My top-two contenders and who I checked the final ballot for in 16 categories.
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In yet another unsurprising dispatch from the 2020 Upside Down, tonight marks the fourth Creative Arts Emmys ceremony this week, with one more shindig to go on Saturday celebrating the best of the below-the-line craftspeople (and a few actors for good measure) before the big broadcast Sunday night on ABC.
Yes, friends: If you care enough to keep count, that’s six(!) whole Emmys ceremonies in a week. SIX.
If that doesn’t reconfirm for you that this year continues to buck to be the most extra ever, you must be waiting on the actual monsters from Stranger Things to rise up and take over your neon-lit local mall food court to be convinced. Then again, it’s only September, and as we’ve seen, just about anything that rises to the level of such ratchetness is entirely possible.
It’s a lot even for an awards season lover like myself to keep up with. But it’s also a fun bright spot and something to look forward to amid the otherwise massive mess, so I’m all in.
Continuing the uniqueness of this go-round, something was different than in years past when I sat down to mark my final ballot in the top categories. Maybe it’s the perspective that comes with so many bigger, important things happening in the world; perhaps it’s just fatigue from, well, errrything.
But either way, I found that this year it was much easier to narrow down each category to a two-finalist cage match. While I hemmed and hawed a bit on a few selections (some things haven’t changed), making my choices was sans a lot of the usual hand wringing and double guessing that comes with the territory. A welcome change of pace, for sure.
So, without further adieu—after all, we still have ceremonies to clock-in to—here are my top two finalists and pick for the winner in each of the major races based on the official episode submissions.
Agree or disagree, it’s still 2020, so let’s not take it (too) seriously.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do in the Shadows
My Top-Two Finalists: Schitt’s Creek and What We Do in the Shadows
My Final Vote Goes To: Schitt’s Creek
Insecure was this close to sliding into my ‘top two’ for its stellar season—and I could see it sneaking in to take the top prize—but in the end, this one came down to the earnest sweetness of Schitt’s Creek‘s final run vs. the breakout second installment of the hilariously inspired What We Do in the Shadows. A tough call, but I’m going with Schitt’s Creek for the win for a perfectly calibrated swan song where its heart ‘rose’ to the meet the humor in a bittersweet send-off that only left me wanting more. But those wacky vamps are (fang bite-free) neck-and-neck.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
My Top-Two Finalists: Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me and Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
My Final Vote Goes To: Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
It’s the Academy’s last shot to show love to Canada’s great comedic treasure, Catherine O’Hara, whose performance in Schitt’s Creek has rightfully made her a proper pop culture icon and meme machine—and is very likely the reason her show caught late-in-its-run fire from near-obscurity. Linda Cardellini is a close second for a very different kind of performance in Dead to Me, but I’m all-in on Team Moira.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
My Top-Two Finalists: Ted Danson, The Good Place and Ramy Youssef, Ramy
My Final Vote Goes To: Ramy Youssef, Ramy
In my opinion one of this year’s weaker categories, to me, this is battle between Ted Danson and Ramy Youssef, with Eugene Levy hovering as a potential spoiler. That said, Youssef is miles ahead for dominating screen time in his versatile submission from Ramy that also gives Academy voters (and faux ones like me!) a chance to honor him for creating and writing his special series.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
My Top-Two Finalists: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
My Final Vote Goes To: Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
Alex Borstein is the two-time running champ in this category, and she’s never been better than in Mrs. Maisel’s season finale. But the depth that Annie Murphy effortlessly brought to her character’s break-up in the homestretch of Schitt’s Creek’s final season reconfirmed what I already felt: She was the true heart and soul of the show, unearthing real, multi-dimensional humanity in a once surface-only, cut-out of a character. An endearingly Emmy-worthy performance if there ever was one.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
My Top-Two Finalists: Mahershala Ali, Ramy and Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
My Final Vote Goes To: Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Last year’s winner in this category, Tony Shalhoub, remained top-notch as his character on Mrs. Maisel navigated a new phase of life with plenty of funny thrown-in for good measure. While Mahershala Ali’s work served a bit less ‘haha’-style humor, he treaded the fine line between centered spiritual leader and overprotective father with the kind of seamless skill that I couldn’t deny.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
My Top-Two Finalists: Ozark and Succession
My Final Vote Goes To: Succession
Family dramas of a very different kind, both Ozark and Succession had buzz meter-breaking seasons that were matched by sky-high quality. That’s all well and good, but for me, what Succession achieved in its second go-round reached such a deliciously peak Shakespearean, cinematic level that it’s remained in my top slot since the finale aired almost a full year ago last October. A bit of a no-brainer.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
My Top-Two Finalists: Olivia Colman, The Crown and Zendaya, Euphoria
My Final Vote Goes To: Zendaya, Euphoria
Look, Jennifer Aniston is one of my all-time favorites and true Hollywood spirit animal, and I would love to see her (deservingly) take the trophy. But as good as she is in the otherwise messy The Morning Show, Olivia Colman’s more emotionally reserved work in The Crown—especially in the moment when she brims with tears in a touching one-on-one with her sister following a suicide attempt—was a fine, restrained showcase that landed more of an impact on me after a rewatch. But despite all of that, I shocked even myself by being so blown away by Zendaya’s submission from Euphoria. It’s a brave, bold, in-her-skin kind of performance that naturalistically nails every emotional note in the rollercoaster life of a teenage addict. A new TV star has been born, and she deserves to be—sorry Queen, but yes, crowned—the winner.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
