Monday, July 29, 2019

'Better Call Saul' vs. 'Riverdale' for Best Action/Thriller TV Series again plus home entertainment nominees at the 2019 Saturn Awards


"Stay tuned," I told my readers at the end of 'Supergirl' vs. 'The Flash' again for best superhero show on television plus 'Marvel’s Daredevil' leads streaming superhero nominees at the 2019 Saturn Awards, "for...I plan on making the last post of the series for July about the nominations from the action/thriller television nominees and the home entertainment entries."  It features a familiar rivalry, "Riverdale" vs. "Better Call Saul," the same top two shows in this category last year.  In this way, it's similar to the fantasy and superhero television categories with repeat top two shows.

Best Action/Thriller Television Series

    Better Call Saul {AMC)
    Killing Eve  (BBC America)
    The Last Ship  (TNT)
    Mr. Mercedes (Audience TV Network)
    The Purge  (USA Network)
    Riverdale (The CW)
    The Sinner  (USA Network)

"Better Call Saul" leads this category nominations with four, followed by "Riverdale" with three, "Killing Eve" and "The Sinner" with two, and "Mr. Mercedes," "The Last Ship," and "The Purge" with one.  In any other year, I'd be voting for either "Better Call Saul" or "The Sinner."  This year, I'm voting for "Killing Eve."  It may not win, as "Better Call Saul" won last year and "Riverdale" the year before.  Between the two, I give the edge to "Better Call Saul."

Now the nominees in the home entertainment categories from the Saturn Awards website along with my votes.
Best DVD / BD Release:

Fahrenheit 451 (HBO)
Jonathan (Well Go USA)
Kin (Lionsgate)
King Cohen (La La Land)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (Warner)
Time Freak (Lionsgate)
My vote is for "Fahrenheit 451," which I was expectin to see in Best Presentation on Television.  Unfortunately, that award has been discontinued, even though there are plenty of science fiction and horror movies on television.  Too bad, as I was looking forward to voting for "Bird Box."
Best DVD / BD Classic Film Release:

2001: A Space Odyssey (4K)(Warner)
Deep Rising (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
Jack the Giant Killer (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
Maximum Overdrive (Lionsgate/Vestron)
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
The Spiral Staircase (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
2001: A Space Odyssey.
Best DVD / BD Special Edition Release:

12 Monkeys (Collector’s Edition) (Arrow)
The Changeling (Limited Edition) (Severin)
Crimson Peak (Limited Edition) (Arrow)
A Fistful of Dollars (Special Edition) (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
Horror Express (Special Edition) (Arrow)
Waterworld (Limited Edition) (Arrow)
12 Monkeys, although the competition is very stiff.
Best DVD / BD Collection Release:

The Bloodthirsty Trilogy (Arrow)
The Complete Sartana (Arrow)
Jack Ryan: 5 Film Collection (4K) (Paramount)
The Matrix Trilogy (4K)(Warner)
The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)
Universal Classic Monsters 30 Film Collection (Universal)
The Matrix Trilogy.

Follow over the jump for the television acting nominees from 'Game of Thrones' vs. 'Outlander' at the 2019 Saturn Awards along with my comments on the actors nominated from action/thriller shows and their competitors.

Best Actor on a Television Series

    Grant Gustin  — The Flash (The CW)
    Kit Harington — Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Sam Heughan — Outlander (Starz)
    Andrew Lincoln — The Walking Dead  {AMC)
    Seth MacFarlane — The Orville  (Fox)
    Bill Pullman — The Sinner (USA Network)
    Jeffrey Wright — Westworld  (HBO)

I think this award is between Andrew Lincoln and Grant Gustin.  My favorite fantasy actor is Sam Heughan, but I'm not voting for him.  I'm voting for Jeffrey Wright.  Hey, Westworld.
Bill Pullman does a great job in this limited series with one recurring character and a more conventional or professional electorate might give him a better chance.  Still, I'm surprised he's here but Bob Odenkirk, "Saul" himself, isn't.

