All news relating to the new third season of FX’s small town gritty satire / drama Fargo gets a very warm welcome if you’re a fan. Given its format to refresh the narrative and cast with each season, we keenly anticipate where the next crime caper will take us and who will be cast in Fargo season three.
After impressively displaying her acting chops already in the dark and the strange, firstly as Ben Affleck’s protective sister in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, then as grieving mother and wife in HBO’s The Leftovers, Carrie Coon now joins Fargo season three as the female lead. Coon, who recently won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Leftovers, will play Gloria Burgle, the chief of police in Edna Valley. Valley, a recently divorced mother, has a hard time coming to terms with the fast-evolving world around her and is something of a technophobe.
This great news comes on the back of Ewan McGregor signing up to the third season. McGregor will portray twin brothers, Emmit and Ray Stussy – one rather successful and confident, the other not so much. Sounds like a familiar, but compelling, dynamic.
Both Coon and McGregor appear to be inspired casting choices for such a diverse, quirky, and haunting TV show. Their faces fit the formula. Look at their back catalogue of acting work and tell me the proof is not in the pudding. Stepping into the shoes of previous lucrative stars Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, Billy Bob Thornton, etc, shouldn’t be a problem.
Fargo season three commences shooting at the back end of this year, and new episodes will air sometime in 2017 on FX.
Summer TV isn’t the time of reruns anymore. Some of TV’s finest shows are released smack-dab in the middle of the year. Here are 7 summer shows you should stream, watch, or set your DVR to record. Stat!
1. Animal Kingdom on TNT
For those who miss Sons of Anarchy, this show is a perfect substitute. Ellen Barkin plays Smurf, the hot matriarch who pulls all the family strings. She’s beautiful, manipulative, and utterfly terrifying. No wonder she reduces her grown sons (Shawn Hatosy, Scott Speedman, Ben Robson, and Jake Weary) to act like little boys when it comes to going against her. This show is so fun to watch, it’s a crime.
2. Wrecked on TBS TBS has seriously stepped up its original programming. First, with Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, then with Bee’s hubby Jason Jones’s series The Detour, and now with Wrecked. The third episode titled “Always Meant to See That,” where the survivors have to decide whether to watch Dumb and Dumber To or Selma (as what could possibly be the last film they ever watch), is hilarious.
3.Casual on Hulu While Season 1 introduced us to this dysfunctional family through romance and casual hookups, season two finds Alex (Tommy Dewey), Valerie (Michaela Watkins), and Laura (Tara Lynne Barr) discovering more about themselves through friendships. Watkins is a stand-out this year, especially in the episode “Such Good Friends,” where Valerie discovers she has none.
4.UnREAL on Lifetime Sophomore slump?No way. Somehow, UnREAL has managed to be even more interesting and captivating in season two, especially by doing something no real-life ABC dating show has ever done: cast an African American bachelor.
5.BrainDead on CBS The world needs political satire right now, and thissci-fi political dramedy from the creators of The Good Wife fits the bill into law. Stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danny Pino, Aaron Tveit, and Tony Shalhoub.
6.Another Period on Comedy Central The Bellacourt sisters (Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome) are single (they finally ditched their homosexual husbands) and ready to mingle. And Chair (Christina Hendricks) is awake from her coma (although, ironically, she’s limited to a wheelchair).
7. Maya & Marty on NBC Saturday Night Live is in reruns this summer, but the comedy on Maya & Marty is all new (even if the faces aren’t). Come for the Jiminy Glick sketch, stay for the appearances from Amy Poehler, Will Forte, Larry David, and Ricky Gervais.
Jalal Haddad takes a look at the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy race in a series of posts leading up to the Emmy nomination announcement on July 14th. Over the next few days, Jalal will be concluding his own expert analysis in individual races and covering the top ten contenders in each category.
The Lead Actor in a Comedy Series race has become infamous over the past couple years for overflowing with filler nominees. A tie led to seven nominees last year but with Louie and Episodes on hiatus only five of those men are returning. The string of weak years has led to many repeat winners, which is great news for Jeffrey Tambor. With new shows from Donald Glover, Pete Holmes, and Timothy Olyphant maybe next year will be more exciting?
