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Can You Tell Me How to Get to These Crossovers?

HBO is about to get a whole lot fuzzier. It was announced today that Sesame Street will air its next five seasons on HBO. Yes, you heard that correctly. The family-oriented program that taught everyone about their ABC’s will air on the same premium network channel that brought us Carrie Bradshaw strutting around Manhattan and The Red Wedding. It’s not entirely unusual for HBO to dabble in children’s entertainment – they aired Fraggle Rock in the 1980s – but it is bizarre to consider the PBS staple a stable of a premium cable network.

To celebrate this bizarre move, I have compiled the 8 Sesame Street crossovers that we need right away.

Zoe & Abby on Girls

Over the past few seasons, Girls has opened up the conversation to what it is like to be a millennial living in New York City. The show has its haters and its die-hard fans, but they can all agree that the show has headed into some really serious territory. Perhaps Zoe and Abby will remind the foursome to just lighten up a bit. Or, at the very least, engage in some girl-on-girl action, Street-style.

Snuffy on Veep

While Selina Meyer’s political affiliation isn’t said completely out loud, a lot of people identify her as a Republican. If Selina runs for a second term (you know, after all this tying business is over and done with), she could use a huge, fluffy icon to bring more voters on her side. I mean, it is a hairy elephant, right?

Cookie Monster on Silicon Valley

The more these guys build a technological empire, the more they need Mr. Monster to provide them with some much needed munchies during their down time. Think about it though, a stoned Erlich Bachman and Cookie Monster… not that different right? Even puppets get the munchies.

Grover on Togetherness

I wanted to place my personal favorite Sesame Street character on a show where he would definitely be safe. Sure, Togetherness has its familial/mumblecore drama, but you know Grover would be able to bring everyone down a notch. He can be high-strung himself, though, so I think we all need to see him get into a screaming match with Amanda Peet, am I right?

The Count on Game of Thrones

He has a cape. He has a castle. It’s perfect, right? If True Blood was still on the air, he would be able to guest on both shows. Next time there’s a massacre, he would be able to provide an accurate body count. “Nine! Nine dead Starks! Ah, ah, ah!”

Bert & Ernie on Looking

Easy joke, yes, but it’d be great to see the pair wandering around the background of Folsom while Jonathan Groff is being obnoxious and adorable. Plus, surely SOMEONE on Looking could do something about Bert’s tragic unibrow.

Elmo & Big Bird on True Detective

No one liked season 2 of True Detective. This is a fact. Why not change up the tone with two of Sesame’s most beloved and sweet characters? Maybe they won’t go on a cocaine binge or get chased around the woods by men with shotguns (Follow That Bird reboot?), but they could solve the mysterious crime of a rubber ducky kingpin going missing. Unless, being HBO, an orgy is required. That could be interesting…

Oscar on The Jinx: The Lives and Deaths of a Grouch

‘Nuff said.

EmmyWatch: Finally Hamm’s Year? Will Spoilers Take His Crown?

Note: This post is the latest in an on-going series of pieces exploring the major categories at the 2015 Emmy awards. We will cover actors, actresses, and series – Comedy and Drama – through the end of the voting period on August 28. See something you like or a performance you’d like to single out? Share the posts and create some Twitter buzz! We’ll see you at the Emmys.

Now that Mad Men has wrapped up its final season, everyone seems to think that Jon Hamm will finally win his Emmy for portraying Don Draper after seven seasons of lies, affairs, booze, and proficient smoking. And common logic is probably right? However, Mad Men has never won an Emmy for its many fantastic performances. Not even Robert Morse’s musical death sequence last year could merit a Guest Actor Emmy. Conventional wisdom has Hamm comfortably in the lead, but two very popular performances are nipping at his heels. It feels like Kevin Spacey has won an Emmy before for his phenomenal performance as President Frank Underwood, but he’s gone home empty-handed twice now. Also, everyone seems to love Bob Odenkirk’s career-redefining performance in Better Call Saul, and you can never count out previous surprise winner Kyle Chandler for his emotional, soul-wrecking work at the end of Bloodline. It’s a very tough category to call, and I have a hunch that, when the envelope is opened, many an eyebrow will be raised.

Performer: Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn in Bloodline

Episode: “Episode 112” (Season 1, Episode 12)

Highlights: We’ve discussed this one before… Danny and John Rayburn’s brotherly showdown comes to its inevitable and brutal conclusion.

Why he could win: The material is an actor’s dream: Chandler confronts his younger brother (Emmy nominee Ben Mendelsohn) after exploring his dark past and dealing his brother’s thinly veiled death threats against his own daughter. Twelve episodes of stress, anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, disappointment, and, yes, love finally erupt into ***SPOILER*** Chandler strangling Mendelsohn in the shallow waters of Key West. In the Actor’s Textbook, you’ll find Kyle Chandler’s Bloodline performance under the category “slow burn” as Chandler evolved his character over the course of the series, never making acting choices that felt out of turn or unexpected. Plus, it’s very hard to play the “good guy” given so many bigger, broader performances that populate the series, but Chandler (and, to a certain extent, the criminally un-nominated Sissy Spacek) is the emotional core of not only the family but also the series itself.

Why could he lose: Bloodline is a tough sit for the first six or seven episodes, and Chandler’s performance is difficult to pin down to a single episode. It’s odd that he chose the same episode as Ben Mendelsohn as you’d expect them to spread the exposure to the series. I thought Chandler’s work in the finale (when he suffers from a panic attack) was equally great, so you’d think he’d want to increase his chances by offering something different. He was a surprise winner before, and not many will feel the need to reward him again so soon. Plus, recent award winners in this category haven’t exactly trended toward the good guys.

Performer: Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy in Newsroom

Episode: “What Kind of Day Has It Been?” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Highlights: Newsroom‘s series finale includes the funeral of Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) which also featured flashbacks of how Skinner molded the career of Daniels’s Will McAvoy.

Why he could win: He’s been a surprise winner before, so anything’s possible. The final episode definitely played to Daniels’s comic strengths, particularly when he reacted to some unexpected pregnancy news. He was also more than capable of delivering on the dramatic front as well, providing a well-rounded performance for the actor in the outgoing series.

