‘Veep’ Has My Vote

HBO’s Veep makes a welcome return and a strong case to repeat as Emmy’s favorite comedy

This being an election year, the premiere of HBO’s Veep seems as timely as ever. With candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz dominating the media, it’s a comfort and a joy to see actors as politicians making asses of themselves from a fictional standpoint. The fifth season premiered on Sunday night as part of HBO’s prime time dominance. My vote is that this show just keeps getting better and better.

In the season four finale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ sitting president, Selina Meyer, tied with Senator Bill O’Brien in the presidential election that was constantly referred to as “too close to call.” Everything was quite literally hanging in the balance, and that comedic tension only enhances this season premiere.

Luckily for us, the unprecedented tie in the election wasn’t solved in the first episode. This is politics after all. And when you have such a legion of morons running around like chickens with their heads cut off, solutions don’t come easily or quickly. “Way to make our country look like a high school Spanish club,” Selina spouts off early in the episode.

As the drama surrounding the election unfolds, Selina is advised to look as presidential as possible. Selina’s former campaign manager, Amy, doesn’t even acknowledge that she’s back on the team. Her presence is constantly questioned in the premiere, and it’s one of the funnier aspects of the episode even though it’s underplayed. The possibility of a recount in Nevada (debate your friends on the pronunciation!) fuels the second half of the episode, which involves a growing stress pimple on Selina’s face and a botched symposium on race.

Selina gets a new Secret Service agent (played by stone-faced Clea DuVall), but POTUS isn’t entirely thrilled about the physical similarities made about them (“she smells completely different” Gary remarks). One of the best things about Veep is watching Selina struggle to keep it together as well as keep it together up to her own impossible standards. She’s perpetually on a sinking ship, so this added element can only enhance the comedy.

Despite the presence of a new show runner (David Mandel jumped on board this season), Veep continues to be one of the most gleefully obscene shows on television. I’ve missed the rhythm of the show and the chemistry between the characters. If politicians acted this way in front of the camera, it might make this impending election somewhat bearable. Veep just might make me interested in politics.

‘Silicon Valley’ Buggy in Season Three

Based on the season three opener, HBO’s Silicon Valley feels undercooked in its return

Silicon Valley has been one of my personal favorite sitcoms of the last few years. True, I have worked in a tech environment that echoes even the most outrageous aspects of the series, so it’s definitely right up my alley. That’s why it’s even more disappointing that it returns limply, feeling less like a worthy bridge between the great Game of Thrones and Veep and more like a red-headed stepchild.

When we last left Silicon Valley season two, Pied Piper won an arbitration victory against corporate giant Hooli. Sensing an opportunity, investment firm Raviga swoops in and buys a handful of seats on the Pied Piper board. Richard (Thomas Middleditch) finds himself removed from the CEO role as Raviga wants to go in a different direction with a more seasoned leader. Season three’s opener deals with the fallout as Richard’s bruised ego guides him away from Pied Piper despite their offer at a CTO position.

Right off the bat, Richard’s reaction and inability to recognize the merits of the new arrangement completely annoyed me. Regardless of how inexperienced or borderline autistic Richard or others of his kind are, I never once believed he would be so blind as to completely walk away from Pied Piper. It is, after all, his identity, as much a part of him as Steve Jobs was to Apple. Richard’s petulant behavior continues through the episode as everyone around him advises against it. Eventually, he relents thanks to the charm and near-mind control of new CEO Jack Barker (the great Stephen Tobolowsky).

Aside from the annoyance of Richard’s actions, the biggest missing component of season three’s opener was the constant stream of jokes found in the previous seasons. There is only really one great joke in the episode, and it’s completely a throw-away. Hooli CEO Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) discovers it would be cost effective to fire a large portion of the company, partially justified by recent performance appraisals that indicated 20 percent of the workforce weren’t performing. He addresses a table of five people, one of whom a beat later says, “Wait, what?”

