The inclusion of certain shows among the 2021
nominations begs this question. On the other hand, the supporting and guest
acting nominations this year are also quite strange, in some ways. Here are
some thoughts on the 2021 Emmy nominations, announced earlier this week
COMEDY SHOCKER
When EMILY IN PARIS was nominated for the 2021 Golden Globe Awards, back in January, there was all sorts of speculation about why it was nominated, with regard to the integrity of the HFPA and whatnot. It was definitely surprising to see that show among the best comedy nominations, so even I questioned the HFPA’s integrity, when I read about how they were flown down to Paris for a junket during the filming of the series. Now EMILY IN PARIS is not a bad show. As a piece of entertainment, it works, and it’s good fun to watch, just like any other romantic comedy (that would never be considered for awards). Hence, I disregarded the show being nominated at the Globes as a one-off aberration. So on Tuesday, this week, when I saw EMILY IN PARIS among the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award nominations as well, I was baffled.
IS DRAMA A JOKE?
To make things worse, I saw BRIDGERTON was nominated for outstanding drama series, rubbing shoulders with the likes of THE CROWN and THE HANDMAID’S TALE. BRIDGERTON may be the most watched series, ever, on Netflix, and a huge conversation all over the internet, but does that make it good? If yes, then why isn’t NCIS or GREY’S ANATOMY nominated? They’re huge on ratings, aren’t they? BRIDGERTON was a popcorn entertainer at best. In fact, it was even a bit of a snooze in parts, and an over-indulgent piece of fluff even. The show even glossed over marital rape like it was okay. Now I don’t always agree with the Television Academy’s choices for the Emmys, but these two shows being included in the mix was quite bothersome for me this year. This is true especially considering that spectacular shows like THE GOOD FIGHT are ignored year after year. I give that as an example, because the Academy used to actually acknowledge THE GOOD WIFE, which THE GOOD FIGHT spun-off from, and the former even won a lot of Emmys in its time. Moreover, THE GOOD WIFE was a broadcast network show, not even a premium cable or streaming drama, which, by then, the Emmys had already shifted towards.
In fact, there has been such a conversation about the
relevance of the Emmys or any awards for America’s broadcast network TV, where
these awards are aired. If most of the work being recognized isn’t content that
is accessible on network TV, then how does network TV make sense as a platform
for such awards. So even if the members of the Television Academy are okay with
devaluing the Emmy, while pandering to popular-choice TV, wouldn’t it then make
sense for them to recognize more of the content that’s on a platform like the
one that the Emmys are being aired on? Surely, if THIS IS US can be nominated
even after it has lost its novelty and become downright tiresome, the TV
Academy can find more such soapy broadcast dramas to recognize. Don’t get me
wrong. THIS IS US is not a bad show either. In fact, it was very good when it
started out. However, the novelty of THIS IS US wore off quickly, and it turned into an
indulgent sob-fest that thrived on the same event of the characters’ lives for
so long that it became tedious. And the gimmicky flash-forwards hinting at
things like people growing old and dying are just revolting now. Yet, the
show’s less-than-mediocre fifth season is considered as one of the eight best
seasons of television in 2020-21 by the Emmys.
VARIETY OR COMEDY?
On the other hand, there is perhaps a little more
recognition of broadcast TV in comedy. BLACK-ISH continues its late streak of
being an awards contender, Allison Janney has earned her sixth nomination for MOM’s
swansong, and KENAN and B POSITIVE have nods in other categories. And then, of
course, there’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE—continuing to block out the supporting and
guest acting categories in comedy, with 11 of the 26 nominations across the
four categories. The show is literally not in the same set as comedy series, nominated
otherwise as a ‘variety sketch series’, which is under the ‘variety’ set—separate
from ‘comedy’, ‘drama’, ‘limited/anthology/movie’, ‘reality’ and ‘short form’.
In fact, with two more spots among the comedy supporting and guest categories
taken by another variety series—A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW—it comes to 13
comedy acting nominations (half of supporting and guest) being given to shows
that aren’t even in the ‘comedy’ set. Surely the TV Academy can create a couple
of acting categories under ‘variety’, if they can have up to 13 performances to
recognize. If ‘short form’ can have its own acting categories, then why can’t ‘variety’?