1. Jeffrey Tambor (Maura Pfefferman) Transparent
(Photo: Amazon)Emmy voters have payed attention to Tambor’s career progression starting from The Larry Sanders Show to Arrested Development all the way to his career defining performance on Transparent. He’s already won an Emmy, a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe, and two SAG Awards for his work, and his popularity hints that this momentum isn’t slowing down. Even though Transparent probably won’t be as big of an Emmy contender for the second season Tambor is likely to be the front-runner for the next couple of years.
2. William H Macy (Frank Gallagher) Shameless
(Photo: Showtime)
One of the smartest awards choices Showtime made a couple of years ago was to petition for Shameless to be re-categorized as a comedy. William H. Macy immediately began receiving Emmy nominations and even won a SAG award for the fourth season. With the show solidifying its spot as one of Showtime’s most successful current shows he’s almost assured a twelfth career nomination.
3. Anthony Anderson (Dre Johnson) black-ish
(Photo: ABC)
Anderson was the sole nomination for the first season of black-ish,and it makes a lot of sense since he is the face of the show. His performance has earned him two Critics’ Choice Awards, and as the show grows in popularity and acclaim he won’t fall off of the radar of voters. His only detractor might be that the show and his performance could come across as too much of a classic sitcom compared to the other contenders that air on streaming sites. As an actor who has been consistently working in Hollywood for the past two decades, he should have no problem standing out.
4. Aziz Ansari (Dev) Masters of None
(Photo: Netflix)
As the only new lead actor with any sort of awards traction, Aziz Ansari has been getting a lot of attention, and, with Louis CK out of contention, Ansari stands out even more as a writer/producer starring in a fictionalized account of his life as a performer. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award for his work on the show, and after years of being on Parks and Recreation this is the perfect opportunity for Emmy voters to finally recognize him as an actor. He could suffer from the show being released on Netflix over eight months ago but with little substantial competition voters will easily remember him.
5. Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper) The Big Bang Theory
(Photo: CBS)
Jim Parsons has dominated the Lead Actor in a Comedy Series race over the years which is what made his omission last year even more shocking, especially with seven nominees. Emmy voters have been known to take breaks from their winners (Margulies) and its possible some members didn’t vote for him thinking he was a sure bet. It’s rare for an actor to have such a strong winning streak and then be completely dropped especially when he is still being nominated by SAG, so he’ll probably make a resurgence this year.
6. Don Cheadle (Marty Kaan) House of Lies
(Photo: Showtime)
I have yet to find anyone let alone an Emmy voter who watches and loves House of Lies. That hasn’t stopped the acting branch from name-checking Cheadle into a nomination for the past four years. His popularity can only carry him for so long on a show a lot of people haven’t even heard of, and now that the race has some stronger competition he is probably at his most vulnerable.
7. Will Forte (Phil Miller) The Last Man on Earth
(Photo: FOX)
The Last Man on Earth premiered as a comedy about the last person to survive a nondescript plague, and the excitement around the pilot was big enough for Will Forte to receive an Emmy nomination for his first starring role post SNL. Now that they are endlessly introducing new characters the gimmick has worn off. Because of that, voters will probably abandon the show.
8. Will Arnett (Chip) Flaked
(Photo: Netflix)
Hardly anyone has a positive thing to say about Flaked, the critically panned Netflix comedy about a self-help guru in LA, but someone as well-known as Arnett on such a major streaming network is almost a given to be considered in such a barren category. Voters do like Arnett, a former nominee, and they do have a self-absorbed obsession with LA set shows. That probably isn’t enough to overlook the sour first season.
9. Bill Hader (Various Characters) Documentary Now!
(Photo: IFC)
Documentary Now is a very small show on IFC that ordinarily wouldn’t have a shot at a major Emmy nomination, but in such a weak year for lead actors someone like Bill Hader could easily break into the race for being one of the most popular comedic actors working on television. The show did receive a lot of buzz for their Grey Gardens spoof, and if enough voters seek out the episode they might feel inclined to vote for Hader, although not likely.
