Yes my loyal readers I
am well aware that we have had two Emmy ceremonies in the calendar year of
2024, so you might well think it is a little too soon to begin looking towards
next September. But it is the end of the year which means the most prominent end-of-year
awards shows for film and television are beginning their nomination process.
And as those of you who have read my columns know very well this is among my
favorite times of the year for television.
In what I will refer to
as Phase One of the 2025 Emmy pre-watch I will deal with the three biggies in
this field, all of which will be giving their nominations within the next few
weeks. The first of this group were given just hours ago as the Critics Choice
Awards gave their nominations for the Best TV of 2024. (The movie nominations
come out next week.)
Their have been fewer
bigger advocates for these awards then your humble scribe because in their
fourteen years of existence they have rarely let me down when it comes to
nominated the best shows not only of the year but frequently the era.
Historically they have a far better track record then the Emmys when it comes
to quality: they gave Best Drama to The Americans a full two seasons
before the Emmys even nominated and gave it the grand prize twice. They honored
as Best Drama such luminaries as Breaking Bad and Abbott Elementary as
the best shows of the year before the Emmys did (in the latter case they still
haven’t) gave prizes to such talents as Bob Odenkirk and Giancarlo Esposito
multiple times, were the only award show to give Matthew McConaughey a prize
for True Detective and are still one of the few awards shows where a tie
can take place.
And they have always
been a guiding light for me when it came to which TV series to watch; without
the nominations and awards they gave such shows as Andor, Squid Game,
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Yellowjackets I would likely never have
ended up watching those classics. They also have a habit of recognizing with
nominations and awards shows and actors that constantly are overlooked by the
Emmys, from Justified to Young Sheldon to basically everything
Walton Goggins has ever done, they are my true north when it comes to great
television. I cast the light on the Astras deservedly in the past four years
but with that show now apparently on hiatus (it was postponed from its airing
date this August and has yet to be rescheduled) the Critics Choice have resumed
their place in my heart – which if I’m being honest they never truly left.
With Peak TV in the
midst of a transitional phase this past year combined with the work stoppage, I
was curious to see what shows they would nominate for 2024. They continued to
defy my always high expectations and raise the bar for all awards shows going
forward. As is my habit I will go over their nominations over three days and as
always, I begin with Drama.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
First off, the majority of the major contenders from past
years (The Last of Us and Yellowjackets from 2023; Severance and
Squid Game from 2022) won’t air their new seasons until well into 2025.
However it is worth noting that Squid Game is eligible for these awards
but it didn’t receive a single nomination.
So what did? Big
surprise that Shogun is the leading contender. The Diplomat, the
only series that was nominated for Best Drama in this category last year, is in
second with four nominations. Slow Horses is nominated, but only for
Best Drama. And The Old Man is one of the bigger contenders with three
nominations. All three series are likely to contend for the prize next year.
As for the other
choices: Evil has been a favorite of the Critics Choice Awards for the
last three years but is unlikely to contend. Interview with The Vampire has
been a major critics favorite for multiple years but it has yet to break into
the field. It is possible Day of the Jackal will contend (I’ll wait
until The Golden Globes to see more.) I am surprised – and impressed – that the
representative from HBO is Industry and not House of the Dragon as
one might expect.
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
No surprise to see
Hiroyuki Sanada here or Jeff Bridges for The Old Man. Apparently Rufus
Sewell has been promoted from Supporting Actor to Best Actor for The
Diplomat’s second season (I will get to it) Eddie Redmayne had earned high
praise for Day of the Jackal.
I am someone surprised
not to see Gary Oldman here and Ncuti Gatwa here for Doctor Who. That said,
his work has gotten nominations from critics before. Anthony Starr does seem to
earn praise for The Boys.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
And we get to the first
reason I will always love the Critics Choice Awards: they have nominated Shanola
Hampton for her searing work in Found, something not even the Astras did
this year. Bravo.
Anna Sawai is hardly a shock
nor is Keri Russell. Kathy Bates was among the expected nominees for her work
in the reboot of Matlock. Catriona Balfe has always had a certain
respect from the Critics for her work for Outlander. Maybe I’ll have to
watch Black Doves down the road? Keira Knightley rarely is part of a bad
project.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
IN A DRAMA
And here we see two of
the great villains in television, both of whom will likely be ignored by the
Emmys: Mark-Paul Gosselaar for his incredible work as Sir in Found and
Michael Emerson as the acolyte of darkness in Evil.
The other nominations
are not a surprise: John Lithgow is back in the ranks for The Old Man and
few could be shocked to see Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira for Shogun in
the ranks. I’ll admit to being slightly surprised to see Sam Reid here instead
of Jack Lowden or Rory Kinnear but it’s a good group.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
IN A DRAMA
Here’s an interesting
category. Anna Sawai double-dips for her work in Season 2 of Pachinko. Allison
Janney is here for her work as the Vice President in The Diplomat. And I’m
thrilled to see Nicole Kidman here for her sterling work in Lioness. Moeka
Hoshi was overlooked by the Emmys for her work on Shogun and Fiona Shaw
is a perennial favorite in anything she does, so it’s hardly shocking to see
her here for Bad Sisters. I guess with Skye Marshall being nominated I
should start watching Matlock, not that I don’t need an excuse.
SURPRISING OMISSIONS
I will confess to being
slightly surprised that there were no nominations at all for either Presumed
Innocent or Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The former was expected to contend
for Emmys; the latter was one of the most nominated dramas and at the Astras. Still
it’s a solid group and I look forward to trying to predict the winners. (Who
are we kidding? Shogun’s going to win at least three of them.)
Tomorrow I deal with
Outstanding Comedy Series. Spoiler alert: the Critics’ Choice Awards feel the
same away about Season 3 of The Bear as most viewers do.
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