In case you are new to this, the idea is pretty straightforward. I go through the Emmy nomination ballot for a bunch of categories and put together the strongest group I can among what wasn't already nominated for the Emmy. I call this group my B-Team. I then compare the Nominees to my B-Team and choose a winner based on which is a stronger group of performers/shows/etc. The idea is to see how badly chosen the nominees actually are. This serves two purposes:
1) To see how bad the nominees really are. The first year I did this, my theory was that, as a very informed TV viewer, it would be easy for me to find 5-7 names that the Emmy voters missed. I'll go ahead and say now that the Emmy voters, especially outside the Comedy and Drama categories, tend to do a pretty good job picking most of the best options in a category.
2) To highlight some other great work from the last year. With the explosion of new content over the last few years, 5-7 nominees just isn't enough to cover all the great work being done, especially on lesser seen shows that have trouble putting together enough support to be nominated.
As far as who I pick for my B-Team, please disagree with me. I watch a lot of TV, but I miss much, much more than I see. My B-Team is exactly that: My B-Team. In other words, I'm stacking the deck in the B-Team's favor. If I'm picking the 5-7 shows that I like the best and the B-Team still loses, that means the Nominee list is pretty damn strong.
We are in an age of "peak TV" where every year there are more scripted TV series than the year before. I hear that it's likely to break 500 this year, which is incredible. Just 3-4 years ago, the number was 400, to give you an idea of the growth rate. Despite this, I worry that Drama series are going through a bit of a brain drain. The rise of Limited and Anthology series has pulled shows away from Drama most of all. Actors who would consider a drama series are opting for the lighter commitment of a limited series. Writers and directors enjoy the ability to tell new stories more often. Perhaps the rate of growth of new series overall is outpacing the defects to limited series. If this year is any indication, I doubt it. Like with all the other categories, I'm not impressed by the depth of good shows over the last year. There were still plenty to build decent B-teams.
(Final Note: I'm sure that I'll mention this more than a few times, but all my picks are based on who is submitted and in which category. For example, I would've considered the Brooklyn Nine Nine episode "The Box" a lock for my directing B-team, but it wasn't submitted. Thus, I can't include it. Similarly, Mandy Moore would be a great supporting actress in a drama contender on This Is Us. However, she submitted himself as a lead, so that's all I can consider her for)
Previously:
The Scruff
Reality Series
Variety Series & Specials
Limited Series
Comedy Series
* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Drama Series
The Americans
The Crown
Game Of Thrones
The Handmaid's Tale
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
B-Team
The Deuce
Halt and Catch Fire
Killing Eve
Mindhunter
Legion
Mr. Robot
* Billions
I hate to be such a drag this year, but is that it? Are there so few drama series that I watched and liked that I'm resorting to including ambitious but empty seasons of Mr. Robot and Legion. Both shows did visually impressive stuff and had showy direction. I mentally checked out of both though pretty early in the seasons. The same could be said about Westworld, only that show is done on a much larger scale. I didn't watch Billions. Most of what I heard about it was "guilty pleasure that I can't stop watching". Good cast though and it tapped into the TV critic zeitgeist if there's such a thing. Stranger Things didn't stumble after its surprise first season success. It didn't offer anything new either. This Is Us is valiantly fighting the fact that it's not built for the long term by offering all sorts of inventive episodes (three weeks of standalones covering the same time period from each siblings' perspective, an episode told from foster daughter Deja's perspective). The Crown is a gorgeously produced show that ultimately left me cold when I finished it.
There were shows I was legitimately excited by. The Deuce has all the structural elements of The Wire that made it so great, except with a 70s NYC setting and a focus of sex workers. The Handmaid's Tale had a brilliantly-acted and frustratingly-plotted second season. No show on TV is as cinematic as Game of Thrones. You just can't match the spectacle of the show. Mindhunter came out of nowhere and found a fresh new angle to approach serial killer stories. Killing Eve has all the look and feel of a guilty pleasure but the terrific acting and clever writing of a prestige program.
I'm only "ride or die" about two shows. The Americans and Halt and Catch Fire both had excellent final seasons. Both were filled with heartbreaking moments and satisfying conclusions (that also left me wanting more).
Winner: Nominees
I should never have to resort to putting seasons as disappointing as Mr. Robot's and Legion's in my B-Team.
Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Keri Russell (The Americans)
Claire Foy (The Crown)
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld)
B-Team
* Christine Baranski (The Good Fight)
Kerry Bishe (Halt and Catch Fire)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
It feels weird leaving stalwarts like Claire Danes, Viola Davis, and Taraji P. Henson out, but they are had roles that were dependent on the profile of their shows. As critical favor for Homeland, How to Get Away With Murder, and Empire diminished, their nominations would go away. As much as I like Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce) and Rachel Keller (Legion), they felt more like prominent supporting players in their shows. Those are the only actresses who didn't make the cut that I felt bad about.
