Welcome to my weekly newsletter! This week I am looking at the Emmy race in the comedy categories as well as the latest episodes of Fargo, For All Mankind, The Curse and more!
Last week, I looked at the Limited Series races for the upcoming Emmys (January 15). Here are my predictions & wishes in the main comedy categories!
Outstanding Comedy Series
Will Win: The Bear
Should Win: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Should Have Been Nominated: Poker Face
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Will/Should Win: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Should Have Been Nominated: Drew Tarver, The Other Two
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Will Win: Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Should Win: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Should Have Been Nominated: Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Win: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Should Win: Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Should Have Been Nominated: Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Will Win: Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Should Win: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Should Have Been Nominated: Lisa Ann Walter, Abbott Elementary
Fargo has turned very harrowing in the last couple episodes and especially this past week, which really didn't do much of the dark comedy at all and instead painted a terrifying picture of domestic violence. Even the slightly off-kilter moments like the multiple Roy Tillmans at the debate were shown with some edge and nervous energy to them. Aside from Indira's well-deserved dressing down of Lars, there were no moments that made you feel good even when a good character got a temporary leg up. Juno Temple and Jon Hamm were absolutely brilliant in this episode. Temple is showing a range of acting ability that I didn't know she had in her and Hamm is just such a horrific presence. I'm glad there's so many previous Jon Hamm performances to think of or else it might be hard to watch him in anything else going forward. It's hard to think of a more truly evil character in recent TV history.
Fargo is also so incredibly cinematic and such a unique show that doesn't have any comparisons. I don't know the Coen Brothers library that well so I am barely picking up on any of the references being made. But I'm appreciating the vast wide open spaces that Fargo has always lived in. The very long walk from Jon Hamm to the shed while a bonkers version of Britney Spears' "Toxic" is playing is really a moment that only Fargo can get away with and make effective. It's hard to believe there are two more episodes left because this really felt like a penultimate episode.
For All Mankind is heading to the end of the season and with one episode remaining, it's finally ratcheting up some of the suspense and action. The problem is that the overarching storylines for the fourth season just never landed so it's hard to get geared up for a finale. This is coming after the second season finale was probably the best episode of the entire series and the third season finale, while a bit messy narratively, was extremely tense and gripping. But all the stakes feel so much lower. I just can't get myself to care enough about stealing an asteroid or the class warfare on Mars or the return of Sergei (which, by the way, the ending of this week's episode could be seen a mile away). For All Mankind is still a well-done show but it does not have the earned intensity this season. I don't think the finale will change my mind at all but we'll see.
The Curse spent some serious time in the Siegel marriage this week and it went as uncomfortably as you might expect. There were so many cringey moments - from the countdown of "do you love me" and "do you want to go bowling" to the really strong yet unrelentingly horrific final scene. Emma Stone's face in that final scene, coming after she basically expressed her feelings to Asher through a cut from the show, said everything we need to know about where Whitney stands on the marriage. And dare I say, for the first time this season, I felt a little bad for Asher. All season he has been really hard to like and incredibly off-putting. But in the penultimate episode, he certainly came off as having better intentions than Whitney. He goes along with her microaggressions and seems to truly want to be with her. I've watched relationships break apart, I've been in relationships that break apart. This is so clearly one of those situations where one person is completely over it but the other doesn't know it yet and, yikes, that's tough to see. Overall, it was one of the better episodes of the season though and I'm very curious to see how it ends next week.
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
As we start to get out of the strike/December doldrums, there are a few more premieres this week before a busier end of January. Tuesday has the final season premiere of La Brea on NBC. It will be a short six episode run. Disney+ also premieres Echo with a rare drop of all episodes for the very adult Marvel drama. On Wednesday, Apple TV+ has the premiere of Criminal Record, a British crime drama with Cush Jumbo that has been getting good reviews. On Thursday, Peacock drops all seven episodes of Ted, a comedy prequel based on the hit 2012 movie. It doesn't necessarily seem like a property asking for a prequel or TV adaptation but here we are. Sunday has one of the highest profile debuts in awhile with the long-awaited return of True Detective. The new Alaskan-set True Detective: Night Country stars Jodie Foster and is the first installment since 2019. Sunday also has the premiere of Belgravia: The Next Chapter on MGM+.
THOUGHT TO END TODAY
The Golden Globes and Creative Arts Emmys were held over the weekend. While Succession may look vulnerable to The White Lotus and The Last of Us from the Creative Arts, it cleaned up big at the Golden Globes winning Drama Series, Lead Actor, Lead Actress and Supporting Actor. The Bear and Beef also cleaned up in their categories at the Globes so they seem to be the shows to beat (even though The Bear is competing for Season 1 at the Emmys while they were competing for Season 2 at the Globes - a weird effect from the strikes).
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