From left to right, it’s an honor just to be nominated: Kerry Washington (Photo: Erin Simkin/Hulu), Uzo Aduba (Sabrina Lantos/FX), Olivia Colman (Photo: Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix), Kieran Culkin (Photo: Peter Kramer/HBO), and Hugh Jackman (Photo: Jojo Whilden/HBO) Graphic: Rebecca Fassola
The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sunday, September 20, but instead of gathering at the Microsoft Theater or a similar venue, nominees will have to pick a Zoom background and film their reaction shots from the comfort of their own homes. Which, when you think about it, means they’ll be watching the ceremony in the same fashion we are (albeit with a much higher probability of having a delivery truck show up with a statuette.) The following are A.V. Club TV editor Danette Chavez’s predictions for the winners of the acting awards. Be sure to tune in Sunday night for our liveblog and news coverage.
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I just re-checked some definitions: “Emmys are for television and Oscars are for films.” I might have missed a previous debate, so how are we defining Emmys now? We have all seen Netflix and Amazon “originals” that can only be described as “films” yeah?
It’s all screwed up now anyway. These are technically the “primetime emmys,” not to be confused with the “daytime” emmys. One of the qualifications for this was that a show need air between 6pm and 2am to at least 50% of the country. Well, with Netflix and the like, you can see where this might pose a problem, as Netflix doesn’t exactly have a tv schedule like that. And this is technically an award for “tv movies.” Movies made for tv. Again, Netflix isn’t exactly tv, yet it isn’t exactly not tv. So a movie made for Netflix is both a film and a tv movie. You follow?The rules and qualifications will definitely need to be clarified some time in the near future about all this, as the tv landscape has changed pretty drastically the last decade.
I was about to say “big screen” vs “small screen” but now that we watch netflix/amazon productions on home projectors it’s also a fragile distinction…
I had a rudimentary understanding of the whole process years ago, but that was before streaming services were really a thing, or at least a thing that was considered eligible for awards and such. And I don’t really have the desire to go back and look over all the new rules and qualifications regarding all that mess. It’s written in that legal speak that’s designed to beat you into submission if you try reading it.
Thanks. I DO follow. Just me, maybe, but I am fed up with the Oscars; fed up with everything about them. The Oscars have always been about American Exclusionism. Hell, France didn’t even have a version of the Oscars until the 1st César Awards in 1976. And the same for the Emmys, imo – so many worthy programs, but there can only be JUST ONE.There can ONLY be one? Of everything. Only ONE show; only ONE movie. I think if people would think about this for more than 5 seconds, they would realize just how absurd this is. And I’m not one of those legendary Millennials who got an award for just showing up. America has become a Giant with a Child’s mind. Pondering that further, I asked myself,” Could there ACTUALLY be an award for the best Youtube Infleuncers? Oh hell no. There IS.
I don’t care much for em, either. But you know what? Between the coronavirus, the election nonsense, the west coast burning down and another hurricane about to blast the south once again, I’m not picky anymore when looking for things on tv. Even some guy winning a meaningless statue is a nice departure from all the negativity around here lately.
I really wish that kinja had a Private Message function so that we could talk about this privately.
Now that Broadway has been thrown in to the mix with the full live version of Hamilton showing on Disney, the whole separation of awards Oscar, Emmy, Tony is getting almost impossible. Oscars require a theatrical run but theater concessions have priced themselves out of the family budget. Now multiple screening services are starting to do the same thing. A whole reorganization may be needed.
The Oscars require a theatrical run for eligibility (though I believe they are modifying that this year due to the pandemic). Netflix films have been nominated, provided they had at least a small theatrical run.
And every year, the Oscars are lambasted as Luddites for failing to get with the times and accept online films as films. And it does seem counterintuitive to base the eligibility for awards given to a dramatic presentation not on the nature of that presentation, but on the marketing strategy of the producer.
But if somebody doesn’t try to draw some sort of hard line somewhere, even if it’s in a silly place, then there really will be no point having distinct Oscars and Emmies anymore (also: as the prestige of TV has grown, there’s a lot more overlap in the membership/electorate of the two academies). [I suppose over here we’re ahead of the curve: although there are film and TV BAFTA ceremonies, they’re all just BAFTAs].
