'Succession' leads drama series nominees, followed by 'The Last of Us' and 'The White Lotus'

I opened 'Ted Lasso' leads comedies in nominations, but 'The Bear' may win more Emmy Awards with the lyric "tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!" It's tomorrow, so time for tragedy, or at least drama. Without any further ado, here are the drama series nominees at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Watch 75th Emmy Nominations: Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are Andor, Better Call Saul, The Crown, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Succession, The White Lotus, Yellowjackets.

I'm recycling my summary from Gold Derby predicts a good night for 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'The Bear,' and 'Beef' at the Golden Globes.

[M]y interests in covering entertainment in general and awards shows in particular are speculative fiction and depictions of politics and government in general. All of the television drama nominees depict politics and government...The Crown...explores period politics and government, Succession...examine[s] contemporary politics and government, and The Last of Us does double duty by imagining the kinds of governments that arise in a post-apocalyptic horror setting.

Andor, House of the Dragon, and Yellowjackets also do double duty in exploring politics and government in fantastic and futuristic settings, including Yellowjackets, which begins in a public high school — public education is part of government — and is enough of a horror series that it had two Saturn Award nominations last year and one this year. Speaking of which, Better Call Saul led television shows at last year's Saturn Awards with seven nominations and four wins. Its protagonists are lawyers, not government employees, but they work in courtrooms and deal with law enforcement, so a government function plays an important part in the show. Finally, like last season, Season 2 of The White Lotus has a crime at the heart of its farce, so the police appear. Also, Jennifer Coolidge's character Tanya's husband Greg works for the Bureau of Land Management, although the agency itself only earned a mention for a gag based on a misunderstanding of the initials BLM.*


As the graphic above illustrates, the three HBO dramas lead in total nominations with Succession in first with 24 and The Last of Us and The White Lotus tied at 21. Andor and House of the Dragon are a long way down tied with eight, followed by Better Call Saul with seven for its final season, The Crown with six, and Yellowjackets with three, not enough to make the cutoff for the list in the image. Based on that criterion, Succession, The Last of Us, and The White Lotus are the favorites.

If one thinks the Creative Arts Emmy Awards serve as a harbinger of success at the Primetime ceremony, then The Last of Us is in the lead after winning eight Emmys, followed by The White Lotus with four. House of the Dragon won one, along with The Boys and The Mandalorian for stunts, which weren't nominated for drama series, although The Mandalorian had more nominations than Andor. Succession won no Creative Arts Emmys for the main show, but Succession: Controlling the Narrative won Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series. Other people may not count that as a win for the main show, but I do, so Succession has a Creative Arts Emmy. That might put it behind The Last of Us in total Emmy Awards when all is said and done, but it probably won't have an effect on who wins Monday night, if one believes Gold Derby, which I generally do. Both the experts and the editors unanimously think Succession will win Outstanding Drama Series and so do I.

Now for the acting nominations, beginning with 75th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actress In A Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series are Sharon Horgan, Melanie Lynskey, Elisabeth Moss, Bella Ramsey, Keri Russell, and Sarah Snook.

Both Keri Russell for The Diplomat and Elisabeth Moss for The Handmaid's Tale star in shows that prominently feature government and politics with the latter doing double duty as a speculative fiction show. These are also the only nominations for both series. Sigh.

Both the editors and experts at Gold Derby expect Sarah Snook to win, with all the editors and all but one of the experts picking her with one expert choosing Bella Ramsey. I think it will be Snook. Even if it's not, HBO still wins.

On that note, I'm sharing Sarah Snook (Best TV Drama Actress, 'Succession') 2024 Golden Globes press room.

Sarah Snook won Best TV Drama Actress for "Succession" at the 2024 Golden Globes on January 7, 2024.

I expect Snook to win for her final turn at this role up to four more times at the Critics Choice Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Satellite Awards, and SAG Awards. I'm looking forward to all of them.

Next, 75th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actor In A Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series are Jeff Bridges, Brian Cox, Kieren Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, Pedro Pascal, and Jeremy Strong.

Jeff Bridges stars in The Old Man, a spy thriller about the CIA, so it also explores government and politics. The show also has two nominations, the second for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour), which it lost to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Just like for Outstanding Drama Actress, the editors and experts think Kieren Culkin will win with seven of eleven editors and nine of ten experts choosing him. Three editors and one expert picked Pedro Pascal and one editor thinks Bob Odenkirk will finally win an Emmy for Better Call Saul. Not happening, but I wish.

The video of Snook in the Golden Globes press room ended with the announcer saying Culkin would be next, so here is Kieran Culkin (Best TV Drama Actor, 'Succession') 2024 Golden Globes press room.

Kieran Culkin won Best TV Drama Actor for "Succession" at the 2024 Golden Globes on January 7, 2024.

