Innholdsfortegnelse for Emmy Special 3 August 2017 i The Hollywood Reporter

Behind the Headlines EMMY: THE RACE Last year, when I and the other jury members of the inaugural Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards convened to hash out the best nonfiction films of 2016, the most heated discussion wasn’t over the cinematic merits, storytelling prowess or even the social good of the documentaries released that year but something far more existential: What is a feature documentary? In particular, could O.J.: Made in America, seven hours and 43 minutes long and primarily watched as episodic installments on ESPN (although it did have a theatrical run and was shown at film festivals), be called a theatrical doc or should we relegate it to the TV/streaming category? We weren’t alone in asking this question. There was plenty of hand-wringing as O.J. tore through awards season,…

It was only the conclusion of Breaking Bad that ended its Emmy streak, making way for a Game of Thrones dominance that never really allowed spinoff Better Call Saul a real chance. This year’s more open playing field will test affections for several series, most notably Gilligan’s beloved prequel. It is downright understated when stacked against the scope (Westworld) or buzz (The Handmaid’s Tale) of some fellow nominees, but the cachet of an auteur on Gilligan’s level should never be underestimated. If any non-first-year series stands a chance for a surprise win, it’s Saul, but all of that new blood is probably too strong for the third-year show to outshine.…

Talk about timing. When streamer Hulu premiered The Handmaid’s Tale in April — its ambitious stab at adapting Margaret Atwood’s beloved 1985 novel of the same name — real-life political divisions so closely mirrored the flashpoints of the dystopian America onscreen that the show barely needed to be marketed. Starring Elisabeth Moss in her first fulltime TV gig since Mad Men, the drama was greeted with a rapturous reception from critics — even if the material left some uneasy. (The series’ flashbacks to a fundamentalist regime violently knocking back protestors resembled the escalations from anti-Trump demonstrations on the news.) But Handmaid’s was more than just opportune. With a unique aesthetic, an enviable cast and relatable writing from showrunner Bruce Miller (The 100), the show has made a true prestige player…

With the launch of The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu suddenly found itself with something that has evaded streamers (except Netflix) up until this point — a series that’s both critically acclaimed and one that most everybody in town seems to have watched (or, at least, won’t admit they haven’t). The dreary tale of an America hijacked by religious fundamentalists headed into its string of 13 Emmy nominations with an awareness unlike any other series in contention — drama or comedy. But is the TV Academy truly ready to crown a streaming show the best of the best? It has been five years since Netflix first broke into the awards conversation, but even the behemoth of streamers has yet to win one of the big prizes. Naming a Hulu show best drama may…

Few expect to see House of Cards break through at the Emmys this late in its lifespan, though the TV Academy does have a surprising history of finally honoring dramas in their fifth season. It’s is a divisive piece of TV — and one, perhaps more tellingly, that has become less of a priority at Netflix as the streamer’s output has surged. Industry favor also has shifted, notably in the direction of Netflix’s other dramatic originals Stranger Things and The Crown. It’s also worth considering that the most recent run of the Beltway soap opera, its first without original showrunner Beau Willimon, follows a drawn-out presidential election. That may not have been the most enticing pitch with so little distance from 2016’s election.…

David Harbour had written out his now-famous acceptance speech for the drama series ensemble nomination, not thinking he and the cast were going to win. When they did, he delivered — to a standing ovation and some bizarre facial expressions by Winona Ryder — a fiery call to arms not so subtly directed at President Donald Trump: “We will repel bullies, shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no home. We will get past the lies; we will hunt monsters. When we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, the disenfranchised and the marginalized!”…

Proving that broadcast networks still can be Emmy contenders, Dan Fogelman’s time-jumping drama was a pop culture phenomenon in its freshman season, landing broadcast’s only drama series nomination (among nine others — including for stars Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz). The 20th Century Fox TV-produced series also finished out the season as broadcast’s top-rated scripted drama among the advertisercoveted demo of adults 18-to-49, helping NBC win that crown for the third time in four years — this time without the Super Bowl or Olympics. The most challenging scene to write this season was … There were two: The big goodbye speech from William [Ron Cephas Jones] to Randall [Brown] at the hospital. I wanted to make sure I got every word so that it was hopefully sparse…

