Deadline Hollywood - AwardsLine - 08/15/18

PRESENTS

AUGUST 15, 2018 EMMY NOMINEES/PART 2

SAMIRA WILEY

IS T HE RISING STA R W HO WON’ T B E BOXE D IN

JESSICA BIEL

O N T HE C H A RACTE RS A N D SHOWS T H AT DRIVE H ER

STAND UP

The cast and creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reflect on the Emmy newcomer whose timing couldn’t be more urgent NOMINEES’ GALLERY

C L A I RE FOY JA MES CORDE N T RACE E E L L IS ROSS DAV ID LYNCH CA R R IE BROW NSTEIN B RYAN CRANSTON A N D MORE ...

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DEADLINE.COM/AWARDSLINE

8/10/18 10:02 AM

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EMMY NOMINATIONS ®

INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

BINGE THE FULL SERIES UNLOCKED ON THEALIENIST.COM

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FIRST TAKE Samira Wiley continues to wow with The Handmaid’s Tale The Sinner’s Jessica Biel reveals what’s on her screen

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COVER STORY Meet the cast and creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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THE DIALOGUE: EMMY NOMINEES Claire Foy Conan O’Brien James Corden Carrie Brownstein David Lynch Tracee Ellis Ross John Legend Bryan Cranston

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FLASH MOB Deadline presents AwardsLine Screening Series, TCA Press Tour and more...

ON THE COVER Alex Borstein, Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub photographed for Deadline by Josh Telles ON THIS PAGE Carrie Brownstein photographed for Deadline by Michael Buckner

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GLOW’s Big Hair

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| On My Screen: Jessica Biel

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A Handmaid’s Ascent As she prepares for round three of The Handmaid’s Tale, Samira Wiley reminisces with Antonia Blyth on the stratospheric rise to fame she never expected

PHOTOGRAPH BY

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Mark Mann

D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E

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8/10/18 9:42 AM

IN DEEP Wiley as Moira in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale

IT’S EARLY ON THE EAST COAST AND SAMIRA WILEY is headed to rehearsal for a new Williamstown Theatre production. Before beginning work on the third season of The Handmaid’s Tale, she’s playing yet another woman fighting against an oppressive regime. This time, in the Saheem Ali-directed play Dangerous House, Wiley is Pretty Mbane, a woman running a safe house for lesbians in 2010 South Africa.

“It’s about something called correc-

With an Emmy nomination for

Moira is definitely not black, let’s just

seen the benefit of some shifts in

put it like that.”

executives’ thinking and forward

However, Wiley says the creative

thinking,” she says. “There were so

team putting the show together

many different kinds of women on

“didn’t have any hard and fast rules

that show. Not just race. You had age,

on what that person exactly needed

you had size, you had background,

to look like”, and at her audition, the

everything. Diversity oftentimes does

role felt to her like an immediate fit.

not just mean the color of someone’s

“I hope that when they saw me, they

skin. There are so many things about

said, ‘Oh this is what this person is.

all of us women that are so beautifully

This is what this person needs to be,’

different from each other, and I think

and didn’t see my color or anything

that’s something that people were

tive rape,” she explains. “Which is the

Handmaid’s for the second year

like that, but just saw the character

really ready to see. I think that maybe

idea that you can rape a lesbian and

running, Wiley has continued to

that I was trying to bring to life.”

television executives didn’t even real-

correct her into being heterosexual.”

wow viewers with her specific blend

So, after playing a prisoner who

In fact, Wiley’s experience with

ize it until they saw the response.”

of resilience and vulnerability as

Miller and executive producer Warren

gets crushed to death by a male

she negotiates the world of female

Littlefield has, she says, been very

tant—response to Orange was

prison guard in Orange Is the New

oppression first dreamed up by Mar-

heartening. “I’ve had many conver-

especially overwhelming for Wiley,

Black, then Moira in The Handmaid’s

garet Atwood in the ’80s, and since

sations with them and they’re both

who’d never planned on being famous

Tale—a woman repeatedly raped and

brought all too poignantly to life by

straight white men. And they’re the

and was sideswiped by the loss of

brutalized by a dystopian nightmare

Bruce Miller and Hulu.

kind of straight white men that make

her anonymity. She’d always seen

regime—is this play yet more sweet-

me believe. They’re just wonderful.

herself as a theater actor, she says,

ness and light? “It’s not a comedy,”

Moira, lead character June (Elisabeth

They are people who want to listen

hopefully working a lot, but remain-

Wiley laughs. “I was telling someone

Moss)’s best friend, Wiley understood

and learn and be able to represent

ing a relatively under-the-radar

about the play, and they were like,

she might not fit an image of what

parts of the world that they are not.”

creative about town. That is, until the

‘You just always work on things about

was originally envisaged when the

rape.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no. Oh god, I

book was written. “Moira is a charac-

from Jenji Kohan’s Orange Is the New

show and the emergence of binge-

didn’t even really make that con-

ter that has been around for the last

Black—a show rightly lauded for its

streaming changed all that. “I know

nection.’ But yeah, violence against

almost thirty-five years, written in

inclusivity—Wiley says she’s since

in the beginning, after Orange came

women seems to be a thing that I’m

Margaret Atwood’s book in ’85,” she

noticed the beginnings of positive

out, and I started getting fame on a

involved in right now.”

says. “In that book, that whole world,

change in the industry. “I think I’ve

very different level than I ever thought

4

Before auditioning for the role of

That huge—and vitally impor-

Having come to Handmaid’s

confluence of Kohan’s great, timely

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SAMIRA SOARS Wiley in Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale (above) and Orange Is the New Black (left)

For Wiley, growing up, her love

addition to her Handmaid’s and Orange

“Through college and going to drama

stints, comedy roles in Ryan Hansen

school at Juilliard, learning Shakespeare

Solves Crimes on Television, an early

and all that, it was about theater, and

breakout big screen role in Jonah Hill-

that was my first love. I wanted to be a

starrer The Sitter, and even a skit on

Broadway actor. Not really musicals, but

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

more so plays on Broadway. That was

that I would gain, it was really hard for

to her on screen bow by now, with, in

of acting was focused on the stage.

