To be clear,
I am very aware of what show is going to win Best Drama and unlike previous
years, I’m fine with it. I still think there are better choices and I will
admit my preferences but unlike previous years I will NOT ignore reality. That said I’ve seen all or part of six of the
major nominees and I can’t deny their quality.
Andor (Disney Plus):
9-1. Pro: I started watching Andor out
of a sense of obligation. It quickly became one of the most intense series I’ve
watched in a very long time. Andor is
the first Star Wars based series that is about something other than Star
Wars and I mean this as the highest possible compliment. The writing and
performance have a rage and emotion that I’ve never felt with anything
connected with the series – yes, even with the original films which I know is sacrilege.
The first show in the franchise that has managed to make a crossover even with
those critics who don’t like the moves at all and led by an incredible cast
from Diego Luna on down, the series has become a favorite with MTV fans and
critics alike. And I can see why it was nominated for Best Drama. Con: Even
if Succession wasn’t in this category, it would be a major lift to see
the Emmys give a prize to any show based out of a franchise. They have never been
willing to recognize The Mandalorian, I don’t think they will do it
here.
Better Call
Saul (AMC):
15-2. Pro: Better
Call Saul was
the big winner of the 2023 Critics Choice awards and anyone who saw the final
season can hardly dispute that it didn’t deserve it. As we see the past of
Jimmy McGill catch up not merely to the present but saw how everything played
out in the future, we saw the three faces of this very complicated man come
together in the climax. And in the final episode Saul Goodman did something
that Walter White never did – accepted responsibility for his actions as the
man he became and for the man he could have been. In a weird way, you could say
Jimmy got a happy ending. The viewer definitely did. If there were any justice,
the Emmys would give Better Call Saul the grand prize. Con: Of
course, there were any justice the Emmys would have given the show something in
the previous five seasons it was nominated.
The first four seasons it was on the air, it fell victim to Game of
Thrones; the last two it was waylaid by Succession and it is more
than likely it will happen here too. I acknowledge that Succession is a
masterpiece but so is Saul. That said, maybe the Emmys figured they gave
enough love to Gilligan and company for breaking Bad.
The Crown (Netflix):
17-2. Pro: As
the fifth season of The Crown moved ever closer to the present day, the
viewer began to get a fuller scope of the saga that Peter Morgan has been
telling for six seasons. By telling the story of the royal family, he has shown
how power and wealth corrupt individuals in institutions the same way that
David Simon showed it for five seasons on the wire. It has been increasingly
hard to watch as Elizabeth and Philip, as they have gotten older, have begun to
uphold the ‘system’ they spent the first two seasons rebelling against and it
has been even harder to see how it crushes the outsiders like Diana who try to
stand against it. Some began to wonder this
past season whether The Crown was pro-Diana or pro-Elizabeth. It’s none
of those things. It’s anti-monarchy. In that sense, it’s as radical as anything
on any service. Con: The fifth season was the poorest received of all
that have aired and the Emmys just weren’t willing to give it the recognition
it deserved. Combined with the fact that it was suffering in comparison to the
fourth season where it swept the board, it’s hard to imagine it has a chance.
House of the
Dragon (HBO):
19-2. Pro: The
Emmys love Game of Thrones to be sure, but there is a universal appeal:
this series won the Golden Globe for Best Drama this winter something its parent
show could never pull off. The series quickly became as big a phenomena as Game
of Thrones even quicker than the original series and has managed to make
many of the images that made the original show work well its own. It’s going to
be in contention for a while. Con: Of the four major HBO series that received
nominations for Best Drama, House received the least recognition in
major categories (though to be fair, two of them didn’t leave much room for anyone
else.) The bloom may be off the rose for House, though it may take until
Season Two for the fire to burn again
The Last of
Us (HBO):13-2.
Pro: If
this HBO drama had only proven that a successful adaption of a video game was not
merely possible but dramatically riveting, it would have earned its spot here.
But this is one of the rare HBO mass projects that not only lived up to the
hype but surpassed it. The show was one of the more dominant award presences
over the last several months, winning from groups as diverse as the MTV Movie
and TV awards (it was the biggest winner) and the GALECA awards. It has had more
heart then some dramas that are more emotional and the episode ‘Long, Long Time’
has already entered the list of the greatest episodes of all time. I had no
idea that this was a video game before it was created. I don’t think anyone
will care. Con: There are a lot of HBO phenomena in this category (the network
is back in form in a big way) and I have a feeling, given how long it took for Game
of Thrones to get Best Drama will let it wait its turn.
Succession (HBO): 4-1. Pro:
Those
of you who have read my blog know that I devoted a lot of time and words over
the past three years saying that everyone who worshipped or raved about Succession
was an idiot. Those of you who’ve read my blog over the past several months
know that I exuded a lot of time and energy admitting just how wrong I was. I
do believe the worship of the series is still excessive but after Connor’s Wedding
and every episode leading up to the finale, I would be lying to myself if everything
that led up to the ending was not absolutely worthy of the immense recognition
it deserved. Given everything that we have seen by other awards shows,
including the TCA and the subsequent Golden Globe and Critics Choice
nominations, next month will be a coronation of the series. Con: Perhaps
the Emmys will think that they’ve rewarded this series enough? (I’m reaching
here.)
The White
Lotus (HBO):
11-2. Pro: Last
year, I made one of my biggest blunders as a critics when I said The White
Lotus had absolutely no chance of getting nominated for Best Drama. Clearly
I did not know how much the world loves this show. I think calling the show a
drama is a major stretch of the term but I won’t deny just how brilliant the
second season was and how well acted and written it was across the board. The
appeal of the second season is nearly universal: the series took the Golden
Globe for Best Limited Series and the SAG award for Best Drama Ensemble and its
won multiple awards from such groups as the MTV Awards as well. And its
appeal is hard to deny. This is a marvelous piece of work, and it’s certainly
the most fun of all the nominated shows in this category. Dark horse. Con: I
do think it is a stretch to call this series a drama and it would be hard to
say it was the best one even if Succession weren’t in this category.
Yellowjackets
(HBO):19-2.
Pro: With
the exception of Better Call Saul, this is the series that is my
favorite in this category. And the sophomore season was an absolute rush of
adrenaline created a blend that is truly unlike any other show on television.
Two seasons in, I still have no idea what genre this series is or whether there
is a supernatural element to what happened in the plane crash. At this point, I
don’t give a damn. The writing is among the best I’ve seen of any TV show since
The Americans came to an end, and this show has by far the best
assembled group of actresses- both in
the present and the past – that TV has seen assembled together in the entire
era of Peak TV. With some horrifying
images and the most devastating death in 2023 (yes, it’s more horrifying than
Logan Roy’s) Yellowjackets is a masterpiece. Con: The series
spent its entire second season running against Succession and I have the
distinct feeling it will be the poor cousin this year. Don’t worry ladies, you’ll
get another chance soon enough.
PREDICTION: It will take
an event nearly as earth shaking as Logan Roy’s death for Succession not
to win Best Drama, and I don’t have a problem with it. (As for the major acting
awards, well, that’s another story.)\
Tomorrow, I
will deal with Best Actor in a Drama. I’m not on the Roy bandwagon here for the
record.
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