A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
I told my readers to "stay tuned for this year's version of Star Trek vs. Star Wars at the Saturn Awards as I examine the nominees for Best Science Fiction Television Series" twice, so I'm following through with the nominees in this category.
Best Science Fiction Television Series:
Andor
The Ark
Foundation
Severance
Silo
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
I promised coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as this week's Sunday entertainment feature, but technology didn't cooperatetwice, then the router arrived today and my wife set it up while I was at work — thanks! — so I'm uploading it today.
I begin by returning to Deadline Hollywood, which reported "Among the TV nominees, Showtime/Paramount+’s Dexter: Resurrection led the way with six nominations, followed by Andor, It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things with five apiece." This list, which passed my accuracy check, sets my agenda for the first four posts examining the television nominees, so I begin with Dexter: Resurrection and the shows nominated against it.
Best Thriller Television Series:
Dark Winds
Dexter: Resurrection
The Lowdown
MobLand
The Rainmaker
Your Friends and Neighbors
As Deadline Hollywood reported, Dexter: Resurrection leads both all television nominees and the nominees in this category with six nominations, while the rest of the nominees in this field have only this one nomination, so it's the favorite. It helps that at least two accounts on Twitter are mounting an awards campaign for Dexter: Resurrection. I didn't vote for it. Instead, I voted for Dark Winds, which my wife and I are fans of. I won't be disappointed if it loses to Dexter: Resurrection. In fact, I expect it.
I won't complain about the quality of the field, but I'm making a note to myself to submit my own list of thriller and mystery TV series next December. If I had done so last year, it wouldn't have changed my vote or the likely winner, but I might at least know who the other nominees are.
Follow over the jump for the actors from Dexter: Resurrection nominated at the Saturn Awards.
Emmy winner The Pitt returned this week in between winning three Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, where the series has two nominations. My wife and I watched the second season premiere last night and were just as impressed with it as we were with the first season. It helps that we are both Noah Wyle fans, but the rest of the cast was just as good as we remember and the writing and direction both maintained their quality. The series' awards chances look promising for the second season as well, but I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, I'm returning to 'Severance,' 'The Diplomat,' and 'The Pitt' tie with four nominations at the Critics Choice Awards to see how the predictions fared as well as looking forward to the Golden Globes. First, the Critics Choice Awards predictions for Drama Series.
Severance, The Diplomat, and The Pitt tie with four nominations. Task has three, followed by Andor, Paradise, and Pluribus with two each, and Alien: Earth with only the program nomination. Based on The Pitt beating Severance for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards, The Pitt should be favored, and that's exactly what the Gold Derby odds show. Every editor and expert along with 84.7% of users expect The Pitt to win this category. That's followed by Pluribus with the support of 7.7% of users, Severance with 4.2% of users, Andor with 1.9% of users, and the rest with less than 0.4% support each.
Congratulations and good luck, as The Pitt is likely to earn the equivalent award at the Golden Globes, as the prognosticators at Gold Derby have it as their first choice. Every expert, two-thirds of editors, and 87.9% of users have chosen it to win Best Drama Series, followed by the remaining one-third of editors and 7.8% of users picking Pluribus to upset. I think it's more likely to win Best Science Fiction TV Series at the Saturn Awards, should it be nominated. Severance is the selection of 3.7% of users, followed by The White Lotus, The Diplomat, and Slow Horses with less than one percent user support each. This is despite The Pitt and Pluribus earning two nominations each, while The White Lotus has six and Severance four. As I've written before, electorates matter.
Time to examine Gold Derby's predictions for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
Noah Wyle won Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards and Gold Derby thinks he'll repeat here, again with every editor and expert along with 92.4% of users predicting he'll walk off the stage with the trophy. Adam Scott sits in second with the support of 3.7% of users, followed by Diego Luna with 1.8% of users, and the rest of the field with less than one percent each.
Again, congratulations! Playing educated men of action works for Wyle, who is favored to win Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Golden Globes. Every editor, 87.5% of experts, and 94.0% of users expect he will win. The users and editors split on second, as 3.4% of users anticipate Adam Scott, while the remaining 12.5% of editors along with 1.0% of users designated Diego Luna as the likely winner, behind Mark Ruffalo with 1.2%. Only 0.4% of users are behind Gary Oldman, while no one has selected Sterling K. Brown.
I'm skipping to Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Pitt's final Critics Choice Award.
Emmy winner Katherine LaNasa leads this category as the pick of 75.0% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 91.4% of users. She's followed by Skye P. Marshall with the rest of the editors and 2.1% of users, Nicole Beharie also at 2.1% of users, Allison Janney at 1.8%, Denée Benton with the remaining expert (the same one who currently has Carrie Coon in first — she must be a Gilded Age fan) and 1.4% of users, and Greta Lee at 1.2% of users. LaNasa should enjoy her win here because she's not even nominated at the Golden Globes. Instead, three actresses from The White Lotus made the field, while The White Lotus was shut out here. As I keep writing about awards shows, electorates matter.
Congratulations and sorry about the Golden Globes snub because they thought The White Lotus actresses had more star power.