10. Thomas Middleditch (Richard) Silicon Valley
(Photo: HBO)
As Silicon Valley increases in popularity within the industry, awards trackers have always wondered when the actors would start getting recognized. Even a bro-y show like Entourage (which many compare Silicon Valley to in terms of male driven content) was embraced by the acting branch for more than one of their actors. I’m skeptical of the cast ever breaking into an acting category especially if they weren’t recognized last year for their best season.
Worth Mentioning: Fred Armisen, Zach Galifinakis, Gael Garcia Bernal, Eugene Levy, Randall Park
It’s not even November, but if you’re like me, you’re sick of the election already. Luckily, there’s a political show out this summer that’s the perfect antidote to the “I Hate Politics” blues: CBS’s BrainDead, a dark sci-fi comedy set in Washington D.C. starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who was fantastic earlier this year in 10 Cloverfield Lane), Danny Pino, and Tony Shalhoub. The show comes from The Good Wife creators Michelle King and Robert King, who are mixing politics with a bit of otherworldly intrigue. Plus, sci-fi master Ridley Scott serves as executive producer on three episodes.
What’s great about this show is that it sums up what the bozos are doing in our nation’s capital with one explanation: alien ants have infiltrated their brains and caused everything to go haywire (so THAT’s why Trump says the things he says—extraterrestrials!). The show is dripping with satire and irony, which is just what America needs right now – to be able to laugh when there’s so much not to laugh at. And while the show takes place in a fictional world, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are imminent “threats” within the show, with both sides worried about either takeover (when really, they should be worried about an alien one!).
“Why are those two men sharing a candy bar?” asks Gustav Triplett (Johnny Ray Miller) in the June 27 episode “Goring Oxes: How You Can Survive the War on Government Through Five Easy Steps,” commenting on two men sitting on a bench who are clearly infected by the new alien race. If only both parties could share control of the country as easily as a Twix bar.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is one to watch on this show, reminiscent of a younger Sigourney Weaver (dream mother-daughter movie collaboration). She plays a documentary filmmaker-turned-constituent-bitch who works for her power-player brother Luke (Pino). In the pilot, she only plans on taking this job for a 6 months, so she can get funding for her next project on Melanesian choirs. However, once she takes the job, she realizes she may actually be good for D.C. politics, as she unravels a bigger, better story on Capitol Hill. Oh, and she also shares some serious sparks with Republican Chief of Staff Gareth Ritter (Good Wife alum Aaron Tveit).
This show couldn’t come at a more appropriate time in the summer before a huge election. Like many political headlines you read online, it’s thoughtful, hilarious, and tragic. And like what a lot of politicians say, there isn’t an ounce of truth to it.
Episode 84: The Cooler gang is joined by a special guest in preparation for Thursday’s Emmy nominations announcement.
On this week’s Water Cooler Podcast, Joey, Megan, and Clarence are joined by AwardsWatch’s Erik Anderson as we give our final predictions on Thursday’s 2016 Emmy nominations announcement. What shows will make it? Which series will receive the most nominations? What potential surprises can we expect Thursday morning? Are there any dark horse candidates waiting in the wings? And what single nomination would make us happiest on nomination morning? Plus, we’ll dive into the Horace and Pete phenomenon and discuss the Emmy chances of Louis CK’s independent series.
As always, we close with the Flash Forward of what television we are most excited about in the upcoming week.
Enjoy the conversation, and we’ll see you Thursday morning!
The writing branch has been one of the likeliest branches to march to the beat of their own drum. When other branches have ignored some of the best shows on TV, the writers have nominated shows like The Wire, The Americans, Battlestar Galactica, Community, and even Buffy The Vampire Slayer. They were also the first branch to grow tired of Modern Family and even took a break from their favorite show, Mad Men, when it was going through a slump. Because the writers sometimes seem to be the only people paying attention, their nominations are usually the most exciting.
Last year’s winners, Game of Thrones and Veep, are likely to continue dominating their categories. Game of Thrones submitted modestly with one episode even though they probably had the opportunity to control the drama race. Veep submitted three episodes and will probably get at least two nominations, although all three submissions stand out (“Morning After,” “Mother,” “Kissing Your Sister”). The other shows with a chance of returning are Better Call Saul, The Americans, Transparent, The Last Man on Earth, and Silicon Valley. Surprisingly, The Americans has the best chance of returning after a WGA nomination and strategically submitting one episode. Silicon Valley and Transparent might suffer from not having a standout episode. Better Call Saul foolishly submitted eight episodes for consideration and is in danger of being left out this year, but fans have been championing the ninth episode “Nailed,” which gives the show a chance.
