Thursday morning saw the nominations for the Emmy Awards , the often behind-the-times but still authoritative prizes for the best of what's on TV . The most notable new development in this year is big movement in the drama field, as Game of Thrones , the Emmys' reigning Best Drama champ and the all-time-winningest prime-time series is out of contention due to its later-than-usual season this year. In the absence of Thrones , several new shows have the opportunity to grab the top prize, and, possibly win the first ever Best Drama gong for a streaming show. Here are the biggest developments from the nominations:
The Emmys have the tendency to honor the same shows every year it was big news, in 2016, when The Americans broke into the Best Drama field in its fourth season. This year, though, thanks to shows either ineligible (Thrones, the now-concluded Downton Abbey ) or falling out (sorry, Americans ) no fewer than five of the seven Best Drama nominees were brand-new, with only Better Call Saul and House of Cards returning. And the new shows in the field come from across the spectrum of television. There are three streaming series (Netflix's zeitgeist smash Stranger Things and aesthetically ambitious The Crown and Hulu's much-discussed Handmaid's Tale ), one network show (NBC's This Is Us , the first show from a broadcast channel to be nominated since The Good Wife in 2011) and HBO (continuing a long streak of nominations with the sci-fi spectacle Westworld ). It's not hard to imagine that one of the three new streaming series two of which helped fill the Thrones vacuum by generating endless chatter among TV fans , and the other of which is expensively made and about an eminently awardable historical subject could break a longstanding barrier for streaming TV.
MORE: Margaret Atwood and Elisabeth Moss on the Urgency of The Handmaids Tale
The rise of streaming seemed this year to largely apply to Netflix and, with Handmaid's , an ascendant Hulu. Amazon saw its longtime awards stalwart Transparent fall out of major categories in spite of (in my view) its third season being by far the series's best. The series missed the Best Comedy trophy (the only one of last year's nominees, including ABC's long-in-the-tooth Modern Family , to do so). It also lost out in the comedy directing category, where creator Jill Soloway had won the past two years. With 17 nominations, HBO's Veep was, as ever, a powerhouse; unsurprising too was the bounty showered upon the one new Best Comedy nominee, FX's critically-beloved Atlanta . The other big comedy surprise of the morning was Pamela Adlon's acting nomination for FX's Better Things , an underheralded show that generated some of last year's heartiest laughs.
This Is Us landing a Best Drama nomination, even in an age where streaming dominates, wasn't necessarily a shock it's got great support behind it as the last hope for broadcast TV drama, and is skillfully made (if manipulative). But the breadth of its support in acting categories was startling: In Best Actor, for instance, nominations went to not just past Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown but also Milo Ventimiglia. Supporting player Chrissy Metz as well as three guest actors (Denis O'Hare, Brian Tyree Henry, and Gerald McRaney) will be waiting to see if This Is their golden moment, too. Still, This Is Us was not the most nominated-drama; with strength across technical categories owing to the robots and interdimensional creatures they depict, Westworld (22 nominations) and Stranger Things (18) topped the leaderboard. (And in getting a supporting nomination for the supernaturally gifted Millie Bobby Brown and a guest nomination for "Barb" portrayer Shannon Purser, Stranger Things has brought to the party two of the youngest nominees in recent memory.) Even if either or both loses the top prize (though an awards show that's been more pop and populist of late suggests to me that one or the other will win), they may end up taking home the most trophies.
Westworld shares its title as the most-nominated among all series with a much older series: NBC's Saturday Night Live . Given that SNL is the only program of its type with its rapid-fire prosthetic makeup and set construction, a high nomination count is hardly new; what is new is the show's wild dominance of acting categories. Fully half of the comedy supporting actress nominees are sketch comics who worked last year in 30 Rock: Vanessa Bayer (who's since left the show), Leslie Jones and last year's winner Kate McKinnon. Though not an official cast member, Alec Baldwin's volume of appearances as Donald Trump on the series qualified him to enter the supporting actor field, where he looks like a frontrunner; five SNL hosts, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dave Chappelle and Sean Spicer impersonator Melissa McCarthy, were nominated in the guest categories. This caps a year of renewed relevance for the late-night stalwart, which isn't the only beneficiary of the present public engagement with newsy humor. TBS's Full Frontal With Samantha Bee and CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, both of which came up empty for Outstanding Variety Talk Series nominations last year, are nominated this year. Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show , which has struggled to find its place in a newly political landscape on late night, was snubbed. (It's the first time Fallon, as host of Late Night or Tonight , has missed this nomination since 2010.)
