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At the the top of the race for drama series — featuring perhaps the five buzziest shows of the season — “Severance” holds the narrowest edge over “The Pitt.”
In close pursuit are “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us,” — avoiding the sophomore slump despite losing one of its main characters — and “Andor.” It’s there that the picture starts to get muddy. Kristen Baldwin writes, “It’s possible that ‘Squid Game’ — which had a solid, but not spectacular, second season — could get bumped out for Hulu’s ‘Paradise,’ Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat,’ or Peacock’s ‘The Day of the Jackal.’ That would be a shame.” Though Trey Mangum says, “One show I see buzz for, and would love to see manifest a spot, is ‘Paradise.’ Was it just too early in the cycle to remember?”
And as dark as some of the prestige fare has been, Lorraine Ali found it a wonderful relief from the nightmare that’s becoming real life: “The past year has been full of terrible dramas,” she writes. “Now it’s time to honor scripted television for distracting us from reality via the dystopian worlds presented in ‘Severance’ and ‘The Last of Us’ or the merciless lampooning of wealthy idiots in ‘The White Lotus.’”
More predictions: Drama actor | Drama actress
1. “Severance”
2. “The Pitt”
3. “The Last of Us”
4. “The White Lotus”
5. “Andor”
6. “Slow Horses”
7. “The Diplomat”
8. “Squid Game”
9. (tie) “The Day of the Jackal”
9. (tie) “Matlock”
9. (tie) “Paradise”
Los Angeles Times
Lorraine Ali
1. “Severance”
2. “The Pitt”
3. (tie) “The White Lotus”
3. (tie) “Andor”
5. “The Diplomat”
6. (tie) “The Last of Us”
6. (tie) “Slow Horses”
6. (tie) “The Day of the Jackal”
“The past year has been full of terrible dramas. Now it’s time to honor scripted television for distracting us from reality via the dystopian worlds presented in ‘Severance’ and ‘The Last of Us,’ or the merciless lampooning of wealthy idiots in ‘The White Lotus.’ Expect to see all the aforementioned shows honored.”
Entertainment Weekly
Kristen Baldwin
1. “Severance”
2. “The White Lotus”
3. “The Pitt”
4. “The Last of Us”
5. “Slow Horses”
6. “Andor”
7. “The Diplomat”
8. “Squid Game”
“It’s possible that ‘Squid Game’ — which had a solid but not spectacular second season — could get bumped out for Hulu’s ‘Paradise,’ Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ or Peacock’s ‘The Day of the Jackal.’ That would be a shame. Also a shame: that Emmy voters almost certainly will continue to snub one of the best shows on TV, ‘Pachinko’! (It doesn’t help that Apple TV+ still hasn’t renewed it for a third season.)”
Los Angeles Times
Tracy Brown
1. “Severance”
2. “The Pitt”
3. “Andor”
4. “The Last of Us”
5. “Squid Game”
6. “Slow Horses”
7. “Yellowjackets”
8. “Matlock”
“Among the frontrunners in this race are the two very different workplace shows: ‘Severance’ and ‘The Pitt.’ But I’m still rooting for ‘Andor,’ a grounded look at the more ordinary people of the galaxy far, far away, including working-class resistance fighters, interplanetary refugees and rank-and-file employees of an authoritarian regime.”
Shadow and Act
Trey Mangum
1. “The Pitt”
2. “Severance”
3. “The Last of Us”
4. “The White Lotus”
5. “The Diplomat”
6. “The Day of the Jackal”
7. “Paradise”
8. “Forever”
“Still a two-horse race between ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Severance,’ with ‘The Last of Us’ solidly securing its third-place moment. One show I see buzz for, and would love to see manifest a spot, is ‘Paradise.’ Was it just too early in the cycle to remember?”
TV Guide
Matt Roush
1. “The Pitt”
2. “Severance”
3. “The Last of Us”
4. “The White Lotus”
5. “Andor”
6. “The Diplomat”
7. “Slow Horses”
8. “Matlock”
“This category feels like a toss-up between ‘The Pitt’ and ‘Severance,’ with the former leading the ‘heart’ brigade and the latter the ‘mind’ trust. I’m also holding out hope Emmy voters shed their broadcast-TV blinders and give ‘Matlock’ a nod, the first since ‘This Is Us’ in 2021.”
Los Angeles Times
Glenn Whipp
1. “The Pitt”
2. “Severance”
3. “The Last of Us”
4. “The White Lotus”
5. “Slow Horses”
6. “Andor”
7. “Squid Game”
8. “The Diplomat”
“Spending 15 hours with the emergency room crew in ‘The Pitt’ forged an emotional connection that remains potent weeks later. What are they doing now? Is Nurse Dana coming back? Are roomies Santos and Whitaker about to kill each other? I need answers. I can’t wait until January.”
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