BBC America
Seriously, what happened?
Since the Emmy nominations are coming close, it is fascinating to look at the contenders, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted a lot of thing about the lead-up to the Emmys: productions postponed, shows moving release dates, and moving the entire FYC experience to the virtual world.
The number contenders for the Comedy categories have been pretty thin, save the inevitable Schitt’s Creek vs. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel showdown. Meanwhile, the Limited Series categories are intensely stacked with intense competition between timely releases like Unbelievable, Watchmen, and Mrs. America. Even the TV Movie category has some formidable contenders with HBO hit Bad Education and Netflix film El Camino.
For this article, we are going to focus on what is normally the most prestigious category of the Emmys: the Drama Series. For the longest time, Game Thrones have held on to this award, even for its widely panned final season. With that out of the way, a successor is naturally in order.
However, this season’s Drama Series contenders have mostly been disappointing outings, whether in comparison to previous seasons or just lacking seasons over-all.
Here’s my take on each of the contenders.
(NOTE: I have not seen Better Call Saul S5, Homeland S8, Euphoria S1, and The Outsider S1.)
Perhaps the most disappointing contender is Killing Eve (Season 3). Originally scheduled to debut on April 26, it moved its premiere up by two weeks. Its second season got nominated for Drama Series last year, boosting the confidence for this series’ chances to repeat this achievement. This hope proves futile. Despite a few strong episodes, the season suffered from a directionless narrative. Even Villanelle has become significantly less threatening this time. With a lackluster outing like this, it would be difficult to see this as among the top contenders. The only thing going for it is it is the last Drama Series contender out, rendering it fresh in the voters’ minds.
The only new series that has received strong buzz coming in this race is The Morning Show (Season 1). As Apple TV+’s most prestigious offering, this drama about sexual harassment in the broadcast industry received considerable hype leading up to its premiere, especially due to Jennifer Aniston’s comeback to television and Reese Witherspoon’s streak of producing/starring in prestige television. The end result is less than satisfying: while the cast mostly remained unscathed (save Steve Carell), the series is guilty of being preachy, broad, or soapy at times. One could easily imagine this as the new blood in the lineup. One could also see a lineup excluding this and solely focusing on past contenders.
Positioned as HBO’s epic fantasy successor to Game of Thrones, Westworld (Season 3) was coming off of a season that was marred by complaints about its overly cryptic plot. With Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul entering the season with a new character, the series was potentially on the cusp of a quality revamp. While this season was easier to follow, it was also confronted with even more mixed reception from critics and fans. Its season finale is a proof to the drop in enthusiasm for this series. Just like Killing Eve, it is yet to be seen if airing later than the other contenders would benefit this show or not. What would surely strengthen its chances is its proven support from the technical branches.
Embracing diversity unlike any other show in this race, Pose (Season 2) remains to be a cultural force and a milestone in media representation. Its last season was met with pure passion, catapulting its lead actor Billy Porter to an Emmy win. This season was met with the same warm response as the first. However, there are several factors working against this show. Premiering June of last year surely benefited its Emmy run last year. That is not the case for this season since it is already a year since it premiered. On a personal note, I think this season suffered from weak writing and questionable characters and choices. With the show not making a splash at the guilds for its second season, it would be interesting to see how FX will reignite the passion for this beloved show.
Making its shift from limited series to drama series, Big Little Lies (Season 2) were met with very high expectations. Hyped as Meryl Streep’s big comeback to television, her inclusion to the already high-wattage cast signaled that this will be a huge television event. Once it premiered, the show still received positive reception, but was already showing weakness. As complaints grew about the season not living up to its predecessor, the behind-the-scenes mishap revealed while the show was airing probably justified this less than satisfying outing. It does not help that the season also aired June of last year. The result is a still-good season of television, but clearly inferior to its previous season.
Another series that debuted that June is the Netflix hit Stranger Things (Season 3). As its cast of child actors literally grew up on-screen, so does the monster that they face. The series is obviously stuck on a loop of band-of-teens-versus-monster. The big difference this season is its incorporation of Cold War elements that unfortunately situates this story to a simplistic political milieu. While this season is still positively received, it no longer is the prestigious show that it probably once was (save a SAG Ensemble nomination).
