THE BEST AND WORST PARTS OF THE 2022 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

There have been mixed reviews about the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, which went down Monday night. Some liked Keenan Thompson as host; some found his emceeing weird. People took issue with some of the presenters, and others didn’t care. It was definitely a mixed bag of a show, which had its shining moments and others that fell a little flat, and some that were almost objectionable. 

Now no awards show pleases everyone. It’s just not possible. I thought that this year’s Emmys had enough pluses to make me feel good about looking forward to it, as I always do. Here’s a look at the biggest hits and misses at the 2022 Emmys, in my opinion.

HIT: THE HOSTING

Kenan Thompson was not bad, I thought. Yes, I’ll admit that my expectations were really low after last year’s emcee Cedric the Entertainer was such a bore. But Thompson held his own in the limited time that he was up there doing his thing. The Netflix digs were funny, because we know how things have been for the streaming giant lately. The humor, in general, wasn’t off the charts, but it was funny enough. That opening number was weird, for sure, but it was eccentric enough to like parts of it. And it recalled certain iconic TV themes, such as FRIENDS and GAME OF THRONES, which set the tone for a celebration of television. And for a television fan, that was nice. Could the execution have been better—absolutely! The music segues also left a lot to be desired. 

MISS: THE TRIBUTES TO TELEVISION

If the execution of the opening wasn’t quite up to the mark, the tributes to genres were even less than that. The idea was great—especially to celebrate TV staples, such as medical and crime procedurals that don’t make it to awards in general. However, it didn’t come together like it should have. The montages should have evoked a lot more in fans of TV who consume as much of the case-of-the-week stuff as they do all the high-profile, high-concept cable/streaming fare. It also felt a little out of place in parts. A little more thought should have gone into going from drama to comedy to medical drama to crime procedural, and where it was all placed. 

HIT: THE PRESENTERS

As much as the tributes didn’t quite make it, it was nice to see a few genre faces that haven’t been seen at the Emmys since procedurals have lost steam at the awards. Chandra Wilson, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, and even Freddie Highmore—they were all lovely to see. Speaking of Chandra Wilson, I think Shonda Rhimes and Sarah Paulson were perfect as presenters for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, also considering that Davis has starred in Rhimes’ GREY’S ANATOMY. Other presenters were also quite good to see. The three leads of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING were funny and endearing and had the chemistry that we love them for. It was nice to see Sofia Vergara up there, and Selma Blair, who got cheered on, having recently overcome certain MS-related health issues. Okay, a Pete Davidson was an ill-fit for announcing outstanding comedy, but he was funny. They should have just had him present something else. And I wish Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon, of SQUID GAME had been given more to present.

MISS: THE LIMITED TIME FOR ACCEPTANCE

Some of the presentations did fall flat, and used up more time than the show could afford. The little sketches with Homer Simpson and Kumail Nanjiani were really not that funny and could have been omitted, making more time for the acceptance speeches. More than a few recipients were taken by surprise with how the countdown for their acceptance started almost immediately and left them flustered and fumbling. It wasn’t fair to them. Sure, it was all probably in order to keep the show at three hours, but there were other ways to trim the time—ways that had to be adopted at the planning stage. 

HIT: ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES

Despite the limited time, some acceptance speeches and bits were excellent. Two particularly come to mind. Jennifer Coolidge was one of the winners who couldn’t handle the limited acceptance time, and pleaded them to let her stay on. The music got louder and changed, and things could have gotten awkward, as they have in the past. However, Coolidge did not let that happen. With her amazing stage presence and sense of humor, she did a little jig to play along with the music and it was a hoot! I laughed out loud, and I’m still laughing thinking about it. Sheryl Lee Ralph, on the other hand stole the show with her singing as she accepted the Emmy for comedy supporting actress for ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. And then she went on to give a powerful speech about believing in yourself and your dream. It was the best acceptance of the night. 

MISS: THE PRESENTATION FORMAT AND SEQUENCE

Time limits and all aside, the formats of the presentations themselves felt a little clumsily done. The sequence was a little too random, even if it would have been boring to go through comedy, limited, variety/sketch/talk/game, drama all one at a time. There should just have been some more sense to how one category went into another. And then, to make things worse, on some occasions, the nominees were announced before the presenters came to the stage and did their little bits. It should always be presenting bits first, then nominees and immediately after, the opening of the envelope. 

It should have been more like the presentation of writing for a limited series, by Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak. They made harsh digs about how limited series makers had a lot less to do than network series runners do. It was somewhat true, okay, but a little harsh to bring up right when you're presenting an award for limited series. Yet, it followed the sequence of how a presentation should be.

Another jarring thing was the ‘in memoriam’ section, which didn’t focus on the names on the screen for those viewing from home. We didn’t need to see the performer, John Legend, if it came at the cost of seeing the names of people who passed away in the last year. The live directing should have been done such that we saw those visuals being presented. Also, it seems they even forgot a few names of recently deceased individuals, such as Olivia Newton-John. 

