Emmy FYC: Master of None, Season Two

By Spencer Coile 

The first season of Master of None was met with universal acclaim from critics and audiences. Telling the quasi-autobiographical story of Dev (Aziz Ansari), the series follows this wannabe actor and his numerous friends as they gallavant through New York City, eating pasta and searching for love. What made the first season of Ansari and Alan Yang's concoction so fascinating was the way in which they infused elements of culture, race, and sexuality into their storylines. The dialogue was unique to many other shows with similar plotlines; there was a level of specificity and a lived in quality that surpassed more traditional sitcoms.

Master of None recently returned to Netflix and met no sophomore slump. The second season has not only matched the quality of the first but surpassed it. How well does this bode for the series' Emmy chances?

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Emmy FYC: The Moms of Comedy

We're showcasing our favorite TV triumps while Emmy nomination ballots are out. Here’s Jorge with some pitches for your maternal instinct…

Ever since scripted television has existed, there has been a fictional mother inside our homes. Since sitcoms tend to revolve around family unites, the funny mom is one of the oldest, most beloved, and most comforting TV tropes. With over 450 scripted series for Emmys consideration this year alone, the Television Academy has thousands of performances to consider.

So to make voters lives a little easier here is a list of some of the best Moms in Comedies of the 2016-2017 season. You could fill the entire Actress in a Comedy Series category with just sitcom moms. Consider this an FYC for all of the following women...

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Emmy FYC: The Americans, Season Five

By Spencer Coile 

It is difficult at times to sum up what makes The Americans such gripping and thought-provoking series. I have encountered many friends grow tired of it quickly, claiming that it is too slow, too methodical in its approach to domesticity, to marriage, to the U.S. government. Aided by a delicious 80's fused soundtrack (you'll never hear "Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac the same way again) and tremendous performances, though, it is altogether unsurprising why many have remained drawn to the meticulous storytelling that is the FX original series, The Americans. In fact, after gathering a cult-like following for its first three seasons, it finally received the Emmy traction it so deserved, earning nominations in Drama Series, Actor, Actress, Writing, and winning Margo Martindale yet another in Drama Guest Actress. 

As the Emmy race heats up, The Americans is primed to sustain its momentum and score major nominations once more for its fifth season. But does it hold up to its previous four seasons?

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Emmy FYC: Aubrey Plaza's multiplicity in "Legion"

We're sharing our dream Emmy nominations as balloting is in progress. Here's Ben Miller...

TV creator Noah Hawley broke onto the scene quickly with the first season of Fargo.  After delivering a stellar superior second season, he was given the freedom to develop whatever he wanted at FX.  Born from that freedom was Legion.  Borrowing from its X-Men source material, Legion crafted its own little niche in prestige television.  No other series, save The Leftovers, was weirder and more divisive in its execution. 

Legion follows David (Dan Stevens), a mutant with telepathic abilities stuck in an insane asylum who finds love and conspiracy as he discovers he might (or might not) be insane.  His best friend in the asylum is Lenny, played by Aubrey Plaza.  Following a series of mind-bending events, Lenny is killed.  This isn’t much of a spoiler as it happens in the first episode.

After Lenny dies, Plaza comes to life...

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Emmy FYC: Justin Theroux in "The Leftovers"

For the next two weeks with Emmy nominating ballots in progress Team Experience will be sharing personal favorites. Here's Eric Blume...

When you talk about Justin Theroux, inevitably you turn to the subject of fairness.  On one level, is it fair to the rest of us mortals that Justin Theroux looks like this... 

Then again, it’s exactly because Justin Theroux looks like that that he is grossly undervalued.   Usually, if someone who looked like that was even just able to spell his own name, he would be fawned over.  But in the acting game, male beauty is rebuffed, and awards bodies tend to eschew acknowledgement if the male actor isn’t an everyman.

Part of the glory, ironically, of Theroux’s acting in HBO’s The Leftovers is that he so deeply inhabits the everyman, in the true sense of that term.  The trajectory for his character, Kevin, was of loving husband and father, trying to protect and save his family, as men do.  He couldn’t understand how to bring his family together, how to truly be vulnerable enough to connect.  And Theroux’s physical power was the perfect foil for his paralyzing inner fear...

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