like the favorite. i'm rooting for Jesse Plemons for Black Mirror. But this should be Kyle Maclachlin's award. He was brilliant in Twin Peaks. Ok, I'm not going to rant again. Agent Cooper I know this award is yours.
Lead and Supporting Actress Limited Tv Series or Movie
These two categories should go to the women of Godless who were, as an ensamble, what made the show so great.
Lead Actor Comedy
Ted Dansen's nomination for The Good Place is one of the most welcomed of the year. He is a Hall of Fame actor turning in some of his best work on one of the funniest shows on TV(by the way The Good Place was more than deserving of a best comedy nomination as well as other acting considerations). But while I'm overjoyed for Dansen, this is Donald Glover's award. Despite his having a smaller role this season, he is the engine of the best show in the game. If you are looking for a sleeper, bet big on Bill Hader in Berry. HBO has enormous pull at the Emmys and Hader was fantastic in his showcase piece's first season.
Lead Actress Comedy
As great as all of the women in this category are, the biggest story is its absence. VEEP took some extra time off before its final season, meaninig that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is not going to win for the first time since VEEP came on the air. Look, she is the queen. And a new face will be exciting. But her absence leaves this as the most wide open field of the bunch. I have no clue who is going to win. And most importantly, this win will have little bearing on the future with JLD coming back next year. Bet your heart. Or if your me, wish you could bet on Kristen Bell or Allison Brie.
Lead Actor Drama
This award is Sterling K. Brown's to lose. He is great as the best part of his award nominated show. And he won last year. That being said, I am me and so I hoping Mathew Rhys wins for The Americans. (*quick aside, actors as well as writers and directors get nominated for specific episodes, not the entire series) Rys was devestating in the series finale, which he was surely nominated for and his eleven minute standoff with neighbor/FBI agent/best friend Stan was the payoff the show deserved even if fans like me didn't know we wanted it when it started. I would love to see him walk on the stage and stun everyone with his Welsh accent.
Two actors I would have loved to see be nominated in this category besides basically anyone but Rhys would be Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter and Billy Zabka for his astounding and delightful work in Cobra Kai.
Lead Actress Drama
The big story in this category is not the picks so lets get through that quickly. Elizabeth Moss is a mortal lock to win this category. She is arguably(maybe not arguably) TV's greatest actor. I would love to see Keri Russell win for her portrayal as the ice queen of the cold war in my favorite show. Sandra Oh is a fantastic surprise in Killing Eve, one of the best shows of 2018 and has enough good will with voters from her Grey's Anatomy days to be a super deep upset pick.
The real story of this category is its future. Russell and Tatiana Maslany are seeing their shows end. Claire Foy will no longer be on The Crown as Queen Elizabeth ages out of its actress. Moss should be a mainstay, but her show may be facing critical decline. And while I suspect a nomination for Robin Wright next year, it will be in House Of Cards final season. I am sure that there are plenty of brillaint female characters coming in the next few years that we will not be feeling left short in this category. But the future of the lead actress category is facing near total uncertainty. This kind of overturn is certainly something that could be viewed as worisome. I would like to think its exciting. I can't wait to see who is coming next.
Supporting Actor Drama
Another wide open category. But this one is different. Instead of a few others that have been wide open for their lack of a great choice, this one has four great choices. I would suppse that Joseph Fiennes is the favorite for his role in Handmaid's Tale. But Peter Dinklage has long been an Emmy favorite. David Harbour could be the lone winner for Stranger Things(look up his SAG awards speech and you'll want him on every stage he can win an award to get on). And a shout out to the great Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. His ability to make Jamie Lannister an empathetic and sometimes sympathetic character has been one of the great achievements of Game Of Thrones. While he may not be a favorite and this past season may not be his best work, I am thrilled to see him rewarded for years of great and sometimes thankless work. And don't sleep on Matt Smith. The former Dr. Who, like Harbour, is his shows best chance for a win.
I would quickly like to say that I am sad that The Americans has come and gone without Noah Emmerich not getting a single nomination in this category. I'm not surprised at this point. But his understated tone managed to carry such emotional depth in a character that could have been one note in lesser hands.
Supporting Acress Drama
Before we talk about winners and losers I need to get on a soap box. I think that in the current landscape of TV, where there are literally about 500 new shows a year, that shows should be limited to one nomination per category. In years past this may not have mattered. And in the future it may not. But as much as these awards shows are stupid entertainment made for people like me to write too many words about, I'd like to think they are something of a historical record. That they are a reflection of what mattered to the viewing public. With that being said, while anyone and everyone involved in the making of Handmaid's Tale are worthy of honor for their work, nominating three people from the same show is insane in my opinion. One of them will win. My guess would be Alexis Bledel. But there is so much more to recognize. Lena Heady, who got a nomination, is so great in Game Of Thrones that I am sad to admit she will never win. Jodie Comer would have been a deserving member of this list for her fun and terror filled turn as Villanelle in Killing Eve. Holly Taylor, as Paige in The Americans, has been the best under twenty actress for years at this point. Anna Torv was the turning point of Mindhunter. Makcenzie Davis and Keri Bische will unfortunately be lost to history on the all time great but little watched Halt And Catch Fire. Dear White People? She's Gotta Have It? I'm not saying that the women of Handmaid's Tale aren't great. But let's do a little better to show how great TV is. That list could have been twice as long just for women in supporting roles. There is a lot of TV. Let's represent it.