But she hopes she’ll continue

my dream, being able to live in New York

to blend stage and screen—big and

City, have a life there, have my friends

small—as her resume develops. “My

there, but then go perform a play at

dream is to be able to be in a play

night. That seemed like the ultimate

every year,” she says. “It’s hard to do

dream for me.”

that, though the last time I was in

But in the Golden Age of Tele-

a play was not too long ago. It was

me,” she says. “I think I tried to sort of

vision, what great actor would

about two years ago. But there’s just

buck against that and do everything

continually eschew fantastic small

something that I feel like recharges

I could to deny that. I think I started

screen scripts? “To have my career

me. This is cliché, but it’s going back

be mostly TV at this point is a very

to your roots in a way. I love perform-

different life than I had imagined for

ing, and the dream is to be able to

myself,” she says. “When I started

master all of those mediums.”

being pretty depressed, honestly, in the beginning.”

But at some point, she took her feelings in hand, embraced her situation, and began to “use my powers for good”, she says, laughing at her superhero terminology. “I’m able to bring light to issues that matter to me. I’m able to hopefully inspire other people, young people who look like me, who identify in the same way that I do. It was hard for me growing up. I didn’t always see people who look like me on television, especially coming to terms with being a member of the LGBT

I’M ABLE TO BRING LIGHT TO ISSUES THAT MATTER TO ME. TO HOPEFULLY INSPIRE OTHER PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFY IN THE SAME WAY I DO.’’

community. I think with representa-

doing things on camera, I think I very

For now, while she hasn’t yet seen

suddenly realized that this wasn’t the

a script for Handmaid’s Season 3,

same thing as theater. I do think it’s

Wiley continues to find a deep reso-

a specific skill that you have to learn

nance with the character, just as she

in terms of how to act in front of a

did with Poussey on Orange. “There’s

camera. In theater, there’s a bunch of

something when you read as an

people in front of you and you have

actor—at least in my process—where

to project your voice. You have to

you just can see the character imme-

sometimes make your gestures a lit-

diately,” she says. “And that’s what

tle exaggerated so the people in the

happened with me with Poussey, and

nosebleed section can see exactly

definitely with Moira. It didn’t take me

what you’re doing. But to act in front

a bunch of thinking or trying to ana-

of a camera, obviously things have to

lyze and figure out who this person

tion, I understand how important that

lord of the lesbians,” Wiley laughs. “I

be much smaller. It’s the difference

might be. I just immediately saw her.

is now. The last thing I would want to

get to sit in her living room for a day.

between moving your eyes in a dif-

When I went into the room to audi-

do now is to shy away from what I’ve

There are moments like that, when

ferent way rather than having turned

tion, I think they felt it as well. I knew I

been blessed with. People are looking

you’re able to meet someone that you

your entire head or something.”

was able to just step into this person

at me; people are listening to what I

admire, or you’re able to just share a

have to say.”

And her onscreen work has been

and connect to so many things about

space with someone you’ve looked up

more than fulfilling, she says. “I’m so

her. It felt natural from the beginning.

to for so long. It’s always so amazing

happy that I have experience now in

That doesn’t happen all the time. Just

is having the opportunity to do things

to me when I meet someone who I

front of the camera and can appreci-

without even saying anything, I was

like tell Ellen DeGeneres she’s “lord of

get star-struck by and then they hap-

ate that in a very different way than I

like, I know who that person is and

the lesbians” on national television, as

pen to know my work. I feel like my

would have without having the experi-

I know that I can do that character

Wiley did on Ellen in April. “And she is

head’s going to explode.”

ence.” And Wiley has plenty of strings

some justice.” ★

Of course, another bonus of fame

D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E

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CHARTED TERRITORY

At press time, here is how Gold Derby’s experts ranked Emmy chances in key categories. Follow all the races at GoldDerby.com

Demented Digs Atlanta production designer Timothy O’Brien on dressing a mansion for a madman with “Teddy Perkins”

THE STANDOUT EPISODE OF ATLANTA’S second season—a haunted house yarn featuring Donald Glover in whiteface prosthetics—“Teddy Perkins” owes a debt to the peculiar mansion in which it’s set, and the production designer who tracked it down.

First-time Emmy nominee Timothy O’Brien was challenged to find a mazelike mansion with the right “vibe and weight” that would allow for a series of “little vignettes”, each compartmentalized in a distinct visual space.

After an extensive search, O’Brien landed on a four-floor estate built in 1911, which had “the right bones” despite its age. Nondestructively, the production designer then sculpted the space for visual purposes.

In his hands, a mansion that once appeared as a “quaint retirement home” in Driving Miss Daisy took on an entirely new, haunting dimension. “That, to me, is a great example of what you can do with a location, with proper guidance,” O’Brien says. —Matt Grobar

HEAVY HAIR

GLOW’s hair and makeup designers on crafting DIY looks for the wrestling ring WHAT WOULD Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling have been without its electrifying DIY looks—the big hair, the glittery-eyed glamor and its roughand-ready appeal?

Bringing the big looks of Ladies to Netflix with GLOW, creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch understood that the series’ hair and makeup would

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have to be on point.

And who better to turn to for help than Theraesa Rivers and Lana Horochowski, who had already proved their period chops with their work on Mad Men and The Last Tycoon?

For GLOW, the collaborators needed to throw their perfectionist tendencies to the

wind. Centered on a group of aspiring performers with little or no experience in wrestling, who are thrust into this strange new world, the series called for looks that read on screen as homemade. “For us as artists, we want to come in and make everything super clean,” Horochowski says. “We had to keep in mind: What is realistic, that these girls could put together when they’re on their own?”

When it came to the hair, Rivers was

additionally challenged to not “overdo” it.

“Nowadays we have all of these serums and products for frizz control. In the ’80s, there was tons of frizz, and fried hair from perms, and bleaching, and this and that,” the hair designer says.

“The ’80s was very much rougher.”

But the decade did offer plenty of creativity. “It was sort of anything goes,” Horochowski explains.

“The bigger the better, the bolder the better, the more color the better.”—Matt Grobar

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8/15

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5

EMMY NOMINATIONS

®

INCLUDING

DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES

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THE ROLE I’D KILL FOR I would kill to play Don Draper in Mad Men, but as a woman. He’s just so human and flawed. I mean, you hate him, but you cannot get enough of him. He’s brutal to his wife, and yet you are still with him. He manages to keep you interested and liking him as you hate him. And he’s so smart. When he’s great, when he’s brilliant at work, and you see that kind of genius in the character, you just want him to succeed, even though he’s lying and being a dick to his family. I just find that that kind of character that you can get behind and trust so challenging and so amazing.

