I’ve written about the Emmy races for limited series and comedy, which brings us to drama. And if you think this is an instance of me saving the best for last, that’s not the case. Far from it. Thanks to production delays caused by last year’s strikes as well as the end of such Emmy-nominated perennials as “Succession” and “Better Call Saul,” this year’s lineup of drama series contenders is thin. The eventual nominees might not be the worst slate ever selected ... but it’s going to be close.
How bad will it be? That depends on whether you believe that there’s such a thing as guilty pleasures (hey, if you like something, why apologize?) or that pleasure can be found in hate-watching a series just to see how cuckoo it can get. With those stipulations in mind, let’s look at the landscape, which can charitably be described as “wide open,” for this year’s Emmy drama categories.
DRAMA SERIES
Maybe you consider this first season of “Shōgun” to be a limited series, just like the 1980 television adaptation of James Clavell’s book that starred Richard Chamberlain. I won’t argue. I will just tell you to give thanks that it’s coming back for a couple more seasons, and because of that, it will be competing as a drama and classing up the joint. It will be joined by the final season of “The Crown,” the only nominee from last season eligible this year.
Emmy voters have been content to ignore Apple TV+’s flagship series “The Morning Show” in this category, rewarding it mostly for its acting. It had a new showrunner this year, and you can’t say Charlotte Stoudt didn’t lean into the zany plot twists and frenetic energy that fans seem to love. Meanwhile, another Apple TV+ show, the well-regarded misfit spy saga “Slow Horses,” is still looking for its first Emmy nomination of any kind. Good news! It’s a wide-open landscape!
Who will join ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘The Bear’ in the comedy categories? Let’s take a look.
From there, voters can rummage through a perfectly entertaining Marvel series (“Loki”), a couple of stylish crime dramas (“Sugar,” “Tokyo Vice”), a giddy, postapocalyptic video game adaptation (“Fallout”), a challenging take on an unadaptable book from the “Games of Thrones” team (“3 Body Problem”), light period fluff (“The Gilded Age”) and a movie adaptation that, in my circle, no one had the patience to watch to the end (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”). That could also be said about “The Curse,” a show equally brilliant and alienating.
DRAMA ACTRESS
Nobody had a better character arc than Anna Sawai on “Shōgun” — vassal, translator, warrior, lover, avenger. Her final moments on the show stand up to anything on television this year. Emma Stone, now a two-time Oscar winner with her recent triumph for “Poor Things,” is a formidable contender as well for her unsettling turn on “The Curse.”
Several leads could be nominated after being passed over last year — Imelda Staunton for playing Queen Elizabeth II on “The Crown,” Carrie Coon for wholeheartedly embracing the melodrama of “The Gilded Age” and Jennifer Aniston for her star turn on “The Morning Show.” Voters opted for Aniston’s co-star, Reese Witherspoon, in 2023. Maybe they’ll attend the ceremony together in September.
Other possibilities: Maya Erskine (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”), Carrie Preston for “The Good Wife”-verse spinoff “Elsbeth” and Juliette Binoche for her cold-blooded Coco Chanel on “The New Look” (and because she deserved more love for making us swoon in Trần Anh Hùng’s film “The Taste of Things”). Ella Purnell might be the most deserving dark-horse contender for the hell her character went through on “Fallout.”
DRAMA ACTOR
I don’t know what’s going on with television critics’ digestive systems, but I don’t think I’ve read a review of “Slow Horses” that hasn’t expressed a deep appreciation for Gary Oldman‘s ability to pass gas. Can you win an Emmy for a certain flair for flatulence? We’re about to find out.
“Shōgun” leads Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis will both be nominated and, as this adaptation belongs to Sanada’s Lord Toranaga, he has the upper hand. (Nobody bests Toranaga.) One thing I just learned: Dominic West has never been nominated for an Emmy. Appreciation for the last two seasons of “The Crown” has ebbed, and perhaps he’s too charming to play Prince Charles, but his grieving monarch was nonetheless affecting.
More often than not, voters like to have an emotional connection with characters. That puts Nathan Fielder (“The Curse”) and Donald Glover (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) at a disadvantage but maybe increases the hopes for Walton Goggins, whose Ghoul has a tragic backstory on “Fallout.” Colin Farrell’s private detective also was dealing with a dark past — and a big secret — on “Sugar,” a series that confounded many viewers with its midseason twist but worked (mostly) for me as a stylish, sci-fi noir. Farrell always delivers.
After a couple of down years, the limited series has made a comeback. Emmy voters will have some tough decisions to make.
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Debicki won the Screen Actors Guild award for her sensitive portrayal of a melancholy Diana on “The Crown” earlier this year, and with Jennifer Coolidge out of the race, she might well win the Emmy too. Castmate Lesley Manville should be nominated as well, since the series finally gave her a showcase episode in “Ritz,” the gorgeous, devastating highlight of “The Crown’s” final season. Manville’s Princess Margaret is absolutely breathtaking. Maybe she should take the Emmy.
Another English legend, Kristin Scott Thomas, could earn a nod for her droll perfection in “Slow Horses.” As for the remaining five spots: Emmy favorites Christine Baranski (15 nominations, 1 win) and Cynthia Nixon (5 nods, 2 Emmys) have a case for elevating “The Gilded Age” above the ordinary. Moeka Hoshi and Fumi Nikaido might be part of a “Shōgun” sweep. (Both had exceptional moments in the season finale.) And four women from “The Morning Show” — Greta Lee, Holland Taylor, Nicole Beharie and Karen Pittman — had memorable scenes that could linger in voters’ minds.
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Billy Crudup won this category for the first season of “The Morning Show,” and he remains the best reason to watch the series. His co-star this season, Jon Hamm, playing the suave, space-loving billionaire that Elon Musk can only wish to be, will join him. Perhaps Mark Duplass, nominated for the first season, returns as well.
They probably won’t be the only castmates nominated here. Look for Khalid Abdalla and Jonathan Pryce from “The Crown,” and as many as three “Shōgun” actors — Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira and Tokuma Nishioka. (Asano’s wildly entertaining portrayal of Yabushige makes him my favorite in the whole category.)
And it feels like after eight nominations — and one win — as a guest actor, it might be time for Nathan Lane to get his due as a regular on “The Gilded Age.” His sweet-potato-pie Savannah, Ga., accent is absolutely, delightfully ridiculous — just like the show.
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
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