Supporting Actor Comedy
Time for me to instantly flip flop on my position. If we're nominating multiple people from one show in a category then we need to include Lekeith Stanfield for Atlanta alongside Bryan Tryee Henry. I would have submitted Stanfield for the episode Teddy Perkins. It wasn't funny. It was actually quite scary. But Stanfield is the avatar for the shows surrealism in a way that is transportive, exciting, and almost always hilarious. I don't know if I'd want him to win over Henry, who is right now as funny as anyone on TV and at least that good an actor. But if Handmaid's Tale get's five acting nominations, one more for Atlanta is not too much to ask.
Supporting Actress Comedy
Time for another rant. I don't get why Saturday Night Live gets to be in the acting categories. Especially when there are rules in place to prevent hour long "dramedies" like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend from participating. Saturday Night Live is not a scripted episodic show. In my continuing discussion of the sheer volume of TV, there are plenty of actors that could fill these nominations. A perfect example of this would be Jameela Jamil from The Good Place.
Anyways, don't bet against any of the SNL nominees to win this. But the award should be going to either Zazie Beetz or Betty Gilpin. Both play single mothers staring down the complexity of their lives with an earnestness and grace that should be reserved for a great hour long drama but is on two of the best comedies out there. And they're both also hilarious when the moment calls for.
Supporting Actor Limited Series/Movie
Brandon Victor Dixon who is nominated for Jesus Christ Superstar is most famous for being the man who implored Vice President Pence to incorporate a more inclusive world view while on stage playing Aaron Burr on Broadway. I'd say he has a near zero percent chance of winning, but in a category that falls by the wayside he might say something we'd all be proud to hear.
Documentary Non-fiction Special
This is a category that may have to be abolished. Icarus won the Oscar for best Documentary and Jim And Andy was given heavy consideration for a nomination as well. This is the start of what may be an ongoing discussion about the place streaming services have in media. What if Netflix produces a movie that gets nominated for best picture? Can it still be nominated for best TV movie? I don't know. Its just something to think about moving forward as we grapple with the place that streaming services hold in our lives. That being said, Icarus was a gripping thrill ride. And Jim And Andy was as fascinating a look at an actor as I've ever seen.
Documentary Series
Wild Wild Country almost made my "Top Five Shows Everyone Should Watch". The story of an Indian cult that moved to a small town in Oregon and almost took it over is one of the most interesting stories told in the documentary medium. Watching the push and pull between the people who saw the illegalities of the cult and those who were a part of it and believed they were doing something good is a fascinating case study in the question of right. It's easily six of the best hours anyone could spend.
Guest Actor Drama Series
Jimmi Simpson for Westworld feels like a cheat that will get Westworld a win. But this should be Cameron Britton's award for his delightful portrayal of a serial killer letting the dectives of Mindhunter into the psychology of a killer that they are craving.
Guest Actor Comedy
If you watch Atlanta and you are not rooting for Katt Willams then I don't know what to tell you. And if you don't watch Atlanta then that is a problem.
Writing Drama Series
So if you had to bet on this one I'd tell you to go with Handmaid's Tale. That being said, if the floodgates for The Americans are going to open this is where it starts. START, the shows finale, was a gorgeous piece of writing. And quietly root for Killing Eve. If you're looking for a show to gripe about not being included its probably Mindhunter(unless you want to stand for Halt And Catch Fire, which is a great life choice). The show was dialogue driven in a way that feels meant for this award.
Writing Comedy Series
If its up to me Atlanta gets this in a walk with either of its nominees winning and a third - Teddy Perkins- being capable of the win as well. But I feel a Berry upset coming here. Call me crazy but I just think its happening.
Writing Limited Series/Movie
I will ride for Black Mirror till the day I die. Godless was beautiful. But if this doesn't go to Twin Peaks then the only explanation is that no one who votes for these awards watched Twin Peaks.
Directing Drama
This is a category that you can whittle down to one of two options. Thrones will win because it is the biggest spectical on TV or Handmaid's Tale will win because a sweep is coming.
But let me throw a few choices out there that aren't on the list. Any episode of Killing Eve would have been welcomed for its pace, tone, and ambition. David Fincher set the mood of Mindhunter with his usual dark brilliance. The Americans relative low standard for production has created a look for a period piece that is as wonderful as it is challenging to watch. Mr. Robot created one of the most ambitious episodes of TV in recent memory with its all one-er action episode. And then there is Legion. The only show that designs itself as David Lynch's decendant.
Directing Comedy Series
Its time for Hiro Murai to step into the spotlight. He is one of the great young directors out there and an Emmy for is always outstanding and pitch perfect work on Atlanta would be his coming out party and hopefully a stepping stone to more opportunities.
Directing Limited Series/Movie
Our final category of the night is pretty cut and dry. David Lynch might be the greatest director of all time and he showed why in making Twin Peaks The Return. There really isn't even a challenger to the throne in this category. Its him and then everyone else knowing they have no hope of sniffing his level of greatness.
That being said, the shootout on the rooftop in Godless is one of the best shots of the past year. From the framing to the whip camera movement to the lense flair of sunset in the background to a great moment of strength for the two heorins of the show. Godless cannot match Lynch's wierd, spooky, genius with a camera. But it can show you beauty.
There we go. I think I've sifted through all of the scripted Emmy nominations. I think in my final rant I will say that most of the reasoning behind my issues with nominations or lack there of (besides personal bias) is because of how the categories are handled. The Emmys are basically the wild west. There is basically no regulation to state where and how shows have to nominate themselves. As a result you get shows, writers, actors, and directors in categories where they don't belong or you'd love to see others. As the year unfolds that's part of the fun. Trying to figure out where everything will sort itself out. I was having fever dreams of Twin Peaks taking on the drama category. But until there is some sort of clarity on where shows can declare themselves beyond "hour long shows can't be comedies", the historical record I hope to achieve may never happen and I will just be writing thousands of words into the void hoping that someone out there is watching a handful of the too many shows that I am.
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