That’s it. Perhaps the biggest, most contentious and competitive phase one of any Emmy season is over. Members of the television academy have cast their ballots (in the categories they are allowed to participate in) and the networks, streaming services, and potential individual nominees will hold their breath until the 2017 Emmy nominations are revealed on July 13th.
There are some major showdowns on the horizon (“Big Little Lies” vs. “Feud: Bette and Joan,” “Atlanta” vs. “Blackish” vs. “Veep,” “Stranger Things” vs. “The Handmaid’s Tale” vs. “The Crown”) but while we wait for the nominations, here are some quick thoughts on the season so far.
Phase one was busier than ever
Between the middle of April and the end of voting you could practically find some sort of Emmy Q&A, screening, or event every day of the week (you wanna have a screening at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for “The Path”? Sure, why not?). And that doesn’t count the massive number of billboard ads in LA and stunts such as Handmaids walking through neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Every category is crazy competitive and seemingly up in the air
If you can think of a category that is locked up with no chance of an upset, please share it. Even Outstanding Variety Sketch Series — with 18 or so contenders — is a toss up outside of “Saturday Night Live.” The question isn’t how many snubs there will be when the nominations are announced, but how bad/potentially embarrassing will they be because…
Netflix and Amazon spent big money in new ways
The money the streaming players spent for on-site event spaces would make an Oscar consultant blush. First, Amazon rented out the entire Hollywood Athletic Club for over a week. Each night a different show would have a screening and Q&A followed by a reception in the rest of the club (one Q&A for “Transparent” featured a live singing performance by Judith Light and was moderated by Alanis Morissette). Afterward, Academy members and industry folks were wined and dined in the rest of the club with each room designed/dressed around a different program.
Netflix found a way to do Amazon one better. The streaming giant took over the entire first floor of the former headquarters of the ICM talent agency and built different interactive exhibitions around each show. This “FYSee” space was a selfie amusement park that featured Q&As and events almost every night for a month. Moreover, when Netflix had a big show they wanted to push such as “Stranger Things” they rented the Academy of Motion Picture Science’s Samuel Goldwyn theater directly across the street for a screening and a Q&A. Both networks’ campaigns were so impressive many are wondering if they can get fringe contenders nominations that seemed improbable three or four months ago.
Old favorites may cut some new favorites out of the game
Listen, like many of their entertainment industry colleagues, television academy voters are absolutely more sophisticated and have higher brow taste in many areas than they did ten years ago. That doesn’t mean they don’t like to stick to their favorites, which means shows that might not deserve to make the cut this time around such as “House of Cards,” “Modern Family” or “Homeland” could still crash the party in numerous categories. That’s also a given in the Outstanding Reality Competition category where it has practically been the same five or six nominees for over a decade.
5 Potential Surprise Nominees
“Billy on the Street,” Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Don’t be surprised if this IFC underdog makes the cut. They have spent on FYC ads and with just 18 contenders it’s one of the more recognizable nominees (even if its inclusion is a stretch).
Mandy Moore, “This Is Us,” Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
She’s got to knock “Westworld” star Evan Rachel Wood or “The Americans” lead Keri Russell out of the mix, but don’t be surprised if Moore cracks the field. “This Is Us” is much more popular with Emmy voters than NBC likely expected and Moore and co-star Sterling K. Brown could be the biggest beneficiaries of that fandom.
Margo Martindale, “The Americans,” Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Here’s what we already know about Martindale and Emmy voters: they simply love her. She’s been nominated for playing the same role in the Guest Actress category four straight years and won the last two despite insanely minimal screen time one of those seasons. In theory, Supporting Actress in a Drama Series is more competitive, but Martindale won this category in 2011 for “Justified” and her name recognition may simply earn her yet another nomination (even if co-star Frank Langella is more deserving).
Jared Harris, “The Crown,” Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Like “This Is Us” don’t discount the chance for “The Crown” to earn a number of unexpected nominations in competitive fields. Matt Smith has an outside chance in the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series as does Harris in Supporting Actor. Smith and Harris’ co-star John Lithgow is the frontrunner here, but Harris could join him in the six-actor field. Moreover, double nominees from one show are not uncommon. “Game of Thrones” (2016), “Breaking Bad” (2013), “Downton Abbey” (2012), “The Good Wife” (2011) and “Lost” (2010) have all had double nominees in Supporting Actor this decade.
Cloris Leachman, “American Gods,” Guest Actress in a Drama Series
The fan favorite for an “American Gods” Guest Actress in a Drama Series nominee would likely be Gillian Anderson, but don’t discount the academy’s adoration for the sitcom legend. The 91-year-old has won eight Primetime Emmys and won Guest Actress in a Comedy Series three times for “Malcolm in the Middle.” Anderson is a five-time nominee and winner in 1997 for “The X-Files,” but Leachman’s status in the Television Academy is Betty White level.
What surprise nominees are you expecting on July 13? Share your thoughts below.