*Remember, a show, person,
or episode can only be nominated if it is submitted. Even if you want every
episode of Game of Thrones to be nominated for writing, that won't happen,
since they only submitted one episode there.
**You'd be surprised how
often that actor you thought was snubbed wasn't even on the official ballot or
had listed himself as a lead instead of a supporting actor.
I don't do every category. I don't pretend
that I've seen everything or that I fully understand all the categories. I'm a
one-man operation talking about hundreds of shows. I'm doing the best I can.
It's the last day of B-Teams. I'm not sure how this will play out. The drama field has thinned out since Limited Series picked back up.
* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Nominees
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
*Ozark (Netflix)
Pose (FX Networks)
Succession (HBO)
B-Team
Better Call Saul
The Deuce
Homecoming
Orange is the New Black
Sex Education
I love the sprawling cast of The Deuce. No
show does better with its side characters than Orange is the New Black (even
though this would be for the mediocre season 6). Also, Sex Education was called
a drama for some reason. It shouldn't be, but it is. I'll be mentioning it a
lot, because it's great. This is my acknowledgment that it looks weird next to
all these other shows. I have to go with the Nominees simply because Game of
Thrones is the king of large ensembles and Pose populated an entire world with
talented actors and actresses that Hollywood has rarely found room for.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Stunt
Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Nominees
#The Blacklist (NBC)
*Blindspot (NBC)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
*S.W.A.T. (CBS)
*SEAL Team (CBS)
B-Team
*Into the Badlands
*Marvel’s Iron Fist
#Marvel’s Luke Cage
*Marvel’s The Punisher
*Vikings
I mean, Game of Thrones. Maybe in the days
when the DC shows on the CW were still submitting themselves and getting
snubbed, I could talk myself into this being a hard question, but not anymore.
Winner: Nominees (Dominant)
Outstanding Directing For
A Drama Series
Nominees
Game Of Thrones – “The Iron Throne” (HBO)
(David Benioff, D.B. Weiss)
Game Of Thrones – “The Last Of The Starks”
(HBO)(David Nutter)
Game Of Thrones – “The Long Night” (HBO)
(Miguel Sapochnik)
The Handmaid's Tale – “Holly” (Hulu) (Daina
Reid)
Killing Eve – “Desperate Times” (BBC America)
(Lisa Brühlmann)
*Ozark – “Reparations” (Netflix) (Jason
Bateman)
Succession – “Celebration” (HBO) (Adam McKay)
B-Team
Better Call Saul – “Something Stupid”
Better Call Saul – “Widersehen”
The Deuce – “We’re All Beasts”
Homecoming – “Protocol”
Pose – “Love Is The Message”
Sex Education – “Episode 1”
Lodge 49 – “As Above, So Below”
Look, everything about the production of Game
of Thrones is impressive, including the direction. I can find just as many
equally well directed episodes of Better Call Saul though that were snubbed to match the three Game of Thrones nominations. I wasn't crazy about those episodes of
The Handmaid's Tale and Killing Eve either. I never got fully on board with
Homecoming, but the directing was always top notch. The Deuce is more of a
writing and acting showcase, but "We're All Beasts" did have some fun
with the directing.The Sex Education and Lodge 49 pilots are great introductions
into those worlds. And that Pose episode was beautiful.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Writing For A
Drama Series
Nominees
*Bodyguard – “Episode 1” (Netflix) (Jed
Mercurio)
Game Of Thrones – “The Iron Throne” (HBO)
(David Benioff, D.B. Weiss)
The Handmaid's Tale – “Holly” (Hulu) (Bruce
Miller, Kira Snyder)
Killing Eve – “Nice And Neat” (BBC America)
(Emerald Fennell)
Succession – “Nobody Is Ever Missing” (HBO)
(Jesse Armstrong)
B-Team
Better Call Saul – “Something Stupid”
Better Call Saul – “Talk”
The Deuce – “Our-Raison DETRE”
Pose – “Love is the Message”
Sex Education – “Episode 1”
Lodge 49 – “Apogee”
Again, The Handmaid's Tale and Killing Eve
episodes didn't impress me. Emmy voters went with the season finales of Better
Call Saul and Game of Thrones, which weren't the strongest episodes for either.
Granted, that was the only eligible episode of Game of Thrones. I really liked
that episode of Succession that was nominated and I haven't seen any of The Bodyguard.