A friend has assured me that Christine Baranski is good enough in The Good Fight to be dubbed a "snub". Mandy Moore and Emilia Clarke should've moved to Supporting Actress. They had some great moments in their shows but weren't prominent enough to be called Leads. Jodie Comer is every bit as good as her Killing Eve co-star but lacks the name recognition and prior Emmy credentials. Bishe and Davis carry the B-Team. They are both so good in Halt and Catch Fire. The way their story ends is about as perfect as it gets. Seriously, the end of their story is top 10, maybe even top 5 all-time. It's perfect.
The Nominees are hard to quibble with. Tatiana Maslany is the hardest-working lead on any series in any category. Sandra Oh has the less obviously fun role in Killing Eve yet she's every bit as engaging to watch. Claire Foy and Elisabeth Moss dominate their shows. Keri Russell can do more with an icy stare than most actors can do with a soliloquy. The only nominee I can dispute is Evan Rachel Wood, and that's just because she's more of a prominent role in an ensemble than a "lead", by my estimation.
Winner: Nominees
I really wanted to give this to the B-Team to make a point about how good Bishe and Davis are in Halt and Catch Fire, but there's too much to like about the Nominees to do it.
Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
* Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)
Ed Harris (Westworld)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)
B-Team
Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
Holt McCallany (Mindhunter)
Scoot McNairy (Halt and Catch Fire)
Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire)
* J.K. Simmons (Counterpart)
Maybe lead roles just aren't as important any more. Back in the day, the idea for a show started with a leading man and was built out from there. That's not the case as much anymore. The idea for the show happens before the characters are developed. Showrunners think in terms of building a world, not a person. More and more, a lead actor gets inserted into what should be an ensemble. That lead character ends up getting the least thought put into him, because he's a relic of a different development strategy. Perhaps that would explain why Lead Actor has been the least interesting category for several years now. That would explain why the leads in so many shows (Dan Stevens in Legion, Kit Harrington in Game of Thrones, James Franco in The Deuce, Dylan Minnette in 13 Reasons Why) are among the least interesting characters on their shows.
That's not to say there are no good lead actors. In Mindhunter, Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany make a great two man team. J.K. Simmons gets the Tatiana Maslany-lite treatment, only playing two versions of himself (It's still impressive). Lee Pace and Scoot McNairy are another two-man duo in a great show. The only thing hurting them is that they work next to two even better lead actresses on Halt and Catch Fire. Rami Malek is Mr. Robot, his narration as key as his on-screen acting.
The Nominees list is dull. It's hard for me to call anyone from the large Westworld and This Is Us ensembles leads. Milo Ventimiglia spent a whole season cheating death, even if his character didn't know it. Jeffrey Wright was stuck in an existential quandary most of the time. I have less issues with Ed Harris and Sterling K. Brown's nominations, other than pushing the definition of "lead role". I had no desire to watch Ozark, but I hear Jason Bateman was a fine lead in it (the un-nominated Julia Garner was the real stand out from everything I read though). Matthew Rhys is the only one propping up the Nominees. Luckily he's also in a tier by himself at the top of either group.
Winner: B-Team
Rhys and maybe Brown aren't enough to combat the consistency of the B-Team.
Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Vanessa Kirby (The Crown)
Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones)
Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid's Tale)
Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale)
Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid's Tale)
Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)
B-Team
* Julia Garner (Ozark)
Carly Chaikin (Mr. Robot)
Aubrey Plaza (Legion)
Holly Taylor (The Americans)
Anna Torv (Mindhunter)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Wow. They really got it right this year. It helps that some of my assumed picks for Supporting Actress like Emilia Clarke and Evan Rachel Wood submitted as Lead Actresses. I'm still pleased with my B-Team though. Holly Taylor is the one unacceptable snub. As with most performers who grew up and into strong performers over the life of the series (cough - Kiernan Shipka - cough), Emmy voters never picked up on the great and vital work Taylor did on The Americans. She was at the center of the single most heartbreaking scene in any series this year. Anna Torv, Aubrey Plaza, and Julia Garner were all consummate supporting performers. They functioned exactly as needed without ever really blowing anyone away. Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams are just good in Game of Thrones. I'm not sure this was the best year for either, but so what.