Meanwhile, so many performers from shows that actually qualify under the ‘comedy’
set remain snubbed, year after year, because SNL must be given their spots!
This year, in particular, with multiple nominees from
so many shows in the same categories, it’s really limited comedy supporting and
guest by including so many SNL performers. That’s not to say that the multiple nominees
from other shows don’t deserve their spots. For whatever reason the TV Academy considered
only a handful of series for the supporting categories in comedy, drama and
limited/anthology/movie, it’s still a little refreshing to see supporting
actors and actresses getting their due, since they don’t always. Secondary
characters and actors, who are instrumental to their shows’ success, often get sidelined,
with mostly the series and the leads getting all the recognition. I’m referring
here to TED LASSO’s six supporting performers, THE HANDMAID’S TALE’s nine
supporting and guest, MARE OF EASTTOWN’s three, and THE CROWN’s six.
CATEGORY CONFUSION CONTINUES
Yet, when it comes to THE CROWN, I find it a little
strange to see Claire Foy nominated for what was a prologue flashback, where
the young queen sat at a table and read some lines. I love Claire Foy and she
brought so much charm, grace and nuance to THE CROWN that made it an instant
favorite of mine right at the outset. And I’m happy as a fan of her and the
show to see the original queen still tied to the show and its success, two seasons
after the cast changed. Yet, objectively speaking, I’m not so sure there wasn’t
someone else who should have been given that spot instead. More glaring than
this was Don Cheadle’s guest actor nomination for THE FALCON AND THE WINTER
SOLDIER. It was about a 90-second cameo. It’s not something that someone can’t be
nominated for, but his role in those 90 seconds were not so captivating that it
just had to be recognized. In fact, Cheadle even tweeted that he didn’t get it
either. And isn’t FALCON… a limited series anyway? Just because the ‘limited/anthology/movie’
set doesn’t have guest acting categories, the academy just threw this into ‘drama’
it seems.
EMMYS GOLD—THE GOLD STANDARD?
There’s a lot of good TV to recognize year after year,
so it’s understandable that there are so many categories—18 for acting alone.
However, some categories seem to be rather convenient, to throw in nominees
that don’t fit in anywhere else, because they’re big names, or maybe from
popular shows and just must be nominated. And then to see shows such as
BRIDGERTON and EMILY IN PARIS and THIS IS US in the mix, it’s just very
confusing to me how one can take the Primetime Emmys as seriously as they would
like us to. I mean, it’s the Emmy. It’s an EGOT award, along with the Grammy,
Oscar and Tony. It’s not the People’s Choice. And I agree, it’s not my
choice either. But while I don’t always agree with the Television Academy’s
choices—and that is okay—I am now beginning to question them.
Here
are the nominations of the drama, comedy and limited/anthology/movie categories,
at a glance
DRAMA
SERIES
Outstanding
Drama Series
THE BOYS
BRIDGERTON
THE CROWN
THE MANDALORIAN
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
POSE
THE HANDMAID'S TALE
THIS IS US
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emma Corrin, THE
CROWN
Olivia Colman, THE
CROWN
Uzo Aduba, IN
TREATMENT
Elisabeth Moss, THE
HANDMAID'S TALE
Jurnee Smollett, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Mj Rodriguez, POSE
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Regé-Jean Page, BRIDGERTON
Sterling K. Brown, THIS IS US
Billy Porter, POSE
Jonathan Majors, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Matthew Rhys, PERRY MASON
Josh O'Connor, THE CROWN
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gillian Anderson, THE CROWN
Helena Bonham Carter, THE CROWN
Emerald Fennell, THE CROWN
Ann Dowd, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Yvonne Strahovski, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Samira Wiley, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Madeline Brewer, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Aunjanue Ellis, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Bradley Whitford, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Max Minghella, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
O-T Fagbenle, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
John Lithgow, PERRY MASON
Tobias Menzies, THE CROWN
Giancarlo Esposito, THE MANDALORIAN
Chris Sullivan, THIS IS US
Outstanding
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Mckenna Grace, THE HANDMAID'S TALE
Claire Foy, THE CROWN
Phylicia Rashad, THIS IS US
Sophie Okonedo, RATCHED
Outstanding
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Courtney B. Vance, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Charles Dance, THE CROWN
Don Cheadle, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
Timothy Olyphant, THE MANDALORIAN