Pilot episodes are always a smart play though. As for the B-Team, I guess I'll
put it this way. I tend to respond the most to good writing in a TV show, and
the five shows in my B-Team list are all ones I really liked. You do the math.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Guest Actor In
A Drama Series
Nominees
Michael McKean (Better Call Saul – “Winner”)
(AMC)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid's Tale –
“Postpartum”) (Hulu)
*Glynn Turman (How To Get Away With Murder –
“It Was The Worst Day Of My Life”) (ABC)
Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us – “A
Philadelphia Story”) (NBC)
Michael Angarano (This Is Us – “Songbird
Road: Part One”) (NBC)
*Kumail Nanjiani (The Twilight Zone – “The
Comedian”) (CBS All Access)
B-Team
Bruce Campbell (Lodge 49)
James Cromwell (Succession)
#Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead)
*John Cho (The Twilight Zone)
*Seth Rogen (The Twilight Zone)
*Adam Scott (The Twilight Zone)
Without as many high-quality procedurals
these days, there aren't as many good guest acting options in dramas. I like
Michael McKean finally getting a Better Call Saul nomination. Ron Cephas Jones
is always a welcome nod for This Is Us. I kind of dig my B-Team though. Bruce
Campbell was perfectly cast in Lodge 49. James Cromwell sizzled every second he
was on screen in Succession, especially when that was with Brian Cox. I even
love the audacity of submitting Andrew Lincoln for The Walking Dead because he
left the show early enough in the season to count as a guest star.
Winner: B-Team (Barely)
Outstanding Guest Actress
In A Drama Series
Nominees
#Jessica Lange (American Horror Story:
Apocalypse – “Return To Murder House”) (FX Networks)
Carice van Houten (Game Of Thrones – “The
Long Night”) (HBO)
Cherry Jones (The Handmaid's Tale – “Holly”)
(Hulu)
*Cicely Tyson (How To Get Away With Murder –
“Where Are Your Parents?”) (ABC)
Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black – “Well
This Took A Dark Turn”) (Netflix)
Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us – “My Little
Island Girl”) (NBC)
B-Team
Hong Chau (Homecoming)
#Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead)
*Rhea Seehorn (The Twilight Zone)
*Zazie Beetz (The Twilight Zone)
*Ginnifer Goodwin (The Twilight Zone)
*Tig Notaro (Star Trek: Discovery)
Nothing in either list sticks out, so dammit,
I want Rhea Seehorn to get an Emmy nomination, no matter how it has to happen.
Winner: B-Team (Barely)
Outstanding Supporting
Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul) (AMC)
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) (AMC)
Alfie Allen (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Michael Kelly (House Of Cards) (Netflix)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us) (NBC)
B-Team
Chris Bauer (The Deuce)
Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Gary Carr (The Deuce)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Angel Bismark Curiuel (Pose)
Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education)
What happened to the Supporting Actor field?
Coming up with a B-Team should've been a lot easier. Kieran Culkin and Nicholas
Braun are truly delightful in Succession, and really deserved more
consideration. Ncuti Gatwa had a terrific arc on this season of Sex Education.
Angel Bismark Curiuel is great on Pose, and it's hard to pick just two actors
from The Deuce. I'm not sure that any of them really has me fuming because they
were snubbed. Then again, there aren't many of the Nominees that feel like they
belong there. Jonathan Banks and Peter Dinklage, of course. Giancarlo Esposito
and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, I guess. The rest I don't even think I would've
considered for my B-Team.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
Outstanding Supporting
Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees
Gwendoline Christie (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Sophie Turner (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Maisie Williams (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) (BBC America)
Julia Garner (Ozark) (Netflix)
B-Team
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education)
Emma Mackey (Sex Education)
Emily Meade (The Deuce)
Indya Moore (Pose)
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us)
This is tough. Four Game of Thrones
nominations is too much, but I'm not sure who I'd take out first. Fiona Shaw is
fine in Killing Eve. This sort of feels like a delayed nomination for season 1
though, as opposed to her more mixed season 2. I don't watch Ozark. The only
thing I do know is that even the people who hate it single out Julia Garner as
the one good thing about it. I'll trust that pick. But, my entire B-Team is
full of actresses I would've fist pumped had I heard they were nominated. Rhea
Seehorn is the most inexcusible snub in any category. I love Indya Moore and
Emily Meade's stories on their respective shows. I would've happily seen Emma
Mackey nominated as a lead for Sex Education. Gillian Anderson is one I'm
certain would've been nominated had Sex Education been correctly labeled as a
comedy. She was the scene-stealer of that show.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Lead Actor In
A Drama Series
Nominees
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) (AMC)
Kit Harington (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
*Jason Bateman (Ozark) (Netflix)
Billy Porter (Pose) (FX Networks)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) (NBC)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us) (NBC)
B-Team
