*Remember, a show, person, or episode can only be nominated if it is submitted. Even if you want every episode of Watchmen to be nominated for writing, that won't happen, since they only submitted some of the episodes.
**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. However, 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.
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Nominees
Big Little Lies
The Crown
The Handmaid's Tale
Killing Eve
Ozark
Succession
B-Team
Better Call Saul
The Deuce
The Mandalorian
Pose
Euphoria
Orange is the New Black
This has to go to B-Team for degree of difficulty. The Deuce and Pose have to pack the New York streets with a much more diverse assortment of people. Orange is the New Black has to be ready to turn any background character into someone important. The Mandalorian had to reference Star Wars movies without being beholden to them. Euphoria cast high school is a way I've never seen before. I like a lot of the Nominees here, but do any of them have casting that didn't look to the normal places?
Winner: B-Team (Dominant)
Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Nominees
#The Blacklist
The Mandalorian
*The Rookie
*S.W.A.T.
Stranger Things
B-Team
#Arrow
*SEE
*Treadstone
*The Witcher
*Wu Assasins
15 total shows submitted. There's no need for 5 nominees. I think the B-Team is deeper with epic shows like The Witcher, SEE, and Wu Assassins, not to mention Arrow, which should already have several of these trophies. I'm giving it to the Nominees though because The Mandalorian was that well done, with Stranger Things backing it up.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Nominees
The Crown “Aberfan”
The Crown “Cri de Coeur”
#Homeland “Prisoners Of War”
The Morning Show “The Interview”
Ozark “Fire Pink”
Ozark “Su Casa Es Mi Casa”
Succession “Hunting”
Succession “This Is Not For Tears”
B-Team
Better Call Saul "50% Off"
Better Call Saul "Bad Choice Road"
Better Call Saul "Bagman"
Better Call Saul "JMM"
Better Call Saul "Magic Man"
Better Call Saul "Namaste"
Better Call Saul "Something Unforgivable"
The Deuce "The Camera Loves You"
You could say that I'm trying to make a point here. I could've actually made all 8 of the B-Team Better Call Saul episodes. I suspect the fact that Saul submitted so many episodes without a clear stand out is what did it in. That is consistently the best directed drama on TV right now. I also need to throw The Deuce some love since it's yet another David Simon show that went overlooked by Emmy voters for its run. Two episodes of Ozark, Succession, and The Crown didn't all need to be nominated. That's lazy rubber-stamping by voters that I can't reward. I did back myself into a corner here for anyone who doesn't care for Better Call Saul though.
Winner: B-Team (Narrowly)
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Nominees
Thomas Schnauz (Better Call Saul “Bad Choice Road”
Better Call Saul “Bagman”
The Crown “Aberfan”
Ozark “All In”
Ozark “Boss Fight”
Ozark “Fire Pink”
Succession “This Is Not For Tears”
B-Team
Better Call Saul "Dedicado a Max"
Better Call Saul "The Guy For This"
Better Call Saul "JMM"
Better Call Saul "Something Unforgivable"
The Deuce "Finish It"
The Mandalorian "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger"
Orange Is The New Black "Here's Where You Get Off"
Compared to the Directing field, Writing is weirdly shallow. Two Better Call Saul episodes were nominated and I still picked 4 more for the B-Team because nothing else seemed that appealing. Succession only had the one submitted episode though. Same for The Crown. Ozark is absolutely not the best written drama on TV. I'm not sure it deserved even one nomination, let alone three, so that counts massively against the Nominees. In the B-Team, those four Saul episodes are all pretty good. The Mandalorian was actually pretty well written even though it wasn't showy about it. The Deuce finale wrapped this up pretty beautifully. Same goes for Orange is the New Black. It's sad that so many people dropped the show already, because that final season was strong.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees
Andrew Scott (Black Mirror “Smithereens”)
Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian “Chapter 8: Redemption”)
Martin Short (The Morning Show “Chaos Is The New Cocaine”)
*Jason Bateman (The Outsider “Fish In A Barrel”)
James Cromwell (Succession “Dundee”)
Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us “After The Fire”)
B-Team
Bill Burr (The Mandalorian "Chapter 6: The Prisoner")
Charles Dance (The Crown "Coup")
Werner Herzog (The Mandalorian "Chapter 3: The Sin")
Gerald McRaney (This Is Us "Strangers: Part Two")
Christopher Meloni (The Handmaid's Tale "Household")
Pickings were a little slim here. Andrew Scott had a good episode of Black Mirror. It's always nice when they bring back Ron Cephas Jones on This Is Us. James Cromwell is a treat on Succession. Most of what the B-Team has going for it is Bill Burr telling a good Gungan joke.
