'Dune: Part Two' vs. 'Wicked' and 'Star Trek' vs. 'Doctor Who' among Hugo Award nominees for dramatic presentation

As I promised yesterday, I'm covering the Hugo Award nominees for dramatic presentations and video games as the first Sunday entertainment feature of August. Here are the nominees for those categories from Twitter/X and the Hugo Awards website.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Dune: Part Two, screenplay by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Flow, screenplay by Gints Zilbalodis and Matiss Kaža, directed by Gints Zilbalodis (Dream Well Studio)
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, screenplay by George Miller and Nick Lathouris, directed by George Miller (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• I Saw the TV Glow, screenplay by Jane Schoenbrun, directed by Jane Schoenbrun (Fruit Tree / Smudge Films / A24)
• Wicked, screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, directed by Jon M. Chu (Universal Pictures)
• The Wild Robot, screenplay by Chris Sanders and Peter Brown, directed by Chris Sanders (DreamWorks Animation)

I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle from 'Dune: Part Two' at the Critics Choice Super Awards: "Picking the winner is trivial; it will be Dune: Part Two." It's won the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation over I Saw the TV Glow and Wicked, which answers my gripe about Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards that "This could have been a more interesting contest if the Critics Choice Association (CCA) had nominated Wicked." At least some of the writers will vote/have voted for the Hugo Award, too. Electorates matter, and I'm not expecting a different fan choice to win like last year.

[T]he Hugo Awards staged a revenge of the nerds by awarding Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves the rocket trophy. This reminded me of the Saturn Awards voters voting for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny over Barbie for Best Fantasy Film. I guess Barbie was too much of a normie movie for the nerds' and geeks' tastes.

I think the fans will vote for Dune: Part Two.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• Fallout: “The Beginning” written by Gursimran Sandhu, directed by Wayne Che Yip (Amazon Prime Video)
• Agatha All Along: “Death’s Hand in Mine” written by Gia King & Cameron Squires, directed by Jac Schaeffer (Marvel, Disney+)
• Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble” written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, Disney+)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: “Fissure Quest” created by Mike McMahan and written by Lauren McGuire based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Brandon Williams (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: “The New Next Generation” created and written by Mike McMahan, based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Megan Lloyd (CBS Eye Animation Productions for Paramount+)
• Doctor Who: “73 Yards” written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, Disney+)

This category poses more of a challenge. While Doctor Who “Dot and Bubble” and all of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 earned nominations at the Nebula Awards, since both franchises have two nominees, they might suffer from vote splitting. If so, it will open the door for either Agatha All Along or Fallout, winners of Best Superhero Television Series and Best Science Fiction Television Series at the Saturn Awards, respectively, to walk through and claim the rocket trophy. If so, I think it will be Fallout. If not, then I predict it will be the Doctor Who episode, “Dot and Bubble.”

Best Game or Interactive Work

• Caves of Qud, co-creators Brian Bucklew and Jason Grinblat; contributors Nick DeCapua, Corey Frang, Craig Hamilton, Autumn McDonell, Bastia Rosen, Caelyn Sandel, Samuel Wilson (Freehold Games); sound design A Shell in the Pit; publisher Kitfox Games
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard produced by BioWare
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom produced by Nintendo
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes produced by Simogo
• Tactical Breach Wizards developed by Suspicious Developments
• 1000xRESIST developed by sunset visitor 斜陽過客, published by Fellow Traveller

1000xRESIST was the only game nominated at the Hugo Awards also nominated at the Nebula Awards, but I don't think that will sway the fans because they probably weren't playing it. Instead, they'll vote for a game they actually played. Based on watching streamers on Twitch, I think the most played games in this field were Dragon Age: The Veilguard and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Between those two, I'd vote for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as popular and fun as the Zelda games are.

I'm making an observation on Best Related Work before I conclude this entry. I suspect r/Fantasy’s 2024 Bingo Reading Challenge will win, but I'm rooting for “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” by Jenny Nicholson. It's her second Hugo nomination, and it examines an experiment that apparently succeeded critically but definitely failed commercially. Since Disney is in business to make money, it closed.

That's a wrap for today's Sunday entertainment entry. I plan on following through with "something...historical" tomorrow by embedding Bright Sun Films video on TGI Fridays bankruptcy. Stay tuned for the Retail Apocalypse!