That's it for The Pitt. Follow over the jump for the rest of the drama TV winners at the Critics Choice Awards and drama nominees at the Golden Globes.
I return to awards show coverage with the nominees for drama series at the Critics Choice Awards.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Alien: Earth (FX)
Andor (Disney+)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt (HBO Max)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Severance (Apple TV)
Task (HBO Max)
As I wrote in the subject line, Severance, The Diplomat, and The Pitt tie with four nominations. Task has three, followed by Andor, Paradise, and Pluribus with two each, and Alien: Earth with only the program nomination. Based on The Pitt beating Severance for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards, The Pitt should be favored, and that's exactly what the Gold Derby odds show. Every editor and expert along with 84.7% of users expect The Pitt to win this category. That's followed by Pluribus with the support of 7.7% of users, Severance with 4.2% of users, Andor with 1.9% of users, and the rest with less than 0.4% support each.
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – Paradise (Hulu)
Diego Luna – Andor (Disney+)
Mark Ruffalo – Task (HBO Max)
Adam Scott – Severance (Apple TV)
Billy Bob Thornton – Landman (Paramount+)
Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max)
Noah Wyle won Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards and Gold Derby thinks he'll repeat here, again with every editor and expert along with 92.4% of users predicting he'll walk off the stage with the trophy. Adam Scott sits in second with the support of 3.7% of users, followed by Diego Luna with 1.8% of users, and the rest of the field with less than one percent each.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
Britt Lower – Severance (Apple TV)
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO Max)
Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV)
While Britt Lower won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, she's an underdog here, as Rhea Seehorn leads with every editor, 75% of experts, and 74.4% of users picking the lead actress of Pluribus to win. Lower is the choice of 17.4% of users, followed by Kathy Bates with 5.4%, Keri Russell with 1.2%, and Bella Ramsey with 1.0%. None have any professional support. That's reserved for Carrie Coon with 25% of the experts but only only 0.6% of users. I think that percentage will drop once the rest of the experts weigh in. Also, Seehorn is that good in Pluribus. I expect she'll be nominated at the Saturn Awards and I'll vote for her if she is.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Patrick Ball – The Pitt (HBO Max)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Wood Harris – Forever (Netflix)
Tom Pelphrey – Task (HBO Max)
Tramell Tillman – Severance (Apple TV)
Gold Derby's odds predict that the supporting categories will return to Emmy form with Emmy winner Tramell Tillman leading as the choice of 75.0% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 90.4% of users. He's followed by Billy Crudup as the pick of the rest of the experts and 3.5% of users, Tom Pelphrey with the rest of the editors and 3.3% of users, Patrick Ball with 2.1% of users, and the rest with less than one percent user support.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Denée Benton – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max)
Greta Lee – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)
Emmy winner Katherine LaNasa leads this category as the pick of 75.0% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 91.4% of users. She's followed by Skye P. Marshall with the rest of the editors and 2.1% of users, Nicole Beharie also at 2.1% of users, Allison Janney at 1.8%, Denée Benton with the remaining expert (the same one who currently has Carrie Coon in first — she must be a Gilded Age fan) and 1.4% of users, and Greta Lee at 1.2% of users. LaNasa should enjoy her win here because she's not even nominated at the Golden Globes. Instead, three actresses from The White Lotus made the field, while The White Lotus was shut out here. As I keep writing about awards shows, electorates matter.
For what it's worth, The Morning Show didn't earn a program nomination, but it's tied with Task at three nominations, all for supporting roles. Matlock earned two nominations for its actresses, while Forever, Landman and The Last of Us earned one acting nomination each.
That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned for comedy TV nominees tomorrow.
The prognosticators at Gold Derby have split on the likely winner, but agree that it's a two-show race between Severance and The Pitt with 60.0% of the editors, 41.7% of the experts, and 64.0% of the users selecting Severance, while half the experts, 40.0% of the editors, and 32.4% of the users think The Pitt will win. The remaining expert (8.3%) and 1.6% of users picked The Last of Us to place third in the odds. The White Lotus has the support of 1.1% of users, followed by Andor with 0.5%, Slow Horses with 0.4%, and both Paradise and The Diplomat with none.
The Pitt accepts the Emmy for Drama Series at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations to the cast, crew, and producers of The Pitt on a well-deserved win!
Kathy Bates, the only nomination for Matlock, leads with 83.3% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 71.6% of users expecting her to win. Britt Lower sits in second with 20.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 23.9% of users picking here. Bella Ramsey also has 8.3% of experts voting for her, but only 3.3% of users. Keri Russell has the support of 1.1% of users, while Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters' sole nominee, only has 0.1%. Lower will only win in a Severance sweep, which the Gold Derby experts doubt will happen.
I was wrong about Lower only winning in a Severance sweep, although Gold Derby was right about that sweep not happening and this being a two-actress contest. Watch Lower win Lead Actress In A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Britt Lower accepts the Emmy for Lead Actress In A Drama Series for Severance at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Yes, Queen! Not only were the nominees electrifying, so were you. That's how to introduce a category! Congratulations to Lower, who defied Gold Derby's expectations and mine by winning and writing "Let Me Out" on the back of her acceptance speech. Nice Easter egg!