On My Screen: Jessica Biel The producer and star of The Sinner talks TV and film favorites BY ANTONIA BLYTH AS CORA TANNETTI IN USA’S THE SINNER, JESSICA BIEL brutally stabs a young man to death in front of dozens of people on a beach. Why would she do that? Cora doesn’t know exactly, but what ensues is a twisting ride on the coattails of a fantastically unreliable protagonist. As each thread of the mystery is pulled, Biel is believable, vulnerable, and deliberately unreadable all at once. As she says, “There’s almost like a multiple personality in one person. I do feel that it’s as if a small village of people live inside her mind.” And she plays them all seamlessly—a task that was, she says, “a real, real challenging thing, but so cathartic.”

Her Emmy nomination for the role is the feather in the cap of a distinguished career. Celebrating from Sweden, where she’s on tour with husband Justin Timberlake, Biel gives us an insight into her passion for screens big and small.

MY FIRST TV LESSON It would really be 7th Heaven. I remember speaking to one of our camera operators when I was 14 years old. It was the first season, and I literally had to get up from my chair in the scene and walk someplace. The DP and the camera operator were teaching me how to stand up smoothly and then walk, because, see, when you’re a kid you get up jerkily and awkwardly.

I missed my light. I didn’t even know there was a light. I remember that as a formative first television learning experience, in a family-oriented, safe place where people were helping me and teaching me mechanical stuff. I remember the technical stuff more than I remember even my emotional stuff, or the real acting stuff.

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CHARACTERS I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE I wanted to be a lot of different people, one being Orphan Annie.

Everybody wanted to be her at one point. And that really inspired my music. Initially, my career was all music-focused—voice lessons, theater, and dance. I didn’t watch that much television growing up; it just really wasn’t part of my family culture. But I remember wanting to be Kelly Kapowski [Tiffani Thiessen] and Jessie Spano [Elizabeth Berkley] from Saved by the Bell. And I remember seeing Romeo + Juliet as I got a little bit older, and I wanted to be the Claire Danes version of Juliet.

It was definitive in my life. Watching her performance I was like, “I want to be an actress.”

MY TOUGHEST ROLE YET Certainly The Sinner is the most emotionally and psychologically challenging character I’ve ever played.

There’s that moment where she’s just like, “I’m going to let it go, I’m going to sink under the water.” I feel like we’ve probably all had a moment like that and flirted with, “Should we do it? Can I go under water and not come back up?”

And most of us cannot.

We have to come back up.

It’s that survival instinct.

That’s just a good example of a really technically and emotionally tricky moment that definitely makes this part the most challenging of my career.

MY DESERT ISLAND SHOWS It would be a combination of Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Sopranos. That’s my lineup. God, there’s just so many good ones. But I would say if I could have those three, I would be pretty happy. I think because they’re just done so well. They’re either super incredibly funny or dark or raw or real. I mean, there are so many other good shows as well, but I just am moved by those.

MY GUILTY TV PLEASURES I don’t watch that kind of thing very often, and this is terribly embarrassing but kind of interesting: Say Yes to the Dress. I’m also into My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.

It’s really humiliating exposing that to you.

And maybe this is not so surprising anymore, but I love true crime stories. I watch 48 Hours: Hard Evidence. I love prison shows. I watch young women in prison, or the prison system. Young kids in prison, which sounds so hard to believe after The Sinner, but I’ve always been interested in that kind of thing.

THE BOOKS I WISH WERE TV SHOWS There’s an amazing book series called Wool by Hugh Howey. I’m not terribly into dystopian societies, even though I think it’s interesting, but this particular one, with a woman at the helm, I think could be a really great show. I also love period stuff, like The Crown and I’ve always been interested in trying to adapt Tender Is the Night into something.

THE FILMS THAT MAKE ME CRY The first one coming to mind is Beaches. It’s a classic. Then there’s such a goofy old movie called Drop Dead Fred that always makes me cry with laughter. Oh, my God, it’s so funny. Phoebe Cates is so amazing. Also Sharon Stone in Casino is heartbreakingly amazing. My heart breaks for her every time I see it. And maybe Edward Scissorhands. Those beautiful characters that you so badly want to protect and love. ★

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Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which debuted in the wake of the explosive revelations that fueled the #MeToo movement, has become one of this Emmy season’s hottest new shows. As the cast, creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and her EP husband Daniel Palladino celebrate the 14 Emmy nominations the show brought home, Anthony D’Alessandro finds out why everyone’s talking about Midge.

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Two-thirds of the way into the pilot of Amazon Studios’ The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, there’s a moment that underscores just how unflappable Rachel Brosnahan’s uptown Jewish housewife heroine, Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel, truly is.

where she purges herself by railing against her hubby on stage; one of the first of many open mics in her rise as a budding stand-up in 1958.

“Over the years in network television, executives haven’t been keen on really unabashed strong female characters, they tend to turn them unlikable,” says Mrs. Maisel EP Daniel Palladino who together with his wife, Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of the Emmy-nominated Amazon series,

Her business suit-wearing wannabe stand-up

has received the note that if a woman is strong on

hack of a husband, Joel (Michael Zegen), drops the

the page, she has to “suddenly show some sort of

news on the eve of what will be a very busy Yom

vulnerability”.

Kippur (they got the Rabbi to come over, finally)

When Sherman-Palladino and her husband

that he’s leaving Midge for his secretary Penny—

wrote on Roseanne, it was unheard of to get such

and with his wife’s suitcase no less.

notes. Roseanne barred network suits from the

“You’re leaving me for a girl who can’t figure out how to sharpen pencils?” stings Midge.

writing job, it was the flipside. From our first table

“I need to start over,” Joel groans.

read I had to listen to a bunch of people scribbling

“With her? She wins?” Midge asks—without

nonsense,” she remembers.

tears—before slamming Joel. “Can I just say you have the worst timing ever?”

Then comes her punchline: “Grab some pens on the way out, you’re going to need them.”

