Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at Young Sheldon, the latest episodes of Hacks, the race for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmys and some Upfronts wrap-ups!
Young Sheldon came to an end this week after seven seasons and 141 episodes. I am a member of what I'm sure is a rare breed because I've never seen a full episode of The Big Bang Theory but I watched the entire run of Young Sheldon. It reminded me so much of the ABC sitcoms that were airing at the time it premiered - shows like The Goldbergs, Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat and more. It was much more in the spirit of those single camera family shows than the mulit-cam series it spun-off from. My own relationship with Young Sheldon was also much like those shows. I liked them when they were airing and enjoyed watching them week to week but I can't pinpoint specific episodes the way I can with all-timer shows I love like The Office and Parks and Recreation. They were comfort background shows for me so I didn't always watch with focus and intensity, but it was still a family of characters I enjoyed spending time with over the last seven years.
The cast was really strong. Iain Armitage was a great find as a eight year old who grew nicely into the role and never stopped being believable as a young Jim Parsons. Zoe Perry as Sheldon's mother Mary was an underrated performer over the run and really shined in the final couple of episodes that dealt with the death of family patriarch, George (the reliable Lance Barber). I'm a little skeptical of the spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage because Montana Jordan and Emily Osment seem better as supporting players. And Reagan Revord had plenty of great moments over the years as Sheldon's twin sister and foil, Missy. Then of course there was the parade of TV vets starting with Annie Potts but also including Craig T. Nelson, Ed Begley Jr. and tons of guest stars who added gravitas to the show. And a special shoutout to Wyatt McClure as the goofy Billy. I'm not super sad the show has come to an end because it's not a show I need in my life but it was a good and enjoyable run.
Another two Hacks episodes aired last week. I thought the first one, "One Day," was excellent while the other, "Par for the Course," was the first episode of the season that didn't work as well for me.
"One Day" was basically a two-hander for Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder (after a very funny opening scene with Deborah at the doctor). Of course, Smart and Einbinder playing off each other is the bread and butter of the series so trapping them in the woods together, first on a nature hike and then desperately trying to find civilization was ripe for great dialogue and great comedy. I think it's interesting that the show is seemingly giving Ava a chance to speak her views much more confidently to Deborah. I think that's in character with their evolving relationship. And I think Deborah's views on things like climate change are totally in character for a celebrity like her.
There were good things about "Par for the Course" but this is a case where a show like Hacks has become so successful that they have the ability to get guest stars galore and then some series regulars get shortchanged. Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter didn't appear in this episode and barely appeared in "One Day" and Carl Clemons-Hopkins has had almost nothing to do this season. But we got a heavy dose of Tony Goldwyn and Christina Hendricks. They are both great but is the trade-off worth it? I'm not so sure in a series that only has short seasons. I don't mind a show like Abbott Elementary getting big name guest stars because it does so many episodes a year. But we only have three episodes left, I don't know that I need the show to introduce potential romances to both leads with brand new characters. That being said, I do appreciate that Deborah didn't get the late night show (at least for now). I felt like that was a bit of a stretch and I think the show can take the character more places with her not getting it than getting it. I also really love Hannah Einbinder in this show but I'm not always convinced she can carry storylines that don't involve Jean Smart. So I was definitely more mixed on this episode than any other but that's bound to happen at some point. The next episode is called "The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular" so I'm sure it will be great.
