Thanks, FX.
I don't know if I'm being sarcastic when I say that or not. You see, back in 2012, FX used a sort of loophole in the Emmy rule book to submit American Horror Story in the then-named Outstanding Mini-Series or Movie category. While it is an ongoing series, they used the self-contained story argument to get in. By moving from Drama Series, where it would've been shut out*, it led the Emmys with 17 nominations. While this strategy had been used for years by British co-productions**, networks hadn't gamed the system like that before. Since then, the category has been renamed to Limited Series and other networks have gotten in on it. Just 4 years later, the field is as competitive as ever.
*Except maybe for Jessica Lange.
**The same year that AHS broke the system, the series Luther earned 4 nominations as a Mini Series and has somehow stayed there for every season since. The year before, the first season of Downton Abbey dominated the Mini-Series category before moving to Drama series the next year. That's just two immediate examples that come to mind.
(Final Note: I'm sure that I'll mention this more than a few times, but this is based on who is submitted and where. For example, Hugh Dancy did not submit for Hannibal, only submitting his name for The Path, so I cannot include him in the B-Team for Hannibal, even if I want to. Similarly, even though it aired episodes in the eligibility period, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was not submitted and won't be considered. Finally, there's the Rob Lowe Rule. Rob Lowe always submits for the lead role. Even when he was on Parks & Rec. he submitted as a lead, so that's the only thing I could consider him as.)
Previously:
The Scruff
Reality Shows
Variety Series and Special
* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Limited Series
*American Crime
Fargo
*The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots
B-Team
American Horror Story: Hotel
*11.22.63
*The Girlfriend Experience
True Detective
Show Me a Hero
It's amazing that we've reached a point where there's even enough competition for something as good as Show Me A Hero to be snubbed. It doesn't match the top tier of the nominees, but really should've made the cut. I wasn't impressed with Hotel and True Detective was a complete mess. 11.22.63 and The Girlfriend Experience were both sturdy series. In the Nominees, on the other hand, Fargo and The People v. O.J. Simpson were two of the best shows of the year, no qualifiers required. American Crime had a resurgent season and Roots managed to separate itself from the classic original mini-series. Even The Night Manager was fun and pretty to look at, with good performances.
Winner: Nominees. At best, you could argue two of the B-Team belong in the Nominees, maybe (Show Me A Hero definitely, and take your pick for the other). I'm not sure over what Nominee though. This is a B-Team in the truest sense.
TV Movie
*All the Way
*Confirmation
*Luther
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
*A Very Murray Christmas
B-Team
*A Deadly Adoption
*Descendants
*Funny of Die Presents Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie
*Sharknado 3
*Special Correspondents
While the Mini-Series is experiencing a renaissance as a result of the Limited Series shift, TV Movies are still lagging behind. It's too easy to release a film to a theater, and there's just not the money in it the way TV is watched now. A Deadly Adoption and Sharknado 3 are jokes, not hiding that they aren't any good. The Funny or Die Donald Trump movie is as well. Descendants is a popular, but unspectacular Disney Channel Movie. I'm not sure what Special Correspondents is. At least the Nominees have a pair of HBO movies. I don't know what Luther is doing there, but the Emmys' treatment of that series has never made sense. The Abominable Bride wasn't peak Sherlock, but it was still good. A Bill Murray Christmas at least had some big names in it.
Winner: Nominees. The Emmys have a real TV Movie problem. They can't join it back with Limited Series, but there's just not enough being made to stand by itself. HBO can only do so much.
Lead Actress – Limited Series or Movie
*Felicity Huffman (American Crime)
*Lili Taylor (American Crime)
*Kerry Washington (Confirmation)
Kirsten Dunst (Fargo)
*Audra McDonald (Last Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill)
Sarah Paulson (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
B-Team
Lady Gaga (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Rachel McAdams (True Detective)
*Kristen Wiig (A Deadly Adoption)
*Julianne Hough (Grease: Live)
*Lily James (War & Peace)
*Riley Keough (The Girlfriend Experience)
The B-Team isn't strong, but it is interesting. I'm still surprised that Lady Gaga didn't pull off a nomination (Maybe she should've submitted as Supporting). She was the best thing about Hotel though. Rachel McAdams was far from the biggest problem with the second season of True Detective. Riley Keough impressed a lot of people in The Girlfriend Experience. Wiig, Hough, and James are mostly included because I needed to fill out the team. I'm sure they all did fine.