Winner: Nominees (Dominant)
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees
Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid's Tale “God Bless The Child”)
*Cicely Tyson (How To Get Away With Murder “Stay”)
Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black “God Bless America”)
Harriet Walter (Succession “Return”)
Cherry Jones (Succession “Tern Haven”)
Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us “Flip A Coin”)
B-Team
Miley Cyrus (Black Mirror "Rachel, Jack And Ashley Too")
Clea Duvall (The Handmaid's Tale "God Bless The Child")
Mindy Kaling (The Morning Show "No One's Gonna Harm You, Not While I'm Around")
Jennifer Morrison (This Is Us "Strangers")
Gloria Reuben (Mr. Robot "Proxy Authentication Required")
Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger")
Alexis Bledel continues to be excellent on The Handmaid's Tale. Succession uses its guest stars well. Phylicia Rashad is happy to remind everyone that she should be given more to do. My B-Team is OK. I'll be honest. I just looked for the few familiar names and performances I could find. Since I didn't put in the effort on my B-Team, I can't criticize the Nominees in good faith.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid's Tale)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)
B-Team
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Angus Cloud (Euphoria)
Angel Bismark Curiel (Pose)
Tony Dalton (Better Call Saul)
David Harbour (Stranger Things)
Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (His Dark Materials)
Pretty thin category this year. The Nominees got the key three from Succession. Crudup and Duplass from The Morning Show are solid picks too. Giancarlo Esposito for Better Call Saul is only a bad pick when you realize he edged out Jonathan Banks and Tony Dalton. Whitford and Wright are giving good performances with questionable writing on their shows this season. In my B-Team, only Banks and Dalton are inexcusable omissions.
Winner: Nominees (Dominant)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees
Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid's Tale)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)
B-Team
Danielle Brooks (Orange Is The New Black)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show)
Emily Meade (The Deuce)
Indya Moore (Pose)
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid's Tale)
Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black)
Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black)
Here me out. How about we combine the Supporting fields into one category with 16 nominees, so we can sneak more actresses into the field? It's hard to complain about any of the Nominees. Dern was the best part of Big Little Lies' second season. Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep. Helena Bonham Carter got a few good spotlights in this season of The Crown. Samira Wiley got to see her role expanded as the writers realized that Moss' story is a dead end. Julia Garner is THE reason to watch Ozark. Sarah Snook is part of the strongest overall ensemble. I guess Thandie Newton and Fiona Shaw are weighed down by mediocre season's of their shows, but I think their performances remain stable. While I can't find much flaw in that list of Nominees, I still must got with the B-Team here. Emily Meade and Gugu Mbatha-Raw had tragic story arcs on their shows. I just picked three from OITNB, but so many in that cast were well served by the final season. Strahovski regularly gives a great performance as one of the most frustrating characters on TV. I had a number of issue's with Pose's second season, but Indya Moore was never one of them. Oh yeah, and Rhea Seehorn wasn't nominated yet again. I've said it before and I'll say it again. As long as Seehorn isn't nominated, the B-Team is going to win this. She's that good. She swings the balance that much. The only reason should shouldn't be regularly winning the Support Actress Emmy is because she's submitting as a Lead instead. Fix this, Emmy voters!