STERLING K. BROWN Lead Actor MILO VENTIMIGLIA Lead Actor RON CEPHAS JONES Supporting Actor CHRISSY METZ Supporting Actress BRIAN TYREE HENRY Guest Actor GERALD MCRANEY Guest Actor DENIS O’HARE Guest Actor…

It has been a true roller coaster for Westworld. Once a troubled production, it premiered in September to solid reviews and subsequently gathered word-ofmouth momentum that couldn’t be ignored. But its 22 Emmy noms, which tie it with Saturday Night Live for the most of any series this year, were among the bigger surprises of nominations morning. Considered too genre for some — it certainly isn’t more out-there than dragons and zombies on Game of Thrones — Westworld may see its fate come down to how many TV Academy voters actually watched (and liked) the full season and how much of a prestige advantage HBO still holds over Netflix. Either way, expect it to make an impact at a minimum with below-the-line categories.…

TV MOVIES Black Mirror: San Junipero (NETFLIX) ↑ The fourth episode of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi anthology series was a critics’ darling — it’s at 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest of any nominee in this category. It’s also the only one to nab a writing nom. Netflix landed its first nom in this category in 2016 and has the resources to aggressively go after its first win this year. ↓ Mirror is the least fresh option in the category, having rolled out way back on Oct. 21. And at just 61 minutes, it’s the shortest of the lot. Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors (NBC) ↑ Everyone loves Parton, which is why NBC greenlighted this sequel to 2015’s Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, a story of faith and…

While it lacks for nudity and dragons and bloody upheavals, Netflix’s new series The Crown makes a solid argument for the exercise of power as the stuff of compelling drama in its own right. The first chapter of Morgan’s chronicle of the rule of Queen Elizabeth II remains gripping across the entirety of the 10 episodes made available to critics, finding both emotional heft in Elizabeth’s youthful ascension and unexpected suspense in matters of courtly protocol and etiquette. Led by a complicated and star-making performance by Foy and an ensemble primed to fill Emmy categories, The Crown is surely Netflix’s strongest push yet into the realm of prestige drama. It’s a story of overwhelming privilege and, in most cases, the least relatable of dilemmas, but Morgan’s great gift is in…

Can House of Cards see the future? That was a question posed by viewers of the political thriller after watching the fifth season of machinations by Frank (Kevin Spacey) and Claire (Robin Wright) Underwood. First, Frank’s approval ratings dipped after he closed U.S. borders and declared war amid cries of voter fraud. By the end, however, he was no longer running the Oval Office — because the series welcomed its first female president before the country did. Pending a renewal, a potential sixth season will follow President Claire, who promises to be just as ruthless as her husband and had all but shut him out in the season’s final moments. The most challenging scene to write this season was … PUGLIESE The last scene of season five, but that’s true…

At the very end of House of Cards’ season-four finale, viewers were tantalized by Wright’s steely glare at the camera, but it was Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood who warned those who were watching: “We make the terror.” Still, the moment marked the first time Claire was at all complicit in the political drama’s fourthwall- breaking. In season five’s penultimate episode, Claire finally speaks. “Just to be clear, it’s not that I haven’t always known you were there,” she says to the camera. “It’s that I have mixed feelings about you. I question your intentions. And I’m ambivalent about attention. But don’t take it personally. It’s how I feel about most everybody.” In the season finale, with Claire’s ascension to the presidency all but a done deal — after years of playing…

The closest thing to a dark horse, Stranger Things stands as much a chance at winning as it did at becoming such a big hit: slim but possibly enough. Netflix’s sci-fi darling, a bit more out there than fellow genre nominee Westworld, has genuine affection from the Hollywood community. It enjoyed an improbable string of victories at guild kudos earlier in 2017, making this TV Academy recognition not totally unexpected. But, among the freshman class, it may lack a strong camp of support — with the old guard favoring Westworld, prestige traditionalists going for The Crown, broadcast believers pushing This Is Us and those placing a high value on relevance going for Handmaid’s. But stranger things have happened.…