At which point, Midge, left alone in the night, retreats to the Gaslight Café in Greenwich Village,

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set and table reads. “When I went on to my next

Had a regular TV network executive provided a note on the scene in which Joel leaves Midge, they’d have asked why she doesn’t break down in tears. “We talked with Rachel about the way Amy wrote it,” says Palladino. “Midge is feeling something. She’s a very strong woman who is looking at

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GENERATION GAP Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle are concerned parents Abe and Rose Weissman.

a man doing a very weak, crappy thing. She’s strong

indicated something possibly holiday-themed. But

in that moment.”

upon watching this series—a medley of Mad Men

In comedy, timing is everything, and for Mrs.

meets Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose—the

Maisel, the timing of its first season drop on No-

story about a young uptown Manhattan divorcee

vember 29 couldn’t have been more apt. It was 11

making her way as a stand-up in a chauvinistic

months into the presidency of Donald J. Trump, a

1958 spoke more to the #MeToo generation than

leader of the free world with a notorious reputation

the Palladinos ever imagined.

for his objectification of women and sexist and lu-

In the wake of winning two Golden Globes, for

rid remarks. It was also a matter of weeks following

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy and

the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment allega-

Best Actress for Brosnahan, and most recently

tions, which fired up the Time’s Up and #MeToo

garnering 14 Primetime Emmy nominations (63%

movements. And a little more than a month after

of Amazon’s total Emmy noms this season), the

Amazon Studios’ own president Roy Price was sus-

creators still assert that they never really had a

pended for lewd and repeated propositions to The

feminist crusader agenda with Mrs. Maisel. “We

Man in the High Castle EP Isa Dick Hackett.

didn’t want it to feel political, but rather relevant to

With its fairy tale-looking billboards of Bros-

a young woman today,” insists Sherman-Palladino.

nahan’s title character donning a fashionable red

“We didn’t want it to feel like, ‘Oh, it’s my grandma’s

coat, smiling back at us in a sea of fedora-wearing,

story’, but that it could be any woman’s story. Then

trench-coated men, Mrs. Maisel’s marketing

it became time to take the gargantuans down [in

appeared to be targeting those Amazon Prime

the #MeToo movement], and it brought a different

families stuck on the couch after a hearty Thanks-

view to our show that wasn’t necessarily intended.

giving dinner. The stars in the Maisel logo itself even

It worked in an odd way, freakishly and also—boo!—

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IT COULD BE ANY WOMAN'S STORY. THEN IT BECAME TIME TO TAKE THE GARGANTUANS DOWN AND IT BROUGHT A DIFFERENT VIEW.”

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FAST FRIENDS Midge and aspiring manager Susie Myerson get on like a house on fire.

it shows how far we haven’t come since

while promoting this show, ‘Do you think

the 1950s.”

women are funny?’ It’s one of the many

For those in showbusiness now, the

battles we’re still fighting. It’s as relevant

series echoes close to home—during a

as it has ever felt. We’re having these very

later episode in Season 1, Midge’s on-

important moments and talking about

stage takedown of a rival comic, Sophie

things, and hopefully stripping away

Lennon (Jane Lynch—nominated for

stigmas—sexual harassment and assault,

Guest Actress), ticks off the latter’s agent

the mistreatment of women, and the

(David Paymer). He in turn blackballs

micro and macro violence that women

Midge from performing at the Gaslight

have experienced in this world. This is a

Café, and prevents her manager Susie

movement that was started by women

Myerson (Alex Borstein—nominated for

long, long ago, like Midge and Rose in their

Best Supporting Actress) from doing

own way.”

business around town.

It was a familiar narrative that

Midge isn’t based on any specific stand-up comedienne, but Sherman-Pal-

seemed to have been ripped from the

ladino says that she largely drew inspira-

headlines, as a slew of actresses report-

tion from her Catskill comedian father,

ed their careers had been blackballed

and spontaneously pitched the idea to

after they’d refused Harvey Weinstein’s

Amazon of a housewife who becomes

sexual advances. But it was little surprise

a stand-up comic. “It wasn’t terribly

to many women. “I can’t speak from per-

thought out,” says the creator.

sonal experience, but people talk about it happening,” says Borstein.

“The show highlights the battles that

What was clear for Brosnahan when she got the pages for her audition was that “from the bottom of page one, it

women have always fought, and are

was apparent that Midge was a woman

still fighting today,” agrees Brosnahan.

with an unshakeable and constant sense

“How many times have I’ve been asked

of self-empowerment.” Brosnahan never

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IT'S AS RELEVANT AS IT HAS EVER FELT. WE'RE HAVING THESE VERY IMPORTANT MOMENTS, AND HOPEFULLY STRIPPING AWAY STIGMAS.”

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FOR YOUR EMMY® CONSIDERATION

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

“SUPERB”

– VULTURE/NY MAG

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MIDGE COMES INTO HER OWN AS MRS. MAISEL IN A BIG, TRIUMPHANT SHOW AT THE END. IT WAS CATHARTIC FOR ME PERSONALLY, AND COVERED A LOT OF GROWTH.”

tried stand-up prior to taking the role, but while

at the end. It was cathartic for me personally, and

she watched stand-ups like Joan Rivers and Jean

covered a lot of growth.”

Carroll, as well as amateur comics, to inform her

ing storyline, Brosnahan doesn’t consider her to

sense and their feminine tone—she immediately

be a feminist. In an interview with the New York

knew who Midge was when reading for the part.

Times, Brosnahan said that Midge was “a creature

“She shares a lot of qualities with my late

of her time… What she is… is curious. She’s insa-

grandmother June,” Brosnahan says. “She was

tiable. If she doesn’t know things, she wants to

around in the 1950s—a wonderful mother and

know them. And she doesn’t know the other way

housewife—but my father told me that her fellow

than forward.”

debutantes at the time said that she would say

It’s something she still believes, though she in-

whatever she was thinking off the top of her head

sists The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a feminist story.

at the time, and they wished they could do the

“A feminist is active,” Brosnahan clarifies. “It’s

same. Young ladies were better to be seen and

about making change and recognizing that the

not heard. I certainly drew from my June. She was

parts of society in which we live are broken, espe-

from Kansas City, Missouri, beautifully spoken,

cially in how it relates to women.” She points to a

she was divorced, and she worked—all things that

moment in Episode 2, in which Midge expresses

were not encouraged.”

her views against secretaries, as evidence of

Brosnahan's favorite episode from Season 1 remains its finale, Episode 8, which she submitted to Emmy voters. Midge and Joel rekindle in an or-

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Interestingly enough, despite Midge’s trailblaz-

performance—taking cues from their fashion

Midge’s old-fashioned bent. “Midge believes that women should get married and have children.”