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees
Steve Carell (The Morning Show)
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Billy Porter (Pose)
Brian Cox (Succession)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
B-Team
Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian)
James Franco (The Deuce)
Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
Holt McCallany (Mindhunter)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Like in Comedy, there's a shortage of great leading man roles right now. Cox and Strong in Succession make sense. I can get behind Porter in Pose too, because he feels like more of a lead in Season 2. Brown feels like rubber stamping though. Bateman just isn't that great in Ozark. Carell is only OK in The Morning Show. More importantly, he's absolutely not a lead except for in one episode. The B-Team has just as many holes though. Bob Odenkirk is almost enough to swing the balance by himself. He's just plain the best lead actor in a drama right now. I think the debate about Pedro Pascal's performance is interesting, given how it's all behind an inexpressive mask. Personally, I believe it doesn't work as well with someone else in that costume though. Franco is more supporting in The Duece but at least he's two characters. Groff and McCallany are good in Mindhunter even though the show somewhat lost the thread of what makes them interesting in season 2. If nothing else, Rami Malek gives an incredibly specific performance in Mr. Robot, which ended without anyone noticing. I don't feel strongly about either group, so I'll let Odenkirk swing it.
Winner: B-Team (Narrowly)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees
Olivia Colman (The Crown)
Zendaya
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
B-Team
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce)
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale)
Mj Rodriguez (Pose)
Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies)
Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies)
It's awesome to see Zendaya break through, even though I think her own show tended to forget about her. I can't choose between Comer and Oh either, so it's best to nominate both. Linney finally got enough to do on Ozark to deserve her nomination. Colman did well leaving her mark on a character that Claire Foy defined so well in the first two seasons. I've honestly never cared that much for Jennifer Aniston as an actress. The Morning Show didn't change my mind, although she's fine in it. I still think it's odd that Reese Witherspoon produced and played lead roles in three shows this year and didn't get nominated for any of them. Maybe she's vote-splitting herself or maybe we don't appreciate her enough. Nicole Kidman wasn't as showy in this season of Big Little Lies, but she's still one of our finest actresses. I don't think it's Elisabeth Moss' fault that The Handmaid's Tale has hit a narrative wall. She's still excellent in it. Maggie Gyllenhaal deserved at least one nomination for the run of The Duece. Her character had the best arc and most depth of anyone in that sprawling cast.
Winner: Nominees (Narrowly)
Outstanding Drama Series
Nominees
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid's Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
B-Team
The Deuce
Euphoria
Mindhunter
The Morning Show
Orange Is The New Black
Pose
*My Brilliant Friend: The Story of A New Name
Big Little Lies
Since you can't double-up nominees here, the list of Dramas sure looks unimpressive. Even the shows that were snubbed in other categories like Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian still managed to get series nominations. With so many slots to fill, it's silly that they couldn't make room for The Deuce or Orange Is The New Black. Even though I was mixed on The Morning Show, I think it had a pretty good case for a nomination too. The key shows were nominated though: Better Call Saul, Succession. Finding room for The Mandalorian is an exciting bit of flavor too.
Winner: Nominees (Dominant)
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6-5. Nominees
The closest day yet. I'd say this group has the most major head-scratching omissions, but overall, the Emmy voters still did pretty well. I hope this exhaustive exercise proves the point I'm trying to make. Even when it looks like the Emmy voters did a horrible job, when you stop and look at it, they do OK. Most of the issues are in the margins. Whiffing on 2 of 6 nominees means that 4 of 6 are "right". Given how many shows there are right now, that's about as good as can be expected. The Emmys are imperfect, and I still personally question their ability to respond to changes in shows and vote for the year in question rather than guess about what shows are still good. Yet, it's not the dumpster fire that many make it out to be.
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