Yellowstone should have been nominated for at least one Emmy

While browsing the 2022 Emmy nominations, the one moment I was surprised was when I spotted “Yellowjackets” near the bottom of the Best Drama Series list.

I initially believed it to be a typo or misprint, and that someone had confused the Showtime series about girls’ soccer players who survive a plane accident with the more well-known and acclaimed Paramount series, “Yellowstone,” portions of which are also available to stream on Netflix.

No offense is intended toward “Yellowjackets.” Although it doesn’t compete as fiercely with other nominees like AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” Netflix’s “Ozark,” and HBO’s “Succession,” it is nonetheless deserving enough.

Voting for nominees is done at the discretion of the nominators, in this case the members of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).

I just assumed that a series that skillfully jumps between time zones to contrast the American West of a century ago with the same region today would be highly regarded. In a year when acting nominations were not evenly distributed among series but tended to cover entire casts, especially in the case of “Succession,” Apple’s “Ted Lasso,” ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Netflix’s “The Squid Game,” and HBO’s “Hacks,” which are all represented in the Best Drama or Best Comedy categories, I thought the cast of “Yellowstone” would inspire more support from the NATAS voters.

The Limited Series categories are dominated by “The White Lotus” on HBO and “Dopesick” on Hulu.

The series “Yellowstone” was completely absent from this year’s Emmy field, which was one of the most astounding omissions. More disappointingly, Hulu’s hilarious and brilliant comedy “The Great” went unnoticed with the exception of acting nominations for stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Comedy, respectively, for FX’s “Under the Banner of Heaven,” which was also available on Hulu.

I was pleased to discover that both HBO’s “The Gilded Age” and Netflix’s “Bridgerton” were completely absent from the Emmy nominations.

Although I enjoy watching “Bridgerton,” it is a flapdoodle in comparison to the shortlisted series since it is overdone to the point where it becomes a joke.

The movie “The Gilded Age” is dull.

The fact that Christine Baranski, one of our generation’s top actresses and comedians, is unable to redeem the program from its lack of intrigue is confirmation of this. Denée Benton adds intrigue to her parts, and Carrie Coon makes a brave effort, but overall, “The Gilded Age” is a bore.

Additionally, I don’t mind that Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” was disqualified from consideration for this year’s Emmys.

The series, actors, and actresses that did receive nominations were not even slightly surprising. They are mostly perennials. The most of them were on my lists of potential nominees. The good news is that I am unable to come up with one that is meritorious or meritless.
Yes, I would have preferred to see a more accurate representation of my favorite shows, “Ozark” and “Better Call Saul.” I believed that “Succession,” “The Squid Game,” and “Ted Lasso” might be rivaled in greatness by both film casts and performances.

“The Squid Game,” oh yeah. I could spend the rest of my life never watching another episode of “The Squid Game,” just like other hugely popular shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones.”

The three themes that run through the nominees for Best Drama are: people using their intelligence to outwit dangerous foes and triumph (“Ozark,” “Better Call Saul”), people dealing with bizarre events that endanger their survival (“Stranger Things,” “The Squid Game,” “Yellowjackets,” “Severance,” and “Succession”), or intrigue within the family (“Succession”). HBO’s “Euphoria,” which stars nominated Zendaya as a high school student navigating the social, sexual, and drug difficulties faced by teens, is the lone candidate that appears to be in a different genre.

The list of Best Comedy nominees is more diverse. Two of the greatest, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon and “Hacks” on HBO, deal with women seeking careers in comedy, among other things. The main character of HBO’s “Barry” commits the murders. Characters pass away in “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu. In the movie “Ted Lasso,” an American football coach who was hired to coach British Premier League football (soccer) is a fish out of water. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO depicts a snarky cynic whose misanthropy appears quite warranted. The only candidate I think is overrated is “Abbott Elementary,” which is about a school in Philadelphia. A comedy called “What We Do in the Shadows” is about vampires that reside on Staten Island.
Only “Abbott Elementary” represents a traditional network rather than a cable outlet or a streamer in the program or acting categories. Due to Bowen Yang and the brilliant Kate McKinnon, another over-the-air program, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” has candidates in the acting categories.

