What The Emmys Got Right (And What The TV Academy Missed)
Inkoo Kang: “The Emmys — which will air Sept. 19 on CBS — aren’t exactly a reliable barometer for excellence, with too many smaller shows, like P-Valley and Philly D.A., falling through the cracks. The best case that can be made for the awards in 2021, when the TV landscape has been irreparably fragmented not just by demographics but by subscriber base, is that it helps solidify a reigning canon of water-cooler shows. And if the goal is to help TV become a community-building medium again, the 2021 slate of nominations are more than sufficient, collecting the highlights of the past year on TV and reflecting how scattered they are across various channels and services.
Mad Men, AMC’s saga of ad exec Don Draper and 1960s America, has won four best drama series trophies to tie with Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and The West Wing. A fifth nomination at this morning’s announcement ceremony would give it a shot at the record. Newcomers Girls and New Girl are vying for honors in the comedy series categories.
The IFC sketch comedy show’s try for recognition has a David-versus-Goliath feel amid big-budget campaigns.
Passion For Early TV Leads To Emmy Nods
Shooting a documentary on the early innovators of television seemed natural to former WTMJ Milwaukee photographer Steve Boettcher (left) and Mike Trinklein, because they wanted to get the recollections of the medium’s trailblazers recorded while those giants were still around. Financed with a credit card, Pioneers of Television found a home on PBS and the original hour program did well enough that it grew into a four-show series, followed by another four episodes. Both received Emmy nominations, with the second series up for consideration this year.
Exclusives
NEW YORK (AP) — TV series stars Melissa McCarthy and Joshua Jackson will be early risers on July 14 to announce the nominations for this year’s prime-time Emmys. McCarthy and Jackson will be up at 5:40 a.m. Pacific time to join John Shaffner, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, to make the […]