There’s a certain hometown hero appeal to This Is Us. The NBC breakout from 20th Century Fox TV gave broadcast a genuine hit during the 2016-17 season — the network cites an audience of 26 million, once all platforms are tallied — and the kind of prestige impact that no Big Four network has generated with a drama series since the early days of The Good Wife. (The last broadcast drama to win a series Emmy, by the way, was Fox’s 24 back in 2005.) This Is Us has a unique momentum moving into the final round of voting — many people genuinely want to see a broadcast series rewarded with the night’s highest honor. But the show may fall victim to an uneven playing field. With a comparatively modest FYC campaign and an admittedly less-than-splashy…

What does $100 million for a first season get you? For Westworld, HBO’s sprawling update on a little-remembered Michael Crichton flick, it bankrolled controversy, conversation, 12 million weekly viewers and, even sweeter, 22 Emmy nominations. The ambitious yarn — about a living theme park gone awry and the various characters (robotic and human) populating its Old West playing field — is now the heir apparent to that other HBO drama (Game of Thrones). For creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, partners in the writers room and in life, co-captaining such a high-profile project has its perks (dream-casting leads like Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton and Ed Harris) and drawbacks (it turns out imagining the worst possible scenarios of a tech-heavy future can bum you out). The most challenging scene to write…

It is not common for a spinoff to supersede the original in the hearts of its biggest fans, but that’s the feat co-showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould continued to pull off for many viewers with season three of Better Call Saul. AMC’s quieter, less meth-y prequel to late Emmy icon Breaking Bad broke new and fertile creative ground with its character study of the McGill brothers — Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Chuck (Michael McKean) — as the narrative continued its collision course with the events of its parent series. (See the tantalizing addition of Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring.) Gould explains the unique balancing act he’s doing at the show’s Albuquerque, New Mexico, set, where avoiding courtroom cliches can be a full-time job in and of itself. The most challenging…

Peter Morgan has a thing for the queen. After making an Oscarnominated film about Her Royal Highness (2006’s The Queen, starring Helen Mirren in the titular role) as well as a play (The Audience, again with Mirren), the British screenwriter turned to TV for The Crown. The big-budget Netflix drama follows Elizabeth II over several decades and has been a prestige coup for the streaming giant. The series landed a Golden Globe — as did breakout star Claire Foy for her portrayal of a young queen — and now it’s up for 10 Emmys. Ahead of the primetime ceremony in September, Morgan spoke with THR about all things royal. Given that several of your subjects still are living, what’s been the most challenging part of getting it right? They’re still…

What can you say about The Crown? It’s like Downton Abbey on bath salts, a period piece with ambitions perhaps unlike any other on TV. If, as Peter Morgan says is his plan, the series ultimately continues to follow England’s stillsitting Queen Elizabeth II through every decade of her reign, it will hold a unique place in the annals of television. But The Crown, for all its critical acclaim and industry fans, still is an outsider. The British shoot has looser Hollywood ties than any other series in the running. And while critics might adore it, and some awards analysts might favor it for a win, the fact remains that it could be too tough of a sell for much of the Los Angeles-set voting body. It has been four decades since the Emmy Awards named…

Branching out from Nov. 8, 2016, is an alternate timeline in which The Handmaid’s Tale could simply be enjoyed as a beautifully produced speculative thriller, a cautionary tale worthy of praise, particularly for Moss’ lead performance and for perhaps being Hulu’s first essential original. Atwood’s novel proved an adaptation challenge in the past, and some purists will likely quibble with some of the things Miller has chosen to spell out or literalize. And caution may grow if Hulu pushes The Handmaid’s Tale beyond the narrative of the book. Regretfully, the 30-plus-year-old work has become a story for the very time and place we’re living in; this is probably the spring’s best new show and certainly its most important.…

The fifth season of House of Cards is the first without longtime showrunner Beau Willimon. Fans of the series will be relieved to know that new showrunners Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese have kept the trains moving on time, while more tentative or wearied viewers should be warned that the frustrating aspects of the series have only grown worse and House of Cards spends at least seven or eight episodes of the new season spinning its wheels and running on forgettable fumes. To the show’s absolute credit, entertaining and amusing things begin to happen by the 11th or 12th episode — including a major shift in the power dynamic between Frank and Claire Underwood — and even though those things are ludicrous, implausible and riddled with plot holes, they…