Carl Weathers, THE MANDALORIAN
Outstanding
Directing for a Drama Series
Julie Anne Robinson, BRIDGERTON
Steven Canals, POSE
Benjamin Caron, THE CROWN
Jessica Hobbs, THE CROWN
Liz Garbus, THE HANDMAID’S TALE
Jon Favreau, THE MANDALORIAN
Outstanding
Writing for a Drama Series
Rebecca Sonnenshine, THE BOYS
Peter Morgan, THE CROWN
Yahlin Chang, THE HANDMAID’S TALE
Misha Green, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY
Dave Filoni, THE MANDALORIAN
Jon Favreau, THE MANDALORIAN
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock,
Our Lady J, POSE
COMEDY
Outstanding
Comedy Series
BLACK-ISH
COBRA KAI
PEN15
EMILY IN PARIS
HACKS
TED LASSO
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, SHRILL
Jean Smart, HACKS
Allison Janney, MOM
Kaley Cuoco, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Tracee Ellis Ross, BLACK-ISH
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jason Sudeikis, TED LASSO
Anthony Anderson, BLACK-ISH
Michael Douglas, THE KOMINSKY METHOD
William H. Macy, SHAMELESS
Kenan Thompson, KENAN
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Cecily Strong, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Aidy Bryant, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Rosie Perez, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Hannah Einbinder, HACKS
Hannah Waddingham, TED LASSO
Juno Temple, TED LASSO
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bowen Yang, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Kenan Thompson, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Brett Goldstein, TED LASSO
Brendan Hunt, TED LASSO
Nick Mohammed, TED LASSO
Jeremy Swift, TED LASSO
Paul Reiser, THE KOMINSKY METHOD
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, HACKS
Outstanding
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Maya Rudolph, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Kristen Wiig, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Issa Rae, A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW
Jane Adams, HACKS
Bernadette Peters, ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST
Yvette Nicole Brown, A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW
Outstanding
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Dave Chappelle, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Daniel Kaluuya, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Dan Levy, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Morgan Freeman, THE KOMINSKY METHOD
Outstanding
Directing for a Comedy Series
James Burrows, B POSITIVE
Lucia Aniello, HACKS
James Widdoes, MOM
Declan Lowney, TED LASSO
Zach Braff, TED LASSO
MJ Delaney, TED LASSO
Susanna Fogel, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Outstanding
Writing for a Comedy Series
Steve Yockey, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT
Meredith Scardino, GIRLS5EVA
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, HACKS
Maya Erskine, PEN15
Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, TED LASSO
Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, TED LASSO
LIMITED
OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
MARE OF EASTTOWN
I MAY DESTROY YOU
WANDAVISION
THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Outstanding
Television Movie
Uncle
Frank
Sylvie's
Love
Oslo
Robin
Roberts Presents: Mahalia
Dolly
Parton's Christmas on The Square
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Kate Winslet, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Michaela Coel, I MAY DESTROY YOU
Anya Taylor-Joy, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Elizabeth Olsen, WANDAVISION
Cynthia Erivo, GENIUS: ARETHA
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Paul Bettany, WANDAVISION
Hugh Grant, THE UNDOING
Ewan McGregor, HALSTON
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Evan Peters, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Paapa Essiedu, I MAY DESTROY YOU
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Jean Smart, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Julianne Nicholson, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Kathryn Hahn, WANDAVISION
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Moses Ingram, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Outstanding
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Sam Miller, Michaela Coel, I MAY DESTROY YOU
Sam Miller, I MAY DESTROY YOU
Craig Zobel, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Scott Frank, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Barry Jenkins, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
Matt Shakman, WANDAVISION
Outstanding
Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Michaela Coel, I MAY DESTROY YOU
Brad Ingelsby, MARE OF EASTTOWN
Scott Frank, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Chuck Hayward, Peter Cameron, WANDAVISION
Jac Schaeffer, WANDAVISION
Laura Donney, WANDAVISION
No comments:
Post a Comment