Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Speculative fiction on TV in the 2017 Teen Choice Awards


I told my readers to "Stay tuned" at the end of Speculative fiction in film at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards as "I plan on being back for the first round of TV nominees and the second round of movie and TV nominees later this week."  I repeated that pledge at the end of Speculative fiction at the movies in the second wave of 2017 Teen Choice Award nominations.  As the second round of voting for the Teen Choice Awards ends tomorrow, it's the perfect occasion to follow through with those promises.  Many of them are mentioned in Clevver News' 2017 Teen Choice Awards Announces Its First Wave Of Nominees.

The Teen Choice awards are celebrating the best films, shows, and actors this year, and it looks like voting for a favorite is going to be tougher than ever…

In the first wave of Teen Choice Awards Nominations, categories such as Choice Comedy Show, Choice Action Film, Choice TV Actor and Actress, and many more have all been announced, and trust me when I say that when I break this down for you, it is NOT going to be easy deciding who should take home that coveted Teen Choice Surfboard in any of the categories.
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The TV categories are also filled the brim with some of our favorite shows, with “Arrow”, “Supergirl” and “The Flash” all nominated for Choice Action TV Show, and “Riverdale”, “This is Us” and “Pretty Little Liars” all nominated for Choice Drama TV Show. And speaking of “Pretty Little Liars”, literally all of the liars--Troian, Sasha, Ashley, Lucy, AND Shay--are ALL battling it out for Choice TV Drama actress this year, so that should definitely make for an interesting, and hopefully not awkward, win!
Here are the TV nominees from Teen Vogue reordered to reflect the level of speculative fiction involved.
Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show (#ChoiceSciFiTVShow)

Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Stranger Things
Supernatural
Teen Wolf
The Vampire Diaries
Timeless
The defending champion, "Once Upon A Time," is not nominated, so the field is open.  Out of this slate, I would vote for "Stranger Things," the only one also nominated for an Emmy (19, actually), but I wouldn't put it past this electorate to vote in "Supernatural" or "Teen Wolf" instead.
Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor (#ChoiceSciFiTVActor)

Bob Morley, The 100
Dylan O'Brien, Teen Wolf
Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Jensen Ackles, Supernatural
Joseph Morgan, The Originals
Matthew Daddario, Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
The defending champion, Grant Gustin, is contending for Choice Action Actor, so the field is open again.  Out of this group, I'd vote for Jensen Ackles.  So might the teens.
Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress (#ChoiceSciFiTVActress)

Abigail Spencer, Timeless
Eliza Taylor, The 100
Emeraude Toubia, Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Jennifer Morrison, Once Upon A Time
Kat Graham, The Vampire Diaries
Lana Parrilla, Once Upon A Time
Lana Parrilla is the defending champion and my favorite, so at least the teens like her, too.  Otherwise, I'd vote for Jennifer Morrison or Abigail Spencer.

Now for the superheroes, who are competing as action shows, a new category this year.
Choice Action TV Show (#ChoiceActionTVShow)

Arrow
Gotham
Lethal Weapon
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Supergirl
The Flash
Out of this group, I'd vote for "Gotham."  It's the one my wife and I watch and the most recognized superhero show at the Emmys with three nominations.  "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has one nomination, as does a series not on this list, "Marvel's Luke Cage."  However, I expect this electorate will vote for either "Supergirl" or "The Flash," the winners of Best Superhero Adaptation TV Series at the last two Saturn Awards, with the advantage going to "Supergirl."  As the image above shows, it has a Twitter campaign (apparently from either the CW network or the studio) working for it.  None of the rest of the superhero shows seem to.
Choice Action TV Actor (#ChoiceActionTVActor)

Chris Wood, Supergirl
Clayne Crawford, Lethal Weapon
Gabriel Luna, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Grant Gustin, The Flash
Stephen Amell, Arrow
Wentworth Miller, Prison Break
As I wrote above, Grant Gustin is the defending Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor, so he's the one I'd say is favored in this category.  The one fly in the ointment is the Twitter campaign for "Supergirl" I mentioned above.  That might sway voters.  As for me, I might favor Clayne Crawford.  He's a hoot in "Lethal Weapon."
Choice Action TV Actress (#ChoiceActionTVActress)

Caity Lotz, Legends of Tomorrow
Candice Patton, The Flash
Danielle Panabaker, The Flash
Emily Bett Rickards, Arrow
Jordana Brewster, Lethal Weapon
Melissa Benoist, Supergirl
Oh, look, the winner of the Best Actress on Television and the Best Supporting Actress on Television from the Saturn Awards are competing against each other in this category.  Between the two, I'd vote for Melissa Benoist and I expect the teens will, too (Twitter campaign, again).