Culkin strikes me as being like Brett Goldstein, funny and a bit dirty. I'm looking forward to his winning up to three more times and whatever role he tackles next.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (HBO)
Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown as Diana, Princess of Wales (Netflix)
Meghann Fahy – The White Lotus as Daphne Sullivan (HBO)
Sabrina Impacciatore – The White Lotus as Valentina (HBO)
Aubrey Plaza – The White Lotus as Harper Spiller (HBO)
Rhea Seehorn – Better Call Saul as Kim Wexler (AMC)
J. Smith-Cameron – Succession as Gerri Kellman (HBO)
Simona Tabasco – The White Lotus as Lucia Greco (HBO)

The editors and experts at Gold Derby are fairly united behind Jennifer Coolidge with eight editors and nine experts picking her to win. Two editors chose Rhea Seehorn, one editor ranked J. Smith-Cameron for a Succession sweep, and one expert thinks Aubrey Plaza will beat Coolidge. On that note, I'm sharing Jennifer Coolidge ('The White Lotus: Sicily') on line 'These gays, they're trying to murder me!'

Jennifer Coolidge ('The White Lotus: Sicily' and 'The Watcher') on what she really thinks about Tanya's iconic 'these gays, they're trying to murder me!' line. She is thrilled that it has gone viral, as it is plastered on t-shirts and mugs worldwide and DJs sample it in gay clubs everywhere. Gold Derby editor Rob Licuria hosts this webchat.

Normally, going from limited series to drama series would hurt the Emmy prospects of a show and its actors. It doesn't seem like it for The White Lotus.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
F. Murray Abraham – The White Lotus as Bert Di Grasso (HBO)
Nicholas Braun – Succession as Greg Hirsch (HBO)
Michael Imperioli – The White Lotus as Dominic Di Grasso (HBO)
Theo James – The White Lotus as Cameron Sullivan (HBO)
Matthew Macfadyen – Succession as Tom Wambsgans (HBO)
Alan Ruck – Succession as Connor Roy (HBO)
Will Sharpe – The White Lotus as Ethan Spiller (HBO)
Alexander Skarsgård – Succession as Lukas Matsson (HBO)

Just as Succession and The Last of Us split drama guest actor nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Succession and The White Lotus split supporting actor nominations. As I wrote last week, "no matter who wins, HBO does as well...Despite the advent of streaming, the [supporting actor] drama nominees reflect the pre-Netflix reality from 1996 to 2009, when 'It's Not TV, It's HBO' was the slogan of the cable channel and people accepted it. Some things haven't changed, at least at the Television Academy."

Like for all the drama series categories so far except Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the editors and experts at Gold Derby are united behind the nominees from Succession with all eleven editors and nine experts picking Matthew Macfadyen. The dissenting expert chose Alexander Skarsgård, also from Succession. I think it will be Macfadyen, so I'm sharing Matthew Macfadyen (Best TV Supporting Actor, 'Succession') 2024 Golden Globes press room.

Matthew Macfadyen won Best TV Supporting Actor for "Succession" at the 2024 Golden Globes on January 7, 2024.

The sound isn't that clear, so turn on closed captioning.

Follow over the jump for the behind the camera categories, including those recognized at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Gold Derby predicts a good night for 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'The Bear,' and 'Beef' at the Golden Globes

It's time to finish up my series on the Golden Globes nominees, so I'm embedding Gold Derby's 2024 Golden Globes slugfest: Tariq Khan, Marcus James Dixon and Daniel Montgomery TV predictions, which makes for a good preview image, if nothing else.* Too bad none of the participants' faces appear in this video.

"Is it a foregone conclusion that 'Succession' will win?" wonders Gold Derby Editor Daniel Montgomery about the Golden Globe race for Best Drama Series. He discussed his predictions in all 12 TV categories with Editor Marcus James Dixon and Expert Tariq Khan. Listen to their slugfest above.

Listening to Daniel Montgomery, Marcus James Dixon, and Tariq Khan discuss the nominees reminded me that my interests in covering entertainment in general and awards shows in particular are speculative fiction and depictions of politics and government in general. All of the television drama nominees depict politics and government, even 1923 with Prohibition and The Great Depression as the political background. The Crown also explores period politics and government, Succession, The Diplomat, and The Morning Show all examine contemporary politics and government, and The Last of Us does double duty by imagining the kinds of governments that arise in a post-apocalyptic horror setting. The two shows nominated in drama acting continue this theme, with Slow Horses explicitly being about a government agency, while The Curse comments on society with local politics and government as a background and a horror trope as its gimmick.

The nominated comedies are less about politics and government, but Abbot Elementary takes place in a public school, Jury Duty in a courtroom, Barry spends part of the season in a prison, and the police play parts in Only Murders in the Building. All of those are government functions. Among the acting nominations, The Great is explicitly about politics and government while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel touches upon political themes as part of its social commentary. Too bad none of these are likely to win series, although Jury Duty and Only Murders in the Building could walk away with Golden Globes in supporting actor categories, should the voters go for comedy over drama.

Like the nominated comedies, the limited series and actors include nominees that examine politics and government, such as All the Light We Cannot See, Fellow Travelers, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and White House Plumbers, but the Gold Derby editors and experts aren't picking any of them to win. Darn. Speaking of which, here are Gold Derby's predictions.