Why could he lose: He’s won before for this same performance in Newsroom‘s first season, and many thought he did not deserve the award. Daniels is a nice guy and a good actor, but I don’t think anyone feels the need to reward him again with another win in the light of much more deserving performances across the board. It would be the height of frustration (putting it mildly) to see Daniels at the podium again.

Performer: Jon Hamm as Don Draper in Mad Men

Episode: “Person to Person” (Season 7, Episode 14)

Highlights: In the Mad Men series finale, Don Draper learns to blend the two halves of his persona, cries a lot, and finds inner peace – as well as the inspiration for the most famous ad campaign ever designed, the “buy the world a Coke” campaign.

Why he could win: The final season saw a lot of characters speed toward happy endings of sorts, but nothing was more unexpected than Jon Hamm’s redemption of Don Draper. The highlight of the episode was his literally phoned-in teary confessional to Peggy Olson, and, if only to top that, Hamm joins a hippie retreat where he bonds and cries with a man named Leonard. In the hands of any other actor, the combination of scenes would seem self-indulgent and melodramatic, but the criminally underrated actor Jon Hamm manages to sell it better than Don Draper ever could. I could go on and on about the performance, but series creator Matt Weiner does the perfect job right here. And let me just say it again: Mad Men has never won an acting Emmy. It’s high time Jon Hamm got his.

Why could he lose: Mad Men isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and, no matter how much AMC tried to force it, there isn’t an overwhelming sense of affection for the ending series as there was for last year’s Breaking Bad. Perhaps it was a mistake to split the final season over two years? The finale was highly praised by all, but the beginning of the final season seemed to elicit only apathy from those who watched. Hamm’s never won before despite giving fantastic performances, so there has to be something else brewing in Hollywood against the actor. My personal theory is there is an undercurrent of jealousy against the actor for various reasons, and petty actors may not feel the need to ever award him the Emmy. Plus, no one from Mad Men has ever won an acting award. It’s a tough statistic to fight. There is also the minor problem of his second nomination this year – Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – and anyone voting for him in that category might be unlikely to vote twice for him. Wouldn’t it be ironic if he won for that and not the much-publicized finale of Mad Men?

Performer: Bob Odenkirk as James “Jimmy” McGill in Better Call Saul

Episode: “Pimento” (Season 1, Episode 9)

Highlights: Jimmy McGill finally seems to be positioned to win something on his own as he petitions to co-council the case against Sandpiper Crossing. However, he is stabbed in the back by the most unlikely of sources.

Why he could win: Odenkirk’s risky central performance over the course of Better Call Saul has been a revelation for the primarily comic actor. He honed his chops during Breaking Bad, but Saul gives him the opportunity to illustrate the desperation, inventiveness and vulnerability inherent within the early days of the man who would become Saul Goodman. Odenkirk has chosen a decent episode, one that gives him the opportunity to pull some of the character’s bravado and sprinkle it with insecurity as he begs for a position at major law firm HHM. But it’s the painful revelation at the end of the episode – his own brother has sabotaged his career aspirations – that gives Odenkirk the opportunity to truly shine by underplaying the moment rather than sending it over the top. Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman is a much beloved character within admirers of the Breaking Bad legacy, and voters may want to reward Odenkirk’s (de)evolution over the two series. The recent rule changes – the final votes come from the broader Television Academy rather than selected panels as before – may dip in Odenkirk’s favor as Saul was both a critical and popular hit. Plus, Odenkirk is just a really great guy, and his recent speeches at awards shows have been particularly endearing…

Why could he lose: …but he continues to make a potentially fatal flaw by underscoring his lack of dramatic acting experience. Every time Odenkirk approaches the podium, he makes some statement reminding the audience that he’s a comedian, not a dramatic actor. Saying that once or twice may be endearing, but he repeats the same line in the press. Emmy voters may hesitate rewarding his performance because he so frequently insists that he’s not a dramatic actor. Is this a fluke? Will the Television Academy reward a fluke performance?

Performer: Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan in Ray Donovan

Episode: “Walk This Way” (Season 2, Episode 7)

Highlights: The Donovan family comes together for Conor’s (Ray’s son) 14th birthday after Ray and Abbey forgot it. Naturally, family dysfunction takes center stage.

Why he could win: Schreiber himself directed the episode, which always earns bonus points when an actor stretches. Plus, the episode gives Schreiber a chance to exercise the ticking time bomb that is Ray Donovan. Plus, who doesn’t love the episode-capping dance between Ray and Conor to Run DMC’s “Walk This Way?”

Why could he lose: Who actually watches this show? Raise your hand please. The nomination will be considered reward enough for the actor, and there are frankly better performances standing in his way.

Performer: Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in House of Cards

Episode: Unknown

Highlights: Since no episode submission information was provided as of this piece’s writing, we can only look at the character arc of Frank Underwood over Season Three. Watching Frank become president was fun but watching it possibly slip through his fingers thanks to all of the women in his life was even more fun.

Why he could win: He’s never won an Emmy for this very buzzy, much admired performance. If the first two seasons seemed orchestrated to have Underwood become president against little competition, then Spacey’s struggle to maintain power in Season Three has been the payoff. He kicks the season off by pissing on his father’s grave, and it all goes downhill from there. Highlights of Spacey’s Season Three performance include effectively declaring war against Jesus Christ, a meaty debate sequence, an intriguing deep-dive into his past (and near homosexual dalliance) with his ghost writer, and his complete evisceration of wife Claire toward the end of the season. Plus, Spacey won both the Golden Globe and SAG Awards earlier this year, albeit for his Season Two performance. Still, the appearance of momentum could push him ahead of Jon Hamm (who has thus far only been a critics’ darling).

Why could he lose: Despite movie star cred, he has been denied twice already, and many thought he was assured a win for Season One. Is his performance old hat now? After watching Season Three, it’s not particularly Spacey’s performance that feels memorable and vital – it’s Robin Wright’s. There are scenarios where Jon Hamm receives a Mad Men block vote, and everyone else draws votes from each other as the alternate to Hamm. Plus, Frank Underwood really moved from the “villain we love to hate” category to the “villain who’s just a huge asshole that we really loathe” category. Emmy voters love an anti-hero, but they do have to have some tiny positive characteristics.