HIT: THE WINNERS

Despite the event’s flow being all over the place, and a number of directing issues, the results of the awards themselves were very satisfying for the most part. The wins were not as predictable as one might have thought they might be. Sure, DOPESICK deserved more than THE WHITE LOTUS did, but we were prepared for what happened. What I wasn’t expecting was ABBOTT ELEMENTARY not winning comedy, but was happy to see the better show—TED LASSO—winning instead. I was unhappy that the fantastic SEVERANCE and the captivating YELLOWJACKETS and the lovely ONLY MURDERS didn’t win anything. However, SQUID GAME and Lee Jung-jae made Emmys history, and there were some pleasant surprises as well, such as Sheryl Lee Ralph and Matthew Macfadyen—who was excellent in SUCCESSION season three. SUCCESSION had to win drama, and it deserved to. I wish showrunner Jesse Armstrong hadn’t made that joke about England’s new King Charles (about how the show’s win had more to do with voting than Charles’s succession after Queen Elizabeth’s death), but Brian Cox set him straight by telling him to keep it ‘royal-less’. 

And that’s how it all came to an end. It wasn’t a perfect show, but it was nice enough.

Here’s a list of all the winners across drama, comedy and limited series: 

DRAMA SERIES

Outstanding Drama Series

BETTER CALL SAUL

EUPHORIA

OZARK

SEVERANCE

SQUID GAME

STRANGER THINGS

SUCCESSION

YELLOWJACKETS

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jodie Comer, KILLING EVE

Laura Linney, OZARK

Melanie Lynskey, YELLOWJACKETS 

Sandra Oh, KILLING EVE

Reese Witherspoon, THE MORNING SHOW

Zendaya, EUPHORIA

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, OZARK

Brian Cox, SUCCESSION 

Lee Jung-jae, SQUID GAME 

Bob Odenkirk, BETTER CALL SAUL

Adam Scott, SEVERANCE

Jeremy Strong, SUCCESSION

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, SEVERANCE

Julia Garner, OZARK

Jung Ho-yeon, SQUID GAME

Christina Ricci, YELLOWJACKETS

Rhea Seehorn, BETTER CALL SAUL 

J. Smith Cameron, SUCCESSION

Sarah Snook, SUCCESSION

Sydney Sweeney, EUPHORIA

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nicholas Braun, SUCCESSION

Billy Crudup, THE MORNING SHOW

Kieran Culkin, SUCCESSION

Park Hae-soo, SQUID GAME

Matthew Macfadyen, SUCCESSION 

John Tuturro, SEVERANCE

Christopher Walken, SEVERANCE

Oh Yeong-su, SQUID GAME

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

OZARK: ‘A Hard Way to Go’ – Jason Bateman 

SEVERANCE: ‘The We We Are’ – Ben Stiller

SQUID GAME: ‘Red Light, Green Light’ – Hwang Dong-hyuk

SUCCESSION: ‘All the Bells Say’ – Mark Mylod 

SUCCESSION: ‘The Disruption’ – Cathy Yan 

SUCCESSION: ‘Too Much Birthday’ – Lorene Scafaria 

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘Pilot’ – Karyn Kusama 

 

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

BETTER CALL SAUL: ‘Plan and Execution’ – Thomas Schnauz 

OZARK: ‘A Hard Way to Go’ – Chris Mundy

SEVERANCE: ‘The We We Are’ – Dan Erickson 

SQUID GAME: ‘One Lucky Day’ – Hwang Dong-hyuk 

SUCCESSION: ‘All the Bells Say’ – Jesse Armstrong

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘F Sharp’ – Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, and Bart Nickerson 

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘Pilot’ – Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson 

COMEDY SERIES 

Outstanding Comedy Series

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

BARRY

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

HACKS

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

TED LASSO

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Quinta Brunson, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Kaley Cuoco, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Elle Fanning, THE GREAT

Issa Rae, INSECURE

Jean Smart, HACKS 

Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series

Bill Hader, BARRY 

Donald Glover, ATLANTA

Nicholas Hoult, THE GREAT

Steve Martin, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Martin Short, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Jason Sudeikis, TED LASSO 

 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Hannah Einbinder, HACKS

Janelle James, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY 

Kate McKinnon, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Sarah Niles, TED LASSO

Sheryl Lee Ralph, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Juno Temple, TED LASSO

Hannah Waddingham, TED LASSO 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan, BARRY

Brett Goldstein, TED LASSO 

Toheeb Jimoh, TED LASSO

Nick Mohammed, TED LASSO

Tony Shaloub, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Tyler James Williams, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Henry Winkler, BARRY

