Emmy Category Analysis: Limited or Anthology Series

By Abe Friedtanzer

Inventing Anna

This was a crowded year for limited and anthology series. A number of buzzy programs earned little to no Emmy attention, like Scenes from a Marriage, Under the Banner of Heaven, Gaslit, and The Offer. Two shows, Maid and Station Eleven, surely just missed given their presence in some top categories. The Staircase and Impeachment: American Crime Story might have come close to more nominations but we'll never know. Instead we’re left with an interesting list of five shows, four based on real events and one based on people that likely do exist, maybe not always in quite as exaggerated form. Let’s look at the competition…

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Emmy Category Analysis: Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

By Abe Friedtanzer

Andrew Garfield in Under the Banner of Heaven

I had fully expected Ben Foster to be here on behalf of the TV movie part of this category for The Survivor, but he’s not, and this race is actually dominated by men from series that didn’t earn a spot in the top race. Only Michael Keaton and Sebastian Stan saw their shows score overall, and both Andrew Garfield and Oscar Isaac represent their series’ only bids. Those statistics make it seem like Keaton wins this in a walk, but these are seriously good performances that are worth considering alongside his. Here are the nominees… 

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"The White Lotus" and "Severance" top the HCA TV Awards

by Nathaniel R

Severance won 5 prizes

The Hollywood Critics Association has been making waves in the past couple of years inviting lots of new members (expanding beyond California, albeit with a 25% cap) and getting more press, too. Their TV awards were distributed over two star-studded nights where both celebrities and critics presented.

The most noteworthy thing is that they divvy their awards up much differently than the Emmys, by splitting them in half between "broadcast & cable" and "streaming". They even split hairs further for the top program prizes divvying it up three ways: "broadcast", "cable", and "streaming". In a way, it's a savvy Golden Globe to the Oscars kind of tactic, since they get to honor way more programs and actors by splitting things in half or by thirds. Consider for example that the Hollywood Critics Association did not have Dopesick (streaming) and The White Lotus (cable) in direct competition; they could both win prizes with ease! At the Emmys of course those two shows will go head-to-head. Two of TFE's three California-based contributors were on hand as you can see in the photo after the jump. A complete list of winners follows, too...

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Emmy Category Analysis: Supporting Actress in a Limited Series

by Cláudio Alves

If you need proof that the current Emmy voting system is broken, you need to look no further than the Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series race. Despite having seven available slots, only two shows appear in the lineup. Unsurprisingly, they are The White Lotus and Dopesick, two of the year's biggest frontrunners. Allowing voters to check an unlimited number of names on their ballots means that the most popular and acclaimed programs will dominate, no matter the specifics of the category. Unfortunately, this takes away slots to honor MVP achievements in less buzzy shows.

For predicting purposes, it also muddies the waters...

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Maggie Gyllenhaal wins the Scripter for 'The Lost Daughter'

by Nathaniel R

Gyllenhaal at a screeing for The Lost Daughter in December

The USC Scripter Awards are an annual event that is a gala fundraiser for the USC Libraries. This year Maggie Gyllenhaal was the big winner in what some might regard as an upset over Jane Campion. We think it's less than surprising though since the Scripters also recognize the author of the source material and Elena Ferrante would hold much more appeal to current voters than Thomas Savage for a book that isn't as famous as its cinematic counterpoint. Whether Gyllenhaal can upset at the Oscars is a different story...

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