'Severance' leads Science Fiction/Fantasy Series but could lose to 'Andor' at the Super Awards

I closed 'The Last of Us' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards by telling my audience "The next day I could continue this series would be Tuesday the 15th, but that's when this year's Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy nominations will be announced, and I might prioritize those." The Emmy nominations won't be announced until 11:30 A.M. EDT and I don't want to wait that long to start blogging, so Super Awards it is.

The next category with series that have the most nominations is Science Fiction/Fantasy, where there are two shows with four nominations each, Severance and Fallout. All of Severance's nominations are in Science Fiction/Fantasy, while three of Fallout's are in Superhero, where video game properties also reside, so Severance wins the tiebreaker. Besides, Fallout isn't even nominated in this category, just Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Andor and Black Mirror both have three nominations, followed by Doctor Who and Fantasmas tied at two, and Dune: Prophecy with just this one. I think this is between Severance and Andor with Black Mirror as a spoiler.


Walter Goggins is having a moment — I expect he will earn a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards for his role in The White Lotus by the time I post this (ETA: he did) and he has a second nomination for this role at these awards in Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie — but I don't think he's going to win this award. Instead, I think it's between Diego Luna and Adam Scott.


I'm sharing this image not because I think Caitriona Balfe will win — she might and I would be happy if she did, although I think a couple of actresses have a better shot — but because she appears to have the one campaign going for this award. It's from her fans, not the studio, but at least they believe in her. I think Cristin Milioti, who has another nomination for The Penguin (and she just got an Emmy nomination for it), Kathrin Hahn, and Britt Lower have better odds to win. Michelle Yeoh is an Oscar winner, but I'm not sure Star Trek: Section 31 is the best vehicle for her.

No science fiction or fantasy show earned a nominee for its villain, so on to what these nominations mean for the Saturn Awards. Severance, Andor, Black Mirror, Doctor Who, Dune: Prophecy, Outlander, and Star Trek: Section 31 should all earn nominations, although not all as Best Science Fiction Series. Season One of Severance landed in Horror / Thriller Series, Outlander moved from Fantasy to Action/Adventure/Thriller, and Star Trek: Section 31 could be a Science Fiction Film or Presentation on Television. It wouldn't surprise me if Superman & Lois competed in Science Fiction again. It has and it won.

I have one more genre to cover, Action, which I expect will be a sweep or nearly so for Shogun. Now excuse me while I watch the Emmy nominations announcement.

Previous entries about the 5th Critics Choice Super Awards

• 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and 'Thunderbolts*' lead movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'Dune: Part Two' at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Horror Movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• Drink to the action movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards on National Piña Colada Day
• 'The Last of Us' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards

'Barbie,' 'Poor Things,' 'Doctor Who,' and 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' among Hugo nominees for dramatic presentations

I'm returning to Wombats and pizza for Souther on Detroit-style Pizza Day and Pink Day, when I wrote "Barbie won the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation — congratulations! — and is nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form at the Hugo Awards — good luck!" I promised more awards coverage in today's Sunday entertainment feature; I just didn't say which awards!

Just like the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), my pick to win is Barbie. I would be surprised if the science fiction fans follow the movie makers and vote for Poor Things. I think they'd be more likely to vote for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse or even Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. I enjoyed the latter and think it was the best movie about Dungeons and Dragons ever made. It's still not better than Barbie, which I think will get one final award next week.

I'm not worried about Nimona; it's not better than Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Wandering Earth II would only have a chance if a lot of Chinese voted. Honestly, I think either of the Oscar winners The Boy and the Heron or Godzilla Minus One should have been nominated in its place. I expect to see both of them at the next Saturn Awards.


The Last of Us was the only television program nominated by the SFWA at the Nebula Awards. I also thought the nominated episode was the most moving hour of television I can remember watching, so it's my pick to win. That doesn't mean it will. Two powerhouse franchises, Star Trek and Doctor Who, both have two episodes nominated. Unless their fans consolidate on a single episode, they'll split the vote allowing either The Last of Us or Loki to win. Speaking of Loki, I have it penciled in as my vote for Best Superhero Television Series at the next Saturn Awards. It might just win, as previous winner Superman & Lois aired no episodes last year because of the SAG and WGA strikes. I also expect to see Doctor Who on the next Saturn Awards ballot for Best Science Fiction Television Series.


