The Emmys for the 2024-2025 television season will be handed out on Sept. 14, and I begin my analysis with a protest.
The series I’d judge to be the best among all dramas, Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal,” is eligible because it premiered in November — I checked twice — was not only passed over as a program but failed to garner nominations for its exceptional male and female leads, Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch, and two fine supporting actors, Lia Williams and Kate Dickie (among others), but was limited to a single nomination for Best Cinematography (Christopher Ross).
Who’s doing the nominating? Baseball umpires?
Drama categories remain strong, but without “The Day of the Jackal” in the mix, the eight nominated shows have been given the Emmy equivalent of a golf handicap.
The Emmy ceremony — I loathe red-carpet coverage, which competes with daytime television for being terminally vapid — begins at 8 p.m. and will air on CBS (Channel 3) while streaming on Paramount+.
This year’s host is comedian Nate Bargatze, a good choice because he’s genuinely funny, and broadcast from downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theatre.
As usual, I’ll review each program and acting category individually, adding a prediction and preference at the end of each rundown.
We already know the show that’s missing among the contenders for Best Drama Series, but the eight that remain all have merit.
That includes the two I’d consider eliminating to make room for “The Day of the Jackal,” are Netflix’s “The Diplomat” or Disney’s “Andor.”
Spring entries such as “Paradise” and “The Pitt,” along with a second season of “Severance” that eclipses its debut skein, outweigh returning series such as “Slow Horses,” “Andor” and “The Diplomat.”
That said, two other perennials, “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus,” with its most interesting season yet are competitive.
In spite of being a fan of “Slow Horses” and proud of “Severance” and “The Last of Us” for upping their game.
“The Pitt,” with its 15 episodes, each depicting one hour of an emergency room doctor’s shift at a Pittsburgh hospital was the most compelling of the pack and its my preference for “Best.”
Prediction: “The Last of Us.” Preference: “The Pitt.”
Except for Apple+’s “The Studio,” the Best Comedy Series competition looks like a carbon copy of the last three or four seasons’ contest.
Once again, FX/Hulu’s “The Bear” and HBO Max’s “Hacks” are the prime contenders. I don’t even see another show that can sneak in.
“The Bear” often looks like it’s running out of steam, then surprises with an episode or three that exemplifies the value of television.
“Hacks” is more consistent but depends on its satirical edge and the perennially excellent performance of Jean Smart as the aging comic determined to stay a major league star, Deborah Vance.
None of the other nominees have the deep (“The Bear”) or steady (“Hacks”) quality of the front-runners.
“Only Murders in the Building” entertains, but “Nobody Wants This” suffers any time a scene isn’t confined to its two leads, “Shrinking” is quirky and at its best when Harrison Ford is on-screen, “Abbott Elementary” is too choppy for my taste, “What We Do in The Shadows” is built for a particular audience, and “TheStudio” boasts a strong first season with some sharp moments but lacks the heft of “The Bear” or ‘Hacks.”
Prediction: “The Studio.” Preference: “The Bear.”
Five programs are nominated for Best Limited Series, but as with the comedies, two stand out from the pack.
They are HBO’s “The Penguin,” which has Colin Farrell to thank for it breaking through the DC-Marvel glut to make its mark, and impressively original and Netfflix’s potently affecting “Adolescence.”
Can you guess my preference?
Overlooked shows, such as “Presumed Innocent” and “Disclaimer,” surpass the nominated “Black Mirror,” “Dying for Sex” or “Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
I know the Menendez saga was popular, but except for the performances of Cooper Koch as Erik and Javier Bardem as his and Lyle’s father, I saw the series aiming for cheap responses.
Prediction and Preference: Adolescence.
Best Actor is a Drama Series is one tough race.
Even Eddie Redmayne’s inclusion could not have made choosing the “best” from among this group more difficult.
Sterling K. Brown continues to stun in any role, and he does so in “Paradise.”
“The Pitt” gives Noah Wyle the chance to show more depth than he could in “E.R.,” which earned him five previous Emmy nominations.
Gary Oldman from “Slow Horses” and Pedro Pascal from “The Last of Us” are as consistent and impressive as Brown. Adam Scott, already good, was exponentially better in this season of “Severance.”