(Photo: AMC)
The other shows with WGA nominations are Broad City, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Mr. Robot. The writers are not going to ignore the most high-profile new show of the season (Mr. Robot) and, now that UKS submitted less episodes, the writers are more likely to bring Tina Fey back into competition. I am very skeptical of a Broad City nomination, but, as the show grows into cult status, the writing branch could nominate it.
The one subject matter the writing branch honors the most is industry focused shows, including comedians creating fictionalized accounts of their lives. Shows that fit into this category include Louie, Episodes, Extras, and Girls. With shows like Louie and Episodes on a hiatus it leaves a lot of room for shows like Masters of None, Lady Dynamite, and even UnReal to benefit. The industry’s obsession with Louis CK means that Horace & Pete can’t be counted out either.
(Photo: Netflix)
Episode submissions are a huge indicator of which former favorites are in trouble. In the past when shows have submitted an excessive amount of episodes, the writing branch snubbed them entirely including shows like Modern Family, Girls, House of Cards, Homeland, and Orange Is The New Black. The prison drama is the only show to learn from their past mistakes and only submitted three episodes, so if any of them have a chance of returning it would be OITNB. Vinyl also made the mistake of submitting six episodes, although that show has a lot more obstacles to overcome than too many episodes from which to choose.
Both Downton Abbey and The Good Wife solely submitted their series finale episodes, and since the writing branch loves nominating finales they are both contenders to keep an eye on. Just as often as they nominate finales writers also love to nominate pilots. The strongest pilots this year include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Mr. Robot, The Path, Lady Dynamite, Casual, and possibly Baskets. A couple of shows that might have a cult following among writers include The Leftovers and Peaky Blinders.
As usual, I ranked the top contenders in likelihood of a nomination. I’m particularly interest in seeing what episodes Transparent, Silicon Valley, and House of Cards are nominated for if they happen to get into their respected categories since none of them particularly stick out. Readers, what episodes are you predicting this year for writing nominations? Are there any episodes you wish were submitted?
Comedy Writing
Morning After, Veep
Parents, Masters of None
Mother, Veep
Kimmy Finds Her Mom!, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Hope, black-ish
Kina Hora (Man On The Land/The Book of Life), Transparent
Pilot, Lady Dynamite
Founder Friendly/The Uptick, Silicon Valley
Kissing Your Sister, Veep
Josh Just Happens to Live Here!, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Burning Bridges (2016/B&B-NYC/Rat Pack), Broad City
Jalal Haddad takes a look at the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy race in a series of posts leading up to the Emmy nomination announcement on July 14th. Over the next few days, Jalal will be concluding his own expert analysis in individual races and covering the top ten contenders in each category.
The most refreshing element of the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series race is that half of last year’s nominees aren’t returning and an exciting amount of new faces have the potential to enter the race. On top of all of the new faces, Emmy voters also have past nominees like Lena Dunham to bring back after creating what might have been the best season of Girls yet. With all that the biggest question remains being just when will someone be able to beat the insurmountable Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Selina Meyer) Veep
(Photo: HBO)
In September when Julia wins her fifth consecutive Emmy for Veep, she will beat Helen Hunt for the most consecutive wins and be one step closer to being the first actor to win an Emmy for every season of their show since Bill Cosby in I Spy. The beginning of the fifth season didn’t produce an Emmy winning episode for her, but as the season progressed she continuously topped herself with almost perfect episodes (“Mother,” “Congressional Ball,” and “Inauguration”). Now that the juried tapes don’t have as much power (if any at all) she still has nothing to worry about as the most beloved comedic actor on television or the reigning Emmy champ. Unless we discover that another comedy contender is much stronger than we expected on nomination morning, no other nominee will have a chance of upsetting.