But where Silicon Valley‘s main cast historically occupied the underdog role, here all of their quirks and petulance feels increasingly annoying and childish. It’s not the actors’ fault as T.J. Miller and Zach Woods continue to amuse with their spot-on characterizations. These are smart guys, but creator Mike Judge seems to treat them now with more contempt than ever before. Satire is a delicate balance, and it really only works in cases like this where you can sympathize and laugh at your main characters equally. But Silicon Valley appears heading down a mean-spirited path, one that’s more cruel and less funny than before.

Let’s hope this episode was a glitch. Time to reboot before next week.

‘Game of Thrones’ Returns and Stays the Course

HBO’s Emmy-winning Game of Thrones returns to deliberately not answer the question on everyone’s mind

It would have been a fantastic start to Game of Thrones season six had The Red Woman Melisandre (Carice van Houten) walked into what passed for a shower there in Castle Black to find Jon Snow lathering  up. You know, like Bobby Ewing back in the controversial Dallas season where everyone thought he died but found out next season that was all a dream. I thought it would have been hilarious. Anyway…

Game of Thrones season six begins on an extremely sure foot, immediately rectifying some of the issues people had with season five’s split start. Here, you’re already getting all of the characters and story lines you want to see rather than waiting until future episodes. I suppose it’s better this way, honestly. It flows better, more consistently, even if you’re only really getting about five minutes per major plot. Even if The Big Question left from season five (Jon Snow is dead?) is somewhat unresolved, the season opener feels as accomplished and engaging as any previous season opener. Game of Thrones is back, even if Jon Snow isn’t… yet…

The best moments in the opener belong to future Emmy winner (come on Television Academy, don’t let me down now) Lena Headey. Season five ended with her good child (the sweet and innocent Mrycella) brutally murdered by Ellaria Sand’s (Indira Varma) poison kiss. As brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) sails towards King’s Landing, Cersei’s (Headey) face gradually shifts from one of joy to realization to complete despair. It’s a class act moment delivered by an underrated actress. Even better, she follows that up with a brief scene in which she describes her lament over the loss of her innocent daughter, the one nothing like her mother. Season six seems to be gearing up to broadly feature Lean Headey and give her meaty moments of revenge. Mark my words, this woman will win an Emmy one day for this role.

Woman continue to be pillars of strength in the Game of Thrones landscape. Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), who largely sat out season five, saves Sansa Stark’s (Sophie Turner) in a brutal sword fight with Ramsay Bolton’s men. Ellaria Sand continues to avenge her former lover’s death by killing nearly every Dornish man in power. Arya Stark’s blindness persists but she endures the beatings of her fellow servant from the House of White and Black. Daenerys hold fast to some extremely unpleasant Dothraki sex talk as their patriarchal system may be the toughest battle she has yet to fight (where are those dragons now?). And we get to see a great deal of Melisandre as she remains tortured after aligning herself with the losing side in last season’s climatic battle. As the season opener closes, she removes the mystical necklace she’s never taken off and becomes the old lady from the tub who tried to kill Jack and Danny Torrence in The Shining. Tell me who saw that one coming…

All in all, it was a good opener to Game of Thrones. The Internet will be displeased because Jon Snow is still dead. While common thought believes he will return, it would be interesting if the series continued to confound popular opinion by leaving him dead. Still, I cannot shake the feeling that a resurrected, wiser, hardened Jon Snow would make for a fantastic late season six revelation.

Hard to tell what the writers have in store, and that’s all the fun of Game of Thrones. Perhaps the best clue remains in Cersei’s early season one quote, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.”

That may be all you need to know.

Peabody Awards Announce 75th Annual Winners

Peabody Awards recognize quality and excellence within multi-media

The Peabody Awards unveiled the recipient of this year’s Entertainment and Children’s winners of the Peabody 30. Recipients of this year’s awards include past and present Emmy contenders Master of None, Transparent, Mr. Robot, and Marvel’s Jessica Jones. The Peabody Awards are provided by a panel of judges consisting of several University of Georgia staff, faculty, and students.

According to their website, the Peabody Awards award “stories that engage viewers as citizens as well as consumers. By recognizing specific programming, the Peabody Awards spotlight instances of how electronic media can teach, expand our horizons, defend the public interest, or encourage empathy with others. Such excellent stories exist across genres and media types, and across regions and borders.”