Best Television Series, Drama: Succession
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Kieran Culkin (Succession) or Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series, Drama: Sarah Snook (Succession)
Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy: The Bear
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series, Comedy: Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series, Comedy: Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television: Beef
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Steven Yeun (Beef)
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Ali Wong (Beef)
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television: Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) or James Marsden (Jury Duty)
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television: Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building) or Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown)
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television: Chris Rock (Selective Outrage)

We viewers could watch a triple sweep of Succession, The Bear, and Beef Sunday night with only the winner of Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television breaking the triple streak. We should get used to that, because it could happen twice more at the Critics Choice Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards on the 14th and 15th.

Follow over the jump for discussions of the movie nominees.

Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and Emmy screenplay and writing nominees for National Screenwriters Day

Happy National Screenwriters Day! As I promised yesterday, I'm celebrating by blogging about the screenplay and writing nominees at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and Emmy Awards in that order. Without any further ado, here are the screenwriting nominees.

Best Screenplay
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach – Barbie
Tony McNamara – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song – Past Lives
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari – Anatomy of a Fall

I already made my personal preference known by voting for Barbie for Best Film Screenwriting at the Saturn Awards. I also described the odds of the scripts winning this Golden Globe in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' leads Saturn Awards with 12 nominations: "The Gold Derby editors are tied, with five each picking Barbie and Poor Things with Oppenheimer placing no higher than second and most editors thinking it's in third." That's still the case with the eleventh editor choosing Celine Song for Past Lives. The Gold Derby experts manage to be more decisive while paradoxically being more dispersed in their choices with eight picking Barbie, three choosing Oppenheimer, two each selecting Poor Things and Past Lives, and one ranking Killers of the Flower Moon first. I'll stand by my choice of Barbie.

Gold Derby interviewed Celine Song ('Past Lives' writer-director) reveals ‘intense emotional work', one of the nominees.

Celine Song (‘Past Lives’ writer-director) reveals ‘intense emotional work,’ ‘extraordinary’ shots in Seoul and New York City. The first-time filmmaker shot the emotional movie about a reunion of childhood friends (Greta Lee, Teo Yoo) after two decades apart in both New York City and Seoul. Gold Derby's David Buchanan hosts this webchat.

Song has a nomination in the next category at the Critics Choice Awards as well.

Best Original Screenplay
Samy Burch – May December
Alex Convery – Air
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer – Maestro
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach – Barbie
David Hemingson – The Holdovers
Celine Song – Past Lives

I wrote last month that "Gold Derby's editors think Baumbach and Gerwig have the inside track to win Original Screenplay with six picking them to ascend the stage..." Since then, one more editor switched their vote to Barbie while two each ranked Past Lives and The Holdovers first. The experts are even more in favor of Barbie with nine of ten experts picking it to win while one chose The Holdovers, so I'm expecting Barbie to win.

Now that the Writers Branch of the Motion Picture Academy has ruled that Barbie is an adapted story, not an original one, I'm penciling in the latter two as the co-favorites to win the Original Screenplay Oscar. I've already embedded Celine Song, so it's time for Gold Derby's 'The Holdovers' writer David Hemingson thought friend pranked him, but it really was Alexander Payne.

'The Holdovers' writer David Hemingson on assuming it wasn't really Alexander Payne on the phone but his friend pranking him. He compares his hiring by the acclaimed director to Charlie finding the Golden Ticket in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' Gold Derby editor Ray Richmond hosts this webchat.

Like Past Lives, The Holdovers contains autobiographical elements. Unlike Past Lives, it's a comedy. So are the two other nominees for this award Gold Derby interviewed. The first alphabetically was 'Air' writer Alex Convery thought that 'no one would be crazy enough to make this movie'.

'Air' writer Alex Convery thought that 'no one would be crazy enough to make this movie.' For the Ben Affleck film, ultimately, 'one of the great joys of this was the joy of creation and the work itself.' Gold Derby editor Daniel Montgomery hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film writers.

Watching The Last Dance during the pandemic inspired this script. I didn't know that, but I shouldn't be surprised. Add this to My Garden of a Thousand Bees and Summer of Soul as projects conceived while staying safe at home.

The other nominee for Best Original Screenplay at the Critics Choice Awards that is also nominated for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the Golden Globes Gold Derby interviewed was 'May December' writer Samy Burch on using humor to break the tension of 'dark' story.

'May December' writer Samy Burch on using humor to break the tension of 'dark' story. About the Todd Haynes film starring Natalie Portman: 'Character is sort of the anchor for me when I'm telling a story,' she says. Gold Derby editor Daniel Montgomery hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film writers.