Every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 82.0% of users want Noah Wylie, while 7.7% of experts and 15.2% of users selected Adam Scott. Pedro Pascal is a distant third with 2.3% of users, followed by Sterling K. Brown and Gary Oldman tied at 0.3%. I'm picking Wylie.
Noah Wyle accepts the Emmy for Lead Actor In A Drama Series for The Pitt at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I'm embarassed to write that I've been a fan of Wyle's since I watched him in both Falling Skies and The Librarians a decade ago and I'm still misspelling his name. Oops. Both of those roles inspired me to think of him as an educated man of action, a characterization that his role in E.R. cemented. He is still that in The Pitt and it paid off with his first acting Emmy. Congratulations!
Carrie Coon currently leads as the choice of 60.0% of editors, 58.3% of experts, and 70.4% of users, but Gold Derby thinks she has competition, as 33.3% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 13.4% of users chose Katherine LaNasa and 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 12.8% picked Parker Posey — a three-way race! A sweep by Severance seems unlikely, as only 1.9% of users made an argument for Patricia Arquette. The users give the rest of the nominees less than a 1.0% chance with Aimee Lou Wood at 0.8%, Natasha Rothwell at 0.4%, and Julianne Nicholson, who has already won an Emmy for Hacks, at 0.3%. I enjoyed Parker Posey the most, but Carrie Coon displayed more range.
I suspect vote-splitting between The White Lotus nominees allowed Gold Derby's second choice to win, which takes nothing away from her performance. Watch LaNasa win Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Katherine LaNasa accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for The Pitt at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Wednesday and Morticia! It was worth watching this clip for this pairing alone. As for LaNasa, she reminds me of my ex-wife the nurse in a good way. I don't know if I've ever written that before. In this case, it works for making her role more authentic.
Gold Derby's odds-makers see a two-way contest for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with Tramell Tillman taking 70.0% of editors, 50.0% of experts, and 53.1% of users while Walton Goggins is walking away with 50.0% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 43.6% of users. That's quite a split! The rest of the field consists of Sam Rockwell with 1.2%, John Turturro and James Marsden tied at 0.7%, Jason Isaacs with 0.6%, and Zach Cherry at 0.1%. My wife and I watched all of The White Lotus, and we found Goggins compelling.
Tramell Tillman accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for Severance at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I think I'd rather watch J.B. Smoove host the Emmys than Neal Bargatze. I'm also glad Tillman won; he gave a great acceptance speech. Not only did he win an Emmy on his first nomination, a personal first, he achieved a historic first.
For his chilling performance as the hypnotic and unnervingly cheerful Seth Milchick in Apple TV+’s genre-defying drama “Severance,” Tramell Tillman won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series, becoming the first Black man ever to win in the category. It was the only acting field that had yet to honor a Black performer in the Emmys’ 77-year history.
Congratulations!
The experts at Gold Derby worried that two nominated episodes for both Severance and The Pitt would split the vote. It's certainly splitting theirs, as 75.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 81.3% of users voted for the "Cold Harbor" episode of Severance while 10.0% of editors and 2.5% of users chose "Chikhai Bardo." Between the two entries, 80.0% of editors, 75.0% of experts, and 83.8% of users are supporing Severance. The Pitt suffers less from vote splitting, with 25.0% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 12.3% of users picking "6:00 P.M." but only 0.8% of users selecting "7:00 A.M." The White Lotus is fourth among nominees but third among series with 1.4% of users, followed by Andor with 1.1% and Slow Horses with 0.4%.
It looks like vote splitting assisting insider opinion allowed Gold Derby's last choice to win. Watch Adam Randall of Slow Horses surprise in Directing For A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Adam Randall accepts the Emmy for Directing For A Drama Series for Slow Horses at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I've been curious about Slow Horses ever since I watched the trailer for its first season, which used "Six Underground" for its background music. This win might be enough to get my wife and me to watch it. Fortuitously, season five premieres tonight.
Speaking of getting my wife and me to watch something...
Severance leads Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, which Gold Derby thinks is a three-way contest, supported by 90.0% of editors, 66.7% of experts, and 81.9% of users. The Pitt sits in second as the pick of 25.0% of experts and 10.9% of users, while this category may be Andor's best chance at an Emmy, as 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, which might be the same person given the overlap between the two groups, and 2.9% of users anticipate its upsetting the two leaders. The rest of the field all have at least 1% support, with The White Lotus with 1.7%, a second episode of The Pitt at 1.6%, and Slow Horses at 1.0%. Vote splitting doesn't seem to be hurting The Pitt much.
My wife and I couldn't get past the second episode of "Andor." It was too slow a burn for us and not escapist enough. On the other hand, the critics and entertainment professionals love it...
Watching Hasan, Tracy Brown, and Wajahat Ali dissect "Andor" and relate it to real-life struggles against occupation and oppression make me interested in resuming the series. I've heard that the show gets more interesting after the second episode and looking at it as a serious political allegory would probably increase my appreciation for it.