Follow over the jump for the rest of the television nominees.
Choice Animated TV Show (#ChoiceAnimatedTVShow)

Bob's Burgers
Family Guy
Gravity Falls
Rick and Morty
Sonic Boom
Steven Universe
"Bob's Burgers" is the only show on this list also nominated for an Emmy, so it's the one I'd vote for.  However, I expect something more manic, like "Rick and Morty" or "Gravity Falls," will win instead.  Who knows, the name recognition of "Family Guy" might prevail.
Choice Comedy TV Show (#ChoiceComedyTVShow)

Baby Daddy
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fuller House
Jane the Virgin
One Day at a Time
Young & Hungry
Normally, I'd skip the Comedy category, except that "Jane the Virgin," my favorite comedy and a mild example of magical realism, is nominated.  Yes, that's the show I'd vote for.  I expect "Fuller House" will win instead.  I called it "a popular piece of crap" and predicted it would win Favorite Premium Comedy Series at the People's Choice Award last year.  It did.  It also won this category last year.
Choice Comedy TV Actor (#ChoiceComedyTVActor)

Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Hudson Yang, Fresh Off the Boat
Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin
Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Baby Daddy
Micah Fowler, Speechless
Again, I'm mentioning this category because of "Jane the Virgin."  I'd vote for Jaime Camil, who is hilarious.  However, I expect Anthony Anderson, who is the only one of the field also nominated for an Emmy, will win instead.
Choice Comedy TV Actress (#ChoiceComedyTVActress)

Candace Cameron Bure, Fuller House
Emma Roberts, Scream Queens
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Rose McIver, iZombie
Yara Shahidi, black-ish
Zendaya, K.C. Undercover
I'd vote for Gina Rodriguez, the eponymous "Jane the Virgin."  However, I expect Candace Cameron Bure, the defending champion, will get the surfboard again.  I'd rather have Rose McIver of "iZombie" win.  At least she's in a pure speculative fiction show.
Choice Drama TV Show (#ChoiceDramaTVShow)

Empire
Famous In Love
Pretty Little Liars
Riverdale
Star
This Is Us
The returning winner is "Pretty Little Lies," which I fully expect to repeat as champion one last time, as this is the final season for the show.  It's not my choice.  If I were to vote, it would be "Riverdale," "Empire," or "This is Us," in that order.  "Riverdale" is a Saturn Award winner and is getting a big push from either the network or studio on Twitter (see image below), while "Empire" and "This is Us" have Emmy nominations (one for "Empire," eleven for "This is Us").
Choice Drama TV Actor (#ChoiceDramaTVActor)

Cole Sprouse, Riverdale
Ian Harding, Pretty Little Liars
Jesse Williams, Grey's Anatomy
Jussie Smollett, Empire
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Ian Harding is the defending champion and I expect him to win.  As for me, I'd vote for either Cole Sprouse or Jesse Williams, even though Milo Ventimiglia is the Emmy nominated actor.
Choice Throwback TV Show (#ChoiceThrowbackTVShow)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
One Tree Hill
Sister, Sister
The O.C.
Veronica Mars
Buffy all the way for me, but "Veronica Mars" might sneak by.


All of the above are from the first wave.  Clevver News also has a video report on the second wave of nominees.

The second wave of nominations for the 2017 Teen Choice Awards are here and we have the list of potential winners.
Get those votes ready because some of your favorite stars are nominated for a surfboard.
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The nominees for Choice breakout TV Star are Chrissy Metz from This is Us, Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things, K.J. Apa from Riverdale, Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things, and Ryan Destiny from Star. Then of course there is the Choice TV Ship category, let’s see if you know your couple ship names. BELLARKE from The 100 is nominated, BUGHEAD from Riverdale, EMISON from Pretty Little Liars, KARAMEL from Supergirl, MALEC from the Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, and STYDIA from Teen Wolf.
That's not all.  Here is the list for the second wave of TV nominations from E!Online, reorder to suit my priorities.
Choice Breakout TV Show (#ChoiceBreakoutTVShow)
Famous in Love
Riverdale
Star
Stranger Things
This is Us
Timeless
I'm voting for "Stranger Things," which might be favored based on its win at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, but I wouldn't put it past "Riverdale" to sneak on by because of the Twitter campaign (see image above).
Choice Breakout TV Star (#ChoiceBreakoutTVStar)
Chrissy Metz – This is Us
Finn Wolfhard – Stranger Things
K.J. Apa – Riverdale
Lili Reinhart – Riverdale
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Ryan Destiny – Star
Oh, look, the winner of Best Younger TV Actor against the winner of The Breakthrough Performance Award at the Saturn Awards.  I'm going with Millie Bobbie Brown, who is also nominated for Supporting Actress in a Drama at the Emmy Awards.  However, the presence of Finn Wolfhard might split the "Stranger Things" vote, allowing either KJ Apa or Chrissy Metz to sneak on by.
Choice TVShip (#ChoiceTVShip)
#BELLARKE (Eliza Taylor & Bob Morley) – The 100
#BUGHEAD (Lili Reinhart & Cole Sprouse) – Riverdale
#EMISON (Shay Mitchell & Sasha Pieterse) – Pretty Little Liars
#KARAMEL (Chris Wood & Melissa Benoist) – Supergirl
#MALEC (Matthew Daddario & Harry Shum Jr.) – Shadowhunters: The Mortal
Instruments

#STYDIA (Holland Roden & Dylan O'Brien) – Teen Wolf
I'll vote for "The 100" couple here, although I expect the unorthodox pairing from "Riverdale" to win (Betty and Jughead?  Betty and Veronica are supposed to fight over Archie with Reggie trying to date the loser, while Jughead sits on the sideline).  Then again, there is the Twitter campaign for "Supergirl."