Before Netflix launched Stranger Things in July 2016, it was seen as little more than “that new drama with Winona Ryder.” Perception changed almost overnight when the 1980s-set sci-fi adventure, about a group of kids looking for their missing friend, became a watercooler phenomenon. As much as critics were anxious to praise Matt and Ross Duffer for their nostalgic creation, the series didn’t seem like awards bait. That changed with big prizes from the Screen Actors and Producers guilds, giving it some serious Emmy heat. The Duffers, who write and direct with such synchronicity that they rarely remember who did what, reflect on their runaway season. The most challenging scene to write this season was MATT Any scene in Hawkins Lab. It’s easy for us to write for nerdy boys,…

Sure, I’m going to tell you that this ’80s-set supernatural thriller/coming-of-age drama from the Duffer brothers (Wayward Pines) is more than just an exercise in nostalgia, that it’s a satisfying, spooky and carefully arced mystery buoyed by a slew of unexpectedly strong juvenile performances, a rare and well-earned lead for David Harbour and a welcome comeback from Winona Ryder. If you were to pander directly to me and my formative entertainment influences and enthusiasms, you couldn’t cherry-pick more strategically than by paying homage to the early films (directing and producing) of Steven Spielberg and the early books of Stephen King, and that’s the rich well of inspiration the Duffers are drawing from here. I don’t know that Stranger Things has anything deep to say about 1983 or is using 1983…

In the story with the pilot’s highest stakes, Moore and Ventimiglia immediately establish a very sweet and funny chemistry, but they also both deliver the set-jawed intensity necessary for their hospital scenes, boosted by a performance by McRaney that includes hard-edged gruffness, humor and several terrific monologues. Brown, unrecognizable in demeanor from his Emmy-nominated People v. O.J. Simpson turn, confirms his star-worthiness, playing well opposite both onscreen wife Susan Kelechi Watson and [father] Jones, a ubiquitous character actor whose name I’ve learned this fall and which you should learn as well. Metz is convincing and compassionate as a character who gets initially overdefined by her weight in frustratingly stereotypical ways. I also liked Smallville veteran Justin Hartley, playing against his Ken doll image and displaying a solid comic touch.…

Where Westworld is at its best is in the deeper issues that will unspool slowly, like a good mystery. Early episodes are adept at getting at the base attractions of the park and why people would come, but also in setting up a sense of confusion about motives — among Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins), Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) and Theresa (Sidse Babett Knudsen), the company numbers-cruncher, and the ways they all intersect. And it would be silly to assume the government doesn’t have a keen interest in Ford’s technology. Beyond that, there’s much to delight the senses and fuel weekly episodic interest in Westworld — sometimes it’s the smaller details, like coming upon older host models and seeing the limits of the technology back then and how far the park has…

Supporting actor nominee Jeffrey Wright is at the heart of one of the series’ biggest reveals when — spoiler alert — viewers learn that his character, Bernard Lowe, actually is a robotic host and not human. Anthony Hopkins’ Dr. Robert Ford reincarnated his former business partner and park cocreator, Arnold Weber, into Bernard after one of Arnold’s own creations, a host named Dolores (Wood) killed him. “If you look back at previous episodes, you’ll see these bread crumbs that were already there but were very subtle hints at where it was going,” Wright said of the revelation during The Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actor Roundtable in April. The actor admitted that he himself didn’t find out the true nature of Bernard/ Arnold until after the pilot had been shot. Once back in…

The Hollywood Reporter’s first take on NBC’s Star Trek was “there’s quite a bit of suspense and tricks with gadgets that will please the sci-fi buffs no end.” From this, THR concluded that the 1966 show “should be a winner.” It certainly was for co-star Leonard Nimoy. Playing Spock, the half-human/half-Vulcan who served as science officer on the Starship Enterprise, the method actor, then 34, had landed a part that would come to define his career. “I am not Spock,” Nimoy, who died in 2015, once said, “but if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.” Before doing Trek, Nimoy’s résumé included dozens of appearances on such ’50s TV staples as Perry Mason and Dragnet. He had an early brush with sci-fi playing a Martian in 1952’s…