I close with a category I haven't seen before at the Hugo Awards, video games. The SWFA nominated four of these titles, Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Chants of Sennaar, and DREDGE and voted Baldur’s Gate 3 the winner of Best Game Writing. I've watched my wife and a bunch of Twitch streamers play this game and I agree. It deserves to win. I've also watched streamers play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and think its a worthy nominee. It's certainly fun to watch. As for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, I'm glad the Star Wars franchise has at least one nominee at the Hugo Awards!

Seeing Star Trek and Star Wars nominated at the Hugo Awards is inspiring me to update Star Trek vs. Star Wars — futuristic politics and government at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for this year's awards. Stay tuned to see if I follow through.

Television nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards

I told my readers "I plan on continuing this with the TV nominees on April 4th, the day the CCA presents the awards" at the conclusion of 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning' and 'The Last of Us' lead nominees at the fourth Critics Choice Super Awards, which means I'm continuing a streak of examining awards shows honoring speculative fiction on television that I began with My Saturn Awards votes vs. winners for Wayback 'Wednesday'. Time to recycle the relevant paragraph from the movie nominees post.

“The Last of Us” leads this year’s television nominees with seven nominations including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie and Best Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie. Pedro Pascal received nods for both Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie and Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie, while Bella Ramsey earned a nominations for both Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie and Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie. Melanie Lynskey was also nominated for Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie. (Superhero categories also include Comic Book and Video Game Inspired series.)

Follow over the jump for the nominees and my opinions of them.

Coffee Party USA invites you to stream the political TV series on the 2019-2020 Golden Coffee Cups shortlists while staying safe at home

Hey, all of you binge-watching your guilty pleasure shows while staying safe at home, relaxing after working from home, returning for work after wearing a mask all day, or just stressed out from the real world! I have another suggestion to make your time in front of the big-screen TV in the living room, the slightly smaller screen in the bedroom, or even holding your tablet or smartphone work to help your appreciation of politics and government on television and then apply your understanding to help Coffee Party USA in one of our projects.

With the 2018-2019 television season out of the way, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will move on to the 2019-2020 television season. Watch for the posting of the shortlists for the show categories along with an invitation to stream them while staying safe at home. If you want to become one of the voters for this or future Golden Coffee Cups, such as for the best political movies of 2020, become a member. Voting will happen on a members-only Facebook group.

Before I present the shortlists, I'm sharing a two-part activity Coffee Party USA and I are proposing our readers and supporters do.

The first part of the activity is to stream as many of the shows on the shortlists between now and March 13, 2021 to see which have the best portrayals of politics and government on television. The second is to become a member of Coffee Party USA by March 13, 2021, which you can do for as little as $30.00 per year. That's because the members will also vote on the nominees and winners this year. That means you!

That's your two-part activity. Now, have fun watching television while supporting the work of Coffee Party USA, whose core values include continuous learning on behalf of an informed citizenry, joining Coffee Party USA, and voting on the nominees!

Without any further ado, I present the shortlists for the Golden Coffee Cups for Television, beginning with the shortlist for Best Drama Series about Politics and Government.*

#FreeRayshawn
9-1-1
Better Call Saul
Big Little Lies
Billions
Black Mirror
Carnival Row
David Makes Man
Designated Survivor
Doctor Who
Euphoria
Evil
For All Mankind
Godfather of Harlem
His Dark Materials
Homeland
How to Get Away with Murder
Hunters
Killing Eve
Madam Secretary
Mindhunter
Mr. Robot
Outlander
Ozark
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
Pose
Snowpiercer
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Short Treks
Star Wars Resistance
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Stranger Things
Stumptown
Succession
S.W.A.T.
The Blacklist
The Boys
The Crown
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
The Good Fight
The Handmaid's Tale
The Mandalorian
The Man in the High Castle
The Morning Show
The Outsider
The Rookie
The Witcher
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan
Vikings
Westworld

Succession won last year and Mindhunter the year before. In addition, the first winner of Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government, Black Mirror, has been moved here based on the reclassification of the series by the Television Academy. The shortlist sets up a situation where they could go up against each other for the trophy. Of course, they have to be nominated first. Will you be one of the people to join so you nominate them and the rest of the field?

Follow over the jump to read the shortlists for television shows in the other four categories along with a two-part activity involving them.