Ellie Kemper was unfairly left out of the comedy actress race last year even though Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a huge hit amongst the acting branch. After her Emmy snub, she went on to be the only nomination for the show at the SAG awards, meaning she is almost guaranteed a makeup nomination this year for the second season. Ellie Kemper has been growing in popularity ever since she broke out on The Office and Bridesmaids. If UKS continues to grow in popularity over the next two years, she’ll be the next winner after Veep is off the air.
3. Lily Tomlin (Frankie) Grace & Frankie
(Photo: Netflix)
Surprisingly Lily Tomlin has never won a performance Emmy (besides a voice over performance) even though she has been nominated 22 times with six wins for writing and producing. As a comedy icon and the performer representative on the governor’s board, her popularity will carry her to continuous nominations even if Grace & Frankie wasn’t the awards contender it had the potential to be.
4. Amy Schumer (Amy) Inside Amy Schumer
(Photo: Comedy Central)
After a year of Amy Schumer dominating popular culture, it seems that Schumer fatigue has set in, especially online. None of the sketches had a viral impact this season, and there was a slight dip in the ratings. Emmy voters have favored sketch performers recently and lucky for Schumer once voters nominate someone they usually continue to embrace them for a couple years (especially when she is one of three returning performers).
5. Lena Dunham (Hannah Horvath) Girls
(Photo: HBO)
Say what you will about Lena Dunham, but there are very few people in the TV industry who are as involved in their creative projects the way she has nurtured Girls throughout the years. As the star, producer, writer, and director of the show, she has helped it grow with the times and took it out of a slump into its best season as well as one of the best seasons of TV. She was left out of the best actress race last year when it became overly crowded, but she could easily be recognized again now that the show has regained its footing.
6. Tracee Ellis Ross (Rainbow Johnson) black-ish
(Photo: ABC)
From Girlfriends to black-ish, Tracee Ellis Ross’s ray of sunshine presence has made her a beloved figure in Hollywood. She’s expanded her social media exposure and hosted events like Black Girls Rock and the BET awards. As she becomes more and more popular, she could easily earn her first career nomination after over fifteen years on television (like a couple of the surprise nominees last year). She has a lot of other ABC matriarchs to compete against (Wu, Plimpton, Heaton, McLendon-Covey), but she has an edge with black-ish having a much higher profile than ABC’s other family sitcoms.
Rachel Bloom had an amazing run with awards season last winter when she won both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards as an unknown actress on a little seen show on The CW. She should be entering the Emmy race as the frontrunner to upheave JLD, but (and I hate that I’m not predicting her) after last year’s glaring Gina Rodriguez snub, the voters have proven that they have no interest in embracing anything from The CW. She might be able to win an Emmy in the Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics category where she could even dominate.
8. Constance Wu (Jessica Huang) Fresh Off The Boat
(Photo: ABC)
Both critic awards have championed Wu’s breakout performance with consistent nominations over more obvious names in the hopes of Emmy voters getting the hint they are missing out on what might be the funniest performance on network television. She was given even more material to work with in the second season (my favorite being her scenes in the lesbian bar), but with voters increasingly turning a blind eye to broadcast TV it will be harder for her to stick out, especially when the show she is on can be inconsistent.
9. Maria Bamford (Maria Bamford) Lady Dynamite
(Photo: Netflix)
Shows with comedians playing fictionalized versions of themselves are popular right now. Even though she is doing the same thing as Aziz Ansari or Louis CK, the structure of Lady Dynamite makes the show feel fresh. The honesty of her portrayal of mental illness will probably earn the respect of a lot of voters, but the show came out so late in the television year that a lot of voters probably didn’t have the time to catch up with the show.
10. Jane Fonda (Grace) Grace & Frankie
(Photo: Netflix)
Grace & Frankie is a show I thought would have a stronger fan base at the Emmys last year, especially for the four costars who have a lengthy history with the Emmys. Jane Fonda was in favor of Lily Tomlin (the more obvious comedic performance) and that trend will likely continue. Fonda’s one saving grace is her status as a Hollywood legend and if voters don’t take the time to seek out other performances they could gravitate towards name-checking an icon.
