Ever since I
came, admittedly very late, to the fact that the NAACP Image Awards has been
covering television for decades, I have been intrigued by their nominations as
well as awards. Just as I favor awards groups like the Critics Choice Awards
for their selections frequently leading to me to series I would not normally
watch, the Image Awards serve a similar purpose – though I should admit the two
years I have been observing many of their TV nominations I’ve been more in accord
with them than the Emmys at certain times. The fact that they were willing to
nominate The Wonder Years, Women of the Movement, Ptolemy Grey and
several critical figures connected with Better Call Saul and The Good
Fight was always going to be something that would put them far more inclined
to be in their good graces. No one ever did a hashtag #EmmysSoWhite but that
may be more due to the fact that the Emmys started to recognize nominees of
color around the time hashtags became a big deal.
I was also very
intrigued to see the narrative they put forth this year as it’s pretty certain
this will me the only major awards shows where The Crown and Succession
are never going to be invited to the party no matter how good they are and Beef
seemed unlikely to be a presence. (Turns out I was dead on about the former
two, but wrong on the latter.) I was intrigued to see how they would do things all
things considered. They did not disappoint.
I will start with
comedy.
BEST COMEDY
SERIES
Abbott Elementary
and
Harlem are hardly surprises. Ditto The Neighborhood. I’ve been
hearing good things about UnPrisoned for a while; now I have another
reason to track it down. I hadn’t heard of Survival of the Thickest, which
is fairly prominent.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR
IN A COMEDY
You continue to
be in my good graces for nominated Dule Hill for the (sob) final season of The
Wonder Years. Delroy Lindo is hardly a surprise and Cedric the Entertainer
has been her the last couple of years. Ditto Mike Epps for The Upshaws, another
one of those shows I’ll never get to see. Tone Bell is part of Survival.
OUTSTANDING
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Each of the
nominees is from one of the nominated series, a symmetry unheard of at the
Emmys. I can hardly argue about Quinta Brunson and we may very well see Kerry
Washington in the ranks of nominees this next year. The rest are unlikely.
OUTSTANDING
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Mostly familiar
faces. I hope someday William Stanford Davis breaks through at the Emmys for Abbott
Elementary; he has the innate ability to steal every seen he’s in. Tyler
James Williams, Roy Wood Jr. and Keenan Thompson are legends at this point. I
will refrain on Harlem
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Apparently the
Image didn’t get the message: Ayo Edebiri is nominated for Best Supporting Actress
for The Bear instead of Actress. Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph no
surprises. Ditto Ego Nwodim for her work on SNL.
OUTSTANDING
DRAMA SERIES
And you’re now
on my Christmas Card list for nominating Found. Snowfall may do very
well here and I guess Queen Charlotte is to be expected. I think I may
actually start watching Bel-Air now that I have Peacock; I’ll make up my
mind on Black Cake.
OUTSTANDING
ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Keep it up. Jesse
L. Martin joins the ranks for The Irrational. I grant you he’ll probably
lose to Damson Idris to Snowfall but I’m fine with this. Idris Elba and
Forest Whitaker, I’m glad to see you getting the love you deserve and I’ll keep
giving room to Jabari Banks
OUTSTANDING
ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
My first problem.
Why is there nothing for Shanola Hampton? You’d expect it if they nominated Found.
Angela Bassett
and Queen Latifah make perfect sense and I’m more than fine with Octavia Spencer
for Truth Be Told. I can see a certain logic for India Ria Amartefio for
Queen Charlotte. Zoe Saldana, I just can’t see her over Hampton.
OUTSTANDING
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
You can’t have a
party without Giancarlo Esposito who apparently can’t stand still for five minutes
without working in TV. I’m always glad to see Wendell Pierce in the ranks and Jack
Ryan should have gotten more live. Snowfall and Bel-Air being
here make sense and I have little problem with a nominee from Chicago PD.
OUTSTANDING
SUPPORTING ACTRESS DRAMA SERIES
Considering
Nicole Beharie was nominated by the Critics Choice Awards for her role in The
Morning Show she may well be considered by the Emmys. There’s a bit too
much love for Queen Charlotte for my taste, but I prefer that to Grey’s
Anatomy.
OUTSTANDING TV
MOVIE, LIMITED SERIES SPECIAL
Swarm has gotten more
than it’s share of recognition and I suspect Lawmen: Bass Reeves will too. Black Girl Missing actually
took the prize for Best TV Movie from the Critics Choice and I’ve seen Heist
88.
OUTSTANDING
ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE, LIMITED SERIES OR SPECIAL
I’m thrilled to
see Lance Reddick recognized for his final performance in The Caine Mutiny
Court-Martial. And there is no awards show that can give enough recognition
to either Samuel L. Jackson or Courtney B. Vance (though Secret Invasion is
not the kind of think that works.) Always glad to see Bryan Tyree Henry in the
mix, even for a mess like Class of ’09. Keith Powers for A Perfect
Find – this is because of the strike right.
OUTSTANDING LEAD
ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE, LIMITED SERIES OR SPECIAL.
I didn’t expect
to find Ali Wong here. Dominique Fishback, of course, but not Wong. Let’s let
that go. Gabrielle Union, hmm. Lot of TV movies.
OUTSTANDING
SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV MOVIE, LIMITED SERIES, SPECIAL
This is more
logical. Damon Idris and Don Cheadle make sense and Full Circle never
got the praise it deserves. But the fact that two of the best supporting
performances of the year in Fellow Travelers were ignored for two TV
movies, not thrilled.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING
ACTRESS, TV MOVIE, LIMITED SERIES, SPECIAL
Aja Naomi King
will be included for Lessons in Chemistry and I’m thrilled to see CCH
Pounder and MJ Rodriguez here. I’ll let the rest go.
OUTSTANDING GET
PERFORAMCE
I will not argue
with Ayo Edebiri, Roy Wood Jr, Michael B. Jordan (for SNL) or Giancarlo
Esposito. I do question as to why Taraji P. Henson isn’t here.
WRITING COMEDY
No question
about Abbott Elementary or Swarm. Survival of the Thickest is
logical by extension. I guess Disney counts more than say, Harlem or UnPrisoned.
WRITING DRAMA
I guess Beef crosses
all racial boundaries. Thrilled that Found is here, not surprised Shonda
Rhimes is here (for Queen Charlotte). Bel-Air and Black Cake but
not Snowfall.
DIRECTING DRAMA
Power Book II:
Ghost is
here twice (though it was absent from most of the rest of the categories) Snowfall
has two nods and Godfather of Harlem one.
DIRECTING COMEDY
Swarm and UnPrisoned
are here, as is Survival and The Upshaws. Glad to see Grand
Crew got recognized on its way out the door.
All in all, an
intriguing group of nominees though I suspect it is because of the strike this
year that there are fewer than usual and a bigger reliance on TV movies than I’ve
seen in years past. UnPrisoned is now high on my to-do list in the year
to come and I should probably track down Bass Reeves as its been doing well
in the Critics Awards. (Though oddly enough David Oyelowo, whose been getting a
lot of recognition was not nominated by the Images.)
In the next
couple of days I will get to the People’s Choice Awards which are more
interesting then they usually are.
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