Bowen Yang, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

ATLANTA: ‘New Jazz’ – Hiro Murai

BARRY: ‘710N’ – Bill Hader 

HACKS: ‘There Will Be Blood’ – Lucia Aniello 

THE MS. PAT SHOW: ‘Baby Daddy Groundhog Day’ – Mary Lou Belli 

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘The Boy from 6B’ – Cherien Dabis 

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘True Crime’ – Jamie Babbit 

TED LASSO: ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’ – MJ Delaney 

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY: ‘Pilot’ – Quinta Brunson 

BARRY: ‘710N’ – Duffy Boudreau 

BARRY: ‘starting now’ – Alec Berg and Bill Hader 

HACKS: ‘The One, the Only’ – Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky 

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘True Crime’ – Steve Martin and John Hoffman 

TED LASSO: ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’ – Jane Becker 

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ‘The Casino’ – Sarah Naftalis 

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ‘The Wellness Center’ – Stefani Robinson 

LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

DOPESICK 

THE DROPOUT

INVENTING ANNA

PAM & TOMMY

THE WHITE LOTUS 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Toni Collette, THE STAIRCASE

Julia Garner, INVENTING ANNA

Lily James, PAM & TOMMY

Sarah Paulson, IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

Margaret Qualley, MAID

Amanda Seyfried, THE DROPOUT 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Colin Firth, THE STAIRCASE

Andrew Garfield, UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN

Oscar Isaac, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

Michael Keaton, DOPESICK 

Himesh Patel, STATION ELEVEN

Sebastian Stan, PAM & TOMMY

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Connie Britton, THE WHITE LOTUS

Jennifer Coolidge, THE WHITE LOTUS 

Alexandra Daddario, THE WHITE LOTUS

Kaitlyn Dever, DOPESICK 

Natasha Rothwell, THE WHITE LOTUS

Sydney Sweeney, THE WHITE LOTUS

Mare Winningham, DOPESICK

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett, THE WHITE LOTUS 

Jake Lacy, THE WHITE LOTUS 

Will Poulter, DOPESICK

Seth Rogen, PAM & TOMMY

Peter Sarsgaard, DOPESICK

Michael Stuhlbarg, DOPESICK

Steve Zahn, THE WHITE LOTUS

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

DOPESICK: ‘The People vs. Purdue Pharma’ – Danny Strong 

THE DROPOUT: ‘Green Juice’ – Michael Showalter 

THE DROPOUT: ‘Iron Sisters’ – Francesca Gregorini 

MAID: ‘Sky Blue’ – John Wells 

STATION ELEVEN: ‘Wheel of Fire’ – Hiro Murai 

THE WHITE LOTUS: Mike White

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

DOPESICK: ‘The People vs. Purdue Pharma’ – Danny Strong

THE DROPOUT: ‘I'm in a Hurry’ – Elizabeth Meriwether 

IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY: ‘Man Handled’ – Sarah Burgess 

MAID: ‘Snaps’ – Molly Smith Metzler (Netflix)

STATION ELEVEN: ‘Unbroken Circle’ – Patrick Somerville 

THE WHITE LOTUS: Mike White 

PREDICTIONS FOR THE EMMY AWARDS 2022: WHO WILL AND WHO SHOULD WIN

SUCCESSION, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, THE WHITE LOTUS—which of these actually deserves the big Emmy win that we're going to witness on Monday? Here’s what I believe, and I’m keen to know what you think too. Have a look at all the predictions for the Emmys 2022—the big seven categories, each for drama, comedy and limited/anthology series

DRAMA SERIES

Outstanding Drama Series

BETTER CALL SAUL

EUPHORIA

OZARK

SEVERANCE

SQUID GAME

STRANGER THINGS

SUCCESSION – Should win; will win

YELLOWJACKETS

There’s no doubt about SUCCESSION being leagues ahead of all the other shows in this category. I would say SEVERANCE would come closest to it than the others could. SQUID GAME’s popularity could just work in its favor here to push it over the edge. However, one must remember that SUCCESSION has also enjoyed immense popularity, in addition to critical acclaim as well as great success at the Emmys in the past. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jodie Comer, KILLING EVE

Laura Linney, OZARK

Melanie Lynskey, YELLOWJACKETS – Will win

Sandra Oh, KILLING EVE

Reese Witherspoon, THE MORNING SHOW

Zendaya, EUPHORIA – Should win

There seems to be an equal amount of buzz surrounding Melanie Lynskey and Zendaya. I think Zendaya deserves this. This is not just because her performance through Rue’s withdrawal in EUPHORIA was so raw and real. Lynskey, who I believe was very good, just didn’t have as much material to shine with, and not brighter than Zendaya. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I thought the role itself was too silent and subdued, and doesn’t warrant as much of the acclaim it’s getting, even considering the restraint the delivery must have required. Yet I think Lynskey will win, because her show is new and buzzy, and the Academy has not repeated a win in this category since 2013. Zendaya’s won already for EUPHORIA. So I think the Academy will go with the buzz, buzz, buzz. 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman, OZARK