Making the Case for ‘Downton Abbey’

Note: Over the next few weeks, the Awards Daily TV crew will be making the case to win for each nominee in the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories in random order. We’ll be dropping one each day leading into and through the Emmy voting period. Share/retweet your favorites to build the buzz!

PBS’s Downton Abbey

Metacritic Score: 75
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Number of Nominations: 5
Major Nominations: Outstanding Drama Series, Supporting Actor Drama Series (Jim Carter), Supporting Actress Drama Series (Joanne Froggatt)

In the UK it was once a kind of generational thing from the earlier days of television for families to sit down and watch the classy, often lavish costume dramas. My mother loved them, the detective shows like Miss Marple or the seventies version of Poldark (the main actor of which Robin Ellis is the reason for my own name don’t you know). The stand-outs may well be The House of Eliott, Brideshead Revisited, and of course Upstairs, Downstairs, before more modern takes on classic literature brought the younger audiences flooding in – Colin Firth and Jennfier Ehle were instrumental to this in Pride and Prejudice. The transfer of costume drama to film has always been a little more accessible, so when Downton Abbey came to British television (and straight over to the States) I am sure there were many an age rubbing their hands together at the prospect of this.

Written and created by Julian Fellowes (whose immaculate, social class study screenplay for Robert Altman’s Gosford Park bagged him an Oscar), Downton Abbey is a rural Yorkshire set period drama, and has so far in its five seasons tracked dramatic events of a multitude of characters from 1912 to well into the 1920s. Extremely popular and well-received both in the UK and across the waters in America, Downton Abbey has had a warm reception with the Emmy voters too – totaling twenty-seven nominations for the first two seasons alone. Television audiences are a fickle bunch at the best of times, and given the genre, it is no real surprise that the show’s attention has waned over recent years. Some might even feel now (and with just five nominations this time around) the Emmys are now just following formalities.

As I have stipulated before though, Downton Abbey has hardly dipped in terms of dramatic levels, in fact you could argue season five was one of the most emotionally impacting in the show’s duration. Are people just getting bored? Is this remit of television simply not built to support our attention spans this long? Perhaps, but the truth is Downton Abbey remains one of the finest made shows out there, and clearly get’s its money’s worth in terms of the budget.

The first episode of the season successfully brought us up to speed with what we had perhaps forgotten in the nine months since the previous season (not including the Christmas special). In that and proceeding episodes, Edith became a much more central figure, her child dilemma affecting everyone around her eventually. Another marginalized character, or at least one not taken too seriously at first, is Rose. Her various encounters include the odd match-making, verbal sensibilities, before being rewarded with her own Jewish romance and eventual wedding.

There was respect paid to the First World War, with a proposed war memorial – which gave Robert and Mr. Carson a lot more to do outside of the large house. A local teacher with a sharp tongue, Miss Bunting, caused a few bellyaches, as well as a love story for Tom. In the kitchen, Daisy is studying, while Mrs. Patmore receives bad news. There’s Miss Baxter’s secret. Not to mention Mary, mercifully pinned down to juggling suitors Gillingham and Blake. And more seriously, the whole London / police investigation regarding Bates and Anna. On top of that, Downton Abbey‘s highlights may come from the humorous, sometimes emotional, retorts between Isobel and Violet. Richard E. Grant also guest stars as a smarmy fellow trying to woo Cora.

Downton Abbey relishes in flipping from one story strand to the next, it has the large cast of characters to do this, but the whole thing is executed remarkably well. It also manages to mix the tragic and the dramatic with the sometimes ponderous and amusing. There are heaps of lost opportunities of love aplenty too, in fact that seems to be one of the strongest themes of the season. Run through the characters and there will not be many that have not encountered some kind of romance or potential love, only to have it slip through their fingers or never quite reach them in the end. Even Robert, usually so droll and snobby, is given plenty of humorous and heart-felt moments. That poor dog Isis. Add to that a terrifically flowing narrative, carried by dialogue that is crisp and relevant, feeding us current affairs or reminding us of ones gone by, as well as engaging us always with the characters and their daily lives. Changing scenery from time to time too, Downton Abbey benefits from some truly lovely cinematography, set decoration, and dapper, gorgeous costumes galore. Saying this is just well-made does not do it justice.

With knowledge that Downton Abbey will soon close it’s doors to the general public, you have to start wondering if voters and audiences alike will start giving the show more time of day. This year’s mere five nominees only emphasizes the shrinking interest in the whole social affairs. Given the ongoing high drama of Anna’s story-line (which began before this season), and her Golden Globe win, Joanne Froggatt’s appearance on the Supporting Actress list is very worthy – she could be the dark horse to win too. Although predicted by many, Jim Carter’s nomination is welcomed as well as a little surprising. Not because it was not warranted, but when you look at the cast there are a spilling handful of performances that could / should have sneaked in.

Hugh Bonneville (Robert), Penelope Wilton (Isobel), and Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes) have been consistently great, not just this season, but since Downton Abbey began. Regular nominee, and general legend, Maggie Smith (Violet) is absent this year, but given her strong, emotive moments with the old flame and her fear of loneliness, this might have been her best season. Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore) also had some teary moments her character struggled with grief and the prospect of Daisy moving on. I’d also like to shout out to Lily James (Rose) who as character and actress really pulled the strings this season, and Rob James-Collier (Barrow) who tackled a memorable, if rather short story-line, when becoming extremely ill while trying to suppress homosexuality. Season five perhaps belongs predominantly though to Laura Carmichael (Edith), a long time too much of a background character, and treated so in character, this time around her juicy sub-plot and poignant portrayal of a woman in sheer turmoil really, finally, stood out. Her’s is the narrative that bookends the whole season, another memorable and accomplished piece of television indeed.

X-Files Flashback: ‘Irresistible’

Season 2, Episode 13
Director: David Nutter
Writer: Chris Carter

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

– From the musical Hair

The two strongest aspects of “Irresistible” are clearly Gillian Anderson’s towering performance and the exceptionally creepy performance of Nick Chinlund as the non-supernatural villain of the episode, Donnie Pfaster. Despite its relatively straightforward narrative, there are few episodes as basically unsettling with The X-Files, proving again that you don’t need monsters or creepy kids to shake viewers expectations and tap their deepest fears.