I grew up in Los Angeles, so I'm familiar with the Mary Kay Letourneau story that inspired this screenplay. It's definitely dark and has a tragic end, regardless of the comedic potential.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Kelly Fremon Craig – Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Andrew Haigh – All of Us Strangers
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction
Tony McNamara – Poor Things
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon

Last month, I wrote that the Gold Derby editors "think Poor Things, which I expect will be nominated for Best Fantasy Film at next year's Saturn Awards, will beat Oppenheimer for Adapted Screenplay with six of eight editors also picking it." More editors have made their picks since, with a total of seven now choosing Poor Things, two ranking American Fiction first, and one each thinking Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer will win. I'm penciling in Poor Things as the winner.

The one nominee for this award Gold Derby interviewed was 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig: 'Adapting a sacred text'.

'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' screenwriter-director Kelly Fremon Craig: 'It feels like adapting a sacred text.' 'There were so many things that struck me when I read it as a kid. It just felt like, oh my gosh, somebody gets me,' she says. Gold Derby editor Daniel Montgomery hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with film writers.

Like Air, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. is connected to a documentary, Judy Blume Forever, which I examined in 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' leads nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Emmy Awards. Between the documentary and this movie, Judy Blume is having quite the moment!

I'll return to the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominees later. Right now, follow over the jump for the Primetime Emmy Awards nominees for comedy and drama.

'Succession' vs. 'The Last of Us' split drama guest acting nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards plus Gold Derby predictions

The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be held — finally! — this Saturday, January 6, and Sunday, January 7, 2024. The latter is the same day as the Golden Globes, so it's time to write this season's edition of Guest acting nominations at the 2022 Emmy Awards — Gold Derby weighs in. Here are the acting nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Murray Bartlett – The Last of Us: "Long, Long Time" as Frank (HBO)
James Cromwell – Succession: "Church and State" as Ewan Roy (HBO)
Lamar Johnson – The Last of Us: "Endure and Survive" as Henry (HBO)
Arian Moayed – Succession: "Honeymoon States" as Stewy Hosseini (HBO)
Nick Offerman – The Last of Us: "Long, Long Time" as Bill (HBO)
Keivonn Montreal Woodard – The Last of Us: "Endure and Survive" as Sam (HBO)

Four nominees from The Last of Us and two from Succession — no matter who wins, HBO does as well, which makes it an even more extreme case of HBO dramas and 'SNL' split the nominees for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series at the 2023 Emmy Awards, where only one nominee isn't from an HBO show. Despite the advent of streaming, the guest acting drama nominees reflect the pre-Netflix reality from 1996 to 2009, when "It's Not TV, It's HBO" was the slogan of the cable channel and people accepted it. Some things haven't changed, at least at the Television Academy. That won't be the case for comedy, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I voted for Nick Offerman at the Saturn Awards because he's the professional choice among the nominees, as he was the only one with an Emmy nomination. That made the choice easy. Even in a field with nothing but nominees from The Last of Us, he would still have had my vote. It helps that both the editors and experts at Gold Derby think he's the likely winner with ten of the former and all seven of the latter picking him to win on Saturday. Only one editor dissented, choosing James Cromwell from Succession to walk off with the Emmy.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Hiam Abbass – Succession: "Honeymoon States" as Marcia (HBO)
Cherry Jones – Succession: "The Munsters" as Nan Pierce (HBO)
Melanie Lynskey – The Last of Us: "Endure and Survive" as Kathleen (HBO)
Storm Reid – The Last of Us: "Left Behind" as Riley Abel (HBO)
Anna Torv – The Last of Us: "Infected" as Theresa "Tess" Servopoulos (HBO)
Harriet Walter – Succession: "Church and State" as Lady Caroline Collingwood (HBO)

Again, a field split between Succession and The Last of Us — no matter who wins, HBO does as well. None of these actresses earned a nomination at the Saturn Awards, which elicits two reactions from me. I'm recycling part of my response to Infidel753 in 'Barbie' vs. 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' for Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards for the first.

They've been snubbing great performances, especially by women, for as long as I've been voting for the awards. I whined for years about how they would not nominate any of the Emmy-winning actresses in The Handmaid's Tale even though they nominated the show, while nominating the actresses in CW superhero shows.

That written, my second reaction is that I would still have voted for Nick Offerman; he was that good.

Both the editors and experts at Gold Derby think Harriet Walter will win for Succession with nine of eleven editors picking her and five of seven experts ranking her first. One editor each chose Melanie Lynskey and Storm Reid from The Last of Us, while one expert each picked Melanie Lynskey and Hiam Abbass from Succession. Previous winner Cherry Jones received no first place votes. On that note, I'm sharing Gold Derby interviewing Dame Harriet Walter ('Ted Lasso' and 'Succession'): 'I don’t want to play the same character twice'.

Dame Harriet Walter ('Ted Lasso' and 'Succession'): 'I don’t want to play the same character twice.' For Apple, she played Deborah Welton, the mother of Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). For HBO, she played the mother of the three Roy siblings. Gold Derby editor Matt Noble hosts this webchat.

Dame Harriet also has another Emmy nomination, so follow over the jump for the comedy categories I examined in Pete Davidson hosts as 'Saturday Night Live' returns plus a bonus performing category I hadn't examined yet.