The Entertainment and Children’s winners of the Peabody Awards are as follows (content courtesy of the Peabody Awards website):

Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)
Red Crown Productions, Participant Media, Come What May Productions, New Balloon

A superbly acted, strikingly photographed film about an African warlord training an orphan child to join his guerrilla army, it never loses sight of their humanity, brutal acts notwithstanding.

black-ish (ABC)
ABC Studios

A bright, boisterous, big-hearted comedy about an affluent African American family working overtime to keep it real, black-ish doesn’t let jokes get in the way of insights about race, class, guns, and other hot-button topics that most popular entertainment shows scarcely mention.

Deutschland 83 (SundanceTV)
Fremantle International/Kino Lorber

A suspenseful, well-acted spy drama that takes place a few years before the Soviet bloc cracked and told from the perspective of East Germans and West Germans, it reheats Cold War conflicts in surprising ways.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)
Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix

This one part superhero saga, one part neo-noir program asks unpopular questions about power and consent, while constructing vivid and compelling characters. Krysten Ritter helps us to discover the strengths and vulnerability of Jessica, a hard-boiled private detective who has rejected the role of superhero but must still figure out how to overcome the evil that threatens her, her friends and her community.

Master of None (Netflix)
Universal TV, Oh Brudder Productions, Alan Yang Productions, Fermulon

By turns profound and mundane, ridiculous and deadly serious, this imaginative, shape-shifting comedy chronicles the misadventures of Dev (series creator Aziz Ansari), a 30-year-old Indian-American who’s still trying to figure out what to do with his life. To say it resonates with young-adult viewers is an understatement.

MR. ROBOT (USA Network)
Universal Cable Productions

A riddle wrapped in a mystery shrouded in a hoody, MR. ROBOT‘s hero, Elliot, is a tormented, anti-social cyber-security whiz caught up in techno-anarchy conspiracy. The series’ twisting, turning, Rubik plot is almost as startling as its overtly anti-corporate stance. Occupy Prime Time?

The Leftovers (HBO)
HBO Entertainment and Warner Bros Television in association with Damon Lindelof Productions and Film 44

After an inexplicable global cataclysm – a massive random harvest – thins Earth’s population by 140 million, the survivors in this challenging, deeply philosophical, boldly imagined drama are left to figure out how to get on with life in a world that’s stopped making sense.

Transparent (Amazon Video)
Amazon Studios

Jeffrey Tambor’s transsexual Maura is not just the lead character of this bold, honest dramedy, she’s the catalyst for her typically dysfunctional modern family’s ongoing reevaluation of itself. Its broadened scope and lively sense of self-awareness, along with irreverent wit and poignant moments, made Transparent‘s second season even stronger than the first.

UnREAL (Lifetime)
A+E Studios

A spot-on, behind-the-scenes send-up of ersatz “reality” shows like The Bachelor, UnREAL makes viewers care about venal producers and petty contestants even as it skewers them.

Wolf Hall (PBS)
A Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures Production for BBC and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience

Based on Hilary Mantel’s celebrated novels about the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court, Wolf Hall is an intimate, humanized history, told from the viewpoint of the king’s main man, Thomas Cromwell. Enhanced by literate scripting and superb acting with historic-location and natural-light filming, this exceptional series sets a new standard for the genre.

Katie Morag (Cbeebies)
Move on Up

Mairi Hedderwick’s popular books about a feisty, wee, red-headed girl (the splendid Cherry Campbell) and the Scottish island community she’s growing up in are exquisitely realized in this series. Timeless, perhaps old-fashioned, but never precious or blindly idyllic, Katie Morag deals honestly and gracefully with death, loss, rivalry and other serious themes.

Netflix’s ‘Lady Dynamite’ Showcases Manic, Brilliant Bamford

Netflix’s Lady Dynamite may be your next obsession… Or a complete train wreck.