Best Actress in a Television Series

    Caitriona Balfe — Outlander   (Starz)
    Melissa Benoist — Supergirl     (The CW)
    Emilia Clarke — Game of Thrones     (HBO)
    Sandra Oh — Killing Eve  (BBC America)
    Adrianne Palicki — The Orville (Fox)
    Candice Patton — The Flash   (The CW)
    Jodie Whittaker – Doctor Who (BBC America)

Last year, I voted for Caitriona Balfe.  She might win, but I'm not voting for her again.  Instead, I'm voting for Sandra Oh.
Oh is the professional's choice, which is why I'm voting for her.

Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series

    Jonathan Banks — Better Call Saul  {AMC)
    Nikolaj Coster-Waldau  — Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Peter Dinklage — Game of Thrones (HBO)
    David Harewood — Supergirl (The CW)
    Ed Harris — Westworld  (HBO)
    Lennie James — Fear the Walking Dead  {AMC)
    Khary Payton — The Walking Dead  {AMC)

If I really wanted to vote the professional's choice, I would vote for Peter Dinklage.  Instead, I'm enough of a Westworld fan to vote for Ed Harris.
Jonathan Banks is the nominee I would expect from "Better Call Saul," so I'm glad he's nominated, even if I'm not voting for him.

Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series

    Gwendoline Christie —  Game of Thrones (HBO)
    Danai Gurira — The Walking Dead {AMC)
    Lena Headey — Game of Thrones  (HBO)
    Melissa McBride — The Walking Dead {AMC)
    Rhea Seehorn — Better Call Saul  {AMC)
    Sophie Skelton — Outlander  (Starz)
    Sophie Turner  —  Game of Thrones  (HBO)

Four of the seven nominees are from fantasy series.  I'm not voting for any of them.  Instead, I'm voting for Danai Gurira, who I think really played a leading role last season.  I also think she or Melissa McBride will win, although I thought Gurira would win last year.  Instead, I was surprised when Rhea Seehorn won instead.  She could surprise me by repeating.
Seehorn is the action/thriller nominee.

Best Performance by a Younger Actor on a Television Series

    KJ Apa  — Riverdale    (The CW)
    Tosin Cole  — Doctor Who (BBC America)
    Cameron Cuffe — Krypton (SyFy)
    Benjamin Wadsworth — Deadly Class  (SyFy)
    David Mazouz  —  Gotham (Fox)
    Cole Sprouse  — Riverdale  (The CW)
    Maisie Williams — Game of Thrones (HBO)

It's a weird field without either Millie Bobby Brown or Chandler Riggs competing.  Now I'm torn between Maisie Williams and David Mazouz.  I'll probably vote for Mazouz for the final season of "Gotham."  Still, I suspect it will be one of the stars from "Riverdale" who will walk away with the trophy.
I like Cole Sprouse as a smart Jughead with the hot girlfriend, but that doesn't mean he'll win.

Best Guest-Starring Performance on a Television Series

    Rainer Bock — Better Call Saul  {AMC)
    Jon Cryer — Supergirl   (The CW)
    Sydney Lemmon — Fear the Walking Dead  {AMC)
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan — The Walking Dead  {AMC)
    Tonya Pinkins — Fear the Walking Dead  {AMC)
    Ed Speleers — Outlander   (Starz)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is really a supporting actor, not a guest star.  Still, I think he'll win and I've given up trying to make my criteria match that of the Emmys, so I'm voting for him.
Here's an interesting bit of trivia about Rainer Bock, who is an established German actor.  He was in a "Homeland" episode with the title "Better Call Saul" and now he's in "Better Call Saul" itself.

That's it for the Saturn Awards for July.  The next one will probably be in August, when I post my actual votes, followed by three installments in September, one about the political shows and two about the winners.  Until then, stay tuned for an entry about Earth Overshoot Day.

Previous entries in this series:

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