'Westworld' vs. 'The Orville' and 'Doctor Who' plus 'Star Trek: Discovery' vs. 'Lost In Space' at the 2019 Saturn Awards

I concluded 'The Walking Dead' vs 'Fear the Walking Dead' and 'The Haunting of Hill House' vs. 'You' at the 2019 Saturn Awards by telling my readers to "Stay tuned" because "The next installment of this series should be the science fiction nominees, both on TV and streaming."  I begin with a category I've been looking forward to for more than a year, as I knew it would match last year's Best Science Fiction Series, "The Orville," against the previous year's winner of the award, "Westworld."  File 770 lists both of them among this year's nominees.

Best Science Fiction TV Series

    The 100 (The CW)
    Counterpart (Starz)
    Doctor Who (BBC America)
    Krypton (SyFy)
    Manifest (NBC)
    The Orville (Fox)
    Roswell, New Mexico (The CW)
    Westworld  (HBO)

It should come as no surprise that I'm voting for "Westworld," which I consider to be the best science fiction program on TV.  It should also come as no surprise that I think "The Orville" is more likely to win.  As I wrote last year, "I think that show's best episodes haven't aired yet."  This year's episodes proved me right.  That written, the two are even in nominations with three each along with "Doctor Who."  "Krypton" has two nominations, while all the rest, "The 100," "Counterpart," "Manifest," and "Roswell, New Mexico," have one each.  I'm particularly happy to see "Manifest" here, even if I'm not voting for it.

"The Orville" is fake "Star Trek."  The real thing is nominated in the next category.


Best Streaming Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or Action/Thriller Television Series

    Black Mirror (Netflix)
    The Expanse (Amazon)
    Lost in Space (Netflix)
    Good Omens (Amazon)
    Russian Doll (Netflix)
    Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
    Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Amazon)

"Lost in Space" and "Star Trek: Discovery" both have five nominations.  "Good Omens," "Russian Doll," and "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" all have two, while "Black Mirror" and "The Expanse" each have one.  This is a very good field, but I'm sure the top two nominees are the favorites with "Star Trek: Discovery" having a slight edge, as it won Best New Media Series last year.  It's also the one I'm thinking of voting for.

Next, a category I normally would have examined with science fiction film nominees because of the Star Wars nominee, but the Saturn Awards weren't ready by Star Wars Day.  So, I'm covering it here for lack of a better available topic.


Best Animated Television Series

    Archer (FX)
    Duck Tales (Disney Channel)
    Family Guy  (Fox)
    The Simpsons (Fox)
    Star Wars Resistance  (Disney Channel)

Of course I'm voting for "Star Wars Resistance" and I think it will win.  As for the rest, it's a good field, but it's two nominees short.  Now I really regret not submitting my suggestions, which would have included "The Venture Brothers" and "Rick and Morty" if any of the episodes aired during the eligibility period.

Follow over the jump for the television acting nominees from 'Game of Thrones' vs. 'Outlander' at the 2019 Saturn Awards followed by the streaming acting nominees from 'The Walking Dead' vs 'Fear the Walking Dead' and 'The Haunting of Hill House' vs. 'You' at the 2019 Saturn Awards along with my comments on the actors nominated from science fiction shows and their competitors.

My Saturn Award votes and predictions for 2018

I concluded A belated World Oceans Day 2018 by promising "I'll post the Sunday entertainment feature I planned for today tomorrow.  Stay tuned."  It's tomorrow, so here is the entertainment update I originally planned to post yesterday, my votes for this year's Saturn Awards along with my predictions of who will actually win each category.  I begin with my votes for the movie nominees.

