What’s Next: Looking Forward to the 2018 Emmys

With the 2017 Emmy® ceremony in the books, Awards Daily TV looks forward to the 2018 Emmys. What have we seen so far that will factor into next year’s contest?

Hulu broke all the rules with its historic Emmy win for The Handmaid’s Tale. Rules, in fact, that Netflix tried to break for years. They couldn’t go all the way with House of Cards or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. And Hulu managed to catch lightening in a bottle, partially thanks to 2017’s unpleasant political environment. But with that win behind us now, we need to look forward to the 2018 Emmys. Yup, it’s already time, and we’ve already seen come pretty great television.

Oscar films tend to cloister within the September to November window of the eligibility year. That’s not to say that you’ll never see a winner outside of those three months. July’s Dunkirk, in fact, seems poised to take home multiple statues. But largely Oscar movies have to premiere within a specific sweet spot. They have to be seen early enough to stand out in the crowd, but not too early as to gain unwarranted backlash. If they do, then they need time to overcome that. But in the era of the preferential ballot and escalated nomination window, we rarely see winners premiering in late November or December. There’s just not enough time.

The Emmys, however, are completely different. Given the massive amount of television Emmy voters need to consume over the course of an eligibility window, premiering early holds definite advantages. Yes, The Handmaid’s Tale dropped to mass audiences in April, but Stranger Things and The Night Of premiered way back last summer. Westworld, with its leading 22 nominations, premiered last fall. With the Emmys, you simply have to be seen to be considered. Premiering early in the year helps that cause and helps build buzz that, if the property is good enough, can be sustained all year long.

So What Have We Seen?

Several high profile, critically acclaimed properties already premiered this summer and early fall that feel like strong Emmy contenders. Obviously, HBO’s Game of Thrones emerges at the start of the Emmy season as The One To Beat for Drama Series. Ratings have never been higher. Audience reaction has never been stronger. Finding a series to compete feels like a daunting challenge. I’m sure something will emerge in early 2018 that isn’t on our radar, but it does feel difficult to image something landing so strongly as to knock Thrones out of contention. I’m talking about the win, too, not the nomination.

Aside from that obvious front runner, what other series feel poised to take a run at the 2018 Emmys? It’s early, but so far we’re hearing that Veep and Better Call Saul will not return in time for 2018 Emmys consideration. So what takes their place? We’ll still see individual performances like Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder) and Tatiana Maslany returning for the final season of Orphan Black. And Pamela Adlon’s Better Things continues to earn critical huzzahs. But what are the shows seen thus far that will merit broad support in both creative and above-the-line races?

Here are some of the major contenders.

Twin Peaks: The Return

Premiering at the tail end of the 2017 Emmy season, Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return postponed their Emmy run for the 2018 season. That gives the Television Academy the opportunity to gauge the entire product rather than a handful of episodes. Will that strategy work? The series’ end (?) polarized and frustrated audiences given director David Lynch’s penchant for non-endings. Still, no one will deny the series held some pretty great moments. Kyle MacLachlan’s three (or four) unique performances. Laura Dern and Naomi Watts’ amazing Lynchian moments. Episode 8. In the end, Lynch may not have delivered what long-time fans wanted, but you watch the series with the knowledge that he delivered exactly what he wanted. The Return may not feature into the Limited Series race at the end of the day, but Lynch and his two longtime companions (MacLachlan and Dern) will all likely factor into awards contention.

Glow

A nostalgic 1980s comedy about lady wrestlers. Nothing about that sentence screams “critically acclaimed Emmy contender.” But in a way, it kind of does, particularly given its underdog themes. I’ve seen Netflix’s Glow twice now, and it grows with each viewing. It emerges as a charming and charmingly addictive comedy that absolutely belongs in the conversation next year. And a plus, it should have broad support from actors with Alison Brie, Marc Maron, and Betty Gilpin the most likely contenders.

Manhunt: Unabomber

Director Greg Yaitanes brings the story of the Unabomber to Discovery. It premiered quietly late in the summer. If you haven’t seen the series, it’s an incredibly compelling take on the mechanics of catching the Unabomber, played with ridiculous levels of intelligence by Paul Bettany. In a just world, the series would be up for Limited Series, Actor, and Director. It may even get those bids and more. But it all depends on Discovery’s ability to properly nurture the project through the long Emmy season. They haven’t had a major contender like this before, so it’s unclear if they know how to play the game. Still, Bettany’s massive performance should get in even if the entire series doesn’t.

American Horror Story: Cult

By digging and clawing his way into our modern political and social upheaval, Ryan Murphy smartly turned a waning American Horror Story (in terms of Emmy attention) property into something potentially hot and vital again. Audiences seemed vaguely mixed on the pilot given its reluctance to reveal everything at once. Yet, by Episode 4, signs for an increased overall quality in the series pointed to something good.

But we’ve said this before right? The big difference here is that Cult offers a compelling story influenced by 70s horror yet anchored in modern paranoia and anger. It feels more like American Crime Story with extraneous gore, and that’s a good thing. Stars Sarah Paulson and particularly Evan Peters are outstanding. Expect to see nominations for them. The supporting cast is a bit trickier. Many aren’t buying Billy Eichner’s dramatic chops, but I think he’s outstanding. More problematic for me is Adina Porter in a tricky role, although by Episodes 5 and 6, she seems to find more of her grove. Never boring, always compelling, Cult may return the American Horror Story franchise to the acting races.

The Deuce

Critics raved about David Simon’s The Deuce, a return to HBO after acclaim with Treme and Show Me a Hero. If the Emmys were held in February, then The Deuce would feel like a more certain contender. However, the Television Academy has been notoriously cool toward Simon’s oeuvre. Many consider The Wire to be one of the greatest television shows ever filmed, but Emmy disagreed. The Deuce boasts two compelling performances from James Franco (playing twins in a bit of a career renaissance for him) and Maggie Gyllenhaal. It offers a compelling, eye-catching pilot and should take the spot vacated by Better Call Saul. Still, despite being about the 1970s Times Square sex era, it doesn’t feel particularly buzzy or sexy. Is this a sign of continued Emmy deferrals for Simon?

Will & Grace

So, we’ve only seen one episode of NBC’s Will & Grace return, but it feels like 2004 all over again. Just with a LOT of Trump jokes. Assuming the throwback/nostalgic series maintains the opener’s level of quality, I suspect you can expect the Television Academy to broadly embrace the return even if critics don’t LOVE it (Metacritic: 73). All four leads merit consideration in their categories which the Academy has admittedly stretched to fill recently. You could see Will & Grace finally knock something like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (or any other series that no one really seems to love) out of contention. With Curb Your Enthusiasm returning this weekend, are we looking at a massive nostalgia fest next year?

This Is Us

NBC didn’t take home the big prize, but This Is Us still merited a Lead Actor trophy for Sterling K. Brown. It didn’t do as well as perhaps some thought it would, but there’s no denying that the series is as hot right now as ever. The premiere garnered huge ratings and set up a season that appears to explore the cause of Milo Ventimiglia’s character’s death. Still, are there cracks in the glossy surface? Some subplots weren’t warmly received on Twitter, and it seems difficult to imagine how the team will top its highly emotional freshman season with some of the drama around Brown and Ron Cephas Jones somewhat played out.

What are we missing? Sound off in the comments below!