Sarah Paulson will win the Emmy and will deserve it. That alone probably trumps the B-Team. I wouldn't trade those six performances combined for hers. And that's just the beginning. I'd call Kirsten Dunst more of a supporting role. She's great though. Lili Taylor and Felicity Huffman do fine work in American Crime. Kerry Washington and Audra McDonald represent the TV Movies strongly.
Winner: Nominees. And it's not that close.
Lead Actor – Limited Series or Movie
*Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
*Idris Elba (Luther)
*Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager)
Cuba Gooding Jr. (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: The Abominable Bride)
B-Team
*Timothy Hutton (American Crime)
Oscar Isaac (Show Me a Hero)
Malachi Kirby (Roots)
Patrick Wilson (Fargo)
*James Franco (11.22.63)
Rege-Jean Page (Roots)
Finally! A close match.
The Nominees are strong, although there is one weak spot. Cuba Gooding Jr. didn't have enough to do to be called a lead and he never seemed right for O.J. Simpson. I understand the desire to get a big name for the role, but he wasn't right physically and the it was too detached. Courtney B. Vance was incredible though and the favorite to win. Benedict Cumberbatch and Idris Elba gave exactly the performances you'd expect for these characters they've been playing for years. Hiddleston brought some movie star charisma to The Night Manager and Cranston is Emmy royalty who they are always happy to nominate.
Then there's the B-Team. Show Me A Hero aired a full year ago so I almost forgive voters for forgetting how good Oscar Isaac was in it. Now, Partick Wilson, given all the Fargo love in the other categories, I don't know how he got snubbed for his excellent work. Wilson, Isaac, and Vance are easily the top three in the field and the B-Team has two of them. Malachi Kirby and Rege-Jean Page were fine in the Roots remake. I didn't hear anyone talk about Franco's work on 11.22.63. He's the kind of actor who people would be ready to tear apart if he wasn't any good though, so I'll assume that means he was fine in it. In general, I assume Hutton is always good as well.
Winner: B-Team. It's simple math. The B-Team has two of the best three performances and lacks someone like Cuba Gooding Jr. to weigh it down. It's close.
Supporting Actress – Limited Series or Movie
*Melissa Leo (All the Way)
*Regina King (American Crime)
Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Jean Smart (Fargo)
*Olivia Colman (The Night Manager)
B-Team
Angela Bassett (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Cristin Milioti (Fargo)
*Vanessa Hudgens (Grease: Live)
*Jennifer Hudson (Confirmation)
Catherine Keener (Show Me a Hero)
Wionna Ryder (Show Me a Hero)
Regina King should really be a double nominee for her work on American Crime and The Leftovers. Paulson and Bates gave the big performances you'd expect for American Horror Story. I'm sure Melissa Leo was good in All the Way. I heard a lot of reviews for The Night Manager, and no matter how tepid the review was, as soon as the reviewer got to Olivia Colman, they gushed about her.
Angela Bassett sizzled on the screen whenever she showed up. It was a smaller, better part than the two Nominees from Hotel. I love Cristin Milioti and want her in all the things I watch. She has a small role that didn't ask for her to do as much as Smart's did in Fargo. I liked Keener and Ryder in Show Me A Hero, especially Keener, who goes through an interesting transformation throughout the six episodes. I assume that Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was good in Confirmation. As far as Vanessa Hudgens goes, at lot of people said "She did a good Skockard Channing" and she gets bonus points for her dad dying.
Winner: Nominees. Smart, Coleman, and King beat any three on the B-Team and the rest are all comparable to the B-Teamers.