My wife and I have been watching the reception for Andor, and are now wondering if we should start watching it again. On the one hand, this win could persuade us. On the other, Disney's treatment of Kimmel convinced us to consider canceling our Disney+ subscription. If we are still upset next month, we will stop paying, Kimmel's return last night not withstanding, which means we won't watch any Disney+ or Hulu content, including Andor. Just the same, congratulations to Gilroy on his win.
That's a wrap for today's post. I plan on taking a break from the Emmys tomorrow and Friday. I expect to return to entertainment Saturday and Sunday, but at least one of those days will be devoted to the Environmental Media Association Awards nominees. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
The nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are Andor, The Diplomat, The Last Of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Severance, Slow Horses, The White Lotus.
Severance led not only this category, but all nominees with 27 nominations, six of which it won on Saturday. The White Lotus earned the second most nominations with 23, winning one on Saturday. The Last of Us had 16 nominations, winning one already, followed by Andor with 14, winning four over the weekend. The Pitt earned 13 nominations, winning two. Bringing up the rear were Slow Horses with five, Paradise with four, and The Diplomat with two. None of the last three earned a Creative Arts Emmy Award.
The prognosticators at Gold Derby have split on the likely winner, but agree that it's a two-show race between Severance and The Pitt with 60.0% of the editors, 41.7% of the experts, and 64.0% of the users selecting Severance, while half the experts, 40.0% of the editors, and 32.4% of the users think The Pitt will win. The remaining expert (8.3%) and 1.6% of users picked The Last of Us to place third in the odds. The White Lotus has the support of 1.1% of users, followed by Andor with 0.5%, Slow Horses with 0.4%, and both Paradise and The Diplomat with none.
Emmys Face-Off: Do voters follow their heart to 'The Pitt' or their head to 'Severance'? With final-round voting taking place from Aug. 18 to Aug. 27, four top awards experts are grilled about their latest predictions.
The experts as a whole may prefer The Pitt, but the experts in the video think Severance winning is more likely; it's better crafted. Also, its part of the electorate is less divided and electorates matter.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series are Kathy Bates, Sharon Horgan, Britt Lower, Bella Ramsey, Keri Russell.
Kathy Bates, the only nomination for Matlock, leads with 83.3% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 71.6% of users expecting her to win. Britt Lower sits in second with 20.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 23.9% of users picking here. Bella Ramsey also has 8.3% of experts voting for her, but only 3.3% of users. Keri Russell has the support of 1.1% of users, while Sharon Horgan, Bads Sisters' sole nominee, only has 0.1%. Lower will only win in a Severance sweep, which the Gold Derby experts doubt will happen.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series are Sterling K. Brown, Gary Oldman, Pedro Pascal, Adam Scott, Noah Wyle.
Every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 82.0% of users want Noah Wylie, while 7.7% of experts and 15.2% of users selected Adam Scott. Pedro Pascal is a distant third with 2.3% of users, followed by Sterling K. Brown and Gary Oldman tied at 0.3%. I'm picking Wylie.
Carrie Coon currently leads as the choice of 60.0% of editors, 58.3% of experts, and 70.4% of users, but Gold Derby thinks she has competition, as 33.3% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 13.4% of users chose Katherine LaNasa and 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 12.8% picked Parker Posey — a three-way race! A sweep by Severance seems unlikely, as only 1.9% of users made an argument for Patricia Arquette. The users give the rest of the nominees less than a 1.0% chance with Aimee Lou Wood at 0.8%, Natasha Rothwell at 0.4%, and Julianne Nicholson, who has already won an Emmy for Hacks, at 0.3%. I enjoyed Parker Posey the most, but Carrie Coon displayed more range.
Gold Derby's odds-makers see a two-way contest for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with Tramell Tillman taking 70.0% of editors, 50.0% of experts, and 53.1% of users while Walton Goggins is walking away with 50.0% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 43.6% of users. That's quite a split! The rest of the field consists of Sam Rockwell with 1.2%, John Turturro and James Marsden tied at 0.7%, Jason Isaacs with 0.6%, and Zach Cherry at 0.1%. My wife and I watched all of The White Lotus, and we found Goggins compelling.
The experts at Gold Derby worried that two nominated episodes for both Severance and The Pitt would split the vote. It's certainly splitting theirs, as 75.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 81.3% of users voted for the "Cold Harbor" episode of Severance while 10.0% of editors and 2.5% of users chose "Chikhai Bardo." Between the two entries, 80.0% of editors, 75.0% of experts, and 83.8% of users are supporing Severance. The Pitt suffers less from vote splitting, with 25.0% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 12.3% of users picking "6:00 P.M." but only 0.8% of users selecting "7:00 A.M." The White Lotus is fourth among nominees but third among series with 1.4% of users, followed by Andor with 1.1% and Slow Horses with 0.4%.