MORE: Why Saturday Night Live Is More Important Than Ever
The story of the much-watched miniseries categories a hotly-speculated-about field in the years since "limited series" have come into vogue is a showdown between two hugely ambitious female-led projects. HBO's domestic drama Big Little Lies has the imprimatur of two major movie stars, a classy pedigree and above all shrewd insights about the ways in which society pits women against one another. So it's a cruel irony that it's, well, pitted against FX's true-Hollywood-story Feud: Bette and Joan. With 18 nominations, the period-set, richly costumed and decorated Feud has more nominations, but it's hard to imagine Lies ' breakout Nicole Kidman losing even despite her stacked category. (Kidman's competition includes, among others, costar Reese Witherspoon as well as Feud 's Susan Sarandon and Kidman's toughest competition Jessica Lange.) A category to watch to see where the wind is blowing may be Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, where Lies 's Laura Dern and Shailene Woodley are up against Feud 's Judy Davis and (in a pleasant surprise) Jackie Hoffman. Lies was in many ways the TV story of the year proving TV's power to connect even the most well-established of stars with audiences in new ways and to tell stories of seemingly impossible complication in sensitive and powerful ways. And yet it becomes hard to imagine Emmys voters saying no to a story about how much every star loves the adulation of the crowd, and how hard it can be to keep up with Hollywood's rapidly changing vogues.
Read more from the original source:
The 5 Biggest Surprises of the 2017 Emmy Nominations - TIME
- The Zeitgeist Film Series Gateway | Zeitgeist: The Movie ... - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- The Zeitgeist Movement Global - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- TZM - Mission Statement - The Zeitgeist Movement - December 10th, 2016 [December 10th, 2016]
- Zeitgeist: Addendum, Debunked - Skeptic Project - December 23rd, 2016 [December 23rd, 2016]
- ZMCA Homepage - January 9th, 2017 [January 9th, 2017]
- Top Five Zeitgeist: The Movie Myths! | Peter Joseph - January 9th, 2017 [January 9th, 2017]
- What is the Zeitgeist Movement - January 9th, 2017 [January 9th, 2017]
- Here Is Everything You Ever Need to Know About Magical Tutting - Inverse - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Tambor Felt Great 'Responsibility' to Transgender Community in ... - ABC News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Piaget Altiplano turns 60, and it's still the choice of today's jetset sophisticate - City A.M. - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 'Der Spiegel' magazine sparks furor as cover depicts Trump beheading Lady Liberty - Deutsche Welle - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Super Bowl Ads Capture Zeitgeist and Commodify Diversity - The Wesleyan Argus - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 'Recruit Rosie': When Satire Joins the Resistance - The Atlantic - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- A movie of the artist as a young man: Paolozzi silent film stars in film festival - Herald Scotland - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- If Los Angeles Becomes a Bona Fide Fashion Show Destination, What's Next? - WWD - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Why I chose Jefferson Avenue over Madison Avenue - The Drum - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- We spoke to the new generation of British playwrights who will dominate 2017 - The Independent - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Salman Rushdie's New Novel is About Political Correctness and the Culture Wars - Heat Street - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- The rise and rise of clean beauty - Evening Standard - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Badass Baroque - Daily News & Analysis - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Five things to know from Netflix's 2017 launch - Newstalk 106-108 fm - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- What to Watch at the Grammys - Wall Street Journal - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Young Artists Lead Through Emotional Expression, Powerful Voices and a Conviction for Social Justice - Youth Today - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- When the Secular is the Sacred - Patheos (blog) - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ava DuVernay's Oscar-nominated '13th' documentary aims to unlock the truth - LA Daily News - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Bernie O'Rourke: An Irishman's Passion for Business - Caldwell University News - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- 9 Ways the Grammys have Totally Blown It - Newsweek - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Q&A: Chef Michel Gurard, a Pioneer of Low-Calorie Cuisine - TIME - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Ava DuVernay's Oscar-nominated '13th' documentary aims to unlock the truth - The Pasadena Star-News - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- The busy busy family's garden - Leinster Express - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- South-West Review bulletin board February 12, 2017 - Lillie News - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Movement as bleak theater, with some terrific Pharrell music too - Los Angeles Times - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Bishops' fumble with same-sex marriage means the Church of England is about to lose a generation - The Conversation UK - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- The Grammys Honored the Wrong Album, and Adele Knew It - Advocate.