Downtown Abbey as a show has continued its successful run at the Emmy’s for the sixth straight year, but the stars, aside from Maggie Smith, have been suspiciously left off the nominations list this year.
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Much like her co-star Sam Heughan, Balfe was disappointingly overlooked by the academy for her work as time-traveler Clair Beauchamp in Outlander.
The award should go to The Americans or Mr. Robot. You just need four.
The darkly humorous crime drama anthology Fargo, which follows a different set of characters through the unusual dangers of midwest America each season, has earned 18 nominations for their latest iteration of the series, which stars Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, among others. But you’ll get a taste of what you’ve been missing out on, and maybe figure out which series to binge on later once you do have some time. Of course, I always hoped that the show would be well received, but ultimately I just wanted to be proud of it.
Both are nominated for outstanding limited series, while “The People vs. O.J.” has nominations for best actor in a limited series with Cuba Gooding Jr., best actress with Sarah Paulson, while “Fargo” has a potential victor in Kirsten Dunst in that same category.
The basics: In this United States of America thriller, Rami Malek plays a troubled young cyber-security engineer turned hacker recruited by Christian Slater’s character. Mind you, BBC America, which airs Orphan Black in the United States, doesn’t have a great record in persuading Emmy voters to acknowledge its slate. Rehearsal is where you can take some big chances in your work, and as a teenager it was a safe place do something clumsy or something unsafe and not feel judged. This episode includes a lot of answers to big questions that built up over the series. Most are calling them the favorite, but Mr. Robot and The Americans are breathing down their necks. “With his brilliantly buggy eyes and tortured grasp on reality, Elliot represents a modern sense of alienation”. While we could say it’s an honor just to be nominated – and it is – there can only be one victor. To do so, he’ll have to edge Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Maher, and “Daily Show” alum John Oliver (whose team already won for writing), as well as Jerry Seinfeld, a surprise nominee for the Crackle show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee“. The fantasy series follows an alternative world history by exploring what would have happened had the Allied Powers lost World War II. Both Rhys and Malek are, mind you, more deserving. That it doesn’t speaks to the manner that “O.J.” permeated the pop culture to a degree that the sublime “Fargo” – arguably a series that was better on a more consistent basis – didn’t. “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will take home her seventh Emmy, making her the winningest comedic lead actress in history. Her performance as the tightly wound, foul-mouthed Selina Meyer continues to be TV gold.
The basics: Aziz Ansari plays an actor in New York City whose biggest success so far is a yogurt commercial.
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The good news is that Kimmel is posting a live stream on his Facebook page after the monologue, so you can watch the rest of the show there. While Amazon has been creating a handful of programs in the last few years and working with top talent, their slate of originals haven’t earned the same press or attention as other online networks like Netflix. It was affirming. It was finally being able to see the bedrock narrative of your life told with nuance, not stereotypes.