HBO dramas and 'SNL' split the nominees for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series at the 2023 Emmy Awards

After three days of blogging about climate change and unsustainable behavior, I'm ready to return to the Emmy Awards. I can't be all DOOM all the time.

Today's subject is the short form nominees at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
House of the Dragon: Inside the Episode (HBO)
The Last of Us: Inside the Episode (HBO)
Saturday Night Live Presents: Behind the Sketch (NBC)
Succession: Controlling the Narrative (HBO)
The White Lotus: Unpacking the Episode (HBO)

I found plenty of why I examine entertainment among the nominees for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series, fantasy, horror, politics, crime, and comedy mocking serious attempts to depict those on screen. I showed the last of those in 'SNL' sends up Trump's visit to the train derailment site in Ohio in its cold open and Weekend Update, the behind the scenes to the Mario Kart trailer sketch. I'm not embedding those videos again (click on the link above to watch them), but I'm recycling my reaction to it.

This does double duty. First, it gives fans (and Emmy voters) a look into the work behind the scene, making them appreciate it more. Second, it very gently parodies HBO's Behind the Scenes segments, which do the same thing.

That serves as a set-up for the other four nominees, which are all Inside the Episodes or the equivalent of HBO shows. I'm embedding the ones for the first episodes of the current seasons, beginning with House of the Dragon | S1 EP1: Inside the Episode (HBO).

Ryan Condal, Miguel Sapochnik, and more discuss why they opened the episode with the Great Council, the juxtaposition between the tournament and Queen Aemma's birthing sequence, and the motivation behind Viserys choosing Rhaenyra as heir.

This is the one nominated series I haven't seen, as my wife found the violence in Game of Thrones excessive and gratuitous, so we stopped watching it after the first season. Still, I found this clip interesting and informative. It's also the most watched of the four.

On the other hand, we enjoyed The Last of Us, so I'm rooting for The Last of Us | Inside the Episode - 1 | Max.

Series stars Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and more detail the emotionally charged beginnings of the end of modern civilization in The Last of Us.

I watched this clip right after watching the series premiere and it packed just as big a punch the second time around.

Succession | Inside the Episode: Season 4, Episode 1 | Max does a good job of explaining the dynamics inside the Roy family.

In this companion series, the cast of Succession and creator Jesse Armstrong delve into pivotal scenes from each episode. This week, they discuss the new power dynamics following the Season 3 finale, with the three Roy children now working towards a common goal, while Logan and Tom suffer the consequences of their betrayal.

I found this clip to be much flatter than the first two, so while I think Succession is the favorite to win Outstanding Drama Series, it's not my favorite to win this category.

Unpacking Season 2 Episode 1 with Jennifer Coolidge & Haley Lu Richardson | The White Lotus | HBO is the last of HBO's videos I'm embedding.

Jennifer Coolidge & Haley Lu Richardson discuss their characters Tanya and Portia’s motivations in the season 2 premiere — and answer our Vacay Q&A.

Like last season, Season 2 of The White Lotus has a crime at the heart of its farce, but that doesn't show up in this clip. That's what happens when I pick the first episode to minimize spoilers.

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
Awkwafina is Hangin' with Grandma (Comedy Central)
Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training (AMC)
Carpool Karaoke: The Series (Apple TV+)
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question (Hulu)

Carpool Karaoke: The Series is the returning winner. In fact, as the trailer for the current season trumpets, it's the five-time defending winner.

Hop in and ride along for eight brand new episodes of Carpool Karaoke: The Series streaming on Apple TV+ this Friday.

Once again, I'm calling this award for Carpool Karaoke: The Series. The only other nominee that has a chance is I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, which has a second nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for its star. I'm writing about him below.

Before I move on to the next category, I'm going to whine about two of my favorite previous nominees being snubbed this year, The Randy Rainbow Show and Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News. I finally get on board the Randy Rainbow train and it's not going to the Emmys. Poop. Not having both means that laughing at politics and government has diminished to almost nothing in the short form categories. Remember that I justify my coverage of the Emmy nominees through using television as a window to examine politics and government. The closest the nominees in these categories get to that are Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training and Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question, both of which examine crime and punishment from the perspective of private actors, pun intended, in a law enforcement setting. That's better than nothing, but not by much.

Follow over the jump for the short form acting nominations and the Outstanding Short Documentary nominees at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

John Oliver on water for World Water Day

Happy World Water Day! For this year's observance, I sharing Water: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses the water shortage in the American west, how it’s already impacting the people who live there, and what God has to say about it.

In addition to being a particularly American perspective on the 'World's Water Crisis' and 'What Will Life Look Like as MAJOR Rivers Run Dry?', it's also an update on Western drought likely worst in a millennium and may be the beginning of 'aridification', Vox asks and answers 'Who's really using up the water in the American West?', Wall Street Journal on 'Las Vegas: A Water Conservation Trailblazer Amid the Worst Drought in 1,200 Years', and PBS NewsHour on Great Salt Lake shrinking during the current drought. After all my posts examining the problem from a serious news perspective, it was time for some comedy.