FILM AWARDS
Best Action / Adventure Film Release
My vote: Baby Driver. Who is likely to win: The Fate of the Furious or The Greatest Showman
Best Actor in a Film
My vote Daniel Kaluuya. Who is likely to win: Chadwick Boseman or Mark Hamill.
Best Actress in a Film
My vote: Sally Hawkins. Who is likely to win: Gal Gadot.
Best Animated Film Release
My vote: Coco. Who is likely to win: Coco or Despicable Me 3.
Best Comic to Motion Picture Release
My vote: Wonder Woman. Who is likely to win: Black Panther.
Best Fantasy Film Release
My vote: The Shape of Water. Who is likely to win: The Shape of Water, Beauty and the Beast, or Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Best Film Costume Design
My vote: Wonder Woman. Who is likely to win: Beauty and the Beast, The Greatest Showman, or Black Panther.
Best Film Director
My vote: Guillermo Del Toro. Who is likely to win: Guillermo Del Toro or Ryan Coogler.
Best Film Editing
My vote: The Shape of Water. Who is likely to win: Black Panther or Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Film Make Up
My vote: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Who is likely to win: Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Film Music
My vote: The Shape of Water. Who is likely to win: Black Panther or Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Film Production Design
My vote: The Shape of Water. Who is likely to win: Black Panther or Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Film Special / Visual Effects
My vote: War for the Planet of the Apes. Who is likely to win: Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Film Writing
My vote: Jordan Peele for "Get Out." Who is likely to win: Get Out or Logan if the voters pay attention to everyone else, The Shape of Water, Black Panther, or Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Best Horror Film Release
My vote: Get Out. Who is likely to win: Get Out or IT.
Best Independent Film Release
My vote: I, Tonya. Who is likely to win: Wonderstruck.
Best International Film
Release My vote: The Square. Who is likely to win: The Man Who Invented Christmas.
Best Performance By A Younger Actor in a Film
My vote: Dafne Keen. Who is likely to win: Tom Holland, Sophia Lillis, or Letitia Wright.
Best Science Fiction Film Release
My vote: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Who is likely to win: Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Best Supporting Actor in a Film
My vote: Patrick Stewart. Who is likely to win: Harrison Ford.
Best Supporting Actress in a Film
My vote: Octavia Spencer. Who is likely to win: Carrie Fisher
Best Thriller Film Release
My vote: The Post. Who is likely to win: Murder on the Orient Express.

As one can tell, I think that "Black Panther" is very likely to win most of its categories, but I did not vote for it.  I'll distill the reasons for that decision that I gave in 'Black Panther' vs. 'Wonder Woman' at the Saturn Awards for a late Free Comic Book Day.  First, I did not want to contribute to the streak of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies about single characters or lesser known characters winning the Comic to Motion Picture Release again.  Second, I did not want to abet the nomination committee slipping a movie just under the deadline using their discretion to bend the eligibility period, which messed up the likelihood of "Wonder Woman" having a good shot at winning.  Third, my wife's favorite superhero is Wonder Woman, and I didn't want to disappoint her.  Besides, I do want to recognize the best DCEU movie since Nolan's "The Dark Knight," which might not even qualify as part of the series.  At least I think Gal Gadot will win for Best Actress, even if I didn't vote for her.

By the way, Guillermo Del Toro has already won an award, The Dr. Donald A. Reed Founder’s Award.  Joining him among the special honorees are Jason Blum for The Producers Showcase Award, Jake Kasdan for The Filmmakers Showcase Award, Sarah Schecter for The Dan Curtis Legacy Award, and Don Mancini for The Special Achievement Award.  No Breakthrough Performer this year?  Darn.

Follow over the jump for my votes in the television and home entertainment categories.

'The Orville' vs. 'The X-Files' and 'Doctor Who' at the Saturn Awards

Yesterday, I exclaimed "I finally get to write about the nominees for Best Science Fiction Television Show!"  Yay!

The most nominated science fiction show on regular television is "The Orville," which has earned nominations for Best Science Fiction Television Show, Best Actor on a Television Series for Seth MacFarlane, and Best Actress on a Television Series for Adrianne Palicki.  Its most-nominated competition consists of "The X-Files" and "Doctor Who" with two nominations each.  "The X-Files" earned its second nomination for Gillian Anderson, who is competing for Best Actress on a Television Series, while, as I noted in 'Twin Peaks' vs. 'Doctor Who' at the Saturn Awards, the BBC show also has a nomination for Best Presentation on Television for the "Twice Upon a Time" Christmas Special.

Here are all the nominees in the science fiction television category from File 770.

Best Science Fiction Television Series:

The 100 (The CW)
Colony (USA)
Doctor Who (BBC America)
The Expanse (SyFy)
The Orville (Fox Television)
Salvation (CBS)
The X-Files (Fox Television)

For my choice, I'm recycling it from How did my Saturn Awards television submissions fare? O.K., I guess.

As for my vote, it will probably go to "Colony" unless...enough "Doctor Who" fans convince me otherwise.  The latter is the one show in this category that earned a Hugo nomination.  Come on, convince me in the comments.

