Back in early June, a couple of days before Emmy nomination voting began, I wrote a column that included a wish list of what I’d like to see in the nominations. It was a modest list, only four items, built around the idea that what I really wanted was a slate that was a little less predictable than most recent years.
So now that we’re halfway between the announcement of the nominations and the beginning of final voting, it’s time to look back at that list and see how many of my wishes came true.
Spoiler alert: not many.
Wish 1: “Pleasant surprises of any kind”
This was aimed at the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories, where I worried that most of the nominees were all but locked in. And yes, all those locks got nominations: I mentioned seven top contenders in the drama category, all of which were nominated, and three possibilities for the final slot, one of which – “Paradise” – did get in and was the closest thing to a surprise. Pleasant, yes. But not very surprising.
In the comedy category, it was more of the same. The shows that seemed likely to get in, did. The ones that seemed to be potential upsets, didn’t.
Fortunately, voters delivered some enjoyable twists in the acting categories, foremost among them the nominations of Uzo Aduba for “The Residence” and Jeff Hiller for “Somebody Somewhere” in comedy and Sharon Horgan for “Bad Sisters” in drama. But in the top program categories, not so much.
Wish 2: “An impressive showing by broadcast networks”
Well, this didn’t happen – especially not in drama, where I pointed out that the onetime broadcast network dominance of the top category had long since been erased by the streamers and cable outlets that routinely grab all available slots. I was hoping that “Matlock” might lead a minor resurgence: “It’d be nice if the networks that have given us acting contenders from ‘Matlock,’ ‘Elsbeth,’ ‘High Potential,’ ‘Will Trent’ and others could get a little love from voters this time around,” I wrote.
Well, here’s your resurgence: One nomination for “Matlock,” for star Kathy Bates; one for “Will Trent,” for choreography; nothing for “Elsbeth” or “High Potential”; and, for the fourth year in a row, nothing for any broadcast show in the drama series category. “This Is Us” remains the only broadcast show to break into the category in the last 14 years.
The broadcast networks still do well in the reality, variety and comedy categories, but you wouldn’t call their showing impressive.
Wish 3: “A somewhat wacky mixture in the TV-movie category”
The weirdest Emmy category is known for pitting Weird Al Yankovic against gritty dramas and Dolly Parton Christmas movies, but this year’s lineup isn’t quite as daffy as it often is. There’s “Rebel Ridge,” a gritty action thriller set in a small town from indie filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier; “Nonnas,” a dramedy from Stephen Chbosky based on the true story of a Staten Island restauranteur who staffs his kitchen with grandmother chefs; “The Gorge,” a sci-fi thriller with a hint of romance; and “Mountainhead,” “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical comedy about four billionaires dealing with a global crisis from a mountain cabin. The biggest change of pace might be “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the fourth Bridget Jones movie and the first not to premiere theatrically.
It’s a modest mixture of genres and tones, but you probably wouldn’t call it wacky.
Wish 4: “Actors from more than five programs in the supporting acting categories”
A mixed verdict here. For the last several years, the supporting categories have often as not been filled with multiple nominees from the same handful of shows. Last year, five shows were responsible for all 14 supporting nominees in the drama categories, and six shows provided all 12 of the supporting comedy nominees.
My guess was that if anybody was taking bets on the number of shows that would furnish all of this year’s nominees, the over/under would be about 5.5 in drama and a little higher than that in comedy. “I wouldn’t necessarily bet on the over,” I wrote, “but I’m certainly wishing for it.”
If I had bet on the over, I would have lost money in drama and won it in comedy. The drama categories had even more category-hogging than last year, with only four shows taking all 14 nominees: seven for “The White Lotus,” four for “Severance,” two for “Paradise” and one for “The Pitt.” Comedy, though, doubled that, with “The Studio” and “Shrinking” earning three supporting nominations each but the other eight noms coming from an additional six shows.