Brian Cox, SUCCESSION – Should win

Lee Jung-jae, SQUID GAME – Will win

Bob Odenkirk, BETTER CALL SAUL

Adam Scott, SEVERANCE

Jeremy Strong, SUCCESSION

There was overwhelming support for Brian Cox this time. Many considered it has his turn to win for SUCCESSION after Jeremy Strong won in 2020. However, Lee Jung-jae won at the SAG Awards in the winter and the conversation around him has definitely gained momentum. After SQUID GAME’s performance at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys (four wins, including a drama guest actress win for SQUID’s Lee Yoo-mi), it seems like the Korean breakout will win a couple of above-the-line Emmys as well. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Lee Jung-jae wins one of them. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, SEVERANCE

Julia Garner, OZARK

Jung Ho-yeon, SQUID GAME

Christina Ricci, YELLOWJACKETS

Rhea Seehorn, BETTER CALL SAUL – Should win; will win

J. Smith Cameron, SUCCESSION

Sarah Snook, SUCCESSION

Sydney Sweeney, EUPHORIA

Julia Garner could very well win her third (and final) Emmy for OZARK. However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict Rhea Seehorn. She was, without a doubt, the MVP of BETTER CALL SAUL, throughout its run, and was ignored by the TV Academy until now. I think that the nomination this year means that the voters are leaning strongly towards a course-correction with Seehorn, which can go all the way to voting for her in the final ballot. I could be wrong, but after seeing her performance in the series’ last few episodes, which coincided with the Emmys' voting phase, leads me to believe that this is her turn. Even though Seehorn’s nomination is not for the last few episodes, the series enders could still have served as a reminder to the voters about how good she was through the series. And I don’t think the momentum will last till next year, which is when said episodes fwill be eligible. I think her time to win for SAUL is now or never.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nicholas Braun, SUCCESSION

Billy Crudup, THE MORNING SHOW

Kieran Culkin, SUCCESSION

Park Hae-soo, SQUID GAME

Matthew Macfadyen, SUCCESSION – Should win; will win

John Tuturro, SEVERANCE

Christopher Walken, SEVERANCE

Oh Yeong-su, SQUID GAME

Kieran Culkin was an early favorite here, and he could still win, but I think this is one is going to be Matthew Macfadyen’s. The episode in SUCCESSION season three, where his Tom meets Kendall in the diner had me in awe of his nuanced, moving, yet restrained performance. And I remember thinking back then that this could win him an Emmy. Now, on following the buzz around Macfadyen, I am even more convinced. 

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

OZARK: ‘A Hard Way to Go’ – Jason Bateman 

SEVERANCE: ‘The We We Are’ – Ben Stiller – Should win

SQUID GAME: ‘Red Light, Green Light’ – Hwang Dong-hyuk – Will win

SUCCESSION: ‘All the Bells Say’ – Mark Mylod 

SUCCESSION: ‘The Disruption’ – Cathy Yan 

SUCCESSION: ‘Too Much Birthday’ – Lorene Scafaria 

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘Pilot’ – Karyn Kusama 

I think SEVERANCE’s season finale was a masterclass in directing and editing, and directing at the editing stage. It was fast-paced, tight, and brilliantly captivating, with excellence drawn from all elements—from acting to cinematography. It should win. However, SQUID GAME’s popularity will win it this one, for an episode that took everyone by surprise and set the tone for the shock and awe of the series. It’s a good episode in directing. 

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

BETTER CALL SAUL: ‘Plan and Execution’ – Thomas Schnauz 

OZARK: ‘A Hard Way to Go’ – Chris Mundy

SEVERANCE: ‘The We We Are’ – Dan Erickson 

SQUID GAME: ‘One Lucky Day’ – Hwang Dong-hyuk 

SUCCESSION: ‘All the Bells Say’ – Jesse Armstrong – Should win; will win

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘F Sharp’ – Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, and Bart Nickerson 

YELLOWJACKETS: ‘Pilot’ – Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson 

SUCCESSION will win here. As the phenomenal favorite that it is, and with its leading 25 nominations as an indication, it has to win at least writing or directing, if not both. My bet is on writing.

COMEDY SERIES 

Outstanding Comedy Series

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY – Will win

BARRY

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

HACKS – Should win

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

TED LASSO

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY is a nice show, very endearing even, and quite funny in some moments. However, it’s nowhere close to being this great new comedy that it’s being made out to be. However, the momentum it has gained is overwhelming. And its win for casting at last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys is troubling, since the Emmy for comedy series and casting has not been won by different shows since 2014. TED LASSO, HACKS, ONLY MURDERS and even MAISEL (which is past its prime) are all more worthy of the win than ABBOTT. If I had to pick, think HACKS’ excellent second season should be winning this (in case anyone wanted to know). 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Quinta Brunson, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Kaley Cuoco, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Elle Fanning, THE GREAT

Issa Rae, INSECURE

Jean Smart, HACKS – Should win; will win

Jean Smart should definitely win again here. She was fantastic in season two of Hacks. And I’m afraid I think Quinta Brunson’s (acting) performance in ABBOTT is highly overrated. She really does make it very obvious that she’s trying to act natural. It appears like a performance, and I hope the Emmy voters see through that. 

Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series

Bill Hader, BARRY – Will win

Donald Glover, ATLANTA

Nicholas Hoult, THE GREAT

Steve Martin, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Martin Short, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Jason Sudeikis, TED LASSO – Should win

Jason Sudeikis has been losing momentum, even though he was a default favorite earlier. Now there’s buzz around not just past winner Bill Hader—with BARRY’s return this year—and even Steve Martin, owing to ONLY MURDERS season two releasing during Emmys voting. It’s a tough one to predict. I’m just going to go with Hader, knowing his past repeated success at the Emmys. I must make an honorable mention of Nicholas Hoult though. He’s so good and charming in THE GREAT. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Hannah Einbinder, HACKS

Janelle James, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY – Will win

Kate McKinnon, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Sarah Niles, TED LASSO

Sheryl Lee Ralph, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Juno Temple, TED LASSO

Hannah Waddingham, TED LASSO – Should win

Hannah Waddingham was particularly good in season two of TED LASSO—not just for the funeral episode, but even for that Christmas episode and through Rebecca’s relationship with Sam. She should win again. However, Janelle James is such a breakout success in ABBOTT ELEMENTARY that I believe her momentum will take her through to the finish line. People really seem to love this show and her particularly. 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan, BARRY

Brett Goldstein, TED LASSO – Should win; will win

Toheeb Jimoh, TED LASSO

Nick Mohammed, TED LASSO

Tony Shaloub, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Tyler James Williams, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

Henry Winkler, BARRY

Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Henry Winkler is back this year, and could win again for BARRY. However, I think Brett Goldstein is still enjoying more popularity for TED LASSO. I think he’s in for a second consecutive win. 

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

ATLANTA: ‘New Jazz’ – Hiro Murai

BARRY: ‘710N’ – Bill Hader – Should win; will win

HACKS: ‘There Will Be Blood’ – Lucia Aniello 

THE MS. PAT SHOW: ‘Baby Daddy Groundhog Day’ – Mary Lou Belli 

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘The Boy from 6B’ – Cherien Dabis 

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘True Crime’ – Jamie Babbit 

TED LASSO: ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’ – MJ Delaney 

BARRY’s not winning outstanding comedy, but it has strengths in directing, over the others here, so it will win Bill Hader an Emmy for directing, even if he doesn’t win another acting Emmy for the show (this year). 

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY: ‘Pilot’ – Quinta Brunson – Will win

BARRY: ‘710N’ – Duffy Boudreau 

BARRY: ‘starting now’ – Alec Berg and Bill Hader 

HACKS: ‘The One, the Only’ – Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky – Should win

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING: ‘True Crime’ – Steve Martin and John Hoffman 

TED LASSO: ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’ – Jane Becker 

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ‘The Casino’ – Sarah Naftalis 

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: ‘The Wellness Center’ – Stefani Robinson 

With the tremendous momentum ABBOTT ELEMENTARY has gained, it will at least win the writing Emmy, if not one or two for acting as well as the big comedy prize. This win will go to Quinta Brunson even if she doesn’t win lead actress, and even though HACKS deserves this way more for that absolutely outstanding season finale. 

LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

DOPESICK – Should win

THE DROPOUT

INVENTING ANNA

PAM & TOMMY

THE WHITE LOTUS – Will win

The fanfare behind THE WHITE LOTUS in incredibly overwhelming. It was hugely popular when it aired, and it did well through the winter awards. And then the show maintained its momentum with the huge number of Emmy nominations, dominating some of the categories in this list. It’s still a favorite to win, so it seems like it will, even though DOPESICK was the actual best show from the list of five above. A close second was THE DROPOUT. 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Toni Collette, THE STAIRCASE

Julia Garner, INVENTING ANNA

Lily James, PAM & TOMMY

Sarah Paulson, IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

Margaret Qualley, MAID

Amanda Seyfried, THE DROPOUT – Should win; will win

I would have loved to see Lily James win this one. She was absolutely terrific as actress Pamela Anderson, in a heartwarming and heartbreaking way. However, I think Amanda Seyfried just edged her out here, with that hauntingly internalized portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes. She’s going to win for this. I’d like to make an honorable mention of Margaret Qualley, who did a fantastic job in MAID. I wish MAID had receieved more recognition.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Colin Firth, THE STAIRCASE