No "Doctor Who" fans did, so I'm voting for "Colony."  That doesn't mean it will will.  The trophy could go to just about any of the nominees, especially "The Orville" or "The X-Files," although I think "The Expanse" is better than either.

Follow over the jump for the other categories in which "The Orville," "The X-Files," and "Doctor Who" were nominated.

'Twin Peaks' vs. 'Doctor Who' at the Saturn Awards

I mentioned "Twin Peaks: The Return" was the other television show with five nominations.  I'll examine it and the other nominees for Best Presentation on Television tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

So I concluded 'Star Trek: Discovery' vs. 'Stranger Things' and 'Black Mirror' at the Saturn Awards and so I shall proceed today.

"Twin Peaks: The Return" tied "Star Trek: Discovery" with five awards, the second-most of any television show at the Saturn Awards behind only "The Walking Dead."  Those nominations are for Best Presentation on Television, Best Actor on a Television Series for Kyle MacLachlan, Best Supporting Actor on a Television Series for the late Miguel Ferrer, Best Guest-Starring Performance on Television for David Lynch, and Best DVD/BD Television Series Release.  Of its competition for Best Presentation on Television, only "Doctor Who" has more than one nominiation; its other recognition was for Best Science Fiction Television Series.  I'll get to that category in a future entry.  For now, here are all the nominees for the Saturn Awards version of Best limited series or movie for television from File 770.

Best Presentation on Television:

"Channel Zero" (SyFy)
"Descendants 2" (Disney Channel)
"Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time" (BBC America)
"Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Return" (Netflix)
"Okja" (Netflix)
"The Sinner" (USA)
"Twin Peaks: The Return" (Showtime)

I begin my comments by being a good environmentalist and recycling what I wrote about this category from How did my Saturn Awards television submissions fare? O.K., I guess.

[T]hree of my submissions here got nominated, two in this category, the Doctor Who Christmas Special: "Twice Upon a Time" and "Okja."  In addition, "Twin Peaks," which I nominated for Action/Thriller, ended up here where I thought it really belonged but didn't have confidence that the selection committee would place it properly.  In addition, I was expecting "Channel Zero" to be nominated and hoping it would be classified as a presentation as well.  Joining the four I submitted or predicted are "Descendents 2," "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return," and "The Sinner."  I'd have missed the first, but the latter two are the kinds of shows I might have submitted instead of "Genius" and "Year Million" had I been paying more attention.

Out of all of these, I think "Twin Peaks" is the favorite.  There are a lot of "Doctor Who" fans out there, but I don't know how many of them have paid for memberships.  On the other hand, I'm pretty sure a lot of already paid members are "Twin Peaks" fans.  The show that probably deserves more attention is "Okja," which won for Feature Film at the 2017 Environmental Media Association Awards for film and television.  On the other hand, "The Sinner" might get more attention at the Emmy Awards.  Here, I don't know if it has enough speculative fiction elements for this electorate.


As for me, I wrote in April "out of this group, I'd probably vote for the Doctor Who Christmas Special unless I get more excited about 'Okja.'"  That's still true, even if I think "Twin Peaks: The Return" has the inside track.


The other category in which the show itself is nominated is under home entertainment.  Unlike Best Science Fiction Television Series, which I'm saving for later, I'm posting this category now.

Best DVD/BD Television Series Release:

"American Gods" (Season 1) (Lionsgate)
"Grimm: The Complete Collection" (Universal)
"The Rockford Files: The Complete Series" (Mill Creek)
"Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series" (Paramount)
"The Vampire Diaries" (The Complete Series) (Warner)
"Westworld: Season One: The Maze" (Warner)

This is a good field, even with "The Rockford Files" as the odd nominee out, although it does qualify as an Action/Thriller television series with high entertainment and nostalgia value.  As for the favorite, I'm not sure.  I suspect it will be "Twin Peaks," but I'm voting for "Westworld."


Follow over the jump for the acting nominations for "Twin Peaks: The Return."

How did my Saturn Awards television submissions fare? O.K., I guess

The nominations for the 2018 Saturn Awards were announced on March 15th, so it's well past time for me to compare my Saturn Awards television submissions for 2017-2018 with reality.  Besides, after a week of serious posts, it's time for a Sunday entertainment feature.

I begin, as I did in my late February entry, with my suggestions in the fantasy category.

