Oh yeah. Another great awards ceremony, another opportunity to choose nominations! The 2020 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and as usual there were a number of surprises (some positive, some negative). And, of course, there were many people who were left out of the party.
So let’s get rid of the jokes and put everything in the trash. Let’s analyze the biggest surprises and slights of the Emmys 2020, from The Mandalorian to Watchers to What we do in the shadows Reese Witherspoon and more.
Surprise: The Mandalorian earned a nomination for Best Drama Series
No. Sorry, but no. I know this show has a vocal fan base, but popularity doesn’t always equate to quality. And there’s just no way that The Mandalorian is one of the best dramatic television shows of the past year. The most Star Wars show of the year? Of course. The most innovative from a technical point of view? Yes. This show has a series of highlights and impressive aspects (that title track, for example), but one of the best drama series of the year? Emmy voters who made this happen should jump into a Sarlacc pit. (Ben Pearson)
Snub: No Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul
At this point, Rhea Seehorn should sue for being ignored every year by the Emmys for her consistently stellar performance in Better call Saul. AMC’s breakout star Breaking Bad Seehorn is consistently praised by critics for her powerful acting as principled and complex attorney Kim Wexler, Jimmy McGill’s loving and confident interest in Bob Odenkirk, and is often the character through which the show explores her most moral dilemmas. interesting. . Seehorn has been considered one of the most overdue for a best actress nomination in a drama series, but has unfairly evaded her once again. (Hoai-Tran Bui)
Surprise: Schitt’s Creek gets 15 nominations for its final season
Schitt’s Creek is the true definition of a sleeper a hit: a hysterically hilarious Canadian character-based comedy series that took time to find an audience in the United States. At least the sixth and final season received the love and attention that the rest of the series always deserved. In addition to the coveted nod to Best Comedy Series, all four stars in the series were nominated, with Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, and Annie Murphy in all four acting categories. With 15 nominations total, the Feeling Good Show of the past decade has a chance to truly succeed. (Jacob Hall)
Snub: Modern Family and Silicon Valley excluded from best comedy series for their final seasons
Modern Family and Silicon Valley They have earned many Emmy nominations over the years. In fact, Modern Family He was an Emmy favorite, was nominated eight times for Best Comedy Series, and won five times, not to mention several other nominations and wins in other categories. But even though each of these shows has just finished its final seasons, they didn’t walk away with a nomination in the Best Comedy Series category. by Modern Family, is mainly due to a drop in quality over the years, and the same could be said for Silicon Valley, who began to stay longer than necessary. Perhaps the most important factor is the strong comedy competition that took place this year, as evidenced by the nominated shows. (Ethan Anderton)
Surprise: What We Do in the Shadows Earned a Nomination for Best Comedy Series
Last year, FX’s outstanding horror / comedy series What we do in the shadows He received two technical nominations. This year, she earned Best Comedy Series and seven others, including winks for writing and directing. It certainly seems that voters are finally realizing that this hysterical show has staying power, and that its second season represents an incredible amount of growth from everyone involved. Hopefully it stays that good. And hopefully the Emmy’s will continue to recognize him. (Jacob Hall)
Snub: what we do in the cast of Shadows closed
Even if What we do in the shadows He received so much love from Emmy, it’s hard to forget that his amazing cast was completely shut out. Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén and Mark Proksch present incredible performances, featuring scandalous characters that feel so real that they complement the show’s false documentary style with every step. But maybe that’s why they were rejected. In a high-concept series like this, it’s easy to praise the writing and direction, thinking that actors are just pieces shuffling from one outrageous piece to another when they’re a vital component in making every oddball choice sing. (Jacob Hall)
Surprise: double guest actress nominations for Maya Rudolph
With only six slots in the Best Guest Actress category in a Comedy Series category, the fact that a single artist blocked two of those slots is impressive. But it is Maya Rudolph, so it is understandable. She is the best. Her return to Saturday night live As a hostess she was welcomed, and fit in with the fun cast of The good place as if he had been on board from the pilot. (Ben Pearson)
Snub: Westworld almost completely excluded from the main categories
In addition to Jeffrey Wright and Thandie Newton’s nods in the supporting acting categories, the Emmys had no love for HBO’s. Westworld This year in the main categories. Series star Evan Rachel Wood has been nominated multiple times in the past, but was excluded this year, and since she did not receive a Best Drama nomination this year, voters may be a little suspicious of the approach of the Mysterious program box. (Ben Pearson)
Surprise: Adam Driver, Brad Pitt and Eddie Murphy, all nominated in the same category
Saturday night live He had a great performance in both categories of guest stars on the comedy side of television, but perhaps the most stacked side comes in the Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, where Adam Diver, Eddie Murphy, and Brad Pitt are nominated for his host roles in The Sketch Show. Driver and Murphy were privileged to present two fantastic episodes of SNL, so your nominations are deserved. But Pitt’s inclusion feels out of left field.