Supporting Actor – Limited Series or Movie
Jesse Plemons (Fargo)
Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo)
*Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager)
Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
David Schwimmer (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
John Travolta (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
B-Team
Alfred Molina (Show Me a Hero)
Forest Whitaker (Roots)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Roots)
Evan Peters (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Ted Danson (Fargo)
Nick Offerman (Fargo)
Sterling K. Brown and Bokeem Woodbine's nominations were required to take the Nominees list seriously. It's nice to see Jesse Plemons get noticed. This might be Hugh Laurie's best chance to win that elusive Emmy and I'd have no issue with that. Schwimmer and Travolta have taken a lot of heat about their roles on American Crime Story. Schwimmer goes through a transformation throughout the season that can only be appreciated when taken as a whole. Travolta went big. He didn't fit with the rest of the cast, but I think that was a decision he made, not an unintended consequence.
There were a lot options for the B-Team. There's a couple American Crime actors who could eaily be there and it's strange to not include Martin Freenman for Sherlock. I'm happy with the six I chose. Alfred Molina and Jonathan Rhys Meyers made me dislike both of their characters as well as anyone on TV in the last year. Evan Peters and Nick Offerman were having a great time with their roles. Forrest Whitaker gave Roots a beating heart early on. And, Ted Danson grew a beard, so...
Winner: Nominees. I'd maybe drop Travolta or Schwimmer and there's no one from the B-Team who I would replace them with who would be in the discussion to win the Emmy. In short, the best of the actors were nominated.
Writing – Limited Series, Movie, Special
Fargo ("Loplop")
Fargo ("Palindrome")
*The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("From the Ashes of Tragedy")
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("Marcia, Marcia, Marcia")
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("The Race Card")
B-Team
*American Crime ("Episode Seven")
Show Me a Hero ("Part Six")
*Confirmation
Fargo ("Did You Do This? No, You Did It!")
Roots ("Night One")
Roots ("Night Two")
I don't understand how all of The Night Manager can be nominated. That feels like a cheat. One that works in the Nominees' favor though. Every submitted episode of American Crime Story was nominated and two of three Fargo episodes. That is tough to beat.
The B-Team is a better mix than the Nominees. Most years, it would be a good group of nominees. Show Me A Hero should've made the cut. I'm surprised that American Crime was edged out as well.
Winner: Nominees. Fargo or The People v. OJ Simpson would be my pick to win and the episodes chosen were all great.
Directing – Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
*All the Way
Fargo ("Before the Law")
*The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("From the Ashes of Tragedy")
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("Manna From Heaven")
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story ("The Race Card")
B-Team
*American Crime ("Episode Eight")
*Confirmation
Fargo ("Fear and Trembling")
Fargo ("Loplop")
Roots ("Night Two")
Show Me a Hero
I do not understand the writing and especially directing rules for this category. Again, The Night Manager gets a single nod for its entirety, while Fargo and American Crime Story are split. Show Me a Hero was snubbed for directing as a whole but had to submit a single episode for writing. It just doesn't make sense.
I have no issue with "Before the Law" being the chosen episode from Fargo, although both "Loplop" and "Fear and Trembling" could replace it without any complaints from me. I'm considering All the Way and Confirmation as more or less similar in the direction. American Crime had two possible submissions that I could've chosen. Roots had four. I made the best guess I could.
Winner: Nominees. Too many of the B-Teamers were better written than directed. And, again, I'm all on the People v. OJ Simpson bandwagon.
Casting – Limited Series, Movie, or Special
Fargo
*Grease: Live
*The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots
B-Team
*All the Way
*American Crime
American Horror Story: Hotel
Show Me a Hero
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
I'll say this a few times. I don't understand what exactly is meant by casting. With that admitted, it's hard to argue with either the Nominees or the B-Team.
Fargo and The Night Manager have the stars. The People v. OJ Simpson and Roots have the star-turns. Grease: Live did a good job too of casting for that show.
American Crime had a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces and a lot of young talent. All the Way featured HBO's traditionally strong casting for movies. Hotel mixed familiar talent with exciting newbies (Lady Gaga in particular). Show Me a Hero had Oscar Isaac, so...you know. Sherlock always dips into the British/BBC well nicely.
Winner: Nominees. Is it possible to be both pretty close and an easy decision? I wanted to sneak in a win for the B-Team, but I couldn't do it.
At 8-1, the Nominees clearly had the edge, which shouldn't be a surprise. As a macro assessment, there's not quite enough depth in the field year. The micro assessment: Fargo and American Crime Story can't be stopped. Thanks FX!
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