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 Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

By Abe Friedtanzer

Lily James in Pam and Tommy

This is quite a lineup, though just one of its six nominees is from an anthology series and none are from TV movies (Jenna Ortega would have made a phenomenal choice for HBO Max’s The Fallout). Every character portrayed is based on a real person, with only Margaret Qualley’s Alex Russell adapted from author Stephanie Land into someone slightly fictionalized. Exactly half of these women star in projects nominated for Best Limited or Anthology Series, but there’s still support for the other three even if their projects underperformed. Only Lily James and Amanda Seyfried are brand-new to the Emmys, and, of the rest, all but Qualley have actually won before. I think it’s likely a race between the newbies, but let’s examine the lineup...

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Capsule Review: Tech Triple Threat - "Super-Pumped," "The Dropout" and "WeCrashed"

by Christopher James

Which new show about the rise and fall of a major tech company prevails in the end?Do you ever get deja vu while watching a TV or movie? Trends always lag a year or two when it comes to pop culture. More so than ever, the minute a story or documentary takes off, production companies are working on the scripted version of the story. In the course of a month, there will be three separate miniseries dramatizing famous tech flameouts from the last decade. Showtime was the first out the gate with Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, which has already been renewed for season two, centering around Facebook. Next up was Hulu with The Dropout, which cast Amanda Seyfriend as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. By the end of the month, Apple TV+ will premiere WeCrashed, where Oscar winners Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway star as the charismatic couple behind WeWork, Adam and Rebekah Neumann.

It’s easy to make comparisons when so many similar series come out in quick succession. Between the three shows, there’s a clear winner and clear loser. Which is which? Read on to find out...

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