Ray Richmond: Some Emmy nomination surprises I’d love to see on Wednesday
Let’s face it: every time Emmy nominations come out – as they will on Wednesday – we meet the list with a certain expectation of inevitability. Typically, the choices hew reasonably closely to our predictions, particularly for those of us who make a living studying this stuff like we at Gold Derby. But since we are after all human (really and truly), we also have our own individual favorites that we know probably stand little chance of making the cut but feel the need to bestow credit their way nonetheless.
With this in mind, here are a few of my own longshot picks that I’d celebrate were they to earn bids in the following dozen categories:
Comedy Series
“Ghosts” is the most underrated comedy series on television, lovingly written and hilariously acted. And this past season, the CBS show elevated its game to another gear. Working against it is the fact it airs on a broadcast network, and the fact there’s so much competition on streaming in particular. Speaking of streaming, Amy Schumer’s series “Life and Beth” on Hulu is the second-most underrated show on TV, funny, and soulful with an abundance of heart, addressing autism spectrum disorder with spot-on insight.
Comedy Actress
Amy Schumer is a comedian but also an actress with a surprising range, as her work on “Life and Beth” ably demonstrates. She’s won one Emmy for her brilliant sketch show “Inside Amy Schumer,” but that was nearly a decade ago. She’s received 13 Emmy bids but never for portraying a character who shows such range.
Supporting Comedy Actor
Throughout the past several seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” J.B. Smoove has proven to be the show’s secret weapon, an effortlessly clever comedy dynamo. He would be wholly deserving to earn his first nom for the series in its final season. Will it happen? Probably not. But an editor can dream.
Supporting Comedy Actress
It wouldn’t actually be a huge upset (maybe just a tiny one) were Allison Janney to land a bid for her masterful work in “Palm Royale.” In truth, she appears to be on the bubble. But she’s always deserving, and the TV academy tends to agree. They love her, they really love her. She’s won seven of the things in her career (out of 15 nominations) to go with a lone Oscar, and I’d like to see her get one more nomination here.
Drama Actor
Idris Elba has received five Emmy nominations to date, four of them for portraying the brilliant homicide detective in “Luther.” But I fell in love with his work in “Hijack,” a thriller that plays out a single airplane hijacking over the course of its seven hours. And his performance is spectacular.
Drama Actress
Mariska Hargitay has been nominated for “Law & Order: SVU” eight times, but not since 2011. She won the trophy once, in 2006. But the woman is a flat-out television legend who would deserve a bid annually. It’s astonishing to consider that Hargitay has been portraying Detective Olivia Benson on the show for 25 years, since 1999. She now has a unfathomable 552 episodes under her belt. She started on the show when she was 25. She’s now 60. It’s about time for her ninth nomination, don’t you think?
Limited Series
You could easily make a case for a dozen limited series deserving to land nominations, rather than the paltry five that will be so honored. It’s grown to become easily the single most competitive category there is. One that is overwhelmingly likely to miss out is “Under the Bridge,” the true crime thriller about the murder of a young teenage girl in Canada. It’s riveting and devastatingly well-written, directed and acted.
TV-Movie
One of the most joyous viewing experiences I’ve had this year was watching the tuneful coming-of-age romantic comedy “Musica” starring as well as written and directed by the charming Rudy Mancuso. He fell in love for real with his co-star Camila Mendes during filming, and she with him – and the chemistry shows. It’s just a lovely film that makes you happy to be alive, and deserves some awards attention. Sadly, it probably won’t get it.
Limited Actress
Uzo Aduba is one of the consistently greatest actresses working today, and her performance in the shamefully underappreciated “Painkiller” was astoundingly good. But she unfortunately is up against potential nominees including Oscar winners Jodie Foster and Brie Larson and Oscar nominee Naomi Watts, so it’s a tall order for her to get recognized. Ditto for Aria Mia Loberti, the exquisite blind young star of “All the Light We Cannot See,” whose work in the four-part Netflix series was a revelation.
Limited Actor
I’m not entirely sure why the World War II nine-part air drama “Masters of the Air” didn’t receive nearly as many kudos as it should have, unlike “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” before it. It features exceptional performances and an epic feel. Of everyone featured in it, the greatest acting job was from Callum Turner, who portrayed the real-life airman Major John “Bucky” Egan. Turner is going to be a big star. One day, he’ll be an Emmy nominee, too.
Supporting Limited Actress
Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough are the big names who starred in “Under the Bridge.” But it was unknown Chloe Guidry who wound up stealing every scene she was in while portraying the real-life protagonist Josephine Bell, an emotionally damaged, bullying sociopath who participates in the 1997 murder of 14-year-old Canadian girl Reena Virk. It’s a performance that chills the blood and augurs a big and successful career ahead.
Supporting Limited Actor
Johnny Flynn beautifully underplays the ill-fated role of Dickie Greenleaf – a role made famous onscreen by Jude Law in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 film – in the superbly filmed “Ripley.” Unfortunately, the competition appears too steep for him to slip in and garner a surprise bid.
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