Welcome to my newsletter, a day late! Today I am doing a season wrap-up on Abbott Elementary, looking at the latest episodes of Hacks and looking at the Emmy race for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series!
I haven't written about Abbott Elementary in quite a few weeks. I felt like the third season had some really strong weeks but also some duds. The dividing line for me was bringing Quinta Brunson's Janine back to Abbott. The show made a really bold choice by having Janine start to work for the district at the beginning of the third season. It was an inspired decision that led to some great new dynamics both for Janine and for the rest of the staff left at Abbott. The show explored new relationships and still found ways to incorporate Janine with her Abbott peers. It was really well done.
But then... they brought Janine back to Abbott even though she was given a chance to get a permanent job at the district. It worked against everything we know about Janine's character that she would just give that up and she's seemed like a pretty pathetic character ever since. If the show really wanted Janine to be back at Abbott, I almost wish they had her mess up something at the district level that forced her to go back. Her choosing to go back was just a disappointing choice. And I'm sorry but I just don't see Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) as the next Jim and Pam despite the show wanting us too. Brunson's chemistry with Josh Segarra's Manny is proof of that. Janine and Gregory do not have the soulmates feel to them so the final scene didn't land the punch those moments with Jim and Pam (or Ross and Rachel) did. I think Janine and Gregory are more similar to Ted and Robin from How I Met Your Mother - the show believes in them more than we do.
So this season started with a bang but ended with a whimper for me. However, there were still lots of funny things from the supporting cast. Janelle James was back to form this season after I thought the show pushed a little too hard with her in the second season. Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter continue to be a dynamic duo (Walter never gets the Emmy love but is so strong in this season). As usual, the show found creative ways to make Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) so eccentric and fun. Abbott is still a favorite of mine but I just think the show made a few creative missteps in its overall plot this season.
Hacks is getting close to wrapping up its spectacular third season with another pair of strong episodes this past week. The first episode was "The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular" and I love that streaming shows are willing to do Christmas episodes. Of course I wish it aired at Christmas time but it's nice to add shows like Ted Lasso and Hacks to the Christmas episode canon. This episode starts with a hilarious visual bit of the fake snow pelting Deborah's mansion. This episode was a tale of two guest stars for me. On the one hand, J. Smith-Cameron was inspired casting as Deborah Vance's sister, Kathy. Her dynamic with Jean Smart was incredible and I loved their scenes together. I also love that the show didn't totally resolve things between them so maybe we'll see Smith-Cameron again for a likely Season Four. On the other hand, Christopher Lloyd felt like a very unnecessary guest star and felt like one of those examples where the show is just going guest star crazy.
The penultimate episode of the season "Yes, And" felt like a capstone to this season but also propelled the story forward for the final episode and, likely, the next season. The show remembered Carl Clemons-Hopkins was in the cast for the first time in a very long time but where the episode shined was the college campus scenes. The improv group scene was hilarious but having Deborah Vance get "cancelled" for past jokes was a very appropriate story for 2024. Similar to J. Smith-Cameron's scenes in the previous episode, the show chose to not really give the win to Deborah or the college students. I actually think the episode could have spent more time at Deborah's "listening session" but it didn't really resolve just like much of these flare-ups in real life. I've been skeptical all season of the show giving Deborah the late night gig but they finally did at the end of the eighth episode and I do feel like it was more earned though it's still a stretch of believability. I imagine the fourth season will be her hosting the late night show which means... even more guest stars.
Like all Drama categories, the arrival of Shogun to the field upended the race. It's hard to know if Anna Sawai is truly the frontrunner but she's certainly a very, very strong contender to win the whole thing. Before Sawai joined the fray, the winner seemed likely to be Jennifer Aniston for The Morning Show or Imelda Staunton for The Crown. Both have drawbacks though. Aniston was the frontrunner to win in 2020 and was upset by Zendaya and then she was snubbed for the second season in 2022. Meanwhile, Staunton could not pull out a nomination last year for The Crown, albeit in a more competitive field. The next tier is two strong contenders in shows that aren't sure things by any means. I'm not sure how Emmy voters will respond to The Curse but Emma Stone certainly seems to be the most likely to get in from that show. Meanwhile, Mr. & Mrs. Smith seems to have lost some momentum but there was a point where Maya Erskine seemed like a strong contender and she still could get in. When Aniston missed for The Morning Show in 2022, her co-star Reese Witherspoon got a surprise nomination. I'd be surprised if Witherspoon got in over Aniston again but stranger things have happened. Many are predicting a stronger performance for The Gilded Age and that could mean a nomination for Carrie Coon. Broadcast could get back in the mix with Carrie Preston receiving high marks for Elsbeth even if the show isn't getting as strong reviews as its lead. If looking for a very plausible dark horse, look at Ella Purnell for Fallout, which got strong viewership and praise for her performance. Other less likely dark horses include Juliette Binoche for The New Look (despite bad reviews), Rosario Dawson for Ahsoka, Rebecca Ferguson for Silo and maybe even Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: SVU for the first time since 2011.
Current Projected Nominees (ranked in order of confidence):
1. Anna Sawai, Shogun
2. Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
3. Imelda Staunton, The Crown
4. Emma Stone, The Curse
5. Maya Erskine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
6. Carrie Preston, Elsbeth
Possible Spoilers
7. Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
8. Ella Purnell, Fallout
9. Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
It's a very quiet week for scripted premieres with the broadcast season in the rear view and the Emmy window coming to a close this Friday. In fact there's not really anything besides the midseason premiere of Sistas on BET on Wednesday, the British limited series Eric starring Benedict Cumberbatch on Thursday on Netflix and the third season premiere of the British series The Outlaws on Prime Video on Friday. That's it. June will have more to talk about with premieres.
ODDS & ENDS
- Elsbeth ended its first season this past week. It wasn't a show I felt the need to cover regularly but I really enjoyed the first season. It filled a Monk type place in my life with lighthearted murder mysteries. Even though it's classified as a drama and does deal with murder cases, Carrie Preston and many of the guest stars are giving mostly comedic performances. Preston and those guest stars really make the show work even when the cases are a little silly. I'm looking forward to the second season.
- As expected, The Girls on the Bus was cancelled. I shared my thoughts a few weeks ago but I'm not surprised it was a quick cancellation. It seemed like no one was watching the show. Too bad because I think it could have grown into an even stronger show in its second season after its improvement during the first season.
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