Innholdsfortegnelse for Aug-Emmy 2 i The Hollywood Reporter

THE UPSIDE FEW TV COMEDIES HAVE AS PASSIONATE A FAN BASE AS THIS ONE, IN WHICH LOUIS C.K. MINES his own life as the perpetually neurotic and awkward comedian and single father. The show has now been nominated for the third year in a row — after its first two seasons were snubbed — while C.K. has accumulated an acting, directing and writing nomination for the fourth straight year. Furthermore, with Louis appearing as one of Jon Stewart’s final guests on The Daily Show, he has once again proven his royalty status among comedians. THE DOWNSIDE LOUIE’S PERSONA IS A BIT TOO MOROSE AND HIS HUMOR TOO VULGAR FOR SOME. (HE LITERALLY killed off a character this season.) The series is grittier than his competitors’, and few would argue that…

THE UPSIDE FEW SHOWS EVER HAVE PACKED IN AS MANY LAUGHS per minute as Mike Judge’s, which only got better in season two as the boys at Pied Piper tried to fend off those who would steal or top their algorithm. Its first best comedy Golden Globe nomination (the only other Emmy nominee represented at the Globes was Transparent, which won) and Critics’ Choice win (defeating Transparent and Veep) were big deals, as was landing directing and writing Emmy nominations for a second consecutive year. THE DOWNSIDE IT IS THE ONLY SERIES NOMINEE, DRAMA OR COMEDY, that didn’t garner a single acting nomination. Because actors account for a big chunk of the Television Academy, that’s not a good sign. The most recent show to win the comedy series Emmy without…

THE UPSIDE ITS PROTAGONIST REALIZED HER DREAM OF BECOMING president, but Armando Iannucci’s show, unlike another (House of Cards) that stumbled after that same development, remained as funny and engaging as ever — and arguably became even more nuanced. Its six major nominations are the most for any comedy series, and among them are mentions for directing and writing as well as three for its regular castmembers, something no other nominee in this category can claim. THE DOWNSIDE THE DOWNSIDE TO JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS’ PERFORMANCE and the show’s writing always being so sharp is that it’s easy for voters to think they alone carry the show. Some may see the departure of showrunner Iannucci from the series as a strike against it (even though the London resident’s reason for going home…

THE UPSIDE FOLLOWING AN ACCLAIMED SEVENTH SEASON — INCLUDING A WIDELY praised series finale — and a strong showing in noms across the board this year (three acting, two writing, etc.), Matthew Weiner’s four-time winner seems poised to break out of a tie with Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and The West Wing to become the most celebrated show in this category’s history. Final seasons often get that sort of an Emmys sendoff (The Sopranos in 2007 and Breaking Bad last year). THE DOWNSIDE IT’S BIZARRE THAT MAD MEN HAS FAILED TO WIN A SINGLE PRIZE OVER the past three years (going 0-for-17, 0-for-12 and 0-for-8, respectively) and that none of its actors ever has been awarded an Emmy. Moreover, although Breaking Bad is gone (a circumstance under which Mad…

In 1977, Grace Kelly Invited NBC to the Palace of Monaco GRACE KELLY MAY NOT have had a fairy godmother, but in the 1950s, the actress was Hollywood’s own Cinderella. Born in Philadelphia to a three-time Olympic gold medalist father and a women’s team sports coach mother, Kelly pursued an interest in acting despite her parents’ opposition, starring in a few school plays before transitioning to film. In 1952, she signed a seven-year contract with MGM at a salary of $750 a week and landed roles opposite such leading men as Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Bing Crosby in films Mogambo, To Catch a Thief and The Country Girl (for which she scored a best actress Oscar at 25). But it wasn’t until a royal encounter with Prince Rainier III…

THE UPSIDE FEW 2015 SHOWS HAVE BEEN MORE CELEBRATED THAN J ILL SOLOWAY’S REAL-LIFE-INSPIRED dramedy about an L.A. patriarch (Jeffrey Tambor) who reveals to his ex-wife and grown children that he is transgender. Its 11 noms — including shout-outs for writing, directing and two actors — are more than were accorded to any other comedy series. And its series nomination is yet another notable first — following two Golden Globe wins (for comedy series and for Tambor) and a series nomination and two actor wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards — for streaming content newcomer Amazon. THE DOWNSIDE TRANSPARENT WAS UNVEILED WAY BACK IN FEBRUARY 2014, WHEN A SHOW ABOUT TRANSGENDER issues and relationships seemed far edgier than it does now in the era of Caitlyn Jenner media oversaturation. Perhaps…