The prologue takes place at the funeral of a young girl where Pfaster works in the funeral home. As the body is being stored for burial the next day, Pfaster has the opportunity to sneak in later that night and cut the dead girl’s hair. He is discovered and fired, but no police are called for this disturbing indiscretion. Mulder and Scully are involved to investigate a similar series of cases where dead bodies are dug up out of their graves, and their hair and fingernails are similarly cut. Scully’s reactions to the crime are strong, yet she hides them from Mulder. We later find out through Scully’s therapy session that she is afraid of exposing her fear to Mulder because she doesn’t want him to think he has to constantly protect her.

Meanwhile, Pfaster skulks around, eventually graduating to live victims before killing them and dumping their bodies. Arrested for nearly assaulting a woman in his night class, Pfaster sees Scully at the jail and becomes obsessed with her. He kidnaps her later in the episode, but she puts up a struggle and is eventually rescued by Mulder and local law enforcement. Scully collapses into Mulder’s arms, crying, and we close with Mulder eerily describing the horrors of the mundane – how those who cause the most harm could appear anywhere, anytime.

Pfaster’s character most immediately feels like a call-back to Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs in his awkward interactions with women and affected speech patterns. Yet, he does have ties to other serial killers throughout history including Ted Bundy and, as mentioned in “Irresistable,” Jeffrey Dahmer. Nick Chinlund has clearly studied these serial killers and developed a performance that excels in its blandness, exactly what you want out of the role. Anderson, on the other hand, is given some of her most emotional material to date, rivaling “Beyond the Sea” in terms of a deep-dive into the mind and soul of Dana Scully. This episode probably provides the closest interaction between the two leads when Scully collapses into Mulder’s arms crying. Their relationship and love for each other is clearly there, and it comes out in a concentrated display of Scully’s new vulnerability thanks to the alien abduction and near-death experience.

Also, on a personal note, I gagged profusely at Pfaster’s disgusting collection of hair, particularly in the scene where he digs through a family’s trashcan and practically makes love to a giant hairball. Clearly, this is a deeply disturbed individual. I mean, who likes hairballs? Serial killers, apparently.

EmmyWatch: Competition is Tough for Drama Actresses

The following is an analysis of the six actresses voted into the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy race for the 2014-15 broadcast season. Television is the place to be for female actors. There were arguably enough talents in this field to fill three six-nominee lineups. Even the incumbent winner Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife did not receive enough votes to get back into the race. It’s a cutthroat year for the win and the competition is beginning to bloom.

Performer: Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland

Episode: “From A to B and Back Again” (Season 4, Episode 6)

Highlights: Carrie fakes her own kidnapping to prompt Aayan to lead the CIA to the season’s “big bad,” Haqqani. She also lashes out at several co-workers who disagree with her tactics in the mission. Then, Carrie witnesses Aayan’s death by his uncle’s hands, which ignites some traumatic emotions for her since she extracted information from Aayan using her sexuality.

Why she could win: Danes is an Emmy champ having won this category for this role twice and likely came in second place last year. The Emmys love what she brings to the table, and now they have a reinvigorated love for the show; Homeland made a comeback this year and reclaimed its Drama Series nomination, along with being shortlisted for directing. Leaving the Drama Series race for season three and managing to maneuver its way back in for season four is an indication that voters may have watched the all twelve episodes and saw everything Danes created within the role this past season. Her submission has few effective moments, like when she verbally reprimands a subordinate and when she recklessly reacts to Ayan’s death.

Why could she lose: After three years of picking flawless Emmy submissions for Homeland, Danes didn’t pick a winning tape this year, and she had one a monster of a submission in “Redux,” which could have wounded the strongest episodes from the likes of Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson. Danes’ performance isn’t the main attraction in “From A to B and Back Again”, and even if it were, it’s hard for viewers to root for Carrie’s actions in this episode specifically: she uses a younger man sexually, chastises the most sympathetic character in the fourth season, and gives a command that could have killed her most trusted friend.

Performer: Viola Davis as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder

Episode: “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole” (Season 1, Episode 6)

Highlights: Annalise defends a man’s death row appeal, visits her client in prison, reassuring him of her confidence in his case and goes before the Supreme Court to cross-examine a senator about his involvement in the original trial. The episode concludes with a scene between Annalise and her husband where she exposes her vulnerability and tells him how much she relies on him in spite of the problems in their marriage.

Why she could win: Having a “money moment,” where an actor completely obliterates a scene with huge emotions like hysterical breakdowns or heady speeches, is the safest way to secure an Emmy trophy. In “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole, Davis gets a long-winded tirade in court and has several scenes where she cries. Some of the material she is asked to play cheesy, but Davis teases out mammoth emotions from even the most subtly written scenes. It almost creates this bulldozing effect as the episode continues and she continues to bury the viewer with her acting, which only gets more and more intense. She’s one of the most respected actresses out of any medium—television, theater, or film. The tone of Davis’s acting is in keeping with the Emmy’s past preferences, despite her show sliding off the rails into cheaper, MTV-like territory.

Why could she lose: Unless there’s a secret uprising of support for Robin Wright or Taraji P. Henson within the Academy, the path is clear for Davis to win with this rock-solid submission. “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole” is a very safe tape despite her having bigger moments in episodes like “Let’s Get Scooping” and “Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me.” Several actors from Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy have also won Emmys by way of being a Shonda Rhimes creation, so even if they aren’t enamored by the show itself, the Academy has proven they respond to the type of acting in Rhimes’ shows.

Performer: Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon in Empire

Episode: “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

Highlights: Cookie is released from jail and reaches out to her estranged sons after years of incarceration. She also demands her fair share of the company her ex-husband began using her money, the money which earned her a lengthy prison sentence. The episode contains flashbacks informing the viewers of crucial moments in the family’s past, all of which chiefly feature Cookie.

