Emmy Spotlight: Ryan Murphy’s ‘Hollywood’ Challenges Audiences to Reimagine Golden Age of Cinema

From Joan Crawford to Gianni Versace, Ryan Murphy built his career by reevaluating the misunderstood stories that have defined popular culture. In the process, he challenges audiences to question who was controlling those original narratives in the first place. In Hollywood, Murphy and his creative partners Ian Brennan and Janet Mock widen their lens and invite audiences to question who exactly were the gatekeepers and to instead imagine what could have been if we had started breaking down those barriers sooner.

Following an ensemble of epic proportions, Hollywood depicts a group of outsiders who find themselves teaming up to achieve their dreams. Jack (David Corenswet) is the traditionally handsome all-American boy who has to choose between his family and following his dreams. Archie Coleman (Jeremy Pope) dreams of commercial success as a screenwriter who fears that his identity as a Black gay man will predetermine his success. Avis Amberg (Patti Lupone) is an aging LA socialite who overnight finds herself becoming the first female studio head in the history of the system. Raymond Ainsley (Darren Criss) is a biracial aspiring director dating Camille Washington (Laura Harrier) a Black aspiring actress who is fighting to play something more than a maid.

Throughout the course of the 7-part limited series this marginalized group of passionate dreamers fight to produce Meg — a reimagining of the story of Peg Entwistle, the young actress who jumped from the Hollywood sign.

Hollywood dares to ask a lot of questions. What would have happened if marginalized groups were given the opportunity to tell their own stories? What if women were the ones making creative decisions within the studio system? What if queer people weren’t forced into the closet and instead allowed to live without shame? What if we actually did right by these stars that we have worshipped for decades?

On top of the large assortment of original characters, Hollywood also reassesses what we know about familiar names in a way that is sure to excite fans of Karina Longworth and her podcast You Must Remember This. Jake Picking’s portrayal of Rock Hudson depicts abuse that went into shaping the matinee idol out of a green midwestern boy. A very glaring light is shined on Agent Henry Willson’s predatory behavior regarding young aspiring actors with a very sinister performance from Emmy-winner Jim Parsons. It turns the story of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star, into one of triumph instead of tragedy. It even turns the legacy of Hattie McDaniel into one that had more of an immediate impact mentoring the next generation of black stars.

With all that said the big question is whether all of this is ultimately effective. The limited series is at its most successful in its first three episodes where it opens our eyes to a side of Hollywood that we rarely get to see beyond the pages of Hollywood Babylon. Dylan McDermott’s Ernie ran a male prostitution ring out of a gas station in a clear examination of the infamous Scotty Bowers. The third episode (and the highlight of the series) is focused on the infamously lavish queer parties of director George Cukor. This is the Hollywood we all expected from Murphy, one that pushes boundaries with an A+ cast.

The episode feels like a grab bag of Hollywood treasure and is something we’ve never really seen depicted before beyond the salacious pages of Hollywood Babylon. It’s littered with legendary cameo portrayals including Vivien Leigh and Tallulah Bankhead. In full Ryan Murphy fashion, the episode also features a poolside scene rivals Euphoria in its sheer number of dicks.

It’s moments like these that really push the boundaries with a completely fresh take on the golden age that we’ve wholesomely romanticized for decades. That’s what makes the rest of the series so confounding. Immediately following that episode, it felt like the show and everyone involved forgot what they had set up, abandoned any sense of camp, and felt content delivering a milquetoast story content with kitsch. By the end of the second episode, the average viewer will have figured out the entire trajectory of the story without missing a beat. The second half of the season feels void of any true conflict and that’s saying A LOT about a show that tackles sexual predators and the Ku Klux Klan.

With all that said there’s a magic to it all that goes unmatched. As someone who grew up obsessing over awards shows, I found myself becoming emotional throughout the finale’s Oscar sequence. It’s a scene that is equal parts predictable and effective, reminding us all why we even tune into to the ceremony in the first place. If only Hollywood had taken that moment and branched out from there.

An Ensemble That Builds Hollywood From the Ground Up

Hollywood is also a show that lives and dies by its performances and with such a massive ensemble there are some standouts. The show is all about breaking out in this daunting industry but there was no greater introduction than Jeremy Pope’s screen debut. We’re introduced to Archie picking up men in a gay adult theatre and from then on he steals the spotlight from the rest of his costars which is all the more surprising since the Tony nominee is the only lead without any other onscreen credits. In a lot of ways, his effortless charm carried Hollywood, and the story was underserved by not leaning into it even more.

