Voting for the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards is now officially up and running and that that means the time has come for Television Academy members to stop watching their screeners, attending Q&As and get down to business. It’s time to think about the hundreds of hours of television they have watched and to make some very difficult decisions.
With Peak TV arguably at its height voters will have some tough calls in a ton of categories including Limited Series or TV Movie, Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie, Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Reality-Competition Program and Variety Talk Series, among others. It’s so competitive that it goes without saying that once the nominations are announced there will be a list of “snubs” that could fill up a whole other set of potential category nominees.
Even in that context, it’s not too late to remind Emmy voters about a number of contenders that seriously deserve their consideration. Some are surprising, some are not, but they could all use a boost to get into the Emmy nomination mix.
Anyone and everyone associated with “The Leftovers”
This is a major plea to any Emmy voter. Seriously, vote for Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Christopher Eccleston, writers Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta or any of the artists who contributed to the show’s third and final spectacular season. This legendary show does not deserve to go down in history with zero Emmy nominations.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
As a writer, a showrunner and a star, Waller-Bridge pulls off an incredible triple feat in BBC and Amazon Studios‘ hilarious and moving six-episode drama. Waller-Bridge creates one of the most memorable and relatable characters you’ve seen on television in years (and that’s saying something). Perhaps her voice is just a little bit of my voice (or yours), but it’s a unique one and worth celebrating.
Aubrey Plaza, “Legion”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Plaza has dipped her toe into straight drama before, but Noah Hawley‘s FXÂ hit was something else. As Lenny Busker (and eventually the show’s villain, the Shadow King) the former “Parks and Recreation” star took a role originally written for a man and played it both as a man and a woman refusing to let her lines be re-written for her own gender. In a year where she delivered a fantastic turn in the upcoming feature release “Ingrid Goes West,” her work is nonetheless “Legion” the best performance of her career.
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
It’s taken a few seasons, but O’Hara’s hilarious performance in the American/Canadian TV show is finally getting recognized in the states (thank you Netflix). O’Hara was nominated for her dramatic work in “Temple Grandin” in 2010 and won a writing Emmy as part of “SCTV” way back in 1982, but has never been nominated for her comedic work. Her work on “Schitt’s” is legendary to the show’s growing cult fan base in the U.S. It would be pretty great if Emmy voters came around and joined the club too.
Alia Shawkat, “Search Party”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
It was a mystery. It was a flat out comedy. It was close to farce. Whatever label you want to put on “Search Party” the end result was unforgettable and that’s largely due to the incredible work of Shawkat. In the series finale, her character discovers she’s killed an innocent man she thought had kidnapped a college acquaintance that the world had believed was missing (she wasn’t). In that moment of realization, Shawkat delivers a jaw-dropping performance of a woman who simply shatters at the events surrounding her. It would be powerful in any context, but Shawkat’s so good the entire episode simply hinges on the expression on her face after her discovery. It’s incredible.
“American Gods”
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
You can argue about whether the tone of Bryan Fuller‘s fantasy drama really works (I’m not so sure), but there is little debate about how stunning the show looks overall. That’s largely due to the work of three individual production designers Patti Podesta, Rory Cheyne and Kevin Phipps. There was some incredible work on series such as “Westworld,” “The Crown,” “Stranger Things” and “Legion,” but if ‘Gods’ doesn’t get recognized it is a crime.
Samantha Bee, “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
In its first season, “Full Frontal” earned a writing nomination, but after, arguably, the best political comedy commentary of the presidential election, Samantha Bee’s baby needs a series nod. And it wasn’t just Trump that the show so wonderfully eviscerated. They took on Brexit, the Veteran’s Administration, racism, the Muslim ban, and proponents of All Lives Matter (shudder). Â It took Stephen Colbert over a year to get into his groove at “The Late Show,” but Bee’s been rocking it since she launched (and she’s consistently funnier than John Oliver).