Andrew Garfield, UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN

Oscar Isaac, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

Michael Keaton, DOPESICK – Should win; will win

Himesh Patel, STATION ELEVEN

Sebastian Stan, PAM & TOMMY

This is the surest of the Emmy wins to be announced on Monday. Michael Keaton has been a favorite in limited series acting, through the winter awards as well, and he’s still got a lot of people betting on him. So I don’t see this going any other way. Besides, he was outstanding with his turn in DOPESICK, through the extreme ups and downs that his character went through.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Connie Britton, THE WHITE LOTUS

Jennifer Coolidge, THE WHITE LOTUS – Will win

Alexandra Daddario, THE WHITE LOTUS

Kaitlyn Dever, DOPESICK – Should win

Natasha Rothwell, THE WHITE LOTUS

Sydney Sweeney, THE WHITE LOTUS

Mare Winningham, DOPESICK

Jennifer Coolidge got a huge ovation when she simply presented an Emmy last year, riding high on the success of THE WHITE LOTUS, and many said then that it meant her fate for an Emmy win this year was sealed. That buzz has not died down, one year later, and Coolidge is still is leading in all possible polls online. Kaitlyn Dever, whose performance in DOPESICK was devastatingly good, should win over Coolidge, whose turn in LOTUS was more novel than worthy of acclaim. However, Coolidge will win. 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett, THE WHITE LOTUS – Will win

Jake Lacy, THE WHITE LOTUS – Should win

Will Poulter, DOPESICK

Seth Rogen, PAM & TOMMY

Peter Sarsgaard, DOPESICK

Michael Stuhlbarg, DOPESICK

Steve Zahn, THE WHITE LOTUS

Murray Bartlett is winning this one, even though I think that it should be Jake Lacy. However, there is some buzz in support of Steve Zahn as well, even if Bartlett is a clear favorite (though not as much as Coolidge is for supporting actress). Yet, if Lacy and Zahn have enough support, there could be an upset with Emmy voters, who in favor of WHITE LOTUS, splitting the vote three ways. In that case, Seth Rogen seems to be next in line for this. 

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

DOPESICK: ‘The People vs. Purdue Pharma’ – Danny Strong – Should win; will win

THE DROPOUT: ‘Green Juice’ – Michael Showalter 

THE DROPOUT: ‘Iron Sisters’ – Francesca Gregorini 

MAID: ‘Sky Blue’ – John Wells 

STATION ELEVEN: ‘Wheel of Fire’ – Hiro Murai 

THE WHITE LOTUS: Mike White

I could see DOPESICK winning here, which will almost be like a consolation for it not winning outstanding limited series. 

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

DOPESICK: ‘The People vs. Purdue Pharma’ – Danny Strong

THE DROPOUT: ‘I'm in a Hurry’ – Elizabeth Meriwether – Should win

IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY: ‘Man Handled’ – Sarah Burgess 

MAID: ‘Snaps’ – Molly Smith Metzler (Netflix)

STATION ELEVEN: ‘Unbroken Circle’ – Patrick Somerville 

THE WHITE LOTUS: Mike White – Will win

THE WHITE LOTUS is a show stronger for its writing than for its directing. If it wasn’t a clear favorite among the limited series, it might not have won here, but it is, so there. 

OSCARS 2022—A REVIEW OF THE SHOW, 'CODA' AS BEST PICTURE, OTHER RESULTS AND THE WILL SMITH-CHRIS ROCK SHOWDOWN NO ONE CAN STOP TALKING ABOUT

Movie lovers unite, and movie people fight

Photos, courtesy: AMPAS

When Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for The Revenant after so many years of people rooting for him to win Hollywood’s top prize, everyone celebrated his win, with admiration. That should have been Will Smith this year, who won his first Oscar, for King Richard, after being in the business for over 30 years. However, his Oscar-winning moment has been tainted because of a moment of rage that was completely uncalled for and excessive. Sure, Chris Rock was way out of line making that insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s baldness, and needed to be ticked off for his humor that was absolutely in poor taste. Will Smith should have said something in the moment, if he absolutely had to react right there and then, but resorting to violence to prove a point has backfired on him more than it proving whatever point he was trying to make. Firstly, hitting someone for anything, except in self-defense, is unacceptable. And now, it’s Chris Rock who’s being seen as the victim, and Will Smith is all but ‘canceled’, at a time that should be his to revel in. To make things worse, he went on to make excuses for his bad behavior by saying something about how people do crazy things for love. There were tears, and some amount of regret, sure, but he failed to express enough regret and make an acceptable apology. And as a Will Smith fan, I am disappointed. He should be being celebrated after his achievement, but he brought on this disapproval quite by himself. 

(Updated... Will Smith later posted a far more decent apology on social media. It might have been too little too late, and could be seen as a move for damage control. However, it's at least good that he made an apology directly to Chris Rock, and acknowledged the error of his ways, rather than just ignoring the incident and leaving images of him dancing at the after-parties as all that was on his mind after the incident.) 