Along similar lines:- Theatre shows on Disney and ‘live’ musicals on TV further blur the awards lines. An EGOT used to be hard to achieve – but now, you could win all four awards for a single performance of a single song! [Give a one-off theatrical performance of a musical, film it, run that film in a cinema for a week in LA, then put in on Disney+, then sell the soundtrack]. Likewise, ‘live’ (but often not live!) plays and operas are now a big part of the income for cinemas- The point of having separate awards for animated work – both the dedicated animated awards at the oscars and the existence of the annies – is undermined by the fact that an increasing percentage of ‘live action’ films are substantially animation. Similarly, the definition of ‘voice’ roles is blurring, as the line between ‘animated character’ and ‘filmed character’ gets messier – and where does “costume” and “makeup” stop and “animation” begin?
– The Emmies now have five categories for, essentially, computer games; and the ‘television movie’ award last year went neither to a movie, nor to something shown on television, but to an online computer game (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch). I suspect the lines between “interactive television movie” and “narrative computer game” will continue to blur in future.
At some point, the various academies will have to either draw stricter lines between films, plays, TV shows and games, or else will have to bite the bullet and just unify into a single body. With an accompanying rationalisation of awards…
Your comment lays out a lot of excellent examples of why the awards CANT be “rationalized.” I mean, something as simple as the division between a drama series and a comedy series is completely impossible to do in a perfectly rational way. Is it rational to separate actors and actresses? Probably not. How do you divide lead actors from supporting? Should we respond by just having one award for all actors in any filmed medium? I think that would be kind of boring. If the goal is rationality we should just stop giving out awards for creative work.So if one awards body chooses to use distribution method as one clear-cut way of determining their field, why is that not legitimate? (And I’d argue that seeing a movie on a large screen in a theatre with other people is different than streaming it on your computer or home television screen- and creators make different choices depending on which format they intend to be the primary means of consumption. Distributing a film to theaters vs. distributing it on television/streaming may in part be a marketing decision but it also has real creative implications.)Awards have always been inherently subjective, and that subjectivity has always included the demarcation of categories. Looking to them for rationality seems extremely silly to me.
Let’s just say that if D’Arcy Carden doesn’t get anything, tables will be flipped.
I’m only a recent convert to Succession (I’m watching season 2 for the first time) but holy shit, season 2 of succession is so great. Brian Cox is absolutely perfect, as is every other actor. It deserves to sweep every award it can.I’d also be ecstatic for Watchmen to do well, particularly if King and Abdul-Mateen win.In terms of acting snubs, I find it remarkable how Mr Robot was not only overlooked completely, but how it doesn’t get enough credit for being snubbed. Rami Malek delivered some of the greatest work of his career in that final season.
I think Mr. Robot just kind of lost people (i.e. critics) after the first season. The second season was very dense and obtuse at times, and other exciting shows popped up. Then Rami Malek won an Oscar lmao
I’m binging season 2 now. Bryan Cox is fantastic. It’s too bad he was never bigger.I am having trouble watching this family constantly scheme. It’s wearing thin but that may be because I’m binging it.
Should win ? Only one choice …..
So many (presumably great) performances hidden behind multiple pay walls these days. The Peacock paywall, the Apple paywall, the CBS All Access paywall, the Disney paywall, the Hulu paywall. etc. I couldn’t hope to say which performances (among all those I haven’t seen) were the best.
I mean, but we could say the same about any show on FX, HBO, or AMC. (Or . . . Pop) Anything not on the Big Four is behind a paywall, and there aren’t a whole lot of Big Four shows nominated these days.
You are known for saying dumb things, but you are on the internet so steal those shows.
PsssstIssa Rae plays Issa Dee, not Dean.
While it wasn’t my favorite entry in the series, this is Titus’s last chance to get an Emmy for his role on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (probably, I’ve thought that before though). He brought life to that show, and he certainly was the best nominee in previous year’s Emmys. It’s a damn shame that he didn’t get to take home a statue for it.
Slideshow listicles for even these kinds of articles now?!? Really?
Just realized the bad optics of awarding Blanchett over King, given who the former plays. Even in death, Phyllis Schlafly screws over African-Americans.
It would be amazing to see two alumni from SCTV, O’Hara and Levy, win Emmys on the same night.
I love me some Annie Murphy and it would kind of suck for her if she’s the only actor on Schitt’s Creek who doesn’t win an Emmy but Betty Gilpin was soooo good
If there’s any actor from SC that I want to win, it’s Catherine O’Hara, because it’s due. But if there are any two, then it’s Annie Murphy as well, because holy shit, the things she did (physical acting and otherwise) over six seasons should not have worked, but it always did.