Speaking of comedy, I thought Bryan Cox's guest starring performance as G-d was hilarious. Not only was it an appropriate response to the Governor of Utah asking people to pray for rain, it reminded me of three things. First, the Emmy-winning Cox will be returning in "Succession" this Sunday. Second, "Succession" is an HBO series that will lead into "Last Week Tonight." As I mentioned most recently in 'Navalny,' 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,' and 'A House Made of Splinters' — three political and social issue documentaries nominated at the Oscars, "my readers should keep that relationship in mind when watching the clip above. It's not just news value that's driving it." Finally, as I wrote in 'SNL' sends up Trump's visit to the train derailment site in Ohio in its cold open and Weekend Update, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" has been moved out of variety talk to a new variety scripted category, where it will compete against "Saturday Night Live." Maybe that will mean that Cox would be eligible for an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for this performance to go along with his likely third Emmy nomination for "Succession." I can hope.

I'll return to this and other water stories presently. In the meantime, stay tuned as I continue my celebration of completing another year of blogging and starting another with statistics followed by retrospectives on (Wayback) Wednesdays, (Throwback) Thursdays, (Flashback) Fridays and selected Sundays through the rest of this month and probably all of April.

'Succession' leads drama Series nominees at the 2022 Emmy Awards

For today's Sunday entertainment feature, I am wrapping up my Emmy predictions with the drama series nominees, as I promised yesterday. Watch 74th Emmy Nominations: Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Succession, and Yellowjackets.

I'll be a good environmentalist and begin my reaction by recycling. First, "My interest in covering entertainment awards consists mostly of covering shows that portray history, government, politics, and other social issues, like diversity and representation, or are speculative fiction." Second, "the drama series [nominees] best demonstrate my emphasis on looking at portrayals of politics and government in entertainment." All of the nominees qualify under least one of my criteria, including "Yellowjackets," which begins in a public high school — public education is part of government — and is enough of a horror series that it has two Saturn Award nominations. I'll write more about it, "Better Call Saul," "Severance," "Squid Game," and "Stranger Things" when I resume my series about the Saturn Awards.

The favorite is "Succession," which won this category two years ago. The show has the most nominations at this year's awards with twenty-five and is the top pick among Gold Derby readers and editors, who picked it unanimously. It's my choice, too. Next!

Now watch 74th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actor In A Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series are Jason Bateman, Brian Cox, Lee Jung-jae, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Scott, and Jeremy Strong.

There is more disagreement among Gold Derby editors about the winner for this category, with a bare majority of seven predicting Lee Jung-jae from "Squid Game" and three each forecasting Brian Cox from "Succession" and Bob Odenkirk from "Better Call Saul," while the readers are picking Lee Jung-jae. I'm rooting for Cox, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lee Jung-jae won.  Odenkirk will have to wait for the Saturn Awards to get a better chance at winning an award.

Next, 74th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actress In A Drama Series.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series are Jodie Comer, Laura Linney, Melanie Lynskey, Sandra Oh, Reese Witherspoon, and Zendaya.

Both the editors at Gold Derby and their readers think that Zendaya from "Euphoria," who won two years ago, will return to the stage to accept her Emmy tomorrow night, with nine editors picking her to win. The dissenters split between Melanie Lynskey from "Yellowjackets" with three, including Joyce Eng, forecasting her win and my personal favorite Laura Linney from "Ozark" with one lone editor choosing her. Mostly likely Zendaya.



Kieran Culkin from "Succession" is the favorite both among readers and editors at Gold Derby with eight top picks, followed by three for Oh Young-soo from "Squid Game" and one each for Matthew Macfadyen from "Succession" and John Turtoro from "Severance." Since Culkin is my personal favorite, I'm happy to pick him.



Unlike Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, the Gold Derby editors have no clear favorite among nominees in Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Two-time winner Julia Garner from "Ozark" has six top picks, Jung Ho-yeon from "Squid Game" has four, and Patricia Arquette from "Severance," Rhea Seehorn from "Better Call Saul," and Sarah Snook from "Succession" each have one. Since I'm rooting for Garner to three-peat, I'm glad to report that the Gold Derby readers are picking her. Arquette and Seehorn will have to wait for the Saturn Awards, where they are in different categories, to get a better chance at an award.



Both the readers and the editors at Gold Derby are predicting "Squid Game" to win with ten editors forecasting it winning. "Severance" is the second choice with two editors picking it, including Eng, and "Succession" winning with one. I'll go with "Squid Game."



"Succession" is the clear leader with twelve of the thirteen Gold Derby editors and the site's readers picking it to win. "Severance" only has one editor thinking it will take home the Emmy.

I have three videos from Gold Derby to share, beginning with Editors' Emmy slugfest: Can 'Succession' 'hold on to its front-runner status'?

Is "Succession" in danger at Monday's Primetime Emmys? HBO's family drama has long been the favorite to win Best Drama Series for a second time, but at this past weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, it only won a single trophy for Best Drama Casting. Gold Derby's Marcus James Dixon, Daniel Montgomery and Denton Davidson discuss this hot topic as well as make their final drama predictions for the acting, writing and directing races in their latest Editors' Emmy slugfest.