Fantasy Series

"American Gods"
"Game of Thrones"
"Lucifer"
"Once Upon A Time"
"Outlander"
"The Good Place"
"The Leftovers"

"American Gods," "Game of Thrones," "Outlander," and "The Good Place" earned nominations.  While I did not submit "The Magicians," I expected it to be renominated.  I also expected "Lucifer," which was the show I voted for last year, to return as well.  Nope.  It and "Beyond" were replaced with "Knightfall" and "The Librarians."  I can't get too upset, as I had been complaining about "The Librarians" being miscategorized as an Action show for two years.  Also, "Knightfall" is not a bad choice at all.  It's definitely not "The Leftovers," which I knew would be a long shot, but it looks like a good show, just not good enough for my vote in this category.  That's going to "The Good Place," which is the only television show to be nominated for both a Nebula and a Hugo.

Score: 4/7, 5/7 based on my predictions.

Science Fiction Series

"12 Monkeys"
"Colony"
"Falling Water"
"Orphan Black"
"Star Trek: Discovery"
"The Expanse"
"The Orville"
Alternate: "The X-Files" in case "Star Trek: Discovery" is categorized as New Media.

"Colony," "The Expanse," "The Orville," and "The X-Files" all made it.  So did "Star Trek: Discovery" but as a New Media series.  I also considered "The 100" and should have included it among my suggestion, as it was nominated again.  "Doctor Who" and "Salvation" earned spots instead of "12 Monkeys" and "Orphan Black."  Again, I can't get too upset, as "Doctor Who" may have been better than "Orphan Black" this season and "Salvation" is better than "12 Monkeys."  Besides, I submitted the Doctor Who Christmas Special under presentations and thought it might also deserve to be here, too, so I'll count it here as well.

Still, I'm almost as displeased at Tatiana Maslany getting snubbed as I was at Eva Green and "Penny Dreadful" being ignored for three consecutive years.  Humph.  I'll plan on writing a post about how these awards would look if the entertainment professionals were in charge of them instead of two people on the Television Committee.  I'll critique the acting nominations there.

As for my vote, it will probably go to "Colony" unless a enough "Doctor Who" fans convince me otherwise.  The latter is the one show in this category that earned a Hugo nomination.  Come on, convince me in the comments.

Score: 5/7.

Horror Series

"American Horror Story"
"Fear the Walking Dead"
"Grimm"
"Sleepy Hollow"
"Supernatural"
"The Walking Dead"
"Twin Peaks"
Alternates: "Channel Zero" or "Z Nation" in case "Twin Peaks" is categorized as one of Fantasy, Thriller, or Presentation and "American Horror Story" is properly categorized as Presentation.  Last year, it was considered a series.

I only got three of my suggestions for this category in this category, "American Horror Story," "Fear The Walking Dead," and "The Walking Dead."  However, one of my suggestions for this category, "Twin Peaks," ended up nominated as a presentation, another suggestion, "Grimm," earned a nomination for Best DVD/BD Television Series Release, and one of my predictions for fantasy, "Preacher," ended up here where I thought it really belonged.  I'll count that one.

As for the other nominees, I'd forgotten about "The Strain," which is probably better than the final season of "Sleepy Hollow," and "Teen Wolf" is a recurring nominee that might actually be a higher quality show than "Supernatural," which has been going on so long that I've lost count of how many times the Winchesters have saved the world.  Oh, and "Ash vs. Evil Dead" returned.  I'm not sure it's better than "Grimm," but never underestimate the power of cheese.  As for my vote, it goes to "The Walking Dead."  The entertainment professionals would vote for "American Horror Story," but they're not part of the Saturn Awards electorate.  I am.

Score: 3/7, 4/7 based on my predictions.

Superhero Series

"Arrow"
"Black Lightning"
"Gotham"
"Legion"
"Supergirl"
"The Gifted"
"The Flash"

I got five out of seven, "Arrow," "Black Lightning," "Gotham," "Supergirl," and "The Flash."  As I wrote two months ago, I am not upset about "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." making the list over "Legion."  The first season was already nominated, even if the second half was technically eligible.  I'll submit the second season next year.  On the other hand, I still think "The Gifted" was a better show than "Legends of Tomorrow."  As for my vote, it's going to "Gotham."

Score: 5/7.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees compared to my submissions.