Speaking of which...
Choice TV Villain (#ChoiceTVVillain)
Cory Michael Smith – Gotham
Grant Gustin – The Flash
Janel Parrish – Pretty Little Liars
Josh Segarra – Arrow
Mark Pellegrino – Supernatural
Teri Hatcher – Supergirl
Oh, my, Riddler vs. Lucifer (not the one I like better)?  Someone flip a coin for me.  That written, the Twitter campaign for Teri Hatcher, who played Lois Lane 20 years ago, might just work.
Choice Summer TV Show (#ChoiceSummerTVShow)
America's Got Talent
Beat Shazam
The Bold Type
The Fosters
So You Think You Can Dance
Teen Wolf
Even though "Teen Wolf" is the only speculative fiction show here, I'd vote for either "America's Got Talent" or "So You Think You Can Dance."  My background as a moderator of a reality TV fan forum is showing.   Just the same, "Teen Wolf" is the returning winner and likely favorite.
Choice Summer TV Actor (#ChoiceSummerTVActor)
Cody Christian – Teen Wolf
David Lambert – The Fosters
Harry Shum Jr. – Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Kyle Harris – Stitchers
Noah Centineo – The Fosters
Tyler Posey – Teen Wolf
I expect another actor from "Teen Wolf" will win, but I'm not voting for either of them.  My choice is Kyle Harris., as I rather like "Stitchers."
Choice Summer TV Actress (#ChoiceSummerTVActress)
Aisha Dee – The Bold Type
Cierra Ramirez – The Fosters
Hilary Duff – Younger
Holland Roden – Teen Wolf
Maia Mitchell – The Fosters
Shelley Hennig – Teen Wolf
Shelley Hennig is the returning winner and favorite, but I'm not voting for her.  Instead, I'm voting for Hillary Duff.
Choice Hissy Fit (#ChoiceHissyFit)
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Dan Stevens – Beauty and the Beast
Kurt Russell – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Luke Evans – Beauty and the Beast
Madelaine Petsch – Riverdale
Malcolm Barrett – Timeless
Malcolm Barrett's character earned his hissy fit on "Timeless," so I'm voting for him.  Still, I expect either Dan Stevens or Kurt Russell will win.
Choice Scene Stealer (#ChoiceSceneStealer)
Camila Mendes – Riverdale
Colin O'Donoghue – Once Upon a Time
Josh Gad – Beauty and the Beast
Michael Rooker – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
RJ Cyler – Power Rangers
Taylor Lautner – Scream Queens
My vote is for Michael Roker.  I don't care what the teens think.
Choice Liplock (#ChoiceLipLock)
Chris Pine & Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman
Dan Stevens & Emma Watson – Beauty and the Beast
Jennifer Morrison & Colin O'Donoghue – Once Upon a Time
Matthew Daddario & Harry Shum Jr. – Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Melissa Benoist & Chris Wood – Supergirl
Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
They're not going to win, but I'm voting for Captain Hook and Emma Swan from "Once Upon a Time."  I'd been waiting for that kiss for years.  Another Disney couple will win though, Belle and The Beast.

That's it for the Teen Choice Award nominees.  Stay tuned for National Daiquiri Day tomorrow.

3 comments:

  1. Not familiar with most of these, but I've seen a few clips from Supergirl on YouTube and it looked pretty impressive. Maybe the pendulum is swinging back and TV is getting better-quality material as movies (with a few notable exceptions) turn into brainless explosion-fests.

    Interesting set of categories. Hissy fit? And how did Supergirl get classified as action instead of fantasy?

    Agree 100% about Michael Rooker!

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    1. Out of the superhero shows nominated, "Supergirl" is my favorite. My wife just thinks I want to watch Melissa Benoist fly around in a short skirt.

      As for the categories, the Teen Choice Awards don't take themselves very seriously. The trophies are surfboards. Also, Action is a new genre for them. Last year, the superhero films and TV shows were in fantasy. I'd have to read press releases and interviews to understand why they made the change (pressure from the networks like CW and studios like Warner Brothers, probably), but I think it's a good one.

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    2. BTW, you're right about TV becoming great while movies fall in quality. There is a reason why it's called Peak TV.

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