If you endured Netflix’s fourth season to Arrested Development, then you’re familiar with comic Maria Bamford. Her take on DeBrie Bardeaux, a methadone addict mistaken by David Cross’s Tobias Funke as a method actress, is the kind of equally bonkers and inspired comic acting you don’t often see in mainstream comedy. The streaming giant has seen fit to grant Bamford her own fully deserved series. Judging from Netflix’s Lady Dynamite trailer, we can anticipate a wild tour-de-force.

Created by Arrested Development‘s Mitch Hurwitz, Netflix’s Lady Dynamite is billed as an eccentric, absurdist take on Bamford’s personal life in the guise of a mockumentary. No doubt there’s truth mixed in with the lunacy, but Bamford appears to anchor it all with her skewed outlook on life. Is this the kind of performance that could give Bamford some long-overdue awards attention? Maybe even an Emmy nomination for Comedy Actress, taking Lisa Kudrow’s The Comeback spot? It’s a different style of comedy, of course, but there are slots available for sure.

Netflix’s Lady Dynamite stars Bamford and Fred Melamed as her manager, Bruce Ben-Bacharach. The series will feature a rotating coterie of guest stars including Sarah Silverman, Tig Notaro, Adam Pally, Patton Oswalt, Ana Gasteyer, Jenny Slate, Mira Sorvino, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain, and Jon Cryer.

Netflix’s Lady Dynamite debuts May 20.

Hiddleston and Laurie Shine in Sexy ‘Manager’

The Night Manager is a sexy international thriller that should pop for Emmy voters

If anything, AMC’s The Night Manager is a damn fine James Bond audition for Tom Hiddleston. In the first installment of the six-part miniseries, Hiddleston manages to get embroiled in weapons intrigue and bed a beautiful woman—all the while looking rather dapper in an impeccably fitted suit. The Night Manager is sleek and handsomely made. It should easily catch the eye of prestige television watchers and, dare I say it, awards voters.

Based on the 1993 John le Carre novel of the same name, Night centers on Jonathan Price, the night manager of a posh hotel located in Cairo. Later in the first episode, we find out that he’s a former soldier who served two tours in Iraq. He comments, “I saw things in Iraq that didn’t line up with my idea of being a soldier.” Violence towards people who don’t deserve it seems to be something that doesn’t sit well with the polite night manager.

Price fails to protect one of his Cairo hotel guests in 2011, and it’s been haunting him ever since. The majority of the first chapter features trying to protect a woman named Sophie after she entrusts him with some valuable weapons documents. Price tries to get her out of the country (after bedding her, of course), but he’s quite literally just a few minutes too late.

The action jumps four years later (a seriously singular WTF moment), and Price has moved to a different hotel in Switzerland. It’s there that he comes face to face with “the most dangerous man in the world” himself—weapons dealer Richard Onslow Roper. He’s played by Hugh Laurie, and it might seem like an odd casting choice to some people. Laurie exudes natural charm in the role, so it’s going to be fun to see how he plays such a supposedly vile character. Can we anticipate him stroking a fluffy cat in later episodes? Olivia Colman is a sturdy presence as an intelligence operative, and Tom Hollander will prove to be a true prick as one of Roper’s associates.

The entire series rests on the shoulders of Tom Hiddleston, and he makes it all very enjoyable to watch. It’s very comforting to see him shed the long hair and dramatics of The Avengers Loki to play a very obedient and honest character like Price. He may sound like a pleasing or eager hotel employee, but there’s a casual sternness to his responses to other characters. Price might be very accommodating with his “yes sirs” and warm demeanor, but there is strength lurking behind each smile.

Oscar-winner Susanne Bier directed all six parts of The Night Manager (suck on that, Ryan Murphy!), so the tone should be quite consistent. It’s very sexy and controlled—much like the night manager himself.

It’s (Almost) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

There’s just over a month left in the 2016 Emmy Awards season.

When the Emmy eligibility window closes on May 31, 2016, the Television Academy provides Emmy voters only two weeks to watch anything they’ve missed and cast their votes. The official voting window opens June 13 and closes June 27 (at 10PM PT, if you’re counting). So, unless you’re Tina Fey, chances are many members of the Television Academy still have to catch up to a percentage of the some 1,400 television shows that currently populate the television landscape.

