timeThe television industry is shrinking rapidly. The peak period of TV dramas has reached its peak, and the number of new dramas produced is shrinking year by year. Soon, if things keep going the way they are, there won’t be enough snubs and surprise articles like this when the Emmy nominations are announced because there just aren’t enough shows for either.
The Emmys seem to know this, too, which is why today’s nominations are filled with more snubs and surprises than ever before. Looking at the nomination list, even the most passive viewer will find something outrageous.
Chief among them is that there is absolutely nothing about Curse. Yes, it was maddening to witness the whole thing, but look at the pedigree involved. Emma Stone – an actor who at this point basically exists to win an Oscar – gives a better, more nuanced performance than she did in “Poor Things.” Safdie’s brother co-created it. The final episode is unlike anything you’ve seen on TV before. Christopher Nolan hosted a Q&A about the show because he loves it so much. Christopher Nolan, for crying out loud! There’s no sane world where Curse would win anything, but it definitely deserves something.
Also, where are the nominations for Cosmo Jarvis? By all accounts, “Shogun” is shaping up to be a hit TV show this year. Just like the one they made 15 years ago, a grand, rich, gorgeous drama. It’s painstakingly authentic with attention to detail, refuses to pander to the lowest common denominator, and contains endless gripping performances. Hiroyuki Sanada was nominated and Anna Sawai was nominated. It has undoubtedly received more nominations than any other show.
But Jarvis – he managed to become the eyes of Western audiences and the heart of the show and Comedy relief—not among them. On the bright side, Shogun declares Jarvis to be an all-powerful being who will do great things in the future. But he is criminally ignored here.
Another real surprise was that Netflix’s Everybody’s in LA talk show was excluded from the variety talk show category. This is a series that exists specifically to break up the old and shrinking talk show landscape. It’s messy and rooted in specific locations. It is abstract and looks very beautiful. It was bold enough to publicly declare during the broadcast which episode would be submitted for Emmy consideration. This may be the best and most unique thing John Mulaney has ever done. When the dust settles in the coming months, Everybody in L.A. will very likely be my favorite show of all genres in 2024.
but not. Talk shows nominated include “The Daily Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” They’re all fine, but they’re all safe. If you want to hear corny Trump jokes, you can watch these shows. But if you want to watch Waingro, the character from the movie “The Heat,” perform stand-up comedy about how he was killed, then “Everybody in L.A.” is the show to watch. So spectacular. This is a criminal act.
Other shows will be disappointed with their fate. “Air Master” was hyped as the sweeping culmination of a project that began with “Band of Brothers,” but no one paid attention to it, and it only received scattered technical nominations. Likewise, expats are bound to be disappointed, as the whole thing seemed conceived and produced to win an Emmy, but it delivered a curse that ended up with nothing.
But let’s not forget that this article is as much about surprises as it is about snubs, and the most delightful surprise of all is Matt Berry’s nomination for What We Do in the Shadows. The show itself probably ran a year or two longer than it needed to, which might have hurt its chances, but Berry’s brilliant performance was one of the greatest comedy roles ever cast.
Other good news is that the last series of Curb Your Enthusiasm has raised eyebrows when it was more than likely part of the furniture and no one would have noticed, while Keep the Dogs last season was incredible Performance was also recognized. Of course, none of these are going to win, as the Emmys are still struggling with the misconception that Bears is a comedy, but that’s a complaint for another article…
