Emmy’s drama series nods could look strikingly familiar — unless there’s a bold move
Three weeks after FX’s Reagan-era spy drama “The Americans” was more or less ignored by Emmy voters last year (again!), the Television Critics Assn. named it the best televised drama in the land.
You could view the award as a rebuke to the Television Academy or just read it at face value as a celebration of the show’s artful, seamless storytelling and extraordinary acting.
The question now is: Will Emmy voters remember that award, along with the Peabody that “The Americans” won last year, and finally nominate the program for drama series?
As much as I’d like to think that Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields’ show and its cast -- particularly leads Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys -- will finally break through for its fourth and, arguably, best season, I’m not optimistic.
For this to happen, the 19,000-plus voting members of the academy (specifically, the ones who haven’t been voting for “The Americans” the last three years) will probably need to know the events of its first three seasons for the current betrayals and soul-crushing disappointments to fully resonate. (The series is streaming on Amazon Prime for voters looking for a great homework assignment.)
The Emmy drama series landscape hasn’t changed appreciably from last year. Of the seven shows then nominated, only “Mad Men” has left the air. Given voters’ penchant for returning previous nominees (provided the shows haven’t completely skidded off the track), we could well see a rerun of last year:
“Better Call Saul”
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
“House of Cards”
“Orange Is the New Black”
Of these six, four are slam-dunk nominees: “Game of Thrones” (last year’s winner), “Better Call Saul” (second season just as great as its first), “House of Cards” (nine nominations last year) and “Downton Abbey” (its final season was no more heavy-handed than recent years and sentiment will be on its side).
“Orange Is the New Black” might be in trouble, though. After moving from the comedy to drama categories last year, the Netflix series came away with just four nominations, down from the dozen it received for its debut year. And its third season, while interesting, dropped nearly a year ago. Will voters remember?
“Homeland,” meanwhile, delivered another solid season. The Showtime series recovered last year to return to the nominees circle after being left off the list for its divisive third season, but it might be reaching the point in its shelf life where voters move on to the next great new thing.
And this year, there are plenty of choices, many coming from networks not known for producing Emmy-friendly fare. There’s Lifetime’s “UnREAL,” a dark satire of reality TV that also manages the neat trick of empathizing with its female characters. USA’s “Mr. Robot” is also dark and caustic, a Feel the Bern-era cyber-thriller about an avenging hacker looking to eliminate debt and level the financial playing field. WGN’s “Underground” became one of spring’s breakout shows, telling the story of a group of plantation slaves trying to escape and connect with the Underground Railroad.
Any of these new programs, along with Louis C.K.’s brilliant, self-distributed Web series “Horace and Pete,” would be excellent choices. But there are only seven Emmy series spots, too few in an era where it seems like every outlet is hellbent on getting in on the Golden Age of Television.
From this group of newcomers (and attention should also be paid to “Jessica Jones,” “The Path” and “The Man in the High Castle”), “Mr. Robot” has the obvious edge of having already won numerous honors, including the Writers Guild’s new series award. With just one exception, every program taking that WGA accolade has gone on to earn an Emmy series nomination. (Did “In Treatment” hit too close to home for voters?)
So ... early predictions: Look for “Mr. Robot” to join the six returning Emmy drama series favorites when nominations are announced July 14. And expect the usual weeping and gnashing of teeth from the television critics who adore “The Americans.”
Because what would Emmy nominations be without the outrage?
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From the Oscars to the Emmys.
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