Why she could win: Empire was a sensational hit with the general public in its first season, attaining the biggest popularity and buzz for a broadcast show since cable began to surge years ago. Henson, an Oscar-nominated actress, is arguably the exclusive component to that success. She’s an icon in pop culture now thanks to her work as Cookie, and Henson’s wave of popularity could help her win the Outstanding Actress Emmy. Not only is she the trending star of the year, but she also submitted a dynamite episode to the Emmy judges. Henson is in the spotlight for the majority of Empire’s pilot; the whole episode revolves around her release from jail and how that creates a ripple effect in awakening the first season’s storylines. Her gregarious work is hilarious, naughty, and emotionally compelling. It’s going to be hard for voters to miss her name after the huge comedic and shocking dramatic impact Henson leaves behind.

Why could she lose: Cookie is unrefined, gaudy, and tacky. The Emmy’s typically select winners with more snob appeal in the Drama Lead Actress category (like Julianna Margulies, Claire Danes, and Glenn Close), not performances that shed soapy flavors. Empire was widely seen as a likely candidate for Drama Series because of its cultural effect and commercial influence, and voters have already proven the personality of the show is not to their liking by snubbing it in every category except Costume Design and Lead Actress.

Performer: Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Helena, Rachel Duncan, and Beth Childs in Orphan Black

Episode: “Certain Agony of the Battlefield” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Highlights: Alison has seemingly got the juices flowing in her marriage to Donnie. Cosima is shacking up with Shay, to the jealousy of scorned Delphine. Helena is on the run again, and eats her scorpion. Sarah is still captive and seeing visions of her daughter. Rachel is feeling the wrath of Felix.

Why she could win: Another trait in an episode submission that helps an actor win an Emmy is for voters to see them play more than one character/more than one version of the character, showing range. Maslany has this attribute in spades with her performance in Orphan Black. Every character she plays is uniquely sketched out and definitively her own, which is likely to impress, along with the raw emotions and baity character situations she is assigned to play in “Certain Agony of the Battlefield.” Voters have finally given Maslany a shot after two seasons of snubbing her critically lauded work on the thriller series, and receiving your first nomination in your third season after the novelty wears off (for a genre show, no less!) is not the type of recognition to discount. The Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Awards rallied behind her in the first two seasons, so the question becomes how welcoming will the television Academy be?

Why could she lose: Unfortunately, the nomination is probably the reward for Maslany. Overcoming the very much real genre bias and the prestige of being nominated is likely as far as the Academy will go for a couple reasons. One, I’d wager most Academy members are not watching Orphan Black religiously – not like they watch Downton Abbey or Mad Men – so when they see her tape, voters will likely have no idea what’s actually going on in the massively complicated story. Two, her performance is fascinating but because the show is so different in spirit and structure than what they’re used to, it’s likely they won’t feel the emotional weight of the episode more than they will watching Davis’s, Henson’s, or Wright’s performances in more traditional Emmy shows that are easier to swallow for non-viewers.

Performer: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson in Mad Men

Episode: “Person to Person” (Season 7, Episode 14)

Highlights: In Mad Men’s series finale, Peggy adjusts to the new workplace environment, while pondering an offer from Joan to start a new business together. She also speaks to Don on the phone, who has been missing for several weeks, and tries to console him as he trembles over the edge of an emotional precipice. Meanwhile, she and her longtime co-worker and trusted friend, Stan, admit their unrealized feelings to one another.

Why she could win: The Mad Men nostalgia is alive and Moss’s nomination is proof of that. She was invited back into the club after being snubbed last year when she had a larger role invested in the plot. In the episode she chose, “Person to Person,” Peggy has a good deal of screentime; it’s probably the most she is featured in any of the last seven episodes. Her sappy union with Stan as the conclusion to her story is something tangible for voters to latch onto.

Why could she lose: As much as we love Peggy Olson, Moss’s nomination surprising to begin with since Peggy had so little to do this year. (Moss was oddly absent from most pundit predictions before nominations were announced.) If anything, Christina Hendricks was the most important actress of the past season and is correctly competing in the supporting actress category, while Moss—who is secondary to her this year—is a ‘lead’ actress? Anyway, “Person to Person” is not what Peggy will be remembered for from the second half of season seven, not more than her epic walk down the hallway in “Lost Horizon,” or the confession about her giving up Pete’s child for adoption in “Time and Life.” Moss has been nominated six times over Mad Men’s run, so if it voters have not felt the urge to reward her yet, chances are this is not the year either, especially when the other nominees turned in titanic artistic works for consideration.

Performer: Robin Wright as Claire Underwood in House of Cards

Episode: Unknown

Highlights: Since the episode she submitted has not be disclosed, Wright would have been wise to pick one of the following: “Chapter 32,” where Claire commiserates with a gay man being held in a Russian prison and makes a bold political move against President Petrov; “Chapter 39,” which studies the emotional buildup to Claire’s decision to leave Frank; or “Chapter 28,” where Claire faces drawback from government and the media while perusing a career as an ambassador.

Why she could win: After years of sitting on the sidelines, Wright finally got her turn to shine in the third season of House of Cards. In the years prior, Claire was more of a supporting role than a leading one, but all of that changed this year. Creator Beau Willimon let her drive the smooth, logical arc of the season, even more than Frank in some ways. Wright bit into the full-length material she was given. There was something she did in every episode that was memorable, even in shows that were lighter on Claire’s storyline. Wright’s performance is maybe the one thing the supporters and detractors of House of Cards Season Three can agree upon. Having the leaner screen time was always what that held this role back from blossoming into its full potential, and episodes like “Chapter 28,” “Chapter 32,” and “Chapter 39” show Claire Underwood at her full potential. (If Wright did in fact submit “Chapter 32,” it’s anyone’s guess who wins between Davis, Henson, and her because that episode is tailor made for an Outstanding Actress Emmy win.)

Why could she lose: It all comes down to her episode selection. Many pundits last year thought Wright could beat Margulies and Danes had she submitted “Chapter 17,” but she didn’t and instead betted on winning with the Season Two finale where Claire had minimal screen time. If she went with a less inclusive episode again, it could immediately take her out of the running again. Also, Wright unfortunately had her best season ever in the same year Davis and Henson entered the race, and they both have more momentum behind them for the win.

Making the Case for ‘Modern Family’

Note: Over the next few weeks, the Awards Daily TV crew will be making the case to win for each nominee in the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories in random order. We’ll be dropping one each day leading into and through the Emmy voting period. Share/retweet your favorites to build the buzz!