Asa Butterfield (Sex Education)
James Franco (The Deuce)
Stephan James (Homecoming)
*Richard Madden (Bodyguard)
*J.K. Simmons (Counterpart)
Wyatt Russell (Lodge 49)
A very thin field. As much as I like Sex
Education, Asa Butterfield was only OK in the lead role. James Franco has two
roles in The Deuce; neither is really a lead. James and Russell are quite good
on their shows. Russell's relaxed performance probably fits better in the
comedy field though. From what I understand, Richard Madden and J.K. Simmons
are excellent on their shows. Sterling K. Brown had a story arc so bad that it
actively hurt his performance. This Is Us struggles to find ways to use
Ventimiglia still, and the hit rate keeps dropping. Billy Porter is more of a
supporting actor in Pose (but he also might be my pick to win). I haven't seen
Bateman in Ozark, nor do I really care to. Kit Harrington looks overwhelmed
whenever he's put in the lead category. Really, it's all about Bob Odenkirk who
has somehow developed into a hell of a dramatic actor.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
Outstanding Lead Actress
In A Drama Series
Nominees
Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones) (HBO)
Robin Wright (House Of Cards) (Netflix)
*Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder)
(ABC)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) (BBC America)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) (BBC America)
*Laura Linney (Ozark) (Netflix)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us) (NBC)
B-Team
*Christine Baranski (The Good Fight)
Sonya Cassidy (Lodge 49)
*Elizabeth Olsen (Sorry For Your Loss)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce)
Mj Rodriguez (Pose)
Julia Roberts (Homecoming)
*Susanne Jones (Gentleman Jack)
Weirdly, I'm not excited by many of the Lead
Actresses in the Drama field, unlike the Comedy field. I would've liked a
Maggie Gyllenhaal nomination for being the emotional fulcrum of The Deuce. It's
shocking that Julia Roberts was snubbed, although I'm not sure she would've
made my top seven. I'm mostly going on strong word of mouth picking Baranski,
Olsen, and Jones for their respective shows. It really would've been nice to
see Mj Rodriguez get nominated since she is the lead of Pose if anyone is. I
think Sonya Cassidy is actually my favorite B-teamer for her really understated
work on Lodge 49; a show that worked on a very specific frequency.
The Nominee list doesn't offer a great deal
either. Mandy Moore's nomination came one season too late for This Is Us. I'm
sure Viola Davis is still great on How To Get Away With Murder: a show I tend
to forget is even on. The writing did Emilia Clarke no favors on Game of
Thrones. I do kind of like the idea of Robin Wright resurrecting House of Cards
and making it her own, but that show has been bad for several seasons. I can't
weigh in on Ozark, but Laura Linney always feels like a compromise nominee to
me: the person who ends up winning because no one can settle on a different
first choice. I guess the standard-bearers are Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh. I
thought they were great despite the second season be somewhat directionless.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
Outstanding Drama Series
Nominees
Better Call Saul (AMC)
*Bodyguard (Netflix)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
*Ozark (Netflix)
Pose (FX Networks)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
B-Team
The Deuce
*The Good Fight
Lodge 49
Sex Education
Homecoming
*My Brilliant Friend
*Gentleman Jack
The limited series category has been siphoning off depth from the drama field the last few years. That coupled with a
lot of networks moving their best shows to get out of the way of Game of Thrones
has made for a depressingly thin field. Regardless of the quality of the season
overall, Game of Thrones is such an impressive production, that it belongs in
the top tier. Better Call Saul is just plain excellent. Pose was such a
refreshing change from the standard anti-hero prestige TV. Succession is
arguably more of a comedy than a drama. I also get how it could not work at all for
some people. I think the first season revealed a lot of depth by the end
though. I still can't speak about how Ozark was, but the fact that I haven't
even been tempted to see it must be indicative of something. I do kind of want
to see Bodyguard. This Is Us had a mediocre-to-bad season no matter how I look
at it.
I suspect that if I'd watched The Good Fight,
My Brilliant Friend, and Gentleman Jack, that would propel my B-Team to an easy
victory. They were all loved by critics. I recognize that Homecoming was
well-made, but the show really did nothing for me. As much as I love The Deuce,
I spend far too much time wishing it was The Wire*. Sex Education and Lodge 49
would fit better in the comedy field. Lodge 49 is this washed-out, sun baked
California noir by-way-of The Big Lebowski that I loved watching even if I
wasn't sure that it was going anywhere. Sex Education dressed itself up as a
raunchy teen comedy, then kept surprising me with emotional maturity and thematic depth.
When it all comes down to it though, I
couldn't take a group of drama series seriously without Game of Thrones, Better
Call Saul, and Pose on them.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
*I'd call that an unfair assessment, but I
never think that while watching Better Call Saul.
---
6-5 for the nominees. So, so close. Sex Education being called a drama instead of a comedy managed to really bolster the B-Team ranks.
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