That time of year again…
I think the Emmys may be my favorite of all the award shows. Not only do they have the main televised event, but they have two nights of the Creative Arts Emmys that acknowledges all the people working in the art and technical departments, as well as highlighting short form and animation shows too. There are about five million categories, so we are just going to talk about the ones I care about.
Highlights from the Creative Arts Emmys: “The Queen’s Gambit” won nine awards over the course of the weekend including production design, costuming, editing, cinematography, just to name a few. My love Bo Burnham won three Emmy’s for his comedy special “Inside”—music direction, directing for a variety special and writing for a variety special. I was a little bummed that he didn’t win for editing, but ecstatic for what he did win. “WandaVision” scored Marvel it’s first Emmys ever with SciFi/Fantasy production design and costuming. Maya Rudolph a second consecutive guest comedy actress Emmy for “Saturday Night Live,” just hours after she picked up her second consecutive character voice-over performance Emmy for “Big Mouth”. She’s only the second black woman to do this.
Let’s get this going! (In the list of nominees, the bold is my pick of who I WANT, not necessarily who I think will win)
Drama:
I’m pretty certain that “The Crown” has this is in the bag. I think the only thing is if newly departed shows, “Pose” and “Lovecraft Country,” sneak in and steal it. I think “The Handmaid’s Tale” is absolutely brilliant and always want to see it win everything, but I can acknowledge that it isn’t as good as it used to be. Except Elisabeth Moss—she is consistently incredible. It’s cute that they included “Bridgerton,” but there was no way it would, or should, win. I think the supporting actor and actress races are the most exciting—just throwing in every side character on “The Crown” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”. Honestly, I’d be happy about any of them.
Outstanding Drama Series
- The Boys
- Bridgerton
- The Crown
- The Mandalorian
- Lovecraft Country
- Pose
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- This Is Us
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 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 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 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
Comedy
I’m not as brushed up on the comedy nominees because I’m quite particular with my comedy choices. The inclusion of “Emily in Paris” is a travesty that the Emmy’s should be embarrassed about. I also don’t think “The Flight Attendant” should be there either. It was a fine show, but I didn’t find anything funny about it—more sad and tragic. Where’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” or “Shameless”? None of this really matters, because I’m expecting a total “Ted Lasso” sweep, à la “Schitt’s Creek” last year. With its 20 nominations, “Ted Lasso” became the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmy history. I’m just so happy for Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence for giving us this show and creating this character that is obviously a complicated man who turns all that into pure positivity. I think they only people who could give that cast a run for their money is probably the cast of “Saturday Night Live” like Kenan Thompson and Kate McKinnon.
Outstanding Comedy Series
- Black-ish
- Cobra Kai
- Pen15
- Emily in Paris
- Hacks
- Ted Lasso
- The Flight Attendant
- The Kominsky Method
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 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 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 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
Limited Series
I love me a good limited series. When done well, they can completely encapsulate a story perfectly. I find myself gravitating more towards them than a show with a lot of seasons or even just a single movie. I also think that they are the perfect length for book adaptations, letting creators the freedom to include secondary details and plot lines that might not explored when limited to a two-hour movie. I think this year’s toughest race is in the limited series brackets. I’ve seen almost all of the nominees spread out across the different categories (except TV movie) and they all were outstanding. “The Queen’s Gambit” will probably steal show, and seriously, well deserved. I don’t know how I feel that the “Hamilton” stars are included in the acting categories—I LOVE “Hamilton” with my whole being, but I think the Emmys should focus on strictly acting roles. I’m not saying I won’t be excited for any “Hamilton” wins. It would be really cool to see “WandaVision” and Marvel win some acting awards—bring them some credibility that “superhero” projects rarely get—especially Kathryn Hahn for supporting actress because she was so perfect. The toughest category is for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie, every actress is top notch and I would happy to see any of them win—actually can they ALL just win?
Outstanding Limited 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 Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Paul Bettany, WandaVision
- Hugh Grant, The Undoing
- Ewan McGregor, Halston
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
- Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited 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 Supporting Actress in a Limited 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 Supporting Actor in a Limited 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
Variety
Bo Burnham deserves the world and “Inside” is one of the best pieces of performance art I’ve ever seen. And that’s exactly what it is—performance art. So much more than simply a comedy special. The fact that he wrote, directed, edited, camera operated, musical direction, and probably a million other jobs all by himself is incredible. I can’t even imagine the time and effort that went into this. Out of this world.
Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
- Bo Burnham: Inside
- David Byrne’s American Utopia
- 8:46 – Dave Chappelle
- Friends: The Reunion
- Hamilton
- A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
Variety Talk Series
- “Conan”
- “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
- “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
- “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
And there you go! I’ll probably be wrong about a lot of these, but that’s part of the fun—screaming at the TV when the person you wanted didn’t win and being irrationally angry.
Lindsay Glenne 