Brad Pitt only briefly appeared as the “host” of one of the remotely produced Saturday Night Live at Home episodes that developed during the coronavirus quarantine. He played Dr. Anthony Fauci, something the doctor himself suggested to the media during the height of the pandemic, but that was all he had to do besides remotely introduce the musical guest. If anything, this feels like a gesture by members of the Television Academy to join Donald Trump and celebrate Dr. Anthony Fauci. But hey, we’re down to celebrate SNLQuarantine efforts, so huzzah! (Ethan Anderton)
Snub: Big Little Lies excluded from the drama series
Big Little Lies it will not no Being forgotten as a pop culture phenomenon, but it seems like the Emmys have. The second season of the critically acclaimed HBO drama was almost entirely excluded from the main categories, failing to get a Best Drama nomination and only garnered two acting nominations for stars Laura Dern and Meryl Streep. It’s a long way from 2017, when the limited series swept the Emmys with nine nominations and six wins. But perhaps it is not a complete surprise, considering the critics’ reception of the second season criticism and the problems behind the scenes. (Hoai-Tran Bui)
Surprise: the watchers really got everything they deserved
HBO’s Watchers It garnered 26 nominations, most of all nominated at the 2020 Emmy Awards. This is the rare case of the the best real thing of the year obtaining the recognition it deserves. Damon Lindelof’s terrifying, hilarious and razor-sharp combination of satire, superheroes, social commentary, and great science fiction ideas was the most ambitious and impressive thing we’ve seen in a long, long time. No other show prepared us better for 2020 and, at the same time, ironically tore apart the past 30 years of American culture and politics. What an amazing thing will happen for an amazing show. Now give him all the prizes. (Jacob Hall)
Snub: Reese Witherspoon not nominated for The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere
It wasn’t just his job at Big Little Lies Almost completely excluded from the Emmys, Reese Witherspoon goes home empty-handed for her roles in The morning show and Little fires everywhere, the last of which featured one of the most monstrous performances by the Oscar winner she has delivered to date. This despite its co-stars in The morning show, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell earned nominations for their turns on the Apple TV + series, and Kerry Washington received a wink for Little fires everywhere. It’s a shame that Witherspoon is overlooked when she does some of her most layered and interesting work in her career. (Hoai-Tran Bui)
Surprise: D’Arcy Carden nominated for The Good Place
D’Arcy Carden has been an incredible part of the ensemble cast of The good place From the beginning, but every year, his performance went unnoticed by the Emmys. For the final season of the show, we are happy to see that she has finally been given due diligence as Janet, the all-knowing and helpful assistant, who had one of the most satisfying and fun arcs of characters throughout the entire Serie. Fun fact: D’Arcy Carden was previously employed as Kristen Bell’s babysitter, and is now an Emmy nominee. Dreams can really come true. (Ethan Anderton)
Snub: Al Pacino and Bob Odenkirk are nowhere to be seen
As their Better call Saul Co-star Rhea Seehorn, series lead Bob Odenkirk is on the sidelines again this year when it comes to an acting nomination. I haven’t caught up on the past few seasons, but many people I know say that Odenkirk has been doing the best professional job for years, so this lack of recognition hurts. And a few years ago, it would have been a dump for Al Pacino, previously considered one of America’s best actors, to have received a symbolic nomination just for appearing in the Amazon Prime Hunters video series. But the fact that they left it in the dust speaks to how much the bar has been raised in the past decade and how these particular categories were stacked this year. (Ben Pearson)
Surprise: A little love for John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch
John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch is a hilarious parody of classic children’s television shows with wonderful music sequences, some surprisingly honest and mature remarks about life and death, and Jake Gyllenhaal in a thunderous cameo as a special guest, Mr. Music. It’s a delightfully bizarre comedy special on Netflix, which will soon have more installments on Comedy Central, and we’re glad that the Emmys have also recognized its brilliance along with the usual stand-up specials. If you haven’t seen it, watch it on Netflix now. (Ethan Anderton)
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