The Nominees though. Damn. Even though I'm not as crazy about Stranger Things as other people, I refuse to drive the "Millie Bobby Brown shouldn't be nominated" train. She's a perfectly acceptable nominee. Yvonne Strahovski had the most maddening character on TV. I hated her one week, sympathized her the next, hated her again after that, empathized with her, then back to hating her. Her costars, Alexis Bledel and Ann Dowd were great too. Lena Heady is always sturdy on Game of Thrones. It's a testament to how good Claire Foy is that Vanessa Kirby doesn't take over The Crown. She's really good.
Winner: Nominees
I'm shocked by how much the Nominees ran away with this. Normally, it's not hard to put together a stronger B-Team here.
Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Matt Smith (The Crown)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game Of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones)
Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale)
# Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
David Harbour (Stranger Things)
B-Team
Costa Ronin (The Americans)
Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire)
Zahn McClarnon (Westworld)
James Marsden (Westworld)
Noah Emmerich (The Americans)
Justin Hartley (This Is Us)
Before you ask: Yes, I would be fine if they nominated everyone from The Americans. Noah Emmerich badly deserves a nomination though. He has for years. Despite having a supporting role, he's somehow enough to counter-balance both leads on the show. His story is as vital as Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys'. Costa Ronin, despite being off in his own show most of the time, successfully transformed his character into one I genuinely cared about. If Sterling K. Brown is a lead, then Justin Hartley is too. Toby Huss is the unlikely heart of Halt and Catch Fire. James Marsden didn't get much focus this season in Westworld. He did it well though. Zahn McClarnon brings up an interesting debate. He has one great episode in which he is the sole focus. The rest of the season, he's a featured extra. I'm not sure how that rates among supporting performances. If I believed more in the power of the submission episode though, he'd have a great chance to win if nominated.
I'm not sure if Joseph Fiennes is great at playing a vile character or bad at playing a complex character. I hate his character on The Handmaid's Tale. That's all I know. Mandy Patinkin and his beard are the only parts of Homeland that I miss at this point. I'm still confused about why David Harbour is one of the go-to Nominees for Stranger Things. He's good, but not that much better than others in the cast. The Lannister brothers on Game of Thrones are consistent enough that I won't complain about either being nominated. I will say though, that if Emilia Clark is submitting as a Lead Actress, then it might be time for Dinklage to move to Lead Actor as well. For the record, both are still supporting performance if you ask me. That just leaves Matt Smith, who annoyed me most of the time in The Crown. Like with Fiennes, I'm unsure how much of that is intentional.
Winner: B-Team
I'm too uncertain about enough of the Nominees' performances to pick them.
Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Diana Rigg (Game Of Thrones - "The Queen's Justice")
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid's Tale - "After")
Cherry Jones (The Handmaid's Tale - "Baggage")
Kelly Jenrette (The Handmaid's Tale - "Other Women")
* Cicely Tyson (How To Get Away With Murder - "I'm Going Away")
# Viola Davis (Scandal - "Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself")
B-Team
Rinko Kikuchi (Westworld)
Elizabeth Perkins (This Is Us)
Katie Aselton (Legion)
Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black)
Jodi Balfour (The Crown)
Zoe Kazan (The Deuce)
All the serialization of dramas has hurt the guest acting fields. There aren't as many chances for a 60-something former Oscar nominee to play a serial killer or grieving grandmother in a court scene anymore. The Nominees took all the good Handmaid's Tale options. Viola Davis got to use a crossover for the rare Lou Grant nomination (Emmy nominations for the same character on different shows). Cicely Tyson got a Guest acting nomination the good old-fashioned way. Diana Rigg said farewell to Game of Thrones in epic fashion.
That didn't leave much for the B-Team. Jodi Balfour did a fine Jackie Kennedy impersonation. It's nice to see Laverne Cox show up on OitNB. Rinko Kikuchi got a great episode of Westworld with a lot to do. Elizabeth Perkins played a good politely-racist mom, for what it's worth. Katie Aselton got a nice, sad episode of Legion. And, Zoe Kazan is here because I needed someone else. She's fine in The Deuce pilot, I guess. She doesn't get much to do.
Winner: Nominees
It's all about Diana Rigg.
Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Matthew Goode (The Crown - "Matrimonium")
F. Murray Abraham (Homeland - "All In")
Cameron Britton (Mindhunter - "Episode 2")
Gerald McRaney (This Is Us - "The Car")
Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us - "A Father’s Advice")
Jimmi Simpson (Westworld - "Reunion")
B-Team
* Alan Alda (The Good Fight)
Michael C. Hall (The Crown)
# Nathan Lane (The Blacklist)
Matthew Modine (Stranger Things)
Sylvester Stallone (This Is Us)
# David Tennant (Marvel's Jessica Jones)
Michael C. Hall played JFK reasonably well on The Crown. The fact that I included Sylvester Stallone's cameo on This Is Us tells you how dire the B-Team is. Cameron Britton should win the award. If not him, Gerald McRaney makes such an impression on This Is Us that I'm sure many people would forget he's not a regular cast member. After that, Ron Cephas Jones and Jimmi Simpson have the benefit of being former regulars cast members who get to show off for an episode or two to collect a paycheck.