I think O’Hara will definitely win in part due to her long career and also because her performance was on a whole other level. It was like watching a great athlete playing at the top of their game. I loved (loved) Annie Murphy’s performance (if anything, for the “T-Rex” arms she gave Alexis) but it’s a tough category and she has the least amount of cache out of all four of the actors, in part because she doesn’t have over 30 years of experience in show biz and not being the show runner and all around great guy
I also have to speak up for Eugene Levy, who got a great arc in Season 6 when Johnny actually showed some trauma and pain at losing his fortune. Honestly, though, even though Season 6 didn’t have the strongest overall story all four of the mains got great moments. Catherine showing Moira lightening up as her movie is a success was stellar comedy work. She never went for the easy joke and made her just as funny as a success than as a failure. David realizing what was important to him and then Alexis, who could have been a very awful & mean-spirited character, becoming independent also produced some stellar moments.
Oh, I mean, technically I want all four to win, and also somehow for Noah Reid to win even though he wasn’t nominated if for no other reason than the scene where he reacts to the happy ending, but I don’t think anyone’s chances are really good other than Catherine’s. But I agree; I don’t think Eugene Levy gets enough credit for the sort of care he put into playing Johnny. It’s easy to just go for the physical comedy when you’re Eugene Levy, but other than a few eyebrow dances, he never did with Johnny.I have hopes that the show will win for writing or directing, which would make me equally happy.
I went to the Live event, and Eugene talked about what an adjustment it was to play the straight man/reaction character and how vulnerable it felt to play a character that actually looked like himself, and Dan chimed in about how Johnny really is the heart of the show. So, yes, Eugene doesn’t get enough credit. I actually choked up when Stevie consoled Johnny about not being able to pay for a lavish wedding. That said, yes, it is a crime that Noah and Emily didn’t get nominated for anything. I am just going to cross my fingers that the show takes home at least one of the big prizes, and certainly Catherine is deserving. But I’ll also say that there is no justice if Dan doesn’t get a writing award.
It turns out we needn’t have worried!
No! I noticed that Dan talked a lot about Annie in his acceptance speech as though he also feared she would be the only one who didn’t win. I think they were all relieved when the Royal Flush happened!
I would give it to Jodie Comer for that episode with her family, yeah. But I also LOVE Linney in Ozark, and her dynamic with brother Ben this season could put her over the edge in deserving the award (whether she gets it or not).
Ozark is a hate watch for me, but I agree, Linney was amazing this year. What can I say; she plays “long-suffering sister of a brother with issues” really well.
apparently she will never really get her vehicle. I don’t know if I want her to join the Marvel universe, but Ozark isn’t it.
Ozark isn’t anyone’s vehicle, except for maybe Julia Garner’s. (Though maybe only because Ruth is an easier character to watch, compared to Kimmy, a naive teenager unwittingly trying to have sex with a 40 year old spy)
Two Golden Globes, four Emmies, and multiple Oscar and Tony nominations – I’d say Linney’s been pretty fortunate compared to a lot of actresses!I thought she had her vehicle with The Truman Show. Or Love Actually. Or John Adams. She’s had ten different roles that have netted nominations for some combination of Oscars, Globes, Emmies BAFTAs and SAG awards, most as lead, including being the lead of at least three TV series. Not bad going!
Eh to me she’s getting to be like Meryl Streep, see the below Onion article. In The Truman Show…she wasn’t playing Truman, dude. John Adams…she wasn’t playing John Adams, dude. They would nominate her for appearing in a paper bag, but these parts aren’t the main person in a show or movie that’s good. A lot of the movies like Hyde Park on Hudson and The Fifth Estate are just bad decisions. https://www.theonion.com/name-one-masterpiece-of-cinema-that-ive-starred-in-1819584655
She was very close to being the joint lead in John Adams, even if she wasn’t the title character; she’s about joint lead in Ozark (she starts out maybe #2, but by the third season she’s probably the #1 lead); she was the star of her own series (The Big C) for four years. John Adams wasn’t a ‘paper bag’ – 23 Emmy nominations, including 13 wins!She was near-lead in one of the most prestigious TV shows in history, plus joint lead in a popular, Emmy-winning prestige drama, plus lead of her own four-season, relatively prominent comedy drama, plus leading or near-leading roles in massively critically-acclaimed films likes The Squid and the Whale (92% on RT), You Can Count on Me (95%), Kinsey (90%) and The Savages (89%), plus substantial roles in a range of Oscar-bait films (Mystic River, Sully, etc), plus a small but memorable role in an all-time cult classic (The Truman Show), plus cameos in zeitgeisty comedies (Frasier, Bojack Horseman, etc), plus a lead role in a series of critically-acclaimed miniseries over the course of nearly three decades (the original Tales of the City was described as one of the greatest miniseries on DVD; the latest outing is on 100% on RT), plus 3 Oscar nominations, plus a raft of successful stage roles to boot. She’s had a career that 99.99% of actresses would kill for.Sure, she hasn’t been in a Marvel movie, but there’s more to cinema than Marvel movies. And no, she hasn’t been in an indubitable masterpiece of cinema… but then how many modern actors HAVE been? [and she’s certainly been in a masterpiece of TV].