ABC’s Modern Family

Metacritic Score: 86
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Number of Nominations: 6
Major Categories: Comedy Series, Supporting Actress (Julie Bowen), Supporting Actor (Ty Burrell), Casting of a Comedy Series

I know, I know. The last thing anyone wants to read is a case for ABC’s Modern Family to win another Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. If you’ve been living under the largest awards rock in the history of the world, you wouldn’t know that Modern has won the top comedic prize for the last 5 consecutive years. Despite claims of declining quality over the last two seasons, it’s smartly written, directed well, and features some of the best acting on network television. It’s a juggernaut, and it could be the first time in Emmy history where a comedy wins for the sixth time.

While Modern shockingly missed out in both the writing and directing categories this year, it’s obvious that the acting is still respected. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell (the two most honored performers from the brood) both garnered nominations, and guest Elizabeth Banks picked up one for her recurring role as Cameron and Mitchell’s vapid party girl friend, Sal. The other actors have been up for the gold in other years.

The first episode is particularly a showcase for the actors as an ensemble. The wedding between Cameron and Mitchell concluded the fifth season, and it doesn’t seem that the celebration is over. Cameron is showering Mitchell with presents and affection, but Mitchell wants to get back to his normal routine. Over at the Dunphy household, Claire and Phil are surprised by how well their summer is going, particularly between their eldest and youngest children, Haley and Luke. The Dunphy honeymoon is “wrecked” when middle child, Alex, returns home from a stressful job that would have looked great on her student resume. Phil’s magic tricks fail and Luke and Haley begin throwing barbs immediately. I recently re-watched this episode and thought, “Why are people complaining about this show so much? It’s great!” It’s an episode in the classic Modern Family vein: swift comebacks between family members and clever writing.

Another development that shook up the family aspect was when the trashy family moved in next door to the Dunphys. Steve Zahn and Andrea Anders play a couple who play their music too loud and insist on keeping their eyesore of a boat in the driveway. Luke, in true horny teenager fashion, begins drooling over their hot daughter and it seems, for a few episodes, that it would be modern family versus modern family. The dynamic gives Bowen and Burrell something to consistently team up against throughout the season, and it showcases Claire’s high-strung hunt of perfection (that she probably doesn’t really want) and Phil’s impish/dependable guy side.

As an ensemble, the cast shines brightest in the episode submitted for Outstanding Comedy Series, “Connection Lost.” The episode follows the entire family as they are drawn into the drama of a fight that occurred between Haley and Claire. What separates this from normal episodes is that the entire 22 minutes is told through social media on Claire’s laptop while she tries to track Haley down. Everything in this episode illuminates what we love about these characters: Jay’s lovably out-of-touch with technology (“The minute they got rid of rotary phones, the world went to hell!”), Manny is arrogant at the tender age of 14, and Alex is obsessed with writing the perfect paper to submit for college essays. It also features a birthday present for Mitchell that looks stunningly like it’s out of a Barbra Streisand musical classic.

The Modern kids are continually allowed to have bigger plotlines—the Dunphy trio, in particular. Haley is growing out of her wild child phase as she begins to fall for Jay and Gloria’s manny (the male nanny played by Adam Devine, not their son—gross). Alex’s desperate hunt for approval begins to calm down, and Lilly tries her hand at clowning with Cameron. I’m sorry, but watching that pint sized girl hit Eric Stonestreet in the groin with a broom while dressed in full clown garb still makes me laugh out loud.

Let’s face facts. Modern Family is a fun, relatable show. It’s that super nice guy that sat next to you in math class that was homecoming king…and the captain of the football team…and got good grades—it has everything. You don’t want to like it still, but I can almost guarantee that this family still makes you laugh. You can make an argument against almost every other show in this category (Veep’s politics are somewhat alienating, Transparent isn’t as “universal” as we all think it is, Silicon what?, etc.), but Modern Family just wants to make you laugh and warm your heart just a little bit.

X-Files Flashback: ‘Aubrey’

Season 3, Episode 12
Director: Rob Bowman
Writer: Sara B. Charno

Memory can be a real bitch sometimes. The brain is a horrible, punishing creature – which houses what Amy Poehler refers to as “The Demon” – that forces many to focus only on the negative aspects of your persona. Often, the memories that stick with us are the memories of shameful things, events you would likely rescind if you could. Yet, they live on, forever, in our memories, popping up at the most inopportune times. Now, what if your memories were not your own? What if your memories were those of a serial killer?

That’s what The X-Files‘s “Aubrey” posits, and, thanks to some playful cinematography and some outstanding direction that truly understands what scares us, the episode is one of the better episodes I’ve seen on the show to date.

The episode revolves around Detective B.J. Morrow (Deborah Strang) who has gotten pregnant from an affair with Lt. Brian Tillman (Terry O’Quinn, Lost). On her way to meet him to discuss “next steps,” B.J. begins to have flashbacks that lead to her a field where she begins to dig up the skeletal remains of a long-dead FBI agent. Over the course of the episode, B.J. demonstrates intimate knowledge of past and present crimes, believing to have dreamed the events. Mulder and Scully eventually determine that local ex-con Harry Cokely, once arrested for raping another woman and carving “Sister” into her chest, is actually B.J.’s grandfather and surmise that his sense memories are genetically implanted in her, causing her to commit the current murders where each victim also has “Sister” carved into their chest. Seemingly possessed by genetic predisposition to murder, B.J. attacks her grandmother but is unable to go through with the murder. She then hunts down her grandfather – Cokely – and kills him before being apprehended by Mulder and Scully. B.J. is committed to a psychiatric ward where she is placed on a suicide watch after attempting to self-abort.

“Aubrey” is one of the tougher episodes of The X-Files to undertake. First, here we go again with rape as a plot device (particularly after being so prominently featured in “Excelsis Dei“). Then, it’s layered with a fear of pregnancy as the pregnancy is thought to have awakened B.J.’s genetically influenced murderous impulses. Fear of pregnancy is a standard horror trope, of course, and dates back to Alien and beyond. Still, the writers seem to have a penchant for using the female body to drive a lot of the terror in the series. Other than that, “Aubrey” is actually quiet terrifying with lots of night cinematography, faces seen in lightening, and the gory scrawling of names across chests. Accentuating the tension are the well handled flashback scenes which are often intercut with B.J.’s modern day actions. It’s not particularly difficult filmmaking, but it does take some skill. Director Rob Bowman worked extensively in the sci-fi and mystery genre, but here he shows a real flare for horror, something he never really explored extensively in his career.

