I've said multiple times and I think
I'll keep repeating it: if you watch any awards show thinking it will be as
entertaining as the films and TV shows nominated by the group, you're watching
it for the wrong reasons. It’s an awards show, measure it only by that metric.
That being said last nights just
rebranded Actor Awards (formally Screen Actors Guild Awards) was even by that
metric by far the most enjoyable awards show of the last few months. I laughed
hysterically more than I usually do at an awards show and while that's not a
high bar, most of it came from genuine entertainment. And much of that was
because of the representatives from TV.
The show began with a pre-taped
segment where the cast of Abbott Elementary performed as if the faculty
had seen all the films, completely in character. Sheryl Lee Ralph kept getting the names and
performances all wrong (she said she liked the actors who played Smoke and
Stack in Sinners) Mr. Johnson cheered Emma Stone's word in Bugonia ("Credit
for bald representation) and Janine, Gregory
and Jacob recited most of the lines from the nominated films. When Jacob
did the lines from Sinners Gregory said, "I know I should be
offended but I have no notes." I almost wonder if Quinta Brunson had a
hand in writing that sequence: it genuinely sounded like something I'd see on
the series.
Kristin Bell, while not at the same
perfect standards she had last year, did a superb job hosting, particularly in
her sequences with individual guests. She bantered with Noah Wyle about how she
too, could do a job as a doctor and Wyle handed her a speech from the most
recent episode of The Pitt and she was timed to say it. She asked Rhea
Seehorn what Pluribus was about and it was hysterical from the start. (Seehorn:
"You haven't seen it?" Bell: "Oh I have.") Then Seehorn
described the power of the hive mind and ended with half of her cast from The
Good Place saying: "Join us." Bell yet again proves why the best
emcees for awards shows are blonde women, following in the high heels of Nikki
Glaser and Chelsea Handler.
But the same was true for most of the
presenters as well. Sterling K. Brown
and Janelle James, prior to presenting Outstanding Female Actress in a Drama
did a bit where James absolutely proved she should be cast in the next prestige
drama and the usually perfect Brown blew his lines. The female cast members of The
Office preceded their presentation of Best Comedic Ensemble by bragging
what it was like to do a 22 episode season: "We did Christmas episodes,
Valentine Day's episodes, filler episodes!" And Claire Danes and Damien
Lewis reunited on stage from Homeland – and to say how annoyed they were
that they never won the top prize at SAG-AFTRA. The best part came when Danes
reminded us Timothee Chalamet got his start on Homeland. "That's
the perfect training ground for a Sadfie movie", said Danes. "We made
you Chalamet!" Lewis added. "Just saying." (They did by the
way."
But as you might expect the funniest
bit came when Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs came out. Stalter started to give
an acceptance speech and Downs then explained to her that their entire arc in Hamnet
had ended up on the cutting room floor. "We were the comic relief in
that film," Downs's explained. "We were this brother and sister who
was married it was political satire." And Stalter was astonished. Her best
moment came when she looked right as Jessie Buckley and "Say
something!" Everybody in the room was in hysterics and I really want to
hear that musical number.
The only politics mentioned the entire
night had to do with the union and all of it had more to do with the fact that
the LA branch of the WGA went on strike this weekend and that the negotiations
for the new contract are beginning yet again. Even here when the new SAG-AFTRA
president Sean Astin mentioned this, he only did so very briefly and with
relative nuance, something that came as a relief a month after the virtue
signaling Grammys where everybody was making political speeches. Having watched
a fair amount of January where celebrities were commenting on everything and
fully expected the upcoming Academy Awards to have its share the fact that we went
an entire night with no references to ICE, Gaza or Trump was a balm to my soul.
If it's railed at in some circles for not being political enough I'm grateful
that they concentrated on the work and not politics.