John Adams wasn’t very good. Mystic River fucking blows. You are forgetting she was the lead in “Congo” and on the 48oz Burger King cup. You are strawmanning that I said she’s not a good actress or hasn’t been in anything good, and being stupid. Squid and the Whale is definitely good, but You Can Count on Me is a stone classic, I forced my parents to watch that movie. You are only able to make a 100% vs. 0% argument, just go to bed.
Was Ramy even a comedy this year? (S2?)
That’s not the name of Issa Rae’s character on Insecure. It always astounds me how people writing about TV for money make these mistakes. It’s Issa Dee.
Cate Blanchett and Regina King is one Hell of a battle for Best Actress in a limited series. I saw both shows. Advantage King not only because of how good she was, but because of the social resonance of Watchmen was actually able to even best the Women’s movement.
Toni Collette and Unbelievable REALLY deserve more attention. The woman continues to make me forget she isn’t American as apple pie. And she nails this under-seen performance.
did you know she’s one of the best singers in musical theater ever?
Wouldn’t surprise me (We all know she knows her ABBA!)
I got to see her in The Wild Party on broadway, she’s fucking next level and that was a while ago and that level didn’t get reached
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is equally deserving of a nod for Black Mirror.Jim Parson’s performance was also incredible. He expertly makes his detestable character so unlikable only to redeem himself to the audience right at the end. That may be the product of good writing, but he pulls of the duality masterfully.
It’s a shame Jeremy Strong has to go up against Brian Cox because Kendall’s rap is one of the few things to reliably make me smile (and cringe) during these bleak times. And he uttered the “but” heard ‘round the world.
I’m a simple man, I just want D’Arcy Carden and Andre Braugher to win.
I still haven’t watched S2 of Pose or Succession because I’m a fool, so I can’t really decide between Billy Porter and Brian Cox. I expect they’ll both be nominated again for S3 of their respective shows, so give it to Billy this year for a history making back-to-back (first Black man to win it consecutive years), and then once the Academy recognizes the tremendous talent of MJ Rodriguez et al. and Pose gets more nominations, give it to Brian next year.
Kerry Washington’s performance in “Little Fires Everywhere” might be the single worst performance on television this year. It was so bad, I kind of enjoyed hate-watching it. Regina King should absolutely curb-stomp Washington here.
I can’t wait…to be disappointed!
Mrs. America was okay but not that great. It didn’t have much insight into Schlafly and didn’t take the route that there is no insight to have, I thought Uzo was not great as Chisholm (she should have done MORE of an impression in this case for this historical figure), the show abandoned Jill Ruckelshaus like history did and didn’t hold her accountable (it made up a fake narrative to make her seem more modern). It’s fine if that show doesn’t win and Cate Blanchett isn’t rewarded for doing TV. She was fine.
Let’s keep our eyes on the prize here people. D’arcy Carden as Janet(s). This woman needs her employment guaranteed until the end of her days. She should never not be working ever again any time she wants to, I think the Emmy will help with that, make it so.
Jennifer Aniston is the favourite for Best Actress? There was only one actor worse than her on Morning Show, and that was Resse. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Bel Powley where both excellent and made the leads look really bad. (Best thing about that show was Billy Crudup. He was so good, he made his lines sound as if they where written by different writers, from a much better show)
Very much agree with you that Billy Crudup was the standout, but I actually thought Jennifer Aniston was incredible. Felt like her most believable performance to me since… ever?
I really wanted to like her in this (because I like her generally) and she was probably good, but I just wasn’t convinced by her in the role. In theory, she’s perfect for a Katie Couric/Dianne Sawyer type, but for some reason, she didn’t seem quite right. (And Carrel was even more off – I just don’t see him as a Matt Laurer/Anderson Cooper type at all.)But wow, Crudup was brilliant. He kept me watching. Did you get a slight Bill Nighy vibe from him?
hey, our boy won!
Emmy’s did something right! And I JUST started season 1 of Schitt’s Creek, so now I’m extra excited to keep going.
awesome! (I found season 1 rough sledding. Like the first few seasons of Next Generation, it takes awhile to find its groove. Season 2 is much better)