My Top-Two Finalists: Brian Cox, Succession and Billy Porter, Pose
My Final Vote Goes To: Brian Cox, Succession
No one serves the trifecta of righteous rage, terminal illness and biting humor like Billy Porter (with a heaping side of sanguine song), and he did it again in follow-up to last year’s win as his character entered a dream-like haze as he fell further ill from AIDS in Pose. But lawd, I don’t think there’s any match for Brian Cox’s untamed lion in winter act as Succession’s puppeteering patriarch in a performance that powered his show’s brilliant second season.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Julia Garner, Ozark
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Sarah Snook, Succession
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
My Top-Two Finalists: Julia Garner, Ozark and Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
My Final Vote Goes To: Julia Garner, Ozark
Despite how much of a fan I was of Helena Bonham Carter’s submission from The Crown (and would be happy if she won for it), for me this race came down to two intense, beautifully restrained performances from a pair of previous winners. Samira Wiley delivers big in a short span of power-packed screen time on The Handmaid’s Tale, while the category’s reigning champ, Julia Garner, shows range from badass boss lady to beat-up vengeance seeker in her episode from Ozark. Both were great, but the latter was on a level that this ‘two-peat’ hater couldn’t resist breaking my own rule for.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
My Top-Two Finalists: Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale and Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
My Final Vote Goes To: Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Yet another category where my final pick surprised even me. Bradley Whitford is a perennial MVP in my awards playbook, and he was easily one of the best parts of The Handmaid’s Tale’s third season. But after watching all of the episode submissions—including two from Succession across three nominees—it was clear that Matthew Macfayden’s cunningly complex performance melding humor and hurt with hell-bent anger blasted past the rest of the guys on the list, including his excellent ensemble co-stars.
OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE
American Son
Bad Education
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
My Top-Two Finalists: American Son and Bad Education
My Final Vote Goes To: American Son
Plenty of solid options here, but the choice was very clear. American Son isn’t just an ‘important piece of work,’ but a visceral viewing experience that essentially plays out in real-time, grabbing you by the gut without letting go and ripping it out in the final 15 minutes. I’m sure the Academy will opt for Bad Education, made from the decades-old HBO TV movie template, or the nostalgia of El Camino’s revisiting of the beloved Breaking Bad universe. For me, though, there’s no contest.
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
My Top-Two Finalists: Mrs. America and Watchmen
My Final Vote Goes To: Watchmen
Again, lots of great stuff here, and all but one (I’m looking at you, Little Fires) would be deserving of a win. Yes, the next-level quality and timeliness of Mrs. America certainly leaps ahead of most to fit that bill. But let’s get real, folks: The brutally brilliant, remarkably relevant sci-fi-meets-not-so-alternate reality of Watchmen is an undeniable piece of pristine art that stands squarely on its only planet, Mr. Manhattan-style.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
My Top-Two Finalists: Shira Haas, Unorthodox and Regina King, Watchmen
My Final Vote Goes To: Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Cate Blanchett is always great, but man, she was serving so much acting in her Mrs. America performance that, ultimately, it was a turn-off for me. So, this derby came down to Shira Haas’s revelatory, heartbreaking turn in Unorthodox, and yet another master class from three-time winner Regina King, this time in Watchmen. Ms. King is the queen, and will very likely win for her series-anchoring performance. But because she (rightfully) seems like such a shoo-in, I decided to pick underdog Haas for a deeply felt, genuinely moving performance that bore the weight of her entire series on her small but incredibly formidable shoulders.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
My Top-Two Finalists: Paul Mescal, Normal People and Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
My Final Vote Goes To: Paul Mescal, Normal People
Narrowing down this category was pretty light lift, with two performances hitting creative heights that stood heads-and-tails above the rest. But I had just as easy of a time choosing Paul Mescal as my top contender, for a gorgeously naturalistic breakout performance in Normal People that was so organic and moving that he made me feel like I was watching a documentary. I laughed with him, I cried with him, and for all that and more, I think he deserves the win.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Jean Smart, Watchmen
My Top-Two Finalists: Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America and Jean Smart, Watchmen
My Final Vote Goes To: Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
All of these performances were awesome and deserving, and I could have gone any one of six ways. But I had to break it down, and the best of the rest for me were two former winners: Mrs. America standout Uzo Aduba and Watchmen’s Jean Smart. It was a super close call, but I checked the box for Aduba, whose embodiment of Shirley Chisholm really stuck with me.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
Yahya Abdul-Mateen, II, Watchmen
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen
Louis Gossett, Jr., Watchmen
My Top-Two Finalists: Jim Parsons, Hollywood and Yahya Abdul-Mateen, II, Watchmen
My Final Vote Goes To: Yahya Abdul-Mateen, II, Watchmen
Jim Parsons made hay of being absolutely horrible in Hollywood, in a departure from his previous, multiple Emmy-winning work on Big Bang Theory, and good for him for stretching into the dark side. But I leaned towards the performance that really made me feel something, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen, II’s skilled, less-is-more take on Watchmen’s Mr. Manhattan took me there. Playing an otherworldly, all-knowing god of a man could be ripe for hambone histrionics, but he managed to ground the character in restrained, purposeful emotion that packed a massive wallop when the moment came. Indeed, on this one, I’m voting ‘blue.’