How a woman holds herself is a big theme on

ganic conversation, but mostly, “Midge comes into

Mrs. Maisel. No more is this apparent than in how

her own as Mrs. Maisel in a big, triumphant show

the wives—Midge and her mom Rose (Marin Hin-

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OPEN MIC From left: Midge and family glare at Joel; Midge Maisel shines on stage.

Though new Amazon Studios

it has impacted the traditional TV

boss Jennifer Salke is eyeing bigger

half-hour and hour with more com-

and more mainstream series on the

mercial breaks. “As business people,

kle) specifically—feel the pressure

the Catskills, the launchpad for bud-

film and TV side, versus the stream-

they’re always trying to judge the

to maintain an appearance that, as

ding wisenheimers of the day.

ing portal’s previous track record for

role of a mother, what it means,”

niche demo shows, she promptly

Sherman-Palladino insists. “‘She’s

women, they go to bed beautiful and

“Season 1 was about Midge

wake up magically that way. We see

finding her voice as a stand-up, one

gave her vote of confidence to the

too shrill’ is one note we often

them putting on beauty masks after

which she didn’t know she had,”

creators for the future of Mrs. Maisel.

received. And by the way, there’s a

their husbands fall asleep and taking

Brosnahan notes. “Season 2 centers

Sherman-Palladino says that the

reason why you’re not seeing The

them off before the men awake.

around those ripple effects and the

streaming service, unlike the big four

Handmaid’s Tale or Amy Adams’

major shift that Midge’s life is un-

networks, doesn’t provide notes,

Sharp Objects on network TV. These

too real,” notes Brosnahan, recall-

dergoing. There’s a collision among

rather “thoughts” when providing

streaming companies and cable net-

ing projects that have required her

the separate lives she’s living: those

input on the series, which they leave

works aren’t concerned about selling

to be expertly made-up for bed-

of mother, daughter, housewife, and

entirely to the creator’s steering.

soap. They want creative voices, and

room scenes. “These scenes [on

working woman.”

“Those moments are a little bit

Maisel] are radical in ways that they shouldn’t be any more.”

Midge’s journey is making a turn

One of the big scenes unveiled

“Most people who work for streaming services will have the

stories that are very specific.”

Also, given that it’s not network,

during the summer TCA press tour

same experience: It’s not about

Sherman-Palladino and her husband

showed Midge being demoted from

notes, but a creative conversation,

aren’t faced with the typical stress of

and “her viewpoint might be chang-

the make-up counter at B. Altman,

often something along the lines of,

ratings. Still, how do they know how

ing” toward a slightly more feminist

the high-end department store

‘We didn’t get this,’ or, ‘Is this too

popular the show is? “By the amount

mindset. Though the creators are

where she works, and sent to the

long?’ It’s what every creative con-

of girls who go up and hit on Michael

mum on details about Season 2,

operator call-room. This punishment

versation should be,” says Sherman-

Zegen,” laughs Sherman-Palladino.

we know that there are scenes that

follows after a Season 1 confronta-

Palladino. “We feel marketing really

“That’s how we gauge our popularity;

take place in Paris, and Deadline has

tion in which her husband’s mistress,

runs network TV. They sell soap.”

he’s our Nielsen.”

specifically learned that there will be

Penny, embarrasses her in the store

a moment that, natch, takes place in

over taking Joel back.

In the Palladinos’ minds, as marketing has become stronger,

Adds her husband, “each girl reps 35K.” ★ D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E

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D THE DIALOGUE

EMMY NOMINEES 2018

Claire FOY

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The Crown

Did you ever entertain the idea of returning for a third season?

No. If I was to do something which meant that I had to do seven series or something, it would be a challenge for me as an actor to keep myself with it, to keep myself reinventing it and not become complacent.

So for me, the idea of it being two series back-to-back, and then it would end, it was amazing. I was like, “Oh, good.

Then I can just put myself into those two series, and then it’s done and I can just let it go.”

Olivia Colman is coming into it, and she’s not playing the same person, because it’s the Queen later on—and I’ll be fascinated to see how they do it.

—Pete Hammond

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DAVI D V I NT IN E R

This is your swansong season of The Crown.

What will you take away?

I just absolutely loved playing the Queen because it was transformative for me. It was something that I had never been given the opportunity to do as an actor, to physically and vocally become completely different, but not be a caricature. I loved living in a completely different skin to my own.

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Conan O’BRIEN

Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within an Unscripted Program CONAN Without Borders After 25 years in late night, how do you reflect back on the work you’ve done to date?

I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done, and really proud that I meet so many young comedians that say, “I grew up watching your show, and it was so different and so weird, and it spoke to me.” That is all I ever wanted out of this business.

That, and to know people like Bob Newhart. The fact that he knows my name is just an example of how magical this business can be.

M I CH A E L B UCK N E R

Why have your CONAN Without Borders specials been a particularly meaningful creative outlet for you?

You go to a place like Haiti, and if I can make children that don’t speak English laugh, that delights me to no end. The point of those travel shows is, I want them to laugh at the American. That’s always been my sense of humor, so it’s not a contortion for me. I love going into a situation where the American is trying to fit in with them, and failing, and they get to laugh at me, and they’re in the power position. To me, that’s almost a weird kind of diplomacy. —Pete Hammond

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D

THE DIALOGUE

James CORDEN

Outstanding Variety Talk Series Outstanding Interactive Program The Late Late Show With James Corden Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series James Corden’s Next James Corden Outstanding Short Form Variety Series Carpool Karaoke: The Series Your Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney was one for the books.

How did you pull that off?

It was a good four or five months in the making, from the initial talks. At its core it probably ultimately came down to a fun conversation between myself and Paul.

I just prodded him that it would be fun and it would be worthwhile and that he absolutely wouldn’t ever regret doing it. I felt on the day that we captured something quite special. But in truth we were all kind of blown away by the response and the reaction to it, because I think across the internet now, across Facebook and YouTube and the like, it’s been watched 140 million times or something. And it breaks quite a lot of rules of the internet, because it’s actually 23 minutes long.

M I CH A E L B UCK N E R

Finding out that Tom Cruise is a sugar pusher, because he doesn’t eat it himself, was also a favorite moment.

Well, I’m on diet at the moment, as I have been for the last 18 years, and he knows this. I got in this conversation with him; we were actually talking the other day quite a lot about food and stuff, and today at the studio 100 donuts arrived [from him]. I was like, “What are you doing?”