THE UPSIDE THE COMEDY-TINGED AMC DRAMA HAS FORMIDABLE ROOTS — ITS NETWORK, CREATORS (Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan) and star (Bob Odenkirk) were integral parts of the team behind Breaking Bad, which won best drama each of the past two years and of which Saul is a prequel. As a result, Saul faced great expectations — its series premiere had the highest ratings of any in basic cable history — and, for many, met them. It actually has landed more noms than Bad did in its first season (seven versus two); both series registered in the series and lead actor races, while Saul also bagged a writing nom. THE DOWNSIDE FAIRLY OR NOT, MANY EVALUATE BETTER CALL SAUL IN COMPARISON TO BAD — AND FEW WOULD argue it’s as powerful.…

THE UPSIDE IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT COMEBACK STORIES IN RECENT memory: This category’s 2012 winner and 2013 nominee fell off a cliff, in the eyes of legions of critics and viewers, in season three but rebounded strongly in season four, during which the bipolar CIA agent played by Claire Danes (a winner for the first two seasons, a nominee even for the third and now a nominee for the fourth) returned to the Middle East. Moreover, among the drama series nominees, only Homeland and Game of Thrones also registered in the directing category. THE DOWNSIDE NOT EVERYONE STUCK AROUND AFTER THE THIRD season. No drama series ever has won for one season, been snubbed for another and then won again. And Showtime has its hands full this year, promoting…

THE UPSIDE JENJI KOHAN’S EDGY DRAMEDY — WHICH VOTERS LIKED enough to nominate as a comedy last year and a drama this year (because of a rule change) — has one of the biggest and most diverse casts in TV history (something that helped propel it to a SAG ensemble win this year); is tonally different from the competition (most of which isn’t very funny); and benefits from having had its third season released just as season two is being considered by voters, who sometimes have shortterm memories. THE DOWNSIDE COMPETITION IS STIFFER IN THE DRAMA RACES — OITNB garnered only one other major nomination (2014 guest star winner Uzo Aduba for supporting actress) and failed to secure directing and writing noms this year, unlike last. Also unlike last year,…

THE UPSIDE THE SEVENTH AND FINAL SEASON OF THIS CULT FAVORITE brings it its second series nomination and first since 2011. Comedy series rarely win for the first time for a final season, but it has happened (see Barney Miller), and voters adore star Amy Poehler (even if they’ve yet to recognize her as an individual). And have you noticed how the members of its big ensemble seem to be everywhere? Few haven’t been in a movie this summer. THE DOWNSIDE THERE NEVER WAS A TIME WHEN THIS SHOW WASN’T ON life support because of poor ratings, and Parks and Recreation will head into the Emmys with only one other major nomination (for movie star/television producer Poehler, who has all but stopped campaigning in recent years) and none for directing…

THE UPSIDE EVEN WITH ITS IMPRESSIVE PEDIGREE (CO-CREATORS Robert Carlock and Tina Fey are three-time winners in this category for 30 Rock), who would have guessed that the riskiest comedy concept show in years would turn out to be the most upbeat and feel-good? Apparently Netflix, which is laughing all the way to the Emmys — where Kimmy’s catchy theme song might wind up playing at the end of the night. THE DOWNSIDE IT’S BEYOND BIZARRE THAT KIMMY SCHMIDT HERSELF, Ellie Kemper, wasn’t nominated for best comedy actress. It’s also not a great sign that the show came up empty in the directing and writing categories. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine Kimmy winning in any of the categories in which it is nominated, and shows don’t win best series without…

THE UPSIDE NOMINATED FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW (ITS FIRST nom came in the miniseries and TV movie category before it was expanded into a regular series — it won), Oscar winner Julian Fellowes’ upstairs-downstairs period drama continues to captivate audiences thanks largely to its terrific ensemble (which won this year’s SAG Award over fellow nominees Game of Thrones, Homeland and House of Cards). As it heads into its final season, it is the last noncable/streaming show standing in this category. THE DOWNSIDE IT HASN’T WON IN THIS CATEGORY YET (IT WOULD BE highly unusual for it to start winning this far into its run) and, for the first time, goes into the Emmys without a directing or writing nomination. There was some grousing on nomination morning that…

INSIDE STAGE 11 ON THE Paramount lot, on a steamy morning in August, Transparent creator Jill Soloway is mulling over a sprawling 11-person dinner scene hosted by characters Ali (Gaby Hoffmann) and her friend Syd (Carrie Brownstein). It’s one of many busy, boisterous sequences the writer-filmmaker has filmed for her “very Jewish” half-hour dramedy about an L.A. family, the Pfeffermans, coping with their patriarch’s (Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Tambor) gender transition from male to female. Today’s scene, in keeping with the show’s strong cultural imprint, is a Yom Kippur celebration in episode six of the series’ second season, set to premiere in December. Seated in front of the video monitors with the episode’s director, Jim Frohna, and writer, Ethan Kuperberg, Soloway carefully analyzes a moment in which Jay Duplass’ character,…