To help them out and to prepare Emmy watchers for the upcoming contests, AwardsDaily TV is again broadening our Emmy coverage beyond prognostication. Here’s a few of the current and upcoming features you can expect for our growing Emmy analysis:

  • You’ll notice the debut of our Emmy Tracker, available on the right-hand side of our main page. Here, we’re making some predictions as to who leads currently in the major categories. We’ve listed ten slots of possibilities in each category. As a reminder, the Drama and Comedy Series categories feature seven nominees, the Limited Series / TV movie categories usually feature five nominees, and the acting categories feature six nominees (unless you’re the 2015 Comedy Supporting Actress Category – then you can have eight). Are we missing something? Do you disagree? Sound off in the comments section!
  • We’ve been running our Emmy Spotlight series for a few weeks now. You’ll start to see a significant uptick in our awards analysis pieces as series wrap up their seasons or as we revisit series from the fall and winter. These pieces are designed to dive into the Guaranteed, Probable, and Possible nominations a series could receive. Don’t see your favorite series? Let us know, and we’ll take a look at our crystal water cooler.
  • As with last year, we’ll also be publishing Emmy advocacy pieces for our favorite shows or actors. This series is the most fun for our eager staff of experts. We love a lot of things about television, but we love nothing more than to spread the joy and (hopefully) inform the Television Academy of our passions. This is your chance to help spread the love. If we advocate for one of your favorites, then help us spread the love on Facebook, on Twitter, or wherever else you hang your Internet hat. Want to advocate something on your own? Submit a piece of your own, and you might see it on AwardsDaily TV!

We’ll also be diving into individual categories on the Water Cooler Podcast over the next few months. So, stick around, visit frequently, download the podcast (on iTunes or your favorite podcast provider!), and let us know what you think should lead the 2016 Emmy nominations.

Nominations are announced on July 14, 2016!

Emmy Spotlight on ‘Downton Abbey’

Will Emmy ring for Downton Abbey on awards night?

Year after year Emmy voters surprise everyone with how much they loved PBS’s Downton Abbey when the rest of popular culture has moved on. The Television Academy’s fascination with Downton Abbey began in 2011 when the show dominated the awards and beat HBO’s Mildred Pierce in the miniseries categories. Since then the show has moved from the limited series race to the drama race and won 13 Emmys out of 59 nominations as well as four SAG awards and ten nominations.

The success of Downton Abbey at the Emmys most likely stems from the fact that it has a huge fan base amongst older voters who aren’t drawn to sexier awards contenders like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Now that Downton Abbey wrapped its final season (and won their 3rd SAG ensemble award) older industry voters are sure to want to vote for the show even more this year. It would be foolish not to predict Downton Abbey in just about every major category.

The actors’ branch has nominated eight different actors from the ensemble over the years (which is more than Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, AND Homeland) in every category except for guest actress. The voters clearly watch the show too since the actors waver in and out depending on that season’s material. However, no other actor has been consistently nominated as Jim Carter. The love for Carson is easy to understand. He’s the loveable curmudgeon that has been around the Downton estate longer than some of the residents. He also benefits from having a name at the beginning of the alphabet which is extremely helpful in overstuffed categories.

downton cast

The inclusion of a dame in any awards race is the least shocking element of any awards race and that is why Maggie Smith quickly became the face of Downton Abbey. She has won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and an individual SAG award for her performance as the Dowager Countess. Even though voters left her out of the lineup last year they will probably bring her back for the final season. It only helps that she gets the final line of the entire show. While Smith stands out for her unique quips, Froggatt broke into the Emmy race for season two because of her dramatic and endearing storylines like her marriage to Bates, his murder trial, her sexual assault, and her struggle with possible infertility. She won a Golden Globe and voters even singled her out last year as the female performance over industry favorite Smith. Fatigue has set in recently with her overly dramatic storylines so voters may leave her out. She’ll probably stay in, though, with a much weaker supporting category this year.