Next, a quick rundown of all the categories being awarded Monday in Emmys predictions slugfest 2022: Chris Beachum, Rob Licuria debate all 25 categories in 25 minutes.

Emmys predictions slugfest 2022: Chris Beachum and Rob Licuria debate all 25 categories in 25 minutes. It's an annual tradition going back at least 15 years. Some of the toughest to pick are Comedy Series (Abbott Elementary, Barry, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso?), Drama Actor (Lee Jung-jae, Jeremy Strong, Brian Cox?) and Limited/Movie Actress (Amanda Seyfried or Lily James?).

That was the short version. Emmy Experts slugfest: Our final 2022 winner predictions is the long version.

Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng share their final picks for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. Will "Ted Lasso" rebound after getting zero wins at Creative Arts or will "Abbott Elementary" parlay its casting victory into a series win? And can anything usurp "Succession" and "The White Lotus"?

I've mentioned Joyce Eng several times, so it's only appropriate I finally feature her for the first time since 'Abbott Elementary' wins four Television Critics Association Awards, including Program of the Year.

Follow over the jump for the awards that drama series have already won at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Guest acting nominations at the 2022 Emmy Awards — Gold Derby weighs in

I'm finishing up my coverage of the 2022 Creative Arts Emmy Awards nominees today by looking at the guest actor and acting categories and throwing the rest of the remaining nominations at tomorrow's ceremony to the experts at Gold Derby.

I begin with drama nominees first because the drama series best demonstrate my emphasis on looking at portrayals of politics and government in entertainment.


The leading nominee according to Gold Derby editors is Colman Domingo for "Euphoria" with nine number one picks. Next is Alexander Skarsgard for "Succession" with three top picks. Last among the possible winners is Tom Pelphrey for "Ozark" with one. Nearly all the editors have those actors as their top three picks. Even though I haven't watched "Euphoria" yet, I'd go with Domingo not only because he's the overwhelming choice among the experts, but because I'm familiar with his work on "Fear the Walking Dead" and think he's excellent and deserves the recognition. My only qualm is that my favorite editor, Joyce Eng, picked Skarsgard to win. He gave a stellar performance and his character will likely be more important next season, but I'm not sure that will be enough this year.


According to Gold Derby, the leading nominees are Lee You-mi for "Squid Game" with seven top picks and Harriet Walter for "Succession" with six top picks. The editors picked no other nominees first. Although Lee You-mi barely leads and there are a lot of actresses from "Succession" nominated, which might split the vote, I'm tempted to pick Walter because Eng did based at least partly on the potential for vote splitting, I've seen her performance, and she's also nominated in the next category, which shows that the Television Academy's performer peer group likes her. Remember, electorates matter.


Twelve of the thirteen editors picked Jane Lynch for "Only Murders in the Building" to win. Only one picked Laurie Metcalf for "Hacks" and it wasn't Eng, so I'm not letting that sway my opinion. By the way, it could be a sweep in comedy guest acting categories for "Only Murders in the Building" as I wrote in 'Saturday Night Live' earned ten Emmy nominations plus looks back at the 2021-2022 season.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Jerrod Carmichael – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Jerrod Carmichael" as host (NBC)
Bill Hader – Curb Your Enthusiasm: "Igor, Gregor, & Timor" as Igor/Gregor/Timor (HBO/HBO Max)
James Lance – Ted Lasso: "Inverting the Pyramid of Success" as Trent Crimm (Apple TV+)
Nathan Lane – Only Murders in the Building: "The Boy From 6B" as Teddy Dimas (Hulu)
Christopher McDonald – Hacks: "The One, The Only" as Marty (HBO/HBO Max)
Sam Richardson – Ted Lasso: "Midnight Train to Royston" as Edwin Akufo (Apple TV+)

...I suspect Nathan Lane will win for "Only Murders in the Building," especially since he's reprising his role in the second season, which is streaming now.

I got that impression from Eng and Rosen last month and the rest of the Gold Derby editors generally agree with twelve of the thirteen picking Lane and only one predicting Jerrod Carmichael. Since that's not Eng, and I've seen both performances, I'm sticking with Lane.

Follow over the jump for videos of the Gold Derby editors making their predictions.

'Abbott Elementary' wins four Television Critics Association Awards, including Program of the Year

I teased my readers at the end of Happy International Left Handers Day!

Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature, which could be about Emmy nominations, Saturn Awards nominations, or the Gold Derby TV Awards winners. I don't know yet, so return tomorrow to find out!

The answer is none of the above! Instead, I'm blogging about the winners of the Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards. Deadline reported ‘Abbott Elementary’ Leads TCA Awards With Four Wins, Including Program Of The Year earlier this week.

ABC’s first-year public school sitcom Abbott Elementary made the grade as the night’s top winner with four victories. The series took home some of the TCA’s highest honors, including Individual Achievement In Comedy for series creator, producer, writer, and star, Quinta Brunson; as well as Outstanding Achievement In Comedy, Outstanding New Program, and the Program Of The Year Award.