Most of the awards that occurred in TV
did go as I predicted but there were some surprises. The comedy awards were a
tribute to The Studio where we saw every side of Seth Rogen. When he won
Best Actor in a Comedy he said that he never expected this and then joked to
Ike Barinholtz "I'd like to think I could have been big enough to handle
it if I lost to you. I would have taken it out in other ways believe me." When
Catherine O'Hara was awarded her expected posthumous award for her work Rogen
accepted for her and we saw the humble side as he told us how much of a joy it
was to work with her, how grateful he was to have even this brief time and
basically saying that if there were people who had not seen her perform show
them her work in Beetlejuice and Best In Show. And when the
series won Best Comedy Ensemble, Rogen said how lucky he was to work with the
entire cast and how grateful he was they'd be back to work on the new season
starting tomorrow. Season 2 won't air in time for eligibility requirements for the
2026 Emmys but it reminded us yet again how fun it will be to look forward to
it.
The Pitt, as expected took the prize for
Outstanding Drama Ensemble and Noah Wyle won Best Male Actor. (The fact that
Stalter and Downs, who work on the same streaming service as Wyle, might have
been retroactively a sign the fix was in had it not been for that fact Wyle had
won every other award.) However the biggest upset of the night came with Best
Female Actor in a Drama. It went not to Rhea Seehorn, who'd already won the
Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award in this category but rather to Keri
Russell for The Diplomat.
I have to say while I'm surprised I
was grateful. The Diplomat is the third prestige drama Russell has been
a part of during her long career and yet aside from her Golden Globe for Felicity
waaay back in 1999 she has no real trophies to go with it. Considering how
highly regarded both she and the series are – The Diplomat received
nominations for Best Drama and multiple other awards at both the Golden Globes
and Critics Choice Awards for three consecutive years - it has been forced to play bridesmaid for
other exceptional dramas. I've been hoping for a victory for Russell down the
road but I wasn't sure if it would come this year. Now with her victory she
makes the race for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series more interesting,
considering Seehorn has beaten her twice and now Russell's beaten Seehorn once.
And I expected that Erin Doherty would
not prevail for Best Female Performer in a TV Movie/Limited Series. I
was sure it would be either Sarah Snook or Michelle Williams; who've each
claimed a trophy so far this year. Williams won this time for Dying For Sex and
while she wasn't at the Golden Globes to claim that prize, she was her to accept.
She was humble, going out of her way to thank the entire cast, who she considers
her family and going out of her way to thank her own 'Nikki and Molly'. Considering
Owen Cooper wasn't present for his expected win, it was good to see for once Adolescence
didn't steal the spotlight.
(I was right that The Last Of Us, which
I thought should win Best Stunt Ensemble, prevailed but since I didn't see that
award I won't comment.)
I will also state upfront how
profoundly moved I was by Harrison Ford's acceptance speech for his lifetime
achievement award. He gave his usual humble remarks: "I'm astounding
looking at so many people here who are nominated for actual awards while I'm
receiving one for being alive." (Don't worry Harrison, I'm pretty sure
Emmy is coming very soon.) And I would love if this was the halfway point of
your career, I'm sure we all would.
I won't comment on the film awards
because that's not my place. But as anyone who loves television knows all too
well, I was overjoyed to see Michael B. Jordan win for Sinners. As
someone who is still heartbroken by the fate he met as Wallace on The Wire and
who was in awe of his work in the final two seasons of Friday Night Lights, to
see an actor who I've watched grow up on TV in a very real way finally get some
kind of recognition from his peers was wonderful. The last couple of years have
seen quite a few creators of iconic television roles with acting awards, most
notably Cillian Murphy in 2024 and Kieran Culkin last year. Jordan gave one of
the greatest performance of the 21st century film in Sinners and
as someone who's always known what a great actor he was a decade before
his path crossed with Ryan Coogler I want him to win for that reason as well.
The 2026 Actors mark the official conclusion
of Phase One of this year's Emmy Watch. Later this week I will deal with some
of the other awards that I consider part of Phase Two that might give us a hint
of what's to come in a few months' time.
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