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- These '80s Artists Are More Important Than Ever - New York Times - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Whitehall's war on unaccompanied minors - LocalGov - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Britpop songs 10 of the best - The Guardian (blog) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Our president is a TV addict. It's going to get the best of him, but he'll never get the best of it. - Washington Post - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- How wellness trends may shape health industry in 2017 - Fox News - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- President Donald Trump is a TV addict - MyDaytonDailyNews - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Belly-Button Rings: Where Are They Now? - Racked - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- In the age of surveillance, what do any of us have left to hide? - Irish Times - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Slam a poem - The News on Sunday - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- With 'The Breaks,' VH1 revisits the '90s hip-hop scene when success wasn't a sure bet - Los Angeles Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Why Fashion Has Every Right To Be Political Right Now - W Magazine - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Bangkok city guide: what to do plus the best hotels, restaurants and bars - The Guardian - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Cobbling together: the Brooklynites who gather to make handcrafted shoes - The Guardian - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- The Harlem Renaissance, Alexander Wang and the VLONE Pop Up Shop - Huffington Post - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Museo Amparo - E-Flux - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- These are 'The Breaks': Inside VH1's 'grounded' new hip-hop series ... - Screener - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Why winning the French presidential election could be a poisoned chalice - The Conversation UK - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Campaigners to keep Britain in the EU could learn from Team Brexit - WalesOnline - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- How Sanjay Lalbhai & Pankaj Chandra are trying to build a unique university in Ahmedabad - Economic Times - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Maybe the Earth Is Flat - The Root - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Resistance Against Donald Trump Is Not a New Tea Party | Time.com - TIME - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Forget PoliticiansThe People Of The West Have Decided Against Muslim Immigration - VDARE.com - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Interruptions with fluid movements - The Navhind Times - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Summer of Love 50th Anniversary Posters Wake up Market Street - 7x7 - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Sean Spicer blames chaotic town halls on 'professional protesters.' So did Obama's team. - Washington Post - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Looking forward to a rad week for nonfiction film - The Boston Globe - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- 30 years after his death, James Baldwin is having a new pop culture moment - Los Angeles Times - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Turning Over Stones (What The Election Set Free) - Huffington Post - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Occupancies Explores the World of Our Bodies - BU Today - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- The age of the people - The News on Sunday - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Cruising Down SoCal's Boulevards: Streets as Spaces for Celebration and Cultural Resistance - KCET - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- The Old Divisions, They Do Divide Us - The Good Men Project (blog) - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- When Oscars speeches get political: the best, worst and most annoying in Academy Award history - The Mercury News - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- NAACP Fundraiser Honors Black Leaders, Activists - FOX 21 Online - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- The Simpsons Gospel: A Newer Testament for Troubled Times? - Huffington Post - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Johnson & Johnson pursues empathy in an age of 'anxiety and mistrust' - CampaignLive - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Outcry Kills Anti-Protest Law in Arizona, but Troubling Trend Continues Nationwide - Truth-Out - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Kendrick Lamar Gives A Glimpse Into His Mindset As He Approaches His New Album (Video) - Ambrosia For Heads - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Max Eastman: Curmodgeon - The Liberty Conservative - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- CHAZAN | The Revolution Will Not Have Shoulderpads: Image Comics 25 Years Later - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Big crowd still feeling the Bern at Jewish socialism confab - Jweekly.com - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- David Duchovny Hits the Road to Seek the Musical Truth That's Out There - PopMatters - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Donald and the Dominatrix: How the White House Inspired a BDSM Movement - Salon - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- It's Not McCarthyism, Stupid - New Matilda - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Inclusive, 'cool' Toronto shown in new tourism ad - Toronto Star - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Visa shows you how #KindnessIsCashless via their latest ad campaign - ETBrandEquity.com - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]