Severance leads Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, which Gold Derby thinks is a three-way contest, supported by 90.0% of editors, 66.7% of experts, and 81.9% of users. The Pitt sits in second as the pick of 25.0% of experts and 10.9% of users, while this category may be Andor's best chance at an Emmy, as 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, which might be the same person given the overlap between the two groups, and 2.9% of users anticipate its upsetting the two leaders. The rest of the field all have at least 1% support, with The White Lotus with 1.7%, a second episode of The Pitt at 1.6%, and Slow Horses at 1.0%. Vote splitting doesn't seem to be hurting The Pitt much.
The White Lotus – Meredith Tucker and Non Jungmeier (HBO)
Every editor and expert along with 78.6% of the users predict The Pitt will walk away with the statuette, while 13.7% of users picked previous winner The White Lotus to return to the podium. Either way, HBO wins, too. Severance has the support of 5.5% of users, followed by The Last of Us and Slow Horses tied at 1.1%. Those are an apt pair of titles to bring up the rear.
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
The Bear – Jeanie Bacharach, Maggie Bacharach, Jennifer Rudnicke, and Mickie Paskal (FX)
Hacks – Linda Lowy and Morgan Smith (Max)
Only Murders in the Building – Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, and Destiny Lilly (Hulu)
Shrinking – Debby Romano and Brett Benner (Apple TV+)
The Studio – Melissa Kostenbauder and Francine Maisler (Apple TV+)
The professionals and users at Gold Derby are even more united in their choices for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, as every editor and expert plus 94.4% of users predict The Studio will pick up the statuette. I guess getting a bunch of actors to play themselves pays off. Only Murders in the Building and Hacks are the second choices of users with the support of 2.2% each, followed by The Bear and Shrinking tied with 0.6%.
Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Adolescence – Shaheen Baig (Netflix)
Black Mirror – Jina Jay, Jeanie Bacharach, Corinne Clark, and Jennifer Page (Netflix)
Dying for Sex – Jeanie Bacharach and Jessica Daniels (FX)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – Tiffany Little Canfield, Josh Einsohn, and Bernard Telsey (Netflix)
The Penguin – Cindy Tolan and Suzanne Ryan (HBO)
If anything, Gold Derby is even more consolidated around their choice for this category, as every editor and expert plus 94.9% of users agree that Adolescence will accept the award. The rest of the field lags far behind, with 2.8% of users picking The Penguin, Black Mirror and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story tied at 1.1% of users, and Dying for Sex having no user support at all.
Dark Matter – Ronnie Koff, Charlie Proctor, Alex Braddock, and Lexi Gunvaldson (Apple TV+)
The Decameron – Mark Bashore, Katrina Crawford, Jason Esser, Torin Bashore, Harry Teitelman, and Mauro Gimferrer Alos (Netflix)
House of the Dragon – Garson Yu, Mulan Leong-Suzuki, James Robertson, Damian Stricker, Dan Tegnelia, and Gregory Jones (HBO)
The Penguin – Aaron Becker, Joseph Ahn, Michael Lo, James Robertson, Hsien Lun Su, Alasdair Willson, and Ben Hurand (HBO)
Severance – Oliver Latta and Teddy Blanks (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus – Katrina Crawford, Mark Bashore, Mauro Gimferrer, and Marcos Coral (HBO)
Every editor and expert along with 93.0% of users predict Severance will earn a second Emmy in this category. The rest of the nominees have weak user support with The White Lotus a distant second at 4.1%, The Penguin at 1.7%, House of the Dragon and The Decameron tied at 0.6%, and Dark Matter with none. That's enough for me to embed Severance — Opening Title Sequence: Season 2 | Apple TV+.
In Severance, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.
In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.
Season 2 reunites its ensemble cast of stars including Emmy Award nominee Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, Emmy Award winner John Turturro, Academy Award winner Christopher Walken and Academy and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette, and welcomes new series regular Sarah Bock.
Severance is executive produced by Ben Stiller, who also directs five episodes this season in addition to directors Uta Bresiewitz, Sam Donovan and Jessica Lee Gagné. The series is written, created and executive produced by Dan Erickson. Severance season two is also executive produced by John Lesher, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Beau Willimon, Jordan Tappis, Sam Donovan, Caroline Baron, Richard Schwartz, Nicholas Weinstock. In addition to starring, Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette serve as executive producers. Fifth Season is the studio.
Trippy, and a good introduction to the themes of the season.
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Dept. Q – Carlos Rafael Rivera and Scott Frank (Netflix)
Dune: Prophecy – Volker Bertelmann (HBO)
Lazarus – Kamasi Washington (Adult Swim)
The Residence – Mark Mothersbaugh (Netflix)
The White Lotus – Cristobal Tapia de Veer (HBO)
Your Friends & Neighbors – Dominic Lewis and Hamilton Leithauser (Apple TV+)
The prognosticators at Gold Derby think The White Lotus will pick up an Emmy here, as every editor and expert along with 92.9% of users predict Cristobal Tapia de Veer will pick up another statuette for another variation on the theme original enough to qualify. Dune: Prophecy and The Residence tie for second with 2.4% of users, Lazarus is in fourth with 1.2%, and Dept. Q ties Your Friends & Neighbors for last with 0.6%. Watch the likely winner, THE WHITE LOTUS SEASON 3 MAIN TITLE BY PLAINS OF YONDER.