Prediction: Pedro Pascal. Preference: Noah Wyle.
Best Actress is a Drama Series may have a narrower range.
While “The Diplomat’s” Keri Russell, “Severance’s” Britt Lower,” and “Bad Sister’s” Sharon Horgan are all plausible nominees, the contest is likely between Bella Ramsey for “The Last of Us” and Kathy Bates for CBS’s “Matlock.”
Prediction: Bella Ramsey. Preference: Kathy Bates.
Normally, I’d just say to expect Jean Smart to march to the podium one more time as Best Actress in a Comedy series.
Even with “The Bear’s” Ayo Edibiri sitting there as a fellow nominee.
Another who always delights, Uzo Aduba, spoils my confidence in that prediction.
I may find Aduba’s series, “The Residence,” amusing without being special, but Aduba is one of those performers that captures attention and admiration every moment.
Kristen Bell from “Nobody Wants This” and Quinta Bruson from “Abbott Elementary” complete the category.
Prediction: Jean Smart. Preference: Uzo Aduba.
I know Martin Short has glommed some recent awards at Best Actor in a Comedy for his work in “Only Murders in the Building,” but as much as Short is a lifelong charmer, his character, like all the others in Best Actor category is stock and one-dimensional compared with the heart Jeremy Allen White conveys in “The Bear.”
Among other nominees, only Seth Rogen from “The Studio” has a chance to break through.
Prediction: Jeremy Allen White. Preference: Jeremy Allen White.
Given how unrecognizable Colin Farrell is in “The Penguin” and how intense and entertaining he is as Osgood Cobblepot, Stephen Graham in “Adolescence,” Jake Gyllenhaal in “Presumed Innocent,” and Cooper Koch in “Monsters” all have a chance to earn Best Actor in a Limited Series.
As does Brian Tyree Henry for “Dope Thief.”
Prediction: Stephen Graham. Preference: Colin Farrell
Cate Blanchett is my favorite of all current leading actresses, and Michelle Williams has credentials that may make her someone else’s favorite.
While Blanchett is her usual great in “Disclaimer” while Williams is OK in “Dying for Sex,” my eye goes past them to Cristin Milloti as Colin Farrell’s foil in “The Penguin” for Best Actress in a Limited Series.
Prediction: Cate Blanchett. Preference: Cristin Milloti.
Among supporting and guest performers, prediction and preference will have to suffice.
• Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, Prediction: Walter Goggins. Preference: Sam Rockwell.
• Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, Prediction: Carrie Coon. Preference: Julianne Nicholson.
• Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Prediction and Performance: Harrison Ford.
• Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Prediction: Catherine O’Hara. Preference: Sheryl Lee Ralph.
• Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Prediction: Javier Bardem. Preference: Owen Cooper.
• Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Prediction: Deirdre O’Connor. Preference: Erin Doherty.
• Best Guest Actor in a Drama, Prediction and Preference: Jeffrey Wright.
• Best Guest Actress in a Drama, Prediction: Kaitlyn Dever. Preference: Merritt Wever.
• Best Guest Actress in a Drama: Prediction and Preference: Jamie Lee Curtis, who gave the best performance by anyone in anything this season.
• Best Guest Actor in a Comedy: Prediction: Bryan Cranston. Preference: Jon Bernthal.
• Best Guest Actress in a Comedy, Prediction and Preference: Jamie Lee Curtis, who gave the best performance by anyone in anything this season.
Tom Llamas in Philly
“NBC Nightly News” with Tom Llamas as anchor originated from Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The story that brought them here had nothing to do with local politics or any essential breaking news.
The big event was Thursday’s opening of the 2025 NFL season featuring the defending champions, the Eagles, and their most despised rival, the Dallas Cowboys.
Amid news of fires in California, severe weather throughout the U.S., and a runaway tram in Lisbon, Llamas interviewed NBC’s booth announcers, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, and previewed Thursday game, which the Eagles won 24-20.
All were enthusiastic about the Eagles’ chances to return to the Super Bowl in February.
Source: Berkshire mont
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