Monday, September 13, 2021

'The Queen's Gambit' leads limited series at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but can it beat 'Mare of Easttown' and 'WandaVision' on the final night?


I decided to combine my last two ideas for this year's Emmy Awards coverage, Creative Arts Emmy winners and limited series nominees , both from 'Oslo' earned two nominations at the 2021 Emmy Awards. I begin by noting that "The Queen's Gambit" is currently leading all shows after three Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies over two days with nine wins. "WandaVision" is second among limited and anthology series with three, while "I May Destroy You" and "Mare Of Easttown" have one each so far. "The Queen's Gambit" is guaranteed to at least tie fo the most Emmy Awards of any limited series. There are only seven limited series categories at the Primetime Emmy Awards and "WandaVision" and "Mare of Easttown" are each competing in only six of them, so even if "WandaVision" swept its categories next week, and it probably won't, as I think Kate Winslet is favored over Elizabeth Olsen in their acting category, it would at best tie with "The Queen's Gambit" with nine awards each. Meanwhile, if "Mare of Easttown" swept the final night of the Emmys, it would still have only seven awards, two behind "The Queen's Gambit." Congratulations to the series about chess!

That leads to the subject matter of each show. All of the nominees feature strong social commentary and political and government content. While "Mare of Easttown" explores family dynamics inside a crime drama, the latter provides the most realistic portrayal of government, as law enforcement is a function of government. On the other hand, while "WandaVision" is primarily a tragicomic exploration of grief, a fantastic and futuristic government agency, S.W.O.R.D., plays a major part as one of the antagonists. "The Underground Railroad" can't help but be political in its magical realist story of escaping from slavery. Law enforcement plays a secondary part in "I May Destroy You," a story of a journalist who is also a rape survivor, so the police make recurring appearances. "The Queen's Gambit" caps off its story of a woman finding her place in a man's world by going to the U.S.S.R. for its finale, adding an international political angle to its social commentary.

Now, the nominees at next week's ceremony, beginning with the show category.
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

I May Destroy You (HBO)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad (Prime Video)
WandaVision (Disney+)
Before I share my opinions, I'm giving Gold Derby a chance to ask Emmy Experts Slugest: Will 'The Queen's Gambit' hold off 'Mare of Easttown'?

Emmy Experts Slugest: Will 'The Queen's Gambit' hold off 'Mare of Easttown'? For a while, it felt like the three major series awards at the Emmys -- comedy, drama and limited -- had runaway frontrunners, but one of them has lost some ground recently. Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng are here to take a look at the limited races and if the "Queen" can in fact take the crown.
Based on total nominations, the answer is yes, but Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng are talking more about the show category than the craft categories, where "The Queen's Gambit" had advantages in subject matter and time period as well as execution. After watching "Mare of Easttown," "The Queen's Gambit," and "WandaVision," I think "Mare of Easttown" told the best story with the best lead actress, so it's my pick to win this category.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Michaela Coel as Arabella on I May Destroy You (HBO)
Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin on Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch on WandaVision (Disney+)
Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon on The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)
Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan on Mare of Easttown (HBO)
While I'm glad to see Cynthia Erivo nominated, I think she had the misfortune to be competing against an especially strong field that I think Kate Winslet will win against, just as she did at the Gold Derby TV Awards. Her main competition is Anya Taylor-Joy, who won the equivalent categories at all the major awards shows last year before "Mare of Easttown" came out. The only thing that would help "WandaVision" is that it's a show about television that isn't about show business, but about the importance of television to its viewers, an angle that the Television Academy voters would find flattering. "See, we matter!" I don't think it will be enough in this category.
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

I May Destroy You, Written by Michaela Coel (HBO)
Mare of Easttown, Written by Brad Ingelsby (HBO)
The Queen's Gambit, Written by Scott Frank (Netflix)
WandaVision (Episode: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!"), Written by Chuck Hayward and Peter Cameron (Disney+)
WandaVision (Episode: "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience"), Written by Jac Schaeffer (Disney+)
WandaVision (Episode: "Previously On"), Written by Laura Donney (Disney+)
The good news for "WandaVision" is that it earned three nominations in this category. The bad news is that they are likely to split the vote. Eng and Rosen at Gold Derby think this will help "I May Destroy You." Maybe. I think it will help "Mare of Easttown." We'll see next week.