Although I have to say, I just watched it back, the piece where we jump out of an airplane together. It’s ridiculous. Fifteen thousand feet. —Antonia Blyth

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Carrie BROWNSTEIN

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series Portlandia

What has been the key to keeping Portlandia fresh?

I think at the beginning, so much of what a show is, is figuring out what the DNA of it is. Sometimes you’re operating from a place of instinct, and I think that the trick is, as you start to formalize things, that you maintain some of that optimism and curiosity—almost a clumsiness from which you begin. It’s just this openness of grabbing from different parts of your life, from permutations of who you are, in character terms.

M I CH A E L B UCK N E R

Looking back, what are you most proud of with this series?

What I liked about Portlandia is that we operated with elasticity. It was a sketch show to begin with, and then we went into seasons with narrative arcs. I think one thing we wanted to maintain was a lens of absurdism.

What I’ve loved is that there was a silliness to a lot of our characters, but I think that we really focused on finding heart and something relatable in them, so that we could vacillate between something that was relatable and earnest, and then something that was surreal.

—Peter White

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D

THE DIALOGUE

David LYNCH

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or Special Twin Peaks It’s been over a decade since you last made a feature film.

How have you felt about transitioning back into the world of television?

Feature films have fallen on hard times these days. And it’s sad, but it’s the reality. I always say now, cable television is the new art house. People have freedom and can make a continuing story. It’s pretty beautiful, but it’s not the big screen, so there’s a little bit of sorrow in the picture and a little bit of sorrow in the sound.

J OS H T E LLES

With Twin Peaks: The Return, how did you guide Kyle MacLachlan through the various personas he takes on?

I’ve known Kyle since 1982, I think.

Kyle is like my brother. It’s just so easy to work with him. He had, I think he said, never had that kind of challenge before: to overcome so many characters and find those things. But it was in the script. There was a little bit of trial and error in the beginning, in rehearsing, but Kyle found those guys, each one, and they’re all so different. It was very, very beautiful what came out of Kyle. —Damon Wise

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Tracee Ellis ROSS Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series black-ish

Over four seasons of Black-ish, what remains captivating to you about Bow Johnson?

Often on television, they write characters through one or another lens. So you’re written as the wife, you’re written as the anesthesiologist, or you’re written as the mother, and the conflict of those things becomes the conflict of the character—“I can’t do it all,” or “This is taking me away from this.” They don’t do that with Bow, which I’m grateful for, because what it leaves is a woman that can be many things, which is what we see all the time.

M I CH A E L B UCK N E R

Did stepping in as a director this season feel like a natural progression?

My personality really lends itself to that kind of experience that is all-encompassing. I’m a person with a strong and clear point of view, always have been. I also come from a big family. I’m used to handling a lot and having multiple things go on at the same time, and that’s directing. I loved being able to tell stories from a larger point of view and to continue to learn how to tell stories, not just through the words being spoken, but through shots and camera angles and editing.

—Antonia Blyth

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THE DIALOGUE

M I C H A E L B UC K N E R

D

John LEGEND Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert

How do you begin thinking about how to play Jesus Christ?

Every day, we went to rehearsals and we focused on telling this story in a way that really resonated with people.

A lot of the conversation was about love and finding the love in the story, and the love between the characters— even characters who were rivals. That really is what we thought about and talked about all the time.

How did the live musical experience compare to the process of putting together your own tours?

The concert tour that I would normally do, it’s kind of a smaller team, a smaller production. But in some ways, it’s similar to what we did with Jesus Christ Superstar, in that we collaborate on the vision, the visuals, the staging.

Of course, I write most of my music, so I’m more involved in the composition of my own show, and [Jesus Christ Superstar] was just a much more massive undertaking when it came to the number of moving parts—the choreography, the set design, all these other things. I had done that on my own tours, but definitely on a smaller scale. —Matt Grobar

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Bryan CRANSTON

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm

M I CH A E L B UC K N ER

How long have you been bugging Larry David for an appearance on Curb?

You know, I would bump into him from time to time and say, “Man, if you ever have anything on the show, I’d love to do it.” But like his absolute perfect use of guest stars on Seinfeld—which I was fortunate enough to be a part of—he doesn’t do it gratuitously. His story was, he wanted to have this experience with a therapist.

And I thought, there could not have been a more advantageous character for me to play than Larry David’s therapist. I mean you could do a doctoral thesis just on Larry David’s mind.

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Is it impertinent to ask how you keep a straight face as you improvise these scenes?

It’s not impertinent. When you improvise, you hear jokes for the first time, and if you’re in touch with humor, of course it strikes you. Sometimes it catches you off guard and you break character and laugh. I think if the reason you have to stop your work is because you’re laughing too much, that’s a good place to work.

I got a chance to sit across from the master himself.

To be able to play with him on the same level was a big treat. —Joe Utichi

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EM M Y 2 01 8 H AN DICAPS / BY P ETE H A M M O N D

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES Atlanta

Barry

FX’s new favorite won Emmys in its first season for star Donald Glover in both the Lead Actor and Directing categories, which might bode well for the show to graduate to the top series win as well this year in its acclaimed sophomore turn. Bear in mind that it took Veep four seasons before it finally broke Modern Family’s chokehold on the category and started its own winning streak.

With those two finally out of its way, can Atlanta prevail?

HBO may not have Veep in the running this year, but it does have a couple of possibilities, including this very dark comedy in which Bill Hader stars as a hitman who becomes an aspiring actor. Hader has five personal nominations this year—four for writing, directing, producing, and starring in Barry—which is very impressive, and suggests that it could be his time. But is the show just too dark for Emmy voters? Also, it may just be too new: voters may wish to reward it elsewhere before offering up their biggest prize.

Silicon Valley HBO

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Having amassed 40 nominations in all, including seven this year, HBO’s third contender is always part of the conversation, but has managed only two wins in its five-season run. It now has its fifth consecutive comedy series nomination, plus significant nods for writing and directing. The biggest drawback has been in the acting categories (the branch with the largest number of voters) where it has had only one nomination in five years, and none this year.

Now in its fourth season, this Tina Fey/Robert Carlock creation for Netflix has consistently landed in this category but never won. More ominously, it looks like it might be on the decline, Emmywise. Having gathered 18 nominations over its entire run, it had its worst showing this year with only one other single nom other than Comedy Series (for supporting actor Tituss Burgess), thus making it the longest of long shots with by far the lowest number of nominations of any other contender.