The nicest surprise of the final season was how much it focused on wrapping up the storyline of continual shit stirrer Thomas Barrow. In the final season, we watched as Thomas struggled to find new employment, attempted suicide, and on a happier note ended up replacing Carson as the head butler of Downton. If there is a lot of support for the show in its final season, then Rob James-Collier could easily receive his first Emmy nomination.

downton thomas

Some of the performances that Emmy voters have moved on from over the years include Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and Elizabeth McGovern. The lead drama races have become especially barren and lazy voters could easily name check both Bonneville and Dockery if they get caught up in their love for the final season. The final performance to keep an eye on his Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, who is essentially the Janet Brady of Downton. Audiences and critics found her to be whiny and obnoxious in the first couple seasons. Yet, recently, Carmichael has finally been given great material to work with. I wouldn’t be surprised if voters rally behind Lady Edith in the penultimate episode when she called her older sister a bitch which sent shockwaves across the Downton blogosphere.

Unless a crop of new shows impress Emmy voters, they will probably congratulate the final season of their favorite PBS costume drama with a good amount of nominations. Readers, who do you think will be nominated for the final season of Downton Abbey? Or do you think Emmy voters will finally move on?

Guaranteed Nominations

Drama Series
Directing
Jim Carter, Supporting Actor
Maggie Smith, Supporting Actress
Production Design
Casting
Costumes
Hairstyling

Probable Nominations

Writing
Rob James-Collier, Supporting Actor
Joanne Froggatt, Supporting Actress

Possible Nominations

Hugh Bonneville, Lead Actor
Laura Carmichael, Supporting Actress (PBS is pushing her in the Lead race)
Michelle Dockery, Lead Actress

Emmy Spotlight on ‘Better Call Saul’

Better Call Saul and tell him to get his Emmy tux ready

I have a tangled and tortured history with AMC’s Better Call Saul. It’s a show that I immensely respect rather than outright love. I can’t quite put my finger on why the passion isn’t there, but it’s not. So, judging from that reaction alone (and it’s one that I’ve heard a few times out on the Internets), you’d think Emmy glory would be somewhat muted for the series in its sophomore season.

Last year, it received eight nominations including Drama Series, Lead Actor, and Supporting Actor. It was tipped to win at least one acting trophy, yet it went home empty-handed. But putting things into perspective, its freshman season nomination count exceeded that of its more famous precursor Breaking Bad. And even if my reaction to the series has been quiet respect (fully admitting that I’m two behind in advance of tonight’s season two finale), those who love it LOVE IT. I mean passionately love it. Call it the Bernie Sanders of the Emmy race, perhaps?

Assuming it sticks the landing on its season two finale – and there’s no reason to think that it won’t – then how will 2016 Emmy treat the series? Is it time for Better Call Saul to take home a trophy or two? Perhaps.

One thing going against it is the second season lacks a buzzy, water cooler episode like season one’s “Five-O,” or Mike’s (Johnathan Banks) flashback episode. Nearly everyone who watched the show loved that episode. It was directly responsible for three of the eight nominations. And even though the overall quality, focus, and cast of characters has increased in season two, there isn’t that one episode that has everybody talking. Again, those who love it talk about the entire series, which may work in its favor if it’s seen as a full-bodied series over a one-trick pony.

Now that Better Call Saul has cemented itself as a good-to-great series out of the shadow of Breaking Bad, I suspect Emmy will start paying more attention to it. It’s time for the series to earn a trophy or two in advance of the inevitable series win in a few years a la Breaking Bad. Drama Series, Bob Odenkirk, and Jonathan Banks all seem shoe-ins to repeat this year. Plus, in the absence of Mad Men or any exciting new drama (sorry Vinyl, you failed us), it feels right that Saul could see a directing or writing bid despite the breakout episode issue. Personally, I’d love to see a richly deserved nomination for the series’ luscious and surprisingly great cinematography.

And I never thought I’d say this, but Rhea Seehorn’s expanded and more complex season two role as Kim Wexler has impressed me. It’s rewarding to see a somewhat one-note character grow into something special. She should be rewarded for rising to the challenge.