Never forget that all the farce and social satire of The White Lotus surrounds a crime (or several) and that what looks like paradise is full of danger.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the music nominees.
Jon Bernthal – The Bear: "Napkins" as Michael Berzatto (FX)
Bryan Cranston – The Studio: "CinemaCon" as Griffin Mill (Apple TV+)
Dave Franco – The Studio: "CinemaCon" as himself (Apple TV+)
Ron Howard – The Studio: "The Note" as himself (Apple TV+)
Anthony Mackie – The Studio: "The Note" as himself (Apple TV+)
Martin Scorsese – The Studio: "The Promotion" as himself (Apple TV+)
Bryan Cranston leads the field according to the odds at Gold Derby, with every editor and expert along with 80.1% of users picking him to win. He's followed by Martin Scorsese, Jon Bernthal, Ron Howard, Dave Franco, and Anthony Mackie, who have the support of 11.1%, 4.6%, 2.3%, 1.4%, and 0.5% of users, respectively. The Studio having multiple nominees could have split the vote, but the prognosticators at Gold Derby think the Emmy voters have settled on the best performance of the bunch, a great actor playing a role instead of just himself.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Olivia Colman – The Bear: "Forever" as Chef Andrea Terry (FX)
Jamie Lee Curtis – The Bear: "Ice Chips" as Donna Berzatto (FX)
Cynthia Erivo – Poker Face: "The Game Is a Foot" as the Kazinsky sisters (Peacock)
Robby Hoffman – Hacks: "Cover Girls" as Randi (HBO Max)
Zoë Kravitz – The Studio: "The Presentation" as herself (Apple TV+)
Julianne Nicholson – Hacks: "A Slippery Slope" as Mary-Alice (HBO Max)
There is less of a consensus about this category than for guest actor, as Julianne Nicholson is the choice of every editor, but only two-thirds of experts and 74.4% of users. The experts and users are split on who is second, with the remaining one-third of experts and 7.9% of users picking Cynthia Erivo, while 11.5% of users expect last year's winner Jamie Lee Curtis to repeat. Zoe Kravitz, Robby Hoffman, and Olivia Colman round out the rest of the field with the support of 4.8%, 0.9%, and 0.4% of users, respectively.
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito – The Boys: "Beware the Jabberwock, My Son" as Stan Edgar (Prime Video)
Scott Glenn – The White Lotus: "Killer Instincts" as Jim Hollinger (HBO)
Shawn Hatosy – The Pitt: "9:00 PM" as Dr. Jack Abbot (HBO)
Joe Pantoliano – The Last of Us: "The Price" as Eugene (HBO)
Forest Whitaker – Andor: "I Have Friends Everywhere" as Saw Gerrera (Disney+)
Jeffrey Wright – The Last of Us: "Day One" as Isaac (HBO)
Predictions by Gold Derby's prognosticators for this category follow a pattern similar to that for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Shawn Hatosy is the choice of 80.0% of editors, 75.0% of experts, and 78.5% of users. The professionals and users are again split on the second choice, with the remaining 20% of editors and 25% of experts along with only 3.1% of users picking Scott Glenn, while 14.0% of users are voting for Jeffrey Wright. I suspect the users are responding to their perceptions of the performances, while the professionals are taking the politics of the acting community in particular into consideration. Electorates matter.
Gold Derby ranks the rest of the roster as Joe Pantoliano in fourth, Giancarlo Esposito in fifth, and Forest Whitaker last with 2.2%, 1.8%, and 0.4% of users choosing them, respectively. Too bad, as Whitaker is the only acting nominee from Andor. Being an Oscar-winning actor reprising a movie role may have helped him earn a nomination, but it's not going to help him win. Darn. Maybe at the Saturn Awards.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Jane Alexander – Severance: "Sweet Vitriol" as Sissy Cobel (Apple TV+)
Gwendoline Christie – Severance: "Cold Harbor" as Lorne (Apple TV+)
Kaitlyn Dever – The Last of Us: "Through the Valley" as Abby (HBO)
Cherry Jones – The Handmaid's Tale: "Exile" as Holly (Hulu)
Catherine O’Hara – The Last of Us: "Future Days" as Gail (HBO)
Merritt Wever – Severance: "Who Is Alive?" as Gretchen George (Apple TV+)
Speaking of the Saturn Awards, every one of these actresses is in a show that has been nominated by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, so all of them could be nominated for Best Guest Star in a Television Series except perhaps Cherry Jones. No actress from The Handmaid's Tale has ever earned a nomination at the Saturn Awards, a snub I've whined about before. I don't expect that will change. Not only do electorates matter, so do selection committees.
Enough speculation. Now for the odds. This is the third consecutive category where there is a top choice, followed by divided support for the next two. Three-quarters of both editors and experts along with 78.2% of users have lined up behind Kaitlyn Dever, while the remaining one-quarter of editors and experts along with 7.3% of users have chosen Merritt Wever and 10.5% of users have picked Catherine O'Hara. The remaining three nominees are well behind, with Gwendoline Christie having the votes of 2.3% of users, Jane Alexander with 1.4%, and Cherry Jones 0.5%. Maybe a snub of Jones at the Saturn Awards would be justified.