11. Ilana Glazer/Abbi Jacobson (Ilana Wexler/Abbi Abrams) Broad City
(Photo: Comedy Central)
Identifing yourself as an Ilana or Abbi is the new cultural go-to in the same way it used to be Samantha or Carrie, or Dorothy or Blanche. A couple of years ago a millennial skewing show like Broad City would never have a chance at an Emmy, but as Comedy Central becomes more successful at pushing their other performers into the acting races it becomes more likely that Emmy voters finally start embracing Glazer and Jacobson in their third season. Glazer has received a lot more critics support, but both women have a huge amount of fans, which will probably result in the two splitting the vote and ending up without nominations. After a surprise WGA nomination for Best Comedy Series the two could at least end up with their first recognition in the writing categories.
The latest HBO drama The Night Of starts promisingly, but is it great television?
The newest prestige HBO drama The Night Of shows all the signs of being a strong entry in HBO’s cache of quality television. It offers an intriguing murder mystery peppered with interesting characters and allusions to larger social issues. It does exactly what it should to warrant awards consideration. HBO certainly seems high on it. It released the series on HBO Go and HBO Now the same night as the Game of Thrones season finale, giving the show an enviable platform from which to spring. Then, given all of this, why doesn’t the drama feel like more of a revelation?
Originally conceived as a vehicle for James Gandolfini prior to his death, The Night Of stars John Turturro as attorney Jack Stone. Late in the pilot, Stone takes the case of Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani-American boy accused of brutally murdering a beautiful woman in her bed. The events of the pilot unfold over a single night as Khan digs himself deeper and deeper into unavoidable danger. It’s what happens when one makes the wrong choices at literally every turn.
The drama unfolds over the first hour-plus of the miniseries in an entertaining fashion. There’s a certain sick perversion over watching someone as inexperienced and unthinking as Khan stumble into danger. The series seems to be well aware of that fact. Yet, the audience is unaware of a central handful of minutes where the murder was committed. The evidence clearly stacks up against Khan. So much so, in fact, that the length of the 8-night mini-series feels daunting given the mountain of evidence and suspicious behavior.
But that is also part of the problem with The Night Of. NPR’s Serial, Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s own The Jinx encouraged American audiences to become armchair detectives and attorneys. It doesn’t take eagle-eyed viewers to see the groundwork laid for Turtorro’s Stone to make swift work of the eventual prosecution’s case. A witness omits some detail of his evening. Evidence is obtained under questionable circumstances. Police work fails to follow proper protocol. To me, the possibilities feel obvious and unquestionable. Perhaps that’s not what the mini-series is ultimately after. Last year’s Show Me a Hero dealt with the socio-political implications of urban development, and The Night Of seems similarly poised to take on cultural inequities in urban America.
As the focal point of the pilot, Riz Ahmed delivers a capably naive performance. He’s a scared child in a young man’s body. He panics admirably. He makes beautifully convincing mistakes. He glances at other actors and the camera with the appropriate amount of beaten puppy-dog eyes. He makes for a compellingly emotional center, even if he may be extremely guilty. Time will tell on that score. Turturro is only given a handful of scenes, but they’re as memorable as you’d expect given the calibre of the actor. I do look forward to experiencing the case’s unravelling with this brilliant actor. This role should put him into contention at next year’s Emmy ceremony if the series is a more uncertain entry.
Given the pedigree of writer Richard Price and director Steven Zaillian, I did expect more from the pilot. I’ll certainly wait until the entire series unfolds before making judgment, but the heavy mantle of “prestige HBO drama” weighs down the hour. You watch it never bored but expect much, much more. Such slow burn pieces require a great deal of expectation setting. As long as you have that in check, then you should enjoy this solid piece of filmmaking.
Jalal Haddad takes a look at the TV Movie Emmy race in a series of posts leading up to the Emmy nomination announcement on July 14th. Over the next week, Jalal will be providing his own expert analysis in individual races and covering the top ten contenders in each category.
1.All The Way
Photo courtesy of HBO.
All The Way is a completely uninspired TV biopic that really benefits from a weak batch of contenders in a category that has awarded the prestige HBO movie every year since 2003. The film features a lot of Emmy friendly names including Bryan Cranston, Bradley Whitford, and director Jay Roach whose political TV movies have a high success rate with the Emmys (2 for 2). Emmy voters could be bored by dull caricatures, but they don’t have many alternatives from which to choose.
2. Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
Photo courtesy of Masterpiece.
Sherlock won a shocking seven Emmys in 2014 (with a total of 12 nominations) most notably two acting awards and a writing statue, although it ended up losing the TV Movie race at the end of the night. The fan base throughout the various television branches is massive, and I have questioned whether or not the popularity has disappeared since the last season. In such a weak year in the TV Movie race, the show’s passionate fans could push it to a surprise win for the series.
3. Confirmation
Photo courtesy of HBO.
Confirmation, the other HBO political drama of the season, hasn’t received as much attention as All The Way even though its subject matter and portrayal of the political climate is arguably more relevant. Confirmation is looked at as an Emmy vehicle for Washington and in the final round of voting HBO will probably be campaigning more strategically for All The Way. In the end I’m just grateful Confirmation exists since I found out most of my generation doesn’t even know why Anita Hill is significant.
4. Luther
Photo courtesy of BBC America.
Luther is probably best described as a sleeper hit. Over the years, it gained an almost invisible fan base off of increased love for Idris Elba and viewers discovering the British import on Netflix. Emmy voters love to embrace British imports, especially detective series, and in such a weak year Luther will be nominated again, making it the third different outstanding program category it will be recognized in.
5. Special Correspondents
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Special Correspondents is unfortunately a terrible film that might break into the TV Movie race simply because the competition is so weak. Perennial Emmy nominee Ricky Gervais starred in the film as well as having produced, directed, written, and composed its score. While browsing through the very limited options in the TV Movie list, voters will probably see Gervais’ name on the ballot, read the listed synopsis, and mark off Special Correspondents without ever having streamed the film.
6. 7 Days in Hell
Photo courtesy of HBO.
7 Days in Hell is by far the most hilariously stupid film eligible for the TV Movie Emmy, and that’s exactly why so many of us who follow the race are rooting for it. In a list of dull biopics and British imports, 7 Days in Hell is refreshingly original for not taking itself seriously. The only problem is that the 40 minute film might not feel as important to voters when they are filling out their ballots. Voters who take themselves too seriously will probably feel better by marking off HBO’s other contenders.
7. Funny or Die Presents Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie
Photo courtesy of Funny or Die.
In such a weak year, some voters might not feel passionate about any of the 29 submitted TV films and decide to vote for the Funny or Die video as a protest vote against Donald Trump’s candidacy. Some voters might have apprehensions about voting for what is essentially a long viral video or be turned off by Depp’s recent domestic abuse scandal. However, voters’ disgust with Trump will probably overshadow anything else. As unlikely as it is, a nomination for Funny Or Die’s video would be the most interesting protest vote in the history of the Emmys.
Worth Mentioning: The Dresser, A Deadly Adoption, A Very Murray Christmas, Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes, Wallander: The Troubled Man
I only listed seven contenders because of the sad state of the TV movie race. If the category continues to be this bare next year the television academy should seriously consider going back to combining the Limited Series and TV movie race. Whether or not Emmy voters embrace a comedy like 7 Days in Hell or a viral video like the Donald Trump sketch, the TV movie lineup is going to consist of a couple odd nominees. The race is really down to All The Way and Sherlock, depending on how well both do in terms of overall nominations. History has shown that All The Way is almost certain to win but if Sherlock does well with craft nominations and All The Way under performs in the acting, writing, and directing races there might be a chance for an upset.
What Emmy-worthy shows should you absolutely binge before the Emmy nominations?
Since the Emmy nominations come out in exactly one week, this is a hectic time for voters and pundits. People are trying to watch a little bit of everything before the dust settles next Thursday morning, but what to watch? We constantly talk about how there is so much television to consume, and since some key Emmy players dropped out, there could be some movement in the big races.
In case you are too frazzled to make a decision in what to watch, take a look at the top 10 shows you should check out before next week’s announcement. Grab some drinks, hunker down, and enjoy a good old fashioned binge fest.
Photo courtesy of ABC.
10. American Crime
The ABC drama was one of the most talked about limited series of the year, but then The People v. O.J. Simpson stole its thunder. Even though there is debate on how the series ended, you can’t deny the emotional punch the performances deliver. Felicity Huffman and Regina King stand a real chance to repeat, but Lili Taylor and Connor Jessup should not be counted out.