MOVIE LOVERS UNITE—THE PALE TRIBUTES

What was celebrated at the 94th Academy Awards, in keeping with the theme of the year—‘Movie lovers unite’—were some iconic films of the past, and some not so iconic movies. Of course, there was the 60-year anniversary of James Bond, the 50-year anniversary of The Godfather, and 28 years of Pulp Fiction. It was very cool to see Uma Thurman and John Travolta doing a little jig, flanking Samuel Jackson. It was also impressive to see Hollywood royalty, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, taking the stage to celebrate The Godfather. It was also sweet when Jennifer Garner, Elliot Page and J.K. Simmons spoke fondly of their little Oscar-winning gem Juno. And it was nice to see Cinderella (Lily James) and Jasmine (Naomi Scott) welcoming Ariel (Halle Bailey) into the world of live-action Disney princesses. What didn’t quite work were the presentations themselves—most of them a little flat and insipid, lacking the celebratory energy that one might have liked in a showcase of Hollywood. Even the James Bond package lacked the excitement, and it all just felt very low-key. The ‘in memoriam’ section was padded with personal tributes and a dance performance, which seemed to be the wrong segment. That energy and enthusiasm should have been used literally anywhere else in the show. 

THE UNIMPRESSIVE HOSTS

To top that, the hosts—Wanda Sykes, Rebecca Hall and Amy Schumer—didn’t do too much to add value to the ceremony. They definitely had their hilarious moments with jokes such as the Golden Globe Awards being included in the ‘in memoriam’ package. There was the bit about Leonardo DiCaprio working to fight climate change to leave a better planet for his (much younger) girlfriends. The dig at the gender pay gap was funny—when they said that hiring three women to host was cheaper than hiring one man. It was also funnily point out how how the telling of women’s stories has been rare in Hollywood and how we’ve finally got a movie about the incredible Williams sisters’…dad! There was also Amy Schumer trying to cut the tension hosting the segment after ‘slap-gate’. 

Even Regina Hall hitting on a few eligible male guests was somewhat funny, but only to an extent. When she started objectifying them and explained how she would swab their mouths with her tongue, and when she asked Denzel Washington if his son John David was around, it started to get a little cringe-worthy. And then she even groped Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa chest-to-ankle. It was not appropriate, and not that funny either. Hopefully, they had the men’s consent at least. In fact, it might have been better to have the hosts just do the opening monologue and have them sit out the rest of the show. The little skit with Sykes dressed as Richard Williams from King Richard, Regina Hall as Tammy Faye and Amy Schumer as Spider-Man also fell flat. I had hoped the content of that skit would have been funnier and meatier than it was. Instead, it was as good as the women simply dressing up in some Halloween costumes and posting a funny picture taken together on Instagram. 

THE BEST SONGS WERE THE BEST PARTS

The one aspect that was done well throughout were the performances. Although ‘We don’t talk about Bruno’ was a little underwhelming, the four Oscar-nominated songs were done really well. From Beyoncé’s powerful opening number ‘Be alive’ and the moving ‘Dos oruguitas’ to the mellow ‘Somehow you do’ and Billie Eilish’s haunting ‘No time to die’ were all wonderfully performed, and definitely high points of the show. Other highlights included some of the acceptance speeches, especially Troy Kotsur’s (supporting actor, CODA), Ariana DeBose’s (supporting actress, West Side Story) and Jessica Chastain’s (lead actress, The Eyes of Tammy Faye). Kotsur has been extremely charming through all his acceptance speeches this awards season, and his tribute to his father in his Oscar speech was very endearing. DeBose’s shout-out to dark-skinned and queer people who feel like they don’t belong was strong. And Chastain’s heartfelt speech, including condemning bigoted legislation was graceful and powerful. 

PRE-SHOW PRESENTATIONS FOR NO MAIN-SHOW GAIN

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see all the acceptance speeches in full, even if the producers did manage to edit the pre-show presentations and acceptances quite well into the main show. It was still lacking reaction shots and the winners’ complete moments basking in Oscar glory. What made it more frustrating was that these awards were given pre-show, to firstly ensure that the live program would end at three hours; and secondly, to make time in the live program for elements that would give it variety and attract a wider audience. The show ran for over three and a half hours anyway. And it didn’t even have anything special or particularly entertaining that’s been missing from the Oscars, to warrant the cutting out of eight categories or the extra time. Even the presentation of the technical categories was so lackluster. I’ve been missing the days when the presentations included clips from the behind-the-scenes show-reels, to offer a glimpse of what all went into the brilliant visual effects, the captivating production design or the arresting costumes that are recognized. And the BAFTAs did it so well this year—all the costume sketches, the green-screen clips, the sets in the making, the words on the scripts nominated, and so on. Sure, the BAFTAs also pre-recorded some presentations, but they kept their show to two hours, and they also have two more categories than the Oscars do. Overall, this year’s BAFTAs were much better than the Oscars. Even Rebel Wilson was a terrific host at the British film awards. 