“The Penguin” was the standout among this year’s television winners, taking home wins in all four of its nominated categories including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie. “The Penguin” star Colin Farrell also won Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series, or Made-For-TV Movie, as well as Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series, or Made-For-TV Movie, while Cristin Milioti was awarded Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series, or Made-For-TV Movie.
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” and “Sinners” lead this year’s film winners, having earned two wins each. “Deadpool & Wolverine” was named Best Superhero Movie, while Hugh Jackman earned Best Actor in a Superhero Movie. “Dune: Part Two” was recognized as Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie, with Timothée Chalamet honored as Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie. “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” took home Best Action Movie, with its star Tom Cruise winning Best Actor in an Action Movie. In the Horror categories, “Sinners” won Best Horror Movie, and Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor in a Horror Movie.
The most nominated show purely in superhero categories is The Penguin with four, followed by Agatha All Along and The Boys tied with Fallout and The Last of Us at three each and Superman & Lois with two. The Last of Us is almost certainly the favorite, but The Penguin has a very strong chance to upset. It helps that it has great nominated actors.
I was right to call for an upset; The Penguin won.
Pascal will have a much harder time repeating in this category than for horror actor. He's up against Colin Farrell as The Penguin himself...I think Farrell is the favorite to win this award...
As I predicted, Farrell won.
Like Farrell, Cristin Milioti won Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television at the main Critics Choice Awards, won Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series at the Saturn Awards, and leads the Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards...my choice is Milioti.
I made the right choice, Milioti won.
I think Farrell is the favorite to win as a villain protagonist...
And he did, winning two Super Awards!
Now for the horror categories in that post.
The Last of Us won Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-For-TV Movie. I implied it was most likely to win when I wrote "True Detective: Night Country [is] my choice to upset The Last of Us..." It didn't, not here. I also wrote "I think Pedro Pascal has [Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series, or Made-For-TV Movie] in the bag." He won. I'm also claiming the next category.
I don't think Bella Ramsey is assured of winning this, despite her carrying the current season. I picked Jodie Foster to win Best Actress in a Television Series at the Saturn Awards and I would have done so in a field with Ramsey. I won't have to, but the Critics Choice Association members do.
As I expected, Foster won Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series, or Made-For-TV Movie.
Now for the superhero movies, which I covered in 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and 'Thunderbolts*' lead movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards where I wrote "I think the advantage goes to Deadpool & Wolverine in large part because it already has a Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy Movie. Remember, electorates matter." It won. I didn't fare as well in the next category, where I called the right movie, but favored the wrong actor: "I think this between Saturn Award winner Jackman and Saturn Award nominee Reynolds, with the edge to Reynolds for being the lead and playing two versions of himself on screen simultaneously. Regardless, whoever wins, Marvel will, too." It went to Jackman.
Marvel won the next category, which I was even more ambivalent about: "I wouldn't put it past the Critics Choice Association to vote for Lady Gaga to recognize a good performance in a bad film or Pugh as the other female lead nominated, but my personal choice is Emmy winner Corrin, who also earned a nomination for this role in the next category." They voted for Pugh, making this a sweep for (Disney) Marvel.
As I wrote above "Abbott Elementary" has five nominations, Best Television Series - Comedy, Best Performance in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Actress) for Quinta Brunson, Best Supporting Performance in a Television Series – Musical-Comedy or Drama (Supporting Actor) for Tyler James Williams, and two nominations for Best Supporting Performance in a Television Series – Musical-Comedy or Drama (Supporting Actor) for Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Based on the number of nominations alone, I'd pick "Abbott Elementary." The experts at Gold Derby support my intuition, as seven of the nine have "Abbott Elementary" in first. One picked "The Bear," which six other experts picked second, and one picked "Wednesday," a distinctly minority view as no one else ranks it higher than third and four rank fifth! Those same experts think the other nominated mystery "Only Murders in the Building" is better. I'm rooting for "Abbott Elementary," but I expect "Wednesday" will be a big hit at the next Saturn Awards, whenever they're held.
As I wrote last year "Kaley Cuoco's Cassie Bowden is recruited as an undercover agent at the end of the first season," adding a lot more government content to the show. That turned out surprisingly well, although I think the finale stuck the landing and then tripped. That's not Cuoco's fault as an actress, but it's indirectly her fault as a producer...twelve of the thirteen Gold Derby editors along with the majority of uses think Jean Smart will repeat for "Hacks" with only [one] editor predicting Quinta Brunson for "Abbott Elementary."
Jean Smart did win the Emmy, again, but this is a different field, with Selina Gomez and Jenna Ortega joining Brunson, Cuoco, and Smart, making this a very diverse field, and a different set of voters. As I nearly always point out in my awards show coverage, electorates matter. While the experts at Gold Derby generally don't think much of "Wednesday" as a show, they seem to love Jenna Ortega, who plays the title character, as seven of the nine have picked her to win. Only one each ranked Jean Smart and Quinta Brunson first. While Ortega has been acting for years, "Wednesday" was definitely her breakthrough role. I expect to vote for Ortega at the Saturn Awards, whether for Best Actress on Television or Best Younger Performer on Television, whichever the acting nomination committee slots her in.