His deft touch and the strong performances from Strang and O’Quinn highlight a quality episode that, while not really focusing all that much on Mulder and Scully, excels in what it set out to do originally – scare its audience with some PG-13 thrills.

Showtime Announces Start Date for ‘Peaks’ Reboot

Today, Showtime announced a filming start date for its 2017-targeted Twin Peaks reboot. Beginning in September 2015, Kyle MacLachlan will reprise his role as Agent Cooper with David Lynch directing the script by Lynch and Mark Frost. Other casting announcements are pending, but most original cast members are believed to return.

This announcement is a step in the right direction after months of “will they or won’t they” drama regarding budget, casting, and Lynch’s official participation. The reboot was originally target to air in 2016, but due to the numerous production delays, the new season of Twin Peaks is unlikely to air until 2017.

Making the Case for ‘Homeland’

Note: Over the next two weeks, the Awards Daily TV Crew will be making the case for each nominee in the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories in random order. We’ll be dropping one each day leading into and through the Emmy voting period. Share/retweet your favorites to build the buzz!

Homeland

Metacritic Score: 74
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82
Number of Nominations: 5
Major Nominations: Drama Series, Lead Actress, Directing (“From A to B and Back Again”)

Once the Emmys take a step away from a show, actor, or nominee, they will most likely never look back and will move on to nominating newly produced or inventive shows. But this year, Homeland returns to the Emmy arena in the Outstanding Drama Series category after sitting the bench the year prior. Homeland’s nomination proves the love affair between the Emmys and the show during the its freshman and sophomore years was not simply the older Academy being dazzled by a shiny object; Emmy voters actually watch the show, like the show, and pay attention to the show. (This puts to rest a sliver of my cynicism that Emmy voters name check every category. It appears Academy members went back to Homeland, noticed its improvement after falling off the radar, and gave them another chance.)

In the early years, Homeland was the show to be… (It won Outstanding Drama Series for the first season along with Damian Lewis claiming the Drama Lead Actor trophy. More impressively, Homeland won consecutive Emmys for Writing in a Drama Series and Claire Danes in Drama Lead Actress.) … That was until its dismally received third season tarnished the Showtime charmer’s reputation. In short, Homeland suffered the mother of all quality drops in its season three. They made too many dead-end plot turns and wrote unsuccessful storylines when trying to keep up with fan expectation of a more complex narrative each year. Season three crumbled under pressure and the showrunners spent the entire season trying to dig themselves out of a self-created cavernous black hole.

Season Three ended with the possibility for Homeland to rebrand itself. Fortunately, season four was approached with a revitalized technique, and a lost show was made great again.

I would argue Homeland never surmounted the achievements of season one and two with its fourth outing, but it didn’t need to because its agenda differed greatly from that of the earlier years. Season four took the route of simpler storytelling, weeding out all of the unnecessary heavy-loaded flaws that sunk the previous season, most noticeably intertwining the depleted, poorly envisioned Carrie/Brody love story into the national security action. Instead, Homeland took its time and went back to the basics: telling a compelling story that was suspenseful and contained strong character development. It deserted all of the messiness we saw in season three and the intricacies of seasons one and two. Season four put more emphasis on the central terrorist plot and let all of the inter-personal drama be extensions of that plot, rather than trying to lay out a show as equally driven by the characters and the plot. The word “conventional” feels like a pejorative term when describing television in this day and age where every terrific show keeps aiming to out-perform what it has already accomplished. The fourth season is Homeland at its most conventional, but that isn’t bad thing; it’s actually what the show needed to survive. It aimed low and won big.

The season began with a boom in “Drone Queen,” which repositioned the show, yet there was a tingling feeling of familiarity when watching Carrie tell a strange man to fuck off. After the premiere, the next few episodes were shakier, but once the narrative got into full stride with “From A to B and Back Again” (the episode nominated for Drama Directing), there was a new level of excitement born for both the people looking at the show critically and the loyal fans. I was eager for each of the subsequent Sunday nights after “From A to B and Back Again” so Homeland could throw me onto a revived rollercoaster ride of thrills and sentiment. As the curtain closed on season four, and the music from the opening title sequence overlaid a montage of a distressed Carrie driving after learning of Saul’s corrupt behavior, the greatness of season four hit me, knowing I wouldn’t be watching a new episode the following Sunday. It was a bittersweet, despondent moment of separation between a television show and a viewer who fell in love again.

There’s something exhilarating about the path season four took. It conducted each scene one at a time, and all the artistic contributors poured their fullest talents into the moment. The result is the utmost effective drama. Homeland’s writing noticeably guided the show in the earlier years, but what seduces the viewer in season four is the directing. The potency of the directing is, I would argue, the most pivotal ingredient in season four. If the staging hadn’t been as strong as it was and if the audience hadn’t been emotionally invested in the stakes of the plot, we wouldn’t have felt the reverberating impact of the season’s crowning episodes like “Halfway to a Donut” and “There’s Something Else Going On.” If I were to describe the “money moments” from those episodes, it’d be a simple explanation of characters mostly remaining in the same setting trying to move metaphoric chess pieces to attain a goal. That sounds monotonous, but the directing inflates the drama and makes every moment of these longer sequences stressful and tense.

Without having Brody in the mix allowed other characters to have new meaning in the show, specifically Carrie’s allies, Saul and Quinn. In the years past, these two characters have existed as supporting players that interacted around the plot, but in season four, Saul and Quinn were woven into the storyline and, at times, drove the plot. Unlike helping her defeat Abu Nazir or find/catch Brody, Carrie was fighting to extract a kidnapped Saul from the season’s big bad, Haqquani, and trying to stop Quinn from hunting down Haqquani after the attack on the embassy. Fleshing out these storylines generated series-best acting from Mandy Patinkin and Rupert Friend, the respective actors who play Saul and Quinn. (Of all the years for Patinkin to be snubbed for a Drama Supporting Actor nomination, this is the year, when he a tremendous tape to win?)