FX

The largest group of nominees in any program category this year proves that there’s likely some fluidity for Outstanding Comedy Series, especially considering that HBO’s Veep—the winner for the past three years in a row—is sitting this season out. Equally, the winner for the five years previous to that Veep streak, Modern Family, was not nominated for the first time ever, which means that we’re looking at a whole new ball game. Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus told me at last year’s HBO Emmy party that the series would not be back in production in time to qualify for the 2018 Emmys, and this was even before she got the breast cancer diagnosis that further delayed its return to production (now set for October) and a likely return to the race in 2019 for its final season. That leaves a pile-on of past runners-up, three newcomers, and a returnee after several years’ absence to shake up one of Emmy’s most prestigious contests and give us a new champ other than the two that have dominated for eight years. So who will be laughing last? Here’s the rundown.

black-ish ABC

With its third consecutive Comedy Series nomination in a four-year run, black-ish has found it difficult to cash in any of those nods and remains Emmy-less in all categories. Although its cast members have been consistently mentioned, the series also has yet to gain a single writing or directing nomination in any of its four seasons, which is not a good sign. Creator Kenya Barris’ announcement that he’s ditching ABC to get rich at Netflix probably won’t help its chances either.

Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO

HBO’s utility player has been a strong presence at the Emmys. It doesn’t appear every year, but when it does, it usually can count on a nomination in this category. This year it has nabbed its impressive eighth nod, proving that voters haven’t yet curbed their enthusiasm, even though it has never won. This is the first time the returning series has been in the race since 2012, so there may be a little rooting factor for Larry David and co.

GLOW Netflix

This Netflix girls wrestling team series clearly made a splash in its debut season, grabbing an impressive 10 nominations first time out. The second season has already been streaming, so the series may be front of mind for voters as they cast their ballot.

However with only an above-the-line nod for direction of the pilot and a supporting nom for Betty Gilpin, most of its strength seems to be in the crafts areas, where it may have its best shots at a win.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Amazon

Another newcomer, the widely acclaimed and campaigned Amazon entry about a foul-mouthed housewife-turnedstand-up-comic in the 1950s is the outlier here as an hour-long, sometimes dramatic comedy series, but it may well be the one to beat. Its Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and PGA wins only add to that drumbeat, along with a hefty 14 Emmy nods.

PETE’S

WINNER

HBO

Netflix

PICK

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OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES The Americans

The Crown

One of the Emmys’ biggest mysteries is why this wildly praised FX series is enjoying only its second Drama Series nomination in an outstanding six-year run. It was pushed out of the race here in 2017 after receiving its only other series nod the year before, in a category that many believe this should have won long ago. More timely than ever, this show about Russian spies infiltrating modern America would seem to have its best—and last—chance at a victory finally this year.

Receiving its second straight nomination in this category, the Netflix series about the life and times of the reigning Queen of England has once again scored 13 nominations—same as last year, when it won three. The 2017 Golden Globe winner swaps out current star Claire Foy for Olivia Colman, who will take over the next two seasons as the six-year series continues. Whether Emmy voters will want to acknowledge the impressive start with a win here, or wait to see how it navigates the change, is the big question.

FX

This category made history last year by ushering in five first-season nominees in Emmy’s most prestigious and difficult-to-crack category. Of course, it helped that twotime winner Game of Thrones took a year off to help give the new guys a chance. It’s back this year, but so are those five first-timers, who, in typical Emmy fashion, apparently set a course to be players in this category for years to come as all five got nods for their sophomore seasons—yet another unprecedented moment in Emmy history. With another perennial nominee, Better Call Saul, taking this season off— the first time in years that six-time Drama Series winner AMC has not had a nominee—the real question is whether Thrones can regain the throne. Here’s how I see it…

Netflix

Game of Thrones

The Handmaid’s Tale

Stranger Things

This Is Us

Westworld

With a hefty 128 nominations overall, 2015 and 2016 wins as Best Drama Series, and a whopping 38 Emmy wins total, Game of Thrones could well regain the crown after sitting 2017 out due to production schedules. In a sense, it is the defending champ, but it has to share that distinction with last year’s winner, The Handmaid’s Tale.

This is shaping up to be a battle royal between the two shows, even though Thrones has the edge in nominations, once again leading the Emmy field with 22.

This incredibly pertinent series is right behind Game of Thrones in the nomination count for this category, having nabbed 20—a significant increase from its first season haul of 13. The Hulu series made Emmy history by becoming the first Drama or Comedy series to score a major win in Emmy’s top two categories; it won eight Emmys last year and looks to repeat the feat in 2018 if it can knock Thrones out.

The winner of five Emmys in its debut, all in craft categories, this Netflix series is back with 12 nominations for its second year, significantly down from the 19 it received last year. In its own way, the show may be the most popular of the whole bunch in this category.

Although its second season was just as successful with viewers as its first— maybe even more so—it is an uphill climb to crack a win here this time around, especially with Netflix also throwing resources at The Crown.

The sole entry from any of the broadcast networks, and only the second to crack this category in recent years, NBC’s littledrama-that-could is back with a strong season that elicited eight nominations— but, again, nothing for its writing or directing. In a category dominated now by cable and streaming competition it is almost impossible for the big four networks to break through, but NBC did with this popular show, proving that broadcast hasn’t completely thrown in the towel.

With 21 nominations, this highly complex series from HBO is tied with Saturday Night Live and second only to HBO stablemate Game of Thrones for the most nominations this year. It took five Emmys in its first season, and looks to add to the total for a challenging follow-up in which events took unexpected twists and turns that might have perplexed even the most rabid fans. The series’ sheer audacity and ambition could make the difference for an upset victory this time around.