As the award name states, Best Supporting Performance in a Television Series – Musical-Comedy or Drama, Supporting Actor lumps together supporting actors from both comedy and drama series. Usually, this favors performers in dramas. It also means that I'm recycling from both my comedy and drama nominee posts about the 2022 Emmy Awards. Only Tyler James Williams and Henry Winkler are appearing from the Emmy field for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and John Turtoro from "Severance" from the drama field for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and I wrote very little about them, so on to their chances. Six of the Gold Derby experts have Turturo as their top choice, while one each have John Lithgow, Jonathon Pryce, and Henry Winkler. I'd say Turturo, except that Joyce Eng picked Lithgow, which gives me pause. She has a knack for being right.
The experts at Gold Derby see Best Supporting Performance in a Television Series – Musical-Comedy or Drama, Supporting Actress, as a very close contest. Five of them think Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph will win, while four of them picked Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana in the latest season of "The Crown" as the likely winner. Eng thinks it will be Ralph, so I'm using her pick as the tiebreaker. Good thing the two actresses will be competing in different categories at next year's Emmy Awards!
I'm rounding out comedy with Best Performance in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Actor).
Again, I begin by recycling.
"Atlanta" has a lot of social and political commentary in its comedy...This is a rich field with Donald Glover, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis having won this category for these same roles before and Steve Martin and Martin Short winning Emmy Awards for comedy writing. Nine of the Gold Derby editors think that Hader will win, including Eng, three have picked Sudeikis to repeat, and one thinks Steve Martin will win his first Emmy for acting. The readers think it will be a close win for Hader. I can see that.
Sudeikis won the Emmy, but he's not in this field because Season 3 of "Ted Lasso" hasn't streamed yet. Instead, Jeremy Allen White of "The Bear" joins Glover, Hader, Martin, and Short, making this a less diverse field than the comedy actresses. According to the experts at Gold Derby, White is the favorite with eight of them picking him over one lone expert ranking Hader first. Even that one vote of confidence is not enough to put Hader in second, as seven experts ranked Martin ahead of him and five think Short has a better chance of winning. Wow! It could be worse; eight of the nine have Glover in last.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the TV nominees.
Top Ten Movies of 2022 today! Beyond The Trailer's best movies from Hollywood! How do full movies rank like Top Gun Maverick, Avatar 2?
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Top Ten Best Movies of 2022 today! Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph gives a review of her Top Ten Movies of 2022 including a breakdown as to why each one made the cut! Find out where The Woman King, Puss in Boots 2 The Last Wish, Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery, Nope, She Said, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, Top Gun Maverick, The Batman, The Black Phone and Avatar 2 The Way of Water land on this list!
Not a bad top ten. Now, how many of them are on WatchMojo's Top 10 Best Movies of 2022 and which movies make its list that didn't make Grace's?
2022 was an incredible year for film! For this list, we’ll be looking at feature films that captured the zeitgeist in 2022, standing out as the year’s best examples of pure cinema. Our countdown includes “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “Avatar: The Way of Water”, “Top Gun: Maverick”, and more!
I'm not surprised that "Banshees of Inisherin" "The Fablemans," "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," "RRR," and "Everything EverywhereAllatOnce" beat out "She Said," "Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish," "The Black Phone," "Nope," and "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." WatchMojo gave "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" an honorable mention, while Grace justified her decision in a pinned comment to the video: "While I certainly respect Everything Everywhere All At Once, I didn't love it myself. So while I voted for it for Best Picture for Critics Choice, it's not on my list here." Fair enough.
Follow over the jump for Grace's and WatchMojo's picks for the year's top TV shows.
As I wrote above, "Severance" and "Stranger Things" tied for second among television shows at the Saturn Awards with six nominations each. Only "Creepshow" has another nomination, while "Evil," "Servant," and "Squid Game" have only this one. I voted for "Evil" last year, but it wasn't competing against "Severance" and "Stranger Things" then. Instead, I'm picking the more entertaining of the two top series, "Stranger Things." Watch Making of 'Stranger Things': Lively roundtable chat with 7 Emmy nominees behind Netflix series from Gold Derby.
Making of 'Stranger Things': Lively roundtable chat with 7 Emmy nominees behind Netflix series. Guests are casting director Carmen Cuba, music supervisor Nora Felder, prosthetics designer Barrie Gower, hair department head Sarah Hindsgaul, stunt coordinator Hiro Koda, production designer Chris Trujillo and editor Dean Zimmerman. Gold Derby senior editor Daniel Montgomery hosts this 42-minute webchat.
Making of 'Severance': Our fun, lively roundtable panel featuring director and producer Ben Stiller, lead actor Adam Scott, showrunner Dan Erickson, cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagne and casting director Rachel Tenner. Gold Derby editor Denton Davidson hosts this special event for 2022 Emmy contenders.
The show may not have been as fun as "Stranger Things" but the round table sure was.