Jeremy Pope’s chemistry also lends itself to the onscreen success of the romantic relationship between Archie and Rock Hudson, before he was Rock Hudson. Hollywood is filled with romantic pairings, and in the end this was the only one that came close to working. It was nothing short of magical watching someone like Rock Hudson publicly love another man, and it’s exactly the type of revisionist history we so desperately need right now. Hudson’s queerness was stolen from him and only publicly defined by his HIV status and eventual death. Jake Picking’s performance re-frames that narrative, and I hope it’s one that future generations of fans cling to.

The most fleshed out arcs of the entire series and the ones that ultimately rang the most true and sincere are the ones with queer sensibilities. This is why Joe Mantello’s Dick Samuels was the clear standout of the season: a senior producer who has achieved the success everyone else is clamoring for all the while battling decades of inner demons from being forced into the closet. In a scene that should to make him the Emmy frontrunner, he finds himself in a poolside bungalow contemplating his own sexuality while condemning the system that is swallowing up queer men whole and destroying them, all while standing in front of a derobed Rock Hudson.

Then there are the performances that never get past their wholesome facade that they’re supposed to be upending in the first place. The series is full of characters that subvert what we expect a celebration of Post World War II Hollywood to be. It was actually painful to follow around David Corenswet’s Jack Costello – a protagonist that fully embodies the All-American trope without ever turning it on its head. At times Darren Criss’s Raymond Ainsley falls into the same trappings, which is all the more disappointing since this is his first time back into the world of Ryan Murphy after American Crime Story: Versace.

Overall Hollywood is filled with performances to cling to, they just might not necessarily be the most obvious. Holland Taylor’s chemistry with Mantello was unmatched and lent to one of the best scenes of the entire series. Mira Sorvino stood out as a fictional aging star stuck waiting for her big break. I was clamoring for more of Paget Brewster’s portrayal of Tallulah Bankhead, for more of Katie McGuinness as Vivien Leigh, and would have loved even more screen time for Michelle Krusiec’s Anna May Wong.

Emmy Prospects

For the past decade, Ryan Murphy held a stronghold on the race for Outstanding Limited Series. In fact, you could even make the argument that he single-handedly reinvented it. On paper, Hollywood seems like the obvious Emmy contender, and it’s bound to rack up countless recognition from the below-the-line branches of the Television Academy. 

This year’s lineup for the top award, however, is going to be incredibly competitive, and it’s hard to tell whether a polarizing show like Hollywood will have enough support to make it into the top five. Early reviews are very mixed, and its scores on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic are in the mid fifties – scores that rarely if ever accompany Emmy nominees. This is also a show that would have immensely benefited from a traditional Emmy campaign – one with over-the-top parties and cast Q&A’s. Will Emmy voters consume the new show differently without the extra luxuries they are accustomed to in the COVID-19 campaigning world?

Still, there’s an interesting angle to Hollywood that might lead voters to fully embracing the show in our current climate. Like the rest of the world, the entertainment industry has been completely shut down by our current crisis. Virtually all production has stopped, and thousands of industry professionals and creatives are terrified for what could happen in the long run. This could lead to voters finding a sense of nostalgia for a show that reminds them why they got into this business in the first place, especially one that attempts to right the wrongs we have tried so hard to forget.

Murphy is maybe best known for connecting the perfect actors to his projects, a skill that has led to countless Emmy winners over the years. So, who has the best chance at breaking through this year? In such a competitive year, younger stars like Corenswet, Harrier, Picking, Weaving, and even Criss will likely cancel each other out. An ideal lead actor lineup will include Jeremy Pope and with a star-making role like this a nomination isn’t outside the realm of possibility, especially with an increase in NYC-based voters.

If Hollywood and Netflix are hoping for acting nominations, the two supporting races are the ones to keep an eye on. Joe Mantello and Jim Parsons have both been nominated for their collaborations with Ryan Murphy before. We could easily see  both of them back at the Emmys this year. While Mantello gives the standout performance of the ensemble (and one that can easily make him the frontrunner in a weak lineup), Parsons is the actor that voters have loved in the past. Personally I struggled with his over-the-top performance, but it’s also one to which many voters will gravitate. Actors like Patti LuPone and Holland Taylor, although they don’t have flashy roles, are the type of actresses that might easily standout to Emmy voters.

In the end, Hollywood is a story that believes in the power of cinema and the impact it can have on a nation, so no matter the results, there’s a good chance that that message will win over an industry desperate for a message of hope.

Possible Nominations

Limited Series
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Joe Mantello)
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (Jim Parsons)
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series (Patti LuPone)
Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Period Costumes
Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie
Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
Music Supervision
Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)