Emmy Thoughts

Yesterday the Prime Time Emmy Award nominations were announced. The Emmys are always an interesting one for me. The nominations come in the midst of summer, and the ceremony comes in September when I have other things I'm usually focused on (like football and new shows).

The Emmy window is also a curiosity. The consideration window runs from June 1 in one year through May 31 the next year. Meaning series that aired last summer, like Season 7 of Game of Thrones, are eligible for the awards in September alongside series that just ended, like Season 2 of Westworld. And so it can be easy to forget about the shows that wowed us last summer and fall, and over look them in favor of the flood of new content we've received since the start of 2018. So the nominations are always somewhat surprising.

But, you have to take them (and all award show nominations) for what they're worth. There will be plenty of time to analyze each category, and to make predictions, prior to the show. For now I'm going to look at five pleasant inclusions, and three disappointing exclusions from the list of nominations.

Inclusions:
* Rachel Brosnahan for "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"--This is one of those that could have gotten lost in the shuffle, an eight-episode debut season on Amazon released in mid-November last year. But it was one of my favorite shows of the year, and that was largely a credit to the incredible performance of Brosnahan, who is deservingly nominated here.

* Sandra Oh for "Killing Eve"--This wasn't a surprise, per se, as it's one of the buzziest shows of the Spring, but Oh was great in this show, really taking it to another level. And her nomination made history, which was a bonus.

* GLOW for Best TV Comedy--This has been a year of heavy TV. GLOW has been a blessing. It's one of the most fun and engaging series, and it's nice to see it's being recognized.

* Love for "The Americans"--This is a show that hasn't always gotten the respect it deserved, but it delivered a heck of a final act. The nominations for Best Drama series and for stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are well deserved.

*Millie Bobbie Brown for "Stranger Things"--I liked the second season of "Stranger Things," though it was sometimes uneven. What wasn't uneven was the great work from Brown, who didn't get recognized for Season One. I'm glad that changed with this one.

Exclusions:
* Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke for "Game of Thrones"--I think GoT made a tactical error, trying to push for Harrington and Clarke in the lead category. Not only is that crowded, but it doesn't fit. Still the seventh season got a trio of supporting actor nominations, and all did fine work, but Harrington and Clarke carried so much of the season it's a shame they didn't get in there.

* Jodie Comer for "Killing Eve"--As happy as I was to see Sandra Oh get a nomination, Comer was incredible in a supporting role. It's a bummer she was overlooked.

* The Good Place for Best Comedy Series--Not everything gets remembered and honored, which is a shame. And there were some deserving shows that made the comedy field, but "The Good Place" is not only the best sitcom on network TV, it's one of the most daring and best shows, period. And season two was exceptional. This feels like a big oversight.