The variety of shows competing for Best Limited Series is likewise wide. The show “Dopesick” on Hulu, which I’d call the front-runner to win this award, tells the story of the widespread addiction brought on by the marketing of painkillers that the companies behind them knew would spark the current opioid crisis. My personal favorite in the field is “Inventing Anna,” which tells the story of a woman who infiltrates Manhattan society primarily through deceit and lying. Despite being caught, imprisoned, and confronted with copious evidence, the woman refuses to admit to any wrongdoing. “The White Lotus” on HBO is a cynical look at the people that live in a Hawaii resort. The crucially essential relationship between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee is the subject of “Pam and Tommy” on Hulu. Elizabeth Holmes, the recently convicted CEO of the biochemical business Theranos, is profiled in “Dropout” on Hulu.

On September 12, the 2022 Emmys will be presented. NBC will broadcast the ceremony (locally Channel 10).

As previously indicated, a significant portion of the casts of many nominated programs also received nominations.

Seven actors have been nominated for “Succession,” including Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong in the Best Actor category, Kieran Culkin, Matthew MacFadyen, and Nicholas Brown in the Best Supporting Actor category, and Sarah Snook and J. Smith-Cameron in the Best Supporting Actress category.

For its comic work, “Ted Lasso” received nods for its lead actor Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Toheed Jimoh, and Nick Mohammed, as well as for supporting actors Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Sarah Niles. Quinta Brunson is up for Best Actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James are contending for Best Supporting Actress, and Tyler James Williams is up for Best Supporting Actor, all of which are well-represented by “Abbott Elementary.”

The only two films nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series are “Dopesick” and “The White Lotus.” Mare Winningham and Kaitlyn Dever are the “Dopesick” nominees. Of course, Michael Keaton is up for Best Actor in a Limited Series. For their work in “The White Lotus,” which three performers — Murray Bartlett, Jake Macy, and Steve Zahn — will also be vying for the Emmy, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Sydney Sweeney, and Natalia Rothwell all garnered nominations.

There were two 2022 Emmy nominations for Sydney Sweeney. She is credited with “The White Lotus” as well as her continuous part in “Euphoria.” A personal favorite of mine in the acting category, Harriet Walter, received two nominations: one for a cameo in the drama “Succession” and another for a cameo in the comedy “Ted Lasso.” Bill Hader has received nominations for his work in “Barry” as well as a guest appearance on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

The acting categories are so filled with potential winners that it is difficult to predict who will win the Emmy in September, with the exception of “Dopesick” and its star, Michael Keaton.

An illustration of this is Best Actress in a Drama. It has Jodie Comer, who captivates the audience in “Killing Eve,” and Laura Linney, whose performance in “Ozark” sent chills down my spine. Zendaya, a previous winner, does not make choosing a beneficiary any simpler. Reese Witherspoon for Apple’s “The Morning Show,” Melanie Lynskey as one of the adult survivors in “Yellowjackets,” and Sandra Oh for “Killing Eve” do not either.

The Best Supporting Actress (Drama) category, where Rhea Seehorn from “Better Call Saul” and Julia Garner as the creatively malicious Ruth in “Ozark,” are up against one other, presents the most difficult decision in my opinion. (Garner received a nomination for her work as the lead in “Inventing Anna”). The fact that Sarah Snook and Patricia Arquette from “Severance” are also candidates doesn’t make life any simpler.

It could be sensible and fair for NATAS to invite each nominee up to the podium and present them with an award for Best Actor in a Drama. Just the thought of Jason Bateman from “Ozark” or Bob Odenkirk from “Better Call Saul,” who even suffered a heart attack while filming “Saul,” having to defeat the other makes me shift to second and support having more than one winner.

Heck, Brian Cox from “Succession” might have the field locked up.

Adam Scott from “Severance,” Jeremy Strong from “Succession,” and Lee Jung-jae from “The Squid Game” are other excellent options. Normally, I would give it my all for Bateman, whose astounding constancy as Marty Byrde. That kind of rooting is made impossible by Odenkirk and the others. I’d cast my vote for Jason, but I’d take my time checking off Odenkirk’s name before moving on to the next candidate.

The categories that involve actors’ guest appearances appear to have the most well-known nominees. Jane Lynch for “Only Murders in the Building,” Harriet Harris for “Hacks,” Adrien Brody for “Succession,” Colman Domingo for “Euphoria,” Marcia Gay Harden for “The Morning Show,” Nathan Lane for “Only Murders in the Building,” and Bill Hader in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are among those up for these Emmys.

The Voice and The Amazing Race, two of my favorite reality shows, are up for Best in that category, along with “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” “Top Chef,” “Nailed It!” and a Lizzo-related program.

For the title of Best Talk Host, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show” compete.

Every Monday, Neal Zoren’s television column is published.

Source: delcotimes.com