One of the reasons I chose today's topic is that "Abbott Elementary" is about public education and, as I wrote most recently in 'Soul' wins Original Score and Animated Feature, "public education is part of government," so it's on-topic for this blog.

Here are the rest of the Twitter images advertising the show's TCA Awards.


The show has seven Emmy nominations in Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Brunson, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Tyler James Williams, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Janelle James, who also earned a TCA Award nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy, and Sheryl Lee Ralph, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Brunson, and Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series. I think these four wins at the TCA Awards have definitely improved the odds of the show winning its categories, but I currently think the only categories where that might push it into the winners circle are for writing and casting, although the competition is stiff for those, too. That didn't stop Gold Derby from asking Emmy Experts slugfest: Can 'Abbott Elementary' take down 'Ted Lasso'?

Gold Derby editors and Experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng discuss whether "Abbott Elementary" can upset reigning Best Comedy Series champ "Ted Lasso" at the Emmys on the heels of the ABC sitcom's sweep of the Television Critics Association Awards.

Joyce Eng doesn't think that the TCA Awards will affect the Emmy voters, but Christopher Rosen thinks they might because the TCA Awards were announced before Emmy voting began. I'm on Joyce's side. As I keep writing about entertainment awards, electorates matter. I'll have more to say when I blog about the nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.


Now for the rest of the winners.

Other winners include This Is Us star Mandy Moore, who earned the award for Individual Achievement In Drama after being snubbed by the Emmys; acclaimed Disney+ rock doc The Beatles: Get Back, which won the Outstanding Achievement In News And Information Award; CBS’ globe-hopping The Amazing Race, which shared Outstanding Achievement In Reality Programming with HBO Max’s glam Legendary; the surreal Netflix comedy I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, which left with Outstanding Achievement In Variety, Talk, Or Sketch; Hulu’s opioid epic Dopesick, which scored the award for Outstanding Movie, Miniseries Or Specials; HBO’s dynasty hit Succession, which took home Outstanding Achievement In Drama; and the Netflix adaptation of The Baby-Sitter’s Club, which pocketed Outstanding Achievement In Youth Programming for the second-consecutive year.

If Chris R. is right, maybe "I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson" has a better chance of winning Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series and Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, especially the latter. Now if Tim Robinson wins, it would come as less of a surprise.

In conclusion, congratulations to all the winners!

Stay tuned for more entertainment tomorrow, as I plan on writing about one of my choices I listed at the top of the post then.

Politics, government, and diversity in television nominees at the 2022 Golden Globes

I closed Colbert, Kimmel, and 'The Daily Show' remember January 6th with an entertainment programming note.

Stay tuned for a two-part post about the Golden Globes, despite the scandal that forced it off television this year.

Without any further ado, here are the television nominees at tomorrow night's Golden Globes with handicaps of their chances to win along with analyses of their politics and government content served with side helpings of how well they present diversity.

Best Television Series: Drama

Lupin (Netflix)
The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Pose (FX)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)

In addition to "Succession" being the nominee most about American politics, it is both a former winner and the most nominated television series at these awards with five, so I consider it the favorite. While "The Morning Show" has four nominations as the second most nominated drama series and has some political content as a portrayal of a fiction morning news show, it's not my pick to upset. Instead, I think "Squid Game," IGN's Best TV Show of 2021, has that distinction. It's also the nominee with the strongest speculative fiction theme. This is despite "Pose" being the only drama nominee at the Emmy Awards in this field. "Pose," "Squid Game," and "Lupin" also have the most diverse casts.

Best Television Series: Comedy

The Great (Hulu)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Just like the Emmy Awards, this category is a contest between "Ted Lasso" and "Hacks" that "Ted Lasso" should win as it is the most nominated comedy series with four. Of the two, "Ted Lasso" has the more diverse cast as well, but not the most diverse among the nominees. That distinction belongs to "Reservation Dogs," which also has the strongest speculative fiction themes in the form of magical realism. While police play recurring roles in both "Reservation Dogs" and "Only Murders in the Building," "The Great" has the most government and politics content, as it's a comedic look at a young Catherine the Great of Russia.

Best Miniseries or Television Film

Dopesick (Hulu)
Impeachment: American Crime Story (FX)
Maid (Netflix)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Underground Railroad (Prime Video)

"Mare of Easttown" and "The Underground Railroad" are the Emmy nominees in this field, a contest in which I'm sure "Mare of Easttown" would have the advantage if it came down between them. However, I think the contest is really between "Mare of Easttown" and "Maid" with "Dopesick" being the spoiler. Both of the latter have more nominations, three each to two for "Mare of Easttown," but those aren't enough for me to think either is the favorite. While I consider "The Underground Railroad" to have the strongest diversity and speculative fiction content, it doesn't have the greatest political content. I think that goes to "Impeachment: American Crime Story."

Follow over the jump for the acting categories.