In an article I published earlier this
week I vented my virtual spleen at the unfairness in which I believed that NBC
and the Emmys were regulating the lion's share of the categories into the award
equivalent of second-class nominees. Having done my due diligence I will resume
what is the pleasurable part of this job.
Having seen all five contenders and
the overwhelming number of the remaining nominated actors and writers I must
once again praise the Emmys for continuing to recognize the era of Peak Limited
Series as it continues. We ran the gamut this year with the Emmys finally
feeling fit to recognize Peacock as a purveyor of great television while
continuing to acknowledge the holy trinity when it comes to this category over
the past decade: HBO, Netflix and FX. Unlike drama and comedy there is no
overwhelming favorite in this category and I'd argue all of the ones to come.
And unlike the last couple of years where I've had issue with some of the major
nominees I have zero with any of the five contenders. One was on my top ten
list for 2025 and at least one among these, possibly two, will be among by list
of the best of 2026.
So here is my prediction of the field.
All Her Fault (Peacock) MY PICK. Pro: Unlike past years there are no choices
I can't support and anyone of the contenders would be a deserving winner. With
that said in my heart of hearts, there's a part of me that really does think All
Her Fault deserves the grand prize. It is the sole adaptation of a novel in
this category and as with previous adaptations such as Little Fires Everywhere it is in
many ways has its own spin and even an improvement on the original. From the
basic story of Andrea Mara's Irish novel the writers have told one of a media
circus, how it forms its scapegoats and how two different women find themselves
being held to the impossible standard society and the workplace set on us. It
tells a story of a third woman, set up as a monster, but who turns out to be a
victim of great villain of the piece. And by opening up the life of the
detective with his own struggles, it puts up a counterpoint to what parents are
willing do for their children that mirrors what Marissa Irvine is forced to do
by the end of the story. Peacock should have been in the circle for Emmy
contention years ago, but that the Emmys did so for one of their finest works
to date is a personal triumph for what has become its most watched program to
date. Con: It did debut back last fall and while this hasn't been as big
a year for limited series as some, the Emmys does have a shorter memory.
The Beast in Me (Netflix) Pro: Matthew Rhys, as they say, is having a
hell of a year. One of the most riveting shows to debut at the tail end of 2026
was the cat and mouse game between Nile Jarvis and Aggie Wiggs, the former a
sociopathic real estate legend who very well may have killed his first wife,
the latter an author whose life fell apart when her son died in a hit and run
several years and has been dealing with an incredible case of writer's block.
It was a privilege to watch two of television greatest actors engage in a
psychological duel, both cast brilliantly against type: Rhys an egomaniacal
sociopath who may have fooled everybody; Danes as someone who has basically
fallen into the background of her own life and keeps getting sucked into the
world of a man she despises. A brilliant original story, it would set the stage
for a year of incredible limited series that pulled away from the literary
adaptations that have dominated this category for more than a decade and showed
an unsettling picture of wealth, trauma and so many losses we couldn't look
away from. Con: Beast seems to have the fate of falling between
two other Netflix series. The 2026 awards were dominated by Adolescence and now it seems a
second anthology will overshadow it this year.
Beef (Netflix) EXPERTS PICK. Pro: The long anticipated second season of
Lee Sung Jin's incredible anthology about how rage can spiral into the kind of
crises that affect every aspect of our lives took a different approach in
Season 2. We saw how a fight between a husband and wife who run a posh country
club was seen by a twenty-something couple who captured and then tried to use
it for their own ends. Sung-Jin moved away from the Korean-American realm of
Season 1 to tell a broader story about many of the same issues: struggling for
your place in the world, physical health far more then mental health, how the
wealthy and privilege seem to control everything and how race has a very
specific view society. It's ending was more surreal and yet more cynical then
Season 2 but had that same basic image. The writers and directors of Beef have
made it clear they will not rest on their laurels and are creating one of the
most fascinating versions of reality I've yet seen. It was the big winner at
the Astras a few weeks ago which are setting it up for a likely triumph. Con:
Perhaps because of the immense anticipation for it, the response was not as
universally praised as the first season. More to the point it is very difficult
for an anthology series to win in this category multiple times. Ryan Murphy is
one of the few creative forces who has been able to pull of that trick. That
could be a problem as much as…
DTF St Louis HBO (Dark Horse). Pro: Even if you don't believe that this is
not a brilliant satire of Peak TV itself, particularly the kind of dramas HBO
has done for decades (which I do) DTF. St. Louis deserves praise for
standing out. In a world of relentless grim stories of wealthy bad people doing
bad things, here's a story of working class Americans who are going through
mid-life crises and there are own small struggles. Instead of ultra cynical detectives
we have a porn-positive detective and an elder statesman who doesn't know the
rules. Instead of a dark secret about a murder, the biggest secret of this show
is how exactly Floyd broke his penis and even that's treated as a throwaway. We
have a love triangle of a weatherman who rides a bizarre bike, a ASL
interpreter who is just too nice for this world, and a woman who makes extra
money as a Little League umpire. And even if the last minutes took a turn into
darkness that didn't quite mesh with the entire series DTF deserves
credit for being one of the most joyful experience of television during 2026.
Small wonder its rising in the odds. Con: Unfortunately the Emmys have a
very mixed track record when it comes to dealing with limited series that are
fundamentally humorous in tone. They might nominate them as they did with last
year's entry Dying For Sex but they rarely if ever win the big prize. I
just don't think the Emmys will let the sun shine in for DTF.
Love Story: The Marriage of JFK Jr and
Carolyn Bissette (FX).
Pro: For years FX
anthologies have looked at the seedy underbelly of society and the grim
realities of America. So there's something refreshing about telling something
simple about how two people met, danced around each other, fell in love and all
the struggles that came with it. Led by the complete unknowns Paul Anthony
Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon, the show looks below the world of the heir to Camelot
and the woman who wanted more from life then just to be arm candy for the
Sexiest Man Alive. It tells the story of the beginning of the world we are all
to use, shows a picture of Camelot we rarely see, and shows how the real man
and woman beneath one of the greatest tragedies of our time. We know from the
opening minutes how this love story has to end but that doesn't mean you keep
hoping against hope that somehow it doesn't have to. Con: Love Story is
at its core, a simple story told well. Those aren't the ones that the Emmys
recognize here.
MY PREDICTION: While I'm not convinced it’s the best
limited series here, I think the second season of Beef ekes this out.
Tomorrow I deal with Outstanding Lead
Actor in a Limited Series. Or the category Matthew Rhys will not win an Emmy
this year. (Probably)
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