Though Homeland’s fourth season mostly revolved around the mission in Islamabad, Carrie did receive thorough character development when an opportunity arose in the Haqquani storyline. For example, in “Redux,” Carrie’s medications were replaced with more harmful drugs, and after ingesting them, Carrie wandered through Islamabad hallucinating about Brody, Quinn, and possible danger. It fits cogently into the grander storyline, was a creative way to explore Carrie’s psyche mid-season, and gave Danes the opportunity to remind us that she is giving one of the greatest television performances of the decade. Danes is so quick and forceful with her acting, you’d swear the woman is connected to an electric outlet. The finale, “Long Time Coming,” drifts from the action in Islamabad and moves Carrie to discover a part of herself and grow as an emotionally recovering human being. Using the finale as a moment to reflect on protagonist’s journey is a daring move for a series when the expectation for a finale in this series is to have the CIA detonated or its leading man hanged in Tehran.

Homeland’s fourth season deserves my endorsement in the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy race for the reinvigorated approach to its storytelling, confronting its flaws, and improving upon what it previously delivered.

EmmyWatch: Schumer’s To Lose?

The Emmy nominees for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy are all over the spectrum in terms of the way these women make people laugh. There’s dark comedy (Falco), sketch humor (Schumer), and the Hollywood unthinkable: humor from women over 70 (Tomlin). Julia Louis-Dreyfus has dominated this category for the past few years, but, this year, there’s a general sense that the time has come to pass the trophy to another actress, and that actress is likely to be Amy Schumer from her sketch show Inside Amy Schumer.

Here’s a look at the episodes these actresses submitted for Emmy consideration:

Performer: Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton in Nurse Jackie

Episode: “I Say a Little Prayer” (Season 7, Episode 12)

Highlights: Jackie spends her final day at All Saints Hospital.

Why She Could Win: *Spoiler Alert* Of all the roles in this category, this one is the most dramatic. In this final episode of the series, Jackie may or may not have died from a drug overdose after seven seasons of battling addiction. The final scene leaves it open to interpretation. Falco won in 2010 in this category, so there’s definitely an affection for this character. Plus, it’s Falco’s final opportunity to win again for this role, so there’s that going for the performance, as well.

Why She Could Lose: While having the most versatile role may be an asset, it may also be a drawback. Voters may be more apt to reward a straight-up comedy consider. Plus, there’s another actress in this category whose series ended this year that’s never won an Emmy for her iconic role.

Performer: Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish in The Comeback

Episode: “Valerie is Taken Seriously” (Season 2, Episode 5)

Highlights: Valerie convinces everyone she’s a legit actress and stands up for herself.

Why She Could Win: Of all the Friends, Kudrow is the most Emmy nominated with 7 nominations. She also was nominated in this category in 2006 for her role as Valerie Cherish on the first season of The Comeback. In her submitted episode, Kudrow does something tricky: She makes a cartoonish buffoon actually good at something in this case proving to herself and colleagues that she actually can act. It’s reminiscent of when Office fans learned that Michael Scott was actually good at remembering colleagues’ stories and was good at staying connected to customers.

Why She Could Lose: The Comeback was deemed a ratings dud, so voters may not be keen on rewarding a “failure.” The nomination here may be the ultimate reward. Plus, the second season finale in which Valerie wins an Emmy but spends the ceremony at her ailing friend’s side may have been a smarter Emmy submission.

Performer: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in Veep

Episode: “Election Night” (Season 4, Episode 10)

Highlights: In the season cliffhanger, Selina is caught in a tie for the presidency.

Why She Could Win: The academy loves Louis-Dreyfus and has awarded her this category for the last three years. She’s also risen to be called a comic genius by her peers and is having the best decade of her career since Seinfeld.

Why She Could Lose: The last person who wasn’t Julia that won in this category was Melissa McCarthy, fresh off of her Bridesmaids summer blockbuster. Another newbie in this category is also coming off of a Judd Apatow blockbuster and could steal the crown. Plus, Veep was more uneven this season than its previous ones.

Performer: Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation

Episode: “One Last Ride” (Season 7, Episode 13)

Highlights: Parks and Rec concludes with a look at how Leslie Knope has touched everyone’s lives.

Why She Could Win: Amy Poehler won the Golden Globe in 2014. Plus, she’s riding high this summer with Inside Out and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. It also doesn’t hurt that P&R’s finale is probably the strongest episode of the bunch in this category.

Why She Could Lose: The old adage “always the bridesmaid” applies to P&R. It typically fails to get nominations (it only has two) and wins.

Performer: Amy Schumer as Various in Inside Amy Schumer

Episode: “Cool With It” (Season 3, Episode 2)

Highlights: “The Amy Schumer Doll,” being cool going to strip clubs, and a One Direction parody

Why She Could Win: She’s everywhere right now – definitely the hottest actress in pop culture within this category. Plus, she starred in a recent high-profile Judd Apatow comedy (worked for Melissa McCarthy in 2011).

Why She Could Lose: “Cool With It” isn’t necessarily the most memorable episode of the season (the 12 Angry Men parody would be the most notable, but it’s more of an ensemble piece). If Inside Amy Schumer wins for anything, it may be in the sketch comedy category.

Performer: Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein in Grace & Frankie

Episode: “The Vows” (Season 1, Episode 13)

Highlights: In the season finale, something happens between Frankie and Sol that could change people’s lives.

Why She Could Win: She’s Lily Tomlin, veteran comedienne. Out of Grace & Frankie, Tomlin has the most vulnerable performance.

Why She Could Lose: Grace & Frankie received mixed reviews. Plus, Tomlin has won Emmys before, so maybe the Television Academy is apt to award someone new.

PBS’s Downton Abbey

Metacritic Score: 75 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80% Number of Nominations: 5 Major Nominations: Outstanding Drama Series, Supporting Actor Drama Series (Jim Carter), Supporting Actress Drama Series (Joanne Froggatt)

Season 2, Episode 13 Director: David Nutter Writer: Chris Carter