Being the only torchbearer of network television, This is Us (Season 4) maintains its position as one of the most emotional dramas airing. Its second season, perhaps the most powerful of this season, was expected to blow up at the Emmys, but actually dropped in nominations. It only got a small resurgence for its third season because of the absence of many major contenders, possibly to avoid Game of Thrones. While the first half of its fourth season does a lot of narrative set-ups for future storylines, sometimes to its detriment, the second half leaves an impact with the looming rift between Randall and Kevin that really raises the stakes. The show also ends on a pretty hopeful note. While SAG dropped this in Drama Ensemble after two consecutive years of winning, the acing branch will probably take this to the finish line.
After winning Directing and Actress during its previous season, The Crown (Season 3) was poised to be a major contender. Add the casting of recent Oscar winner Olivia Colman in the lead role and there is even more buzz. The resulting season is still a great one, with acclaimed performances from Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, and Josh O’Connor. However, the buzz faded easily when it failed to make a major splash during the televised awards around December-January. While Colman snagged the Golden Globe, she lost SAG to The Morning Show‘s Jennifer Aniston. Also, the reception to the season in general is still less enthusiastic compared to its preceding season. Dissenting opinions about Colman’s performance, its music, and writing have become more visible. Nevertheless, expect this to be a major contender come Emmy nominations.
Being the only show that has previously won Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 3) came close to challenging Game of Thrones when they clashed in 2018. Last year, it was the second most nominated drama, next to Game of Thrones, for its three orphaned episodes from season two, winning three. That demonstrates the impact of the show on the voters. With the promise of revolution, season three started with high hopes. What preceded is still the same slow-moving drama that puts intense focus on its stunning imagery and performances. This frustrated more viewers than before and is now accepted as the show’s weakest season, with uneven storytelling and shaky racial politics. Another June premiere, the buzz had relatively died down at this point. However, it still had a decent showing at the guilds as well as the highly positive response to its season finale. This show has amassed 44 Emmy nominations for its first two seasons. 14 of those are acting nominations, proving that the acting branch support is present. This is also a favorite in the technical categories. Underestimate this show at your own risk.
What’s remaining are actually two shows that had better critical reception than their previous seasons. They also happen to be the frontrunners of this race.
Succession (Season 2) is HBO’s prestige drama about a family controlling a media empire. While the first season was well-received and rewarded with corresponding Emmy nominations last year, its second season exploded with more energy, sharp wit, stronger empathy to its rather unsympathetic characters, and a jaw-dropping season finale. Having an August premiere does not seem to hurt this show. It did well at the guilds, save a glaring omission at SAG. While I am more tempered with his predictions for this show, Succession is expected to do much better than its previous season that received a measly five Emmy nominations.
Another show nominated last year was Ozark (Season 3), Netfilix’s crime drama about money laundering. While the first two seasons were received with lukewarm-to-positive critical reception, they have fared pretty well at the Emmys. Getting two random Emmy nominations for Directing in its first season was one thing. To win a Directing Emmy against showier contenders was another. And with a third season that injects the show with much-needed life and energy, the show received its series-best reviews. Premiering right before the extensive lockdown in March seemed like a perfect timing for the show. With gripping performances by Laura Linney, Julia Garner, Janet McTeer, and especially Tom Pelphrey, this show is a strong contender for the win.
For transparency’s sake, here is my ranking based on personal preference:
1) Ozark S3
2) The Handmaid’s Tale S3
3) Succession S2
4) The Crown S3
5) Pose S2
6) This is Us S4
7) Big Little Lies S2
8) Stranger Things S3
9) Westworld S3
10) The Morning Show S1
11) Killing Eve S3
Meanwhile, here are my predictions for Drama Series:
THE PREDICTED EIGHT
1) Succession S2
2) Ozark S3
3) The Crown S3
4) The Handmaid’s Tale S3
5) Better Call Saul S5
6) This is Us S4
7) Westworld S3
8) Big Little Lies S2
ALTERNATES
9) The Morning Show S1
10) Stranger Things S3
11) Pose S2
12) Homeland S8
13) Killing Eve S3
14) The Outsider S1
15) Euphoria S1
What are your predictions for Drama Series? Which shows are your favorites?
The Final Golden Statue 