Winner: Nominees
Britton, McRaney, Jones. Done.
Writing For A Drama Series
The Americans - "Start"
The Crown - "Mystery Man"
Game Of Thrones - "The Dragon And The Wolf"
The Handmaid's Tale - "June"
Killing Eve - "Nice Face"
Stranger Things - "Chapter Nine: The Gate"
B-Team
The Deuce "Pilot"
Westworld "Kiksuya"
Mindhunter "Episode 10"
Halt and Catch Fire "Goodwill"
Halt and Catch Fire "Ten of Swords"
Halt and Catch Fire "Who Needs a Guy"
I know what you are thinking: "This guy loves Halt and Catch Fire too much". Well...
1) I love it the correct amount. That final season was great.
2) A lot of other shows limited themselves to one submitted episode, so I was light on options for the B-Team.
"Kiksuya" is the highlight of this season of Westworld. It is more of an achievement in direction though. All three of the Halt and Catch Fire episodes are really great. The Deuce pilot does an admirable amount of heavy lifting. Mindhunter is more of an achievement in acting than writing.
But, the Nominees have the eligible episodes of The Handmaid's Tale, The Americans, Killing Eve, and Game of Thrones. That's a mighty quartet. The Stranger Things and The Crown episodes are fine too.
Winner: B-Team
Fuck it. That trio of Halt and Catch Fire episodes as stupendous. It physically pains mean to pick against the Americans finale though.
...Watch Halt and Catch Fire. It's worth it, especially S2-4.
Directing For A Drama Series
The Crown - "Paterfamilias"
Game Of Thrones - "Beyond The Wall"
Game Of Thrones - "The Dragon And The Wolf"
The Handmaid's Tale - "After"
* Ozark - "The Toll"
* Ozark - "Tonight We Improvise"
Stranger Things - "Chapter Nine: The Gate"
B-Team
The Americans - "Start"
The Deuce "Pilot"
Game of Thrones "The Spoils of War"
Killing Eve "Nice Face"
Mr. Robot "eps3.4_runtime-error.r00"
Halt and Catch Fire "Ten of Swords"
Legion "Chapter 14"
Westworld didn't even submit "Kiksuya" for consideration? What up with that? The Legion episode with that amazing dance-off wasn't either? It's like these shows don't want to win the Directing Emmy.
The two nominated Game of Thrones episodes are among the most impressive productions TV has ever seen. In terms of spectacle, no show compares. Plain and simple. I'm not as pleased with the other nominees.
Meanwhile, the B-Team has so much to offer. The Mr. Robot episode, all shot to look like a single take, is among the most audacious TV episodes I've seen. "The Spoils of War" featured the best action sequence in Game of Thrones since "Hardhome". It's not its fault that later episodes in the same season improved on it. The Deuce pilot set the tone for the series. Any episode of Legion has direction that's worth commending. Even though Killing Eve is more about the writing and acting, the directing is solid too. Oh, and the B-Team has both the Halt and Catch Fire and The Americans series finales.
Winner: B-Team
I don't care about most of the Nominees and the combo of the Halt and Catch Fire and The Americans finales is way too good.
Casting For A Drama Series
The Crown
Game Of Thrones
The Handmaid's Tale
Stranger Things
Westworld
B-Team
The Americans
The Deuce
Halt and Catch Fire
Killing Eve
Mr. Robot
Again, I don't fully get what Casting is about, but I'll try. I'm going to be simple with this. Game of Thrones has the biggest and best ensemble on TV. Let's just ignore that Ed Sheeran cameo.
Winner: Nominees
Both groups are incredible. In that case, I'll side with the group with the best overall casting for a series. That's Game of Thrones.
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The Nominees win 6-4. For those keeping track, that means the B-Team didn't win a single day this year. In the four years I've been making B-Teams that hasn't happened before. The fact that no B-Team could win a day is further evidence of the weakness of this year in TV. The idea behind the B-Team when I first started it was to prove that the Emmy voters aren't actually that bad, all things considered. They are limited by who or which episodes are even eligible. It's easy to get lost in the snubs. It's easy to focus on the two nominees that have no business getting nominated. Remember though, that means there's twice are many nominees that are great and obvious. Anyway. Thanks for humoring me for the last week. Now it's time for my actual Emmy picks.
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