One thing, though… If Bob Odenkirk is going to win Drama Actor, then please somebody tell him to stop telling the voting body he’s not a dramatic actor. I’m convinced he shot himself in the foot last year with an overabundance of self-deprecation.

Bob, you’re good enough. You’re dramatic enough. And, doggone it, people like you.

Guaranteed Nominations

Drama Series
Bob Odenkirk, Lead Actor
Jonathan Banks, Supporting Actor
Writing

Probable Nominations

Direction
Editing
Sound Mixing

Possible Nominations

Rhea Seehorn, Supporting Actress
Cinematography
Sound Editing
Casting
Makeup

Emmy Spotlight on ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’

The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is shaping up to be Emmy’s Little Show That Could

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the most unlikely success of the 2015 freshman television season. Clearly, the stakes were against it from the start. First, it was initially pitched to Showtime, but they turned it down. Then, it landed on the CW, a rare place for the series as it did not originate in the DC universe. Next, it was openly pitched to the world as a musical – the kind of musical American television hasn’t seen since Glee or Cop Rock before it. Finally, it didn’t have any major names in the cast aside from the voice of Hans from Frozen.

But people are still talking about it some six months later as it wraps its season. Granted, it’s not blowing out the ratings, but that’s OK. It’s doing just fine for an eccentric, looney musical on the CW. And, most importantly, it’s been cleared for a second season. Ironically, I think you can thank the musical numbers for its pervasive buzz. Critical acclaim also helped, undoubtedly. The series boasts a 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic of 78 despite the controversy around the title (she’s not really all that crazy).

Tonight’s season finale will serve it well thanks to a note perfect ending that ***SPOILER ALERT*** sees Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) win the heart of Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez) only to nearly lose it again by admitting her full-on neurosis – she did move to West Covina, California, to be with Josh after all. It’s not something that, initially, settles well with Josh. It’s also perfectly undercut with Greg (Santino Fontana) retching on the floor after drinking heavily at a wedding. It’s the kind of ending that really deserved another round of “You Stupid Bitch,” the best song of the series for my money.

So, what will Emmy think of all this. Well, your initial reaction may be, “If Jane the Virgin couldn’t do it last year, then how will Crazy Ex-Girlfriend top it?” That’s a great question. The answer is it’s a MUCH bigger risk than Jane the Virgin. Did I mention it’s a musical? Did I mention people actually have to act in a comedy as well as sing and dance believably? Did I mention all the songs are original? Are you seeing the creative hurdles here? Now, I’ll be first in line to say that the show isn’t perfect. Honestly, I love and hate it equally when star Bloom isn’t on screen. I’ve had issues with the supporting cast, although breakouts started to emerge as the series matured. And the tone is far crazier than the title character is reported to be.

All of that aside, I think you’re looking at a nomination for Comedy Actress for Rachel Bloom. She’s the driving force – a force of nature – behind the series. She’s won a Golden Globe. She’s won a Critics Choice Award. She’s been incredibly funny and charming during acceptance speeches. It’s the kind of rags-to-riches backstory that could spin itself into a legitimate awards narrative. The hardest fight will be for the nomination. If she can get beyond that stage, then I believe Bloom could be a dark horse to beat perennial winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Other nominations will most certainly come in the form of Original Song and perhaps Main Title Theme Music. Hey, it’s a catchy tune. Also, could Crazy Ex-Girlfriend break So You Think You Can Dance‘s hold on the Choreography category? People do dance on the show… Farther down the line are perhaps nominations for Santino Fontana and Donna Lynne Champlin as Rebecca’s gal-pal. Champlin, in particular, has two powerhouse musical numbers, and she ably carries the more sitcomy-aspects of the role. Remember when nobody saw Niecy Nash coming?

Perhaps Emmy could fall in love with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Crazier things have happened…

Guaranteed Nominations

Nothing’s a guarantee unless you’re produced by Ryan Murphy

Probable Nominations

Rachel Bloom, Lead Actress
Original Song

Possible Nominations

Main Title Theme Music
Choreography
Donna Lynne Champlin, Supporting Actress
Santino Fontana, Supporting Actor