THE IMPRESSIVE RESULTS AND CODA’S BIG NIGHT

Where the Oscars didn’t disappoint was the results—all deserved wins and no disappointing upsets. Yes, some movies won just one Oscar each—including frontrunner The Power of the Dog, the heavily nominated West Side Story, the beloved Belfast, and the acclaimed King Richard—but it was mostly expected. Dune took away the maximum Oscars of the year, with six. Even The Eyes of Tammy Faye won two. And the most loved film of the year won best picture of the year and two other Oscars. CODA has been such a refreshing change this awards season. 

While The Power of the Dog would have been a deserving best picture too, it was just nice to see a heartwarming, endearing, sincere and well-made film and story like CODA being appreciated and recognized. The Academy rarely goes for such crowd-pleasers, and I’m happy for the shift this year. It also marked the first best picture win for a streaming film, and it’s kind of interesting that that distinction is now held by Apple TV+ and not Netflix. 

All these wins were worthy of celebration, and I’ve been thrilled for all these good movies getting their due. If only people would talk about this more than the show-down of the century. Okay, fine, I get that it’s a huge deal and all. But for now, let’s just take one more look at all the 23 winners at the Oscars 2022.

ALL THE WINNERS

Best Picture

Belfast 

CODA | WON

Don’t Look Up 

Drive My Car 

Dune 

King Richard 

Licorice Pizza 

Nightmare Alley 

The Power of the Dog 

West Side Story 

Directing

Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

Kenneth Branagh, Belfast

Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog | WON

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye | WON

Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick…Boom!

Will Smith, King Richard | WON

Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

Ariana DeBose, West Side Story | WON

Judi Dench, Belfast

Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Ciarán Hinds, Belfast

Troy Kotsur, CODA

Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog

J.K. Simmons, Being the Ricardos

Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Writing—Adapted Screenplay

CODA (screenplay by Siân Heder) | WON

Drive My Car (screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe)

Dune (screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth)

The Lost Daughter (written by Maggie Gyllenhaal)

The Power of the Dog (written by Jane Campion)

Writing—Original Screenplay

Belfast (written by Kenneth Branagh) | WON

Don’t Look Up (screenplay by Adam McKay; story by Adam McKay & David Sirota)

King Richard (written by Zach Baylin)

Licorice Pizza (written by Paul Thomas Anderson)

The Worst Person in the World (written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier)

Cinematography

Dune (Greig Fraser) | WON

Nightmare Alley (Dan Laustsen)

The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)

West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)

Film Editing

Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)

Dune (Joe Walker) | WON

King Richard (Pamela Martin)

The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)

Tick, Tick…Boom! (Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum)

Sound

Belfast (Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri)

Dune (Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett) | WON

No Time to Die (Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor)

The Power of the Dog (Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb)

West Side Story (Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy)

Music—Original Score

Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)

Dune (Hans Zimmer) | WON

Encanto (Germaine Franco)

Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

Music—Original Song

‘Be alive’, King Richard (music and lyrics by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter)

‘Dos oruguitas’, Encanto (music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda)

‘Down to Joy’, Belfast (music and lyrics by Van Morrison)

‘No time to die’, No Time to Die (music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell) | WON

‘Somehow you do’, Four Good Days (music and lyrics by Diane Warren)

Production Design

Dune (production design: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos) | WON

Nightmare Alley (production design: Tamara Deverell; set decoration: Shane Vieau)

The Power of the Dog (production design: Grant Major; set decoration: Amber Richards)

The Tragedy of Macbeth (production design: Stefan Dechant; set decoration: Nancy Haigh)

West Side Story (production design: Adam Stockhausen; set decoration: Rena DeAngelo)

Visual Effects

Dune (Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer) | WON

Free Guy (Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick)

No Time to Die (Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick)

Costume Design

Cruella (Jenny Beavan) | WON

Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran)

Dune (Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan)

Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)

West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)

Makeup and Hairstyling

Coming 2 America (Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer)

Cruella (Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon)

Dune (Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr)

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh) | WON

House of Gucci (Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras)

International Feature Film

Drive My Car (Japan) | WON

Flee (Denmark)

The Hand of God (Italy)

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)

The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

Animated Feature Film

Encanto | WON

Flee 

Luca 

The Mitchells vs. the Machines 

Raya and the Last Dragon 

Animated Short Film

Affairs of the Art 

Bestia 

Boxballet 

Robin Robin 

The Windshield Wiper | WON

Live-Action Short

Ala Kachuu—Take and Run

The Dress 

The Long Goodbye | WON

On My Mind 

Please Hold

Documentary Feature

Ascension 

Attica 

Flee 

Summer of Soul | WON

Writing With Fire 

Documentary Short Subject

Audible 

Lead Me Home 

The Queen of Basketball | WON

Three Songs for Benazir 

When We Were Bullies