Hurray For Hollywood! A New Critics Association Shows The Emmys How It Should Be done

 

I’ve died. I’ve died and gone to awards show heaven.

For years – decades – I’ve been railing at how the Emmys do things. Who they nominate and who they don’t. I’ve watch as other awards have tried to do a better job; sometimes successfully, mostly giving us more of the same. And then yesterday morning a brand new awards show threw down the gauntlet as to just how awards shows for television might well go forward.

Yesterday, the brand new Hollywood Critics Association announced its first ever television awards. The usual breakdowns are here; nominations for dramas, comedies and limited series. But where the Emmys and so many awards shows have dealt with the rise of streaming and cable by completely letting those services dominate the proceedings, the HCA has decided to break down all these groups into categories like cable, streaming and broadcast.

In all the years of trying to get more broadcast series nominated, the idea of simply giving them their own category never even occurred to me. And it’s genius. It’s acknowledging that networks and everybody else have to play by different sets of rules. I am awe. And that’s before I actually saw the listings of nominated series and performers. To quote Keanu Reeves in just above everything he does: “Whoa.”

Is it perfect? Of course not. No awards show ever does that with its nominations; much less a new group its first time out. But looking at all of these incredible nominees, all I can say is if the Emmys do a quarter as well with their nominations on Tuesday, it’ll be remarkable. So let’s take a look:

 

BEST BROADCAST OR CABLE LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

Four of these choices were on my wish list for the Emmys – Fargo, I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown and The Undoing. I’d have preferred to see The Good Lord Bird over Your Honor, but I sort of get the reasoning. I remain baffled over the popularity of Euphoria, even in two-part special form and especially over Oslo. But overall nice job.

 

BEST STREAMING LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

Hard to argue with WandaVision and The Queen’s Gambit  as they were the other two choices on my wish list. Small Axe and Hamilton were going to be chosen by some groups in anyway. I guess I have to see The Underground Railroad now.

 

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIS, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

Chris Rock, Paul Bettany and Hugh Grant were inevitable and I approve. No real problem with Bryan Cranston. I’m a little surprised that Leslie Odom is Hamilton’s nominee and not Lin-Manuel Miranda. Have to see The Underground Railroad before I vote on Jon Boyega. Colman Domingo over Ethan Hawke and Jeff Daniels? I guess I should have expected an outlier or too.

 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

I thought five of these woman would be nominated regardless and one can hardly argue with Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Michaela Coel, Elizabeth Olsen or Cynthia Erivo. I’ll withhold judgment on Thuso Mdebo. This is the second straight time Zendaya has beaten Nicole Kidman for a nomination she should’ve gotten. Are they rejecting her for a younger model?

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

Kind of expected to see John Boyega and Evan Peters here. Glad to see Bill Camp here. Always glad to see William Jackson Harper anyway. Do I wish Daveed Diggs had been nominated for The Good Lord Bird instead of Hamilton? Yes, but I’m not shocked.

The nods for Courtney B. Vance and Randall Park I do find questionable. Where’s Donald Sutherland whose dominated these nominations? Where’s Glynn Turman or any of the cast of Fargo? Where’s Joshua Caleb Johnson? This is a slight disappointment.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES, ANTHOLOGY OR TV MOVIE

Back on track. Glad that Jean Smart and Julianne Nicholson are here for Mare of Easttown. Grateful to see Marielle Heller here. Overjoyed to see Jessie Buckley here for Fargo.

Has Hollywood maybe gone a little overboard when it came to WandaVision? Don’t get me wrong; Kathryn Hahn more than deserves to be here. But do we really have to have Kat Dennings and Teyonah Parris also here? Just saying maybe some of the cast of I May Destroy You or Your Honor could’ve been considered. A little variety would’ve been nice.

 

to be continued...