American Crime is available on Hulu.
Photo courtesy of HBO.
9. Game of Thrones
I know what you’re thinking: I already watch Game of Thrones! The reigning Drama Series is not an underdog by any standards, so why include it? The fervor over the last few episodes had me, a nonbeliever, craving some battle scenes and grandeur. Fans obviously watched the show when it originally aired, but maybe they should go back just to appreciate the craft of the show even more.
Game of Thrones is available on HBOGo.
Photo courtesy of Hulu.
8. The Path
Does anything actually stand a chance to break into the Drama Series category? Will The Americans finally prevail, or will something new and exciting surprise us all? If we are taking risks, my money would have to be on the cult drama The Path. It’s a quiet show that features loud outbursts of strange strange drama, and it features Breaking Bad darling Aaron Paul. Is The Path an underdog?
The Path is available on Hulu.
Photo courtesy of Hulu.
7. Casual
While Casual might not be an obvious Emmy player, it did land a Comedy Series slot in this year’s Golden Globe ceremony. Will it stay in voters’ minds to get anything? Here’s hoping.
Casual is available on Hulu.
Photo courtesy of AMC.
6. The Night Manager
It feels like the John Le Carre adaptation didn’t make a huge splash on this side of the pond. The Night Manager has it all: great performances, a sense of mystery, sexy locales, and tight direction thanks to Susanne Bier. We even get a pre-Taylor Swift Tom Hiddleston leading a double life opposite a quietly menacing Hugh Laurie. Don’t write this off as a stuffy British import.
The Night Manager is available on iTunes.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
5. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The main reason to include this fan favorite on this list is to remind yourself how much you love it. The second season premiere in mid-April, but it feels like it’s been buried by everything else that’s come out since. The first season had an impressive showing at last year’s Emmys, so expect it to come back with a buttload of nominations. It should also be brought up yet again that Ellie Kemper failed to get a nomination last year. She needs to get nominated this time around!
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is available on Netflix.
Photo courtesy of HBO.
4. Girls
Sorry, haters, but Lena Dunham’s comedy is one of the best shows of the year. When our defenses were down, she delivered one of the most thoughtful and intelligent seasons in the show’s history. Is hitting it out of the park a sign of the quality we will get in its final season? There’s so much to love in this fifth season that you should just sit back and trust me. Don’t let your former thoughts on the show influence your viewing of this spectacular season.
Girls is available on HBOGo.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
3. Lady Dynamite
This might be the biggest long shot on this list, but any attention given to Maria Bamford is good in my book. Lady Dynamite is a crazy little monster, so it might be a bit too much for easygoing voters. While it’s whacky and off-the-wall, the show packs a surprising punch. Just when you think you’re about to die of laughter and embarrassment, Bamford pulls a one-two punch and brings real issues to the party. Co-creator Mitchell Hurwitz won 3 Emmys for the beloved Arrested Development, so maybe his name could catapult Bamford into the race.
Lady Dynamite is available on Netflix.
Photo courtesy of USA.
2. Mr. Robot
USA had a hit on its hands last summer with the tech thriller Mr. Robot, and it might become a threat in some Drama categories this year. Rami Malek’s performance seemed to land him every nomination under the sun, and it brought back Christian Slater to everyone’s conversation. Yes, that Christian Slater (he even picked up a Golden Globe along the way). While Game of Thrones is grand and violent spectacle, Robot feels more immediate and makes us questions identity and security. If anything could dethrone the fantasy series, it’s this.
Mr. Robot is available on Hulu.
Photo courtesy of The CW.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Hear me out. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the little show that could. If you’ve seen star Rachel Bloom at any awards show, you will know the struggle it took to get this show to the small screen. The show is everything that people criticize: people hate musicals (shame on you!) and the show centers on a protagonist who makes questionable choices every episode. I have to ask you, though, isn’t that refreshing? Isn’t that bold? Even a musical theater geek like me questioned watching this show, but it’s insanely watchable. It’s also very funny, quotable, and starts conversations about relationships and motives we have when finding love. Or the love we think we deserve. Just watch it.