Follow over the jump for my comments on the rest of the nominations from 'Hamilton' at the Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Paul Bettany as Vision on WandaVision (Disney+)
Hugh Grant as Jonathan Fraser on The Undoing (HBO)
Ewan McGregor as Halston on Halston (Netflix)
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr on Hamilton (Disney+)
While Lin-Manuel Miranda won the People's Choice Award for The Drama Movie Star of 2020, Leslie Odom Jr. won the Tony Award for this role and earned two Oscar nominations this year for "One Night in Miami." The audience might like Miranda better, but the professionals like Odum more, and the professionals are voting for these awards. Again, electorates matter.

That doesn't guarantee that either Miranda or Odum will win. The nominated limited series actors are stiff competition and I will evaluate their chances when I examine Outstanding Limited Series in a few weeks.
Hugh Grant is the biggest name, but Jonathan Fraser on "The Undoing" was not that likeable a character. I heard that Ewan McGregor did a great job as the eponymous Halston, but I also don't know how likeable his character was. On the other hand, Paul Bettany's Vision is a lot of fun, and he might just win. I know I'm rooting for him.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Benny Watts on The Queen's Gambit (Episode: "Adjournment") (Netflix)
Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson on Hamilton (Disney+)
Paapa Essiedu as Kwame on I May Destroy You (Episode: "That Was Fun") (HBO)
Jonathan Groff as King George on Hamilton (Disney+)
Evan Peters as Det. Colin Zabel on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Enter Number Two") (HBO)
Anthony Ramos as John Laurens / Philip Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)
"Hamilton" provides half of the nominees in this category, Daveed Diggs in a double role as the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Jonathan Groff as King George III, and Anthony Ramos in another double role as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Diggs and Groff both earned Tony nominations and Diggs took home the award, so I would give him the advantage out of the actors from the musical. Again, that doesn't mean Diggs will win, as the nominated limited series actors are stiff competition and I will evaluate their chances when I examine Outstanding Limited Series in a few weeks.
The two other portrayals I enjoyed the most were Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Benny Watts on "The Queen's Gambit" and Evan Peters as Det. Colin Zabel on "Mare of Easttown." Between the two of them, I pick Peters.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler on Hamilton (Disney+)
Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness / Agnes The Nosy Neighbor on WandaVision (Episode: "Breaking the Fourth Wall") (Disney+)
Moses Ingram as Jolene on The Queen's Gambit (Episode: "End Game") (Netflix)
Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Sacrament") (HBO)
Jean Smart as Helen Fahey on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Sacrament") (HBO)
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton didn't compete against each other at the Tony Awards as Soo was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical while Goldsberry won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Here, they are competing against other. I'm not sure it matters, as I think this contest is between Kathryn Hahn and Jean Smart.
More than a month later, I still do, with Hahn favored as Smart will likely win for comedy and will split votes with Julianne Nicholson here.
Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Hamilton, Directed by Thomas Kail (Disney+)
I May Destroy You (Episode: "Ego Death"), Directed by Sam Miller and Michaela Coel (HBO)
I May Destroy You (Episode: "Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes"), Directed by Sam Miller (HBO)
Mare of Easttown, Directed by Craig Zobel (HBO)
The Queen's Gambit, Directed by Scott Frank (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad, Directed by Barry Jenkins (Prime Video)
WandaVision, Directed by Matt Shakman (Disney+)
Thomas Kail did win a Tony Award for his stage directing, but I'm not sure that he can win against this field. In particular, I think "Mare of Easttown" and "The Queen's Gambit" are well ahead of the rest unless the Emmy electorate can decide which episode of "I May Destroy You" Sam Miller did a better job of directing or the Emmy electorate falls for "WandaVision," a show about television that isn't about show business.
I still haven't changed my mind about this category, either.

I conclude with the awards "The Queen's Gambit" has already won. In the spirit of "a picture is worth a thousand words," I'm presenting the image the show's Twitter account tweeted out after the three Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies.



ETA: Here is the image for WandaVision's Emmy Awards.


Once again, congratulations! Stay tuned for comedy.

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