The Emmy race got upended officially this week when Shogun moved to the Drama Series following weeks of speculation and a likely upcoming renewal for two more seasons. This already renders some of my Supporting predictions moot from the last two weeks as the FX epic instantly becomes the frontrunner in most categories. So in the Lead Actor race, Hiroyuki Sanada instantly jumps to the front of the line with a surefire nomination and likely win in a category that no one eligible nomination from any previous year except Timothy Olyphant from over a decade away from the role on Justified: City Primeval. Sanada's co-star Cosmo Jarvis is less of a sure thing but could easily get swept up in Shogun dominance. Before this week, the race was looking pretty odd. The favorite could have been Gary Oldman for Slow Horses. The show hasn't gotten awards traction but Oldman has always felt like the best bet to break through. Many thought The Crown may win more awards than it should before the Shogun entry but Dominic West still seems like a sure bet for a nomination. After that, things get much dicier. I'm not sure what to think of Mr. & Mrs. Smith's chances. The show seemed to have a little bit of momentum for a time but that has faded some and then news came this week that the show was renewed but star Donald Glover (and his co-star Maya Erskine) may not return. So who knows what to make of his chances. Same goes for Colin Farrell, who has been generally well-regarded in the mess of a show that is Sugar. I can't quite buy Emmy voters going for this show anywhere but Farrell is definitely its best bet. Fallout has been a big hit with viewers, much more-so than Sugar or Mr. & Mrs. Smith so that could help the well-liked Walton Goggins. Tom Hiddleston is back in the mix for Loki but he didn't get in for the better received first season so I'm doubtful. And then there's Nathan Fielder. The Curse seems like a tough show to break through with Emmy voters and Fielder is not nearly as likely as his co-star, Emma Stone. Idris Elba is not one of the main contenders for Hijack but it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see him sneak into the race for a show that seems to have been one of the more successful ones on Apple TV+. And if there's some love for The Gilded Age in general then Morgan Spector could get in. After that, we're talking about dark horses and that would include Ben Mendelsohn for The New Look, Alan Ritchson for Reacher and Ramon Rodriguez for Will Trent.
Current Projected Nominees (ranked in order of confidence)
1. Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
2. Dominic West, The Crown
3. Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
4. Cosmo Jarvis, Shogun
5. Walton Goggins, Fallout
6. Donald Glover, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Possible Spoilers
7. Idris Elba, Hijack
8. Colin Farrell, Sugar
9. Nathan Fielder, The Curse
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
As we reach the end of the traditional broadcast season and the end of the Emmy eligibility window, it is real slim pickings for new show premieres these next two weeks before things pick up again a bit in June. On Wednesday, Apple TV+ has the fourth season premiere of Trying, which is probably one of the most underseen shows ever to get four seasons. Thursday has a few premieres with the final season premiere of Evil on Paramount+. We'll see if it's recent foray into the Netflix Top 10 with past seasons gets the show any more buzz. Thursday also has the premiere of Netflix's Tires starring the divisive Shane Gillis as well as the latest season of The Ms. Pat Show on BET+. That's about it but next week is even more bare.
ODDS & ENDS
- It was a busy week of Upfront news with Amazon and Netflix crashing the party in addition to the broadcast networks, who have been the tentpoles of the week forever though now they were enveloped in part by their corporate parents. I talked briefly on the NBC and CBS schedules the last two weeks but we got the FOX, ABC and CW schedules this week. FOX will premiere lifeguarding drama Rescue: HI-Surf on Mondays in the fall after 9-1-1: Lone Star. FOX is so high on this show they are already committing to it as the Super Bowl lead-out (of course that could change if it bombs). Their co-production mystery Murder in a Small Town will air on Tuesdays after the delayed second season of Accused. The third new fall entry is the animated Universal Basic Guys which will air after The Simpsons on Sundays. Many shows are held for midseason including Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Animal Control, The Cleaning Lady, the new Doc and, most notably, Family Guy.
- As for ABC, they will be broadcasting just 4.5 hours of scripted content a week though two of those hours are new dramas: the thriller High Potential starring Kaitlin Olsen will air on Tuesdays at 10pm while the soapy new Ryan Murphy cruise ship medical drama Doctor Odyssey. The latter will air at 9pm on Thursdays which will push Grey's Anatomy to 10pm Thursdays for the first time. ABC's once vaunted comedy lineup on Wednesdays is down to just a half hour with Abbott Elementary airing at 9:30pm, sandwiched between the new The Golden Bachelorette and the true crime documentary Scamanda. The short final season of The Conners plus potential other comedies are held for midseason. Surprisingly, procedural dramas Will Trent and The Rookie were also held. Meanwhile, I'm not going to spend much time on The CW but they will debut British drama Joan on Wednesdays at 9pm and The Librarians: The Next Chapter, a spinoff of former TNT hit The Librarians, on Thursdays at 9pm after the final season of Superman & Lois.
- The first season of Sugar came to an end on Friday. There were some more twists and turns although nothing as insane as what happened at the end of the sixth episode. I just spent the time thinking it didn't have to be this way for this show. A detailed noir crime drama starring Colin Farrell as an LA detective who loves old movies would have been quite well received. And for 3/4 of the first season, that was the show it seemed like it wanted to be. Then it changed course and became a sci-fi show. And I'm just not interested in that. Again, it felt all about the gimmick and not about the best choices. I probably won't watch a second season if there is one.
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