HBO

Hulu

PETE’S

WINNER PICK

Netflix

NBC

HBO

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EM M Y 2 01 8 H AN DICAPS / BY P ETE H A M M O N D

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES The Alienist TNT

Last season provided a real race between several juggernauts in this category, including Feud: Bette and Joan, Fargo, and eventual winner Big Little Lies, which seemed to sweep up everything in its sight. Well there’s no new Feud in sight, no new Fargo, and there’s a year to wait for the next batch of Big Little Lies, so that leaves this category with perhaps its most unpredictable and weakest field, at least compared to the 2017 slugfest. Nevertheless, Emmy voters parsed through the list of possibilities and came up with a group that truly does not appear to have a distinct frontrunner— although in terms of numbers, producer Ryan Murphy looks to have the best chance to prevail and avenge his Feud loss from last year, with another winning American Crime Story. Here’s the rundown…

The big boys have decided to let TNT come play in this particular sandbox with this late 19th century period piece about the investigation of a serial killer in New York. Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning, and Luke Evans lead the cast, but none of them scored acting nods, which immediately puts the chances of a win for TNT lower here than any other contender, since Emmy’s actors branch is by far the largest, and perhaps most influential in determining final winners in the program categories.

Genius: Picasso

Godless

Patrick Melrose

National Geographic jumped into this race with Imagine Entertainment’s Genius concept last year, winning numerous nominations for its Albert Einstein story. The follow-up this time is Pablo Picasso, as played by nominee Antonio Banderas, but the reviews weren’t nearly as strong second time round. The fact that it still managed a nomination should be considered a victory in and of itself.

Scott Frank’s 1880sset western brought the on again/off again TV staple very much on again with a smart and fresh take on the genre that allowed its stars Michelle Dockery, Merrit Wever and Jeff Daniels to score acting nods, but inexplicably not its lead, Jack O’Connell (who, if you ask me, was robbed).

The relevance of a female-dominated Western won’t be lost in the time of #MeToo.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s dazzling titlerole performance dominated this complex, rich adaptation and makes him a frontrunner for a second Emmy. The show also drew praise, but turned out to be an acquired taste for some, though not enough to prevent a Limited Series nod.

Having said that, a win seems unlikely for anyone other than its star.

National Geographic

Netflix

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story FX

Ryan Murphy’s umbrella limited series label American Crime Story scored big on its first time out with the O.J. Simpson mini, and the producer is obviously hoping lightning strikes twice with this tale of murdered fashion icon Gianni Versace.

Unlike The Alienist, this 18-time nominated show scored huge dividends in acting categories, where it simply dominates with a third of its overall nom totals. That could help it pull out a win here, although there could be surprises.

Showtime

PETE’S

WINNER PICK

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WHO DESERVES TO WIN?

OUTSTANDING

TELEVISION MOVIE

Who actually deserves to win across

Fahrenheit 451 HBO

There can be no question that the once very prestigious Emmy competition for Outstanding TV Movie was one of the richest categories around. Now, ever since being split again from the Limited Series category (although not in other categories where the two still compete side-byside) it is floundering around, barely able to come up with the requisite five nominees. This year’s crop is fairly lackluster, and once again taking the questionable step of plucking a nominee from an anthology series and calling it a movie.

Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel about book-burning was turned into a film for Julie Christie and Oskar Werner in 1966, and director Ramin Bahrani apparently thought it would still have relevance today.

It does, but this take starring Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon did not gather any significant critical support and was virtually invisible at its Cannes Film Festival debut just a couple of weeks before the HBO premiere.

all the thousands (or so it seems) of Emmy categories for 2018? When it comes to the Emmys, I tend to favor the underdogs—those who maybe haven’t won and have been waiting a long time to make that speech. Yes, there are lots of deserving winners, but some that just stand out as really deserving, if only given a chance.

Topping my list is Larry David and Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is a show that has consistently delivered whenever it chooses to be on the air, and it would be about time for David and his show to actually win after eight Comedy Series nominations since 2002. Plus I’d love to hear Larry’s speech. He has my vote.

Wouldn’t it be great to see The Americans win Drama Series on its last chance? For Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, my vote would go to Thandie Newton whose incredible work in this season of Westworld—which included doing most of her role in a particular Japanese dialect for the fifth episode—is just beyond compare.

And, OK, being one for pure drama and rebelliousness, I would love to see the moment Laurie Metcalf takes the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Roseanne. Of course, she’s already won three times for the original, but this would

Flint

Lifetime A top-rank director in Bruce Beresford, a cast including Queen Latifah, and a hot-button topic of water contamination in Michigan has the makings of a very important film, but critics felt the treatment of the material lacked fire despite being wellmeaning. There clearly is a major movie to be made on this shameful chapter in American history, but this Lifetime movie came and went. It is the only nominee in the category to receive just a single nomination, which probably tells you all you need know.

Paterno HBO

Whenever Al Pacino decides to do a TV movie he usually wins an Emmy, or at least a nomination, but in the case of playing Penn State coach Joe Paterno he was overlooked, even though HBO’s film did manage a couple of nominations, including in the weak field here.

Without Pacino in the running—and even with the fact it had an Oscar-nominated director in Barry Levinson—there hasn’t been much excitement for this project, and the nomination is probably where it stops.

The Tale HBO

A harrowing and very timely story of a woman’s experience of sexual abuse as a young girl, this film from Jennifer Fox is likely to earn Laura Dern her second consecutive Emmy—but whether that also translates into The Tale’s only other nomination as Television Movie is a closer call. The performance-driven film is powerful stuff and sure to impress Emmy voters, but it’s no slam-dunk.

USS Callister (Black Mirror) Netflix

HBO’s highly acclaimed anthology series Black Mirror just keeps churning out winner after winner.

That was the case last year with San Junipero, which took the top award here as well as for writing in a Limited Series or Movie—which was impressive, since that “movie” ran to just 61 minutes. USS Callister is 76 minutes, so we’re getting there.

Nevertheless, it’s probably the one to beat.

be different, eh?

In Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, I think it is Henry Winkler’s moment. A TV icon with six nominations and no wins, he truly does deserve a win for his exceptional work in Barry—and, by the way, I wouldn’t mind Bill Hader taking home a couple of statuettes for that daring show.

I really want to see Penélope Cruz win as Donatella Versace in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace. Why not? It’s her first trip to American television and she nailed it. And in Variety Talk, nothing—and I mean nothing—would make me happier than to see Jimmy Kimmel finally take an Emmy. No one used their TV gig in a more responsible, funny, biting, and brilliant way than Kimmel did this year. Please not John Oliver again, OK? One more thing. I would love to see TV icon and Little Women Supporting Actress

PETE’S

WINNER PICK

Angela Lansbury finally win an Emmy after 18 nominations. Oh, wait—she wasn’t even nominated? Shame on you, Academy!

D E A D L I N E .C O M / AWA R D S L I N E

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