Ethan Peck could easily have gone too over-the-top in playing Spock's surge in human emotions, but I think he threaded the needle really well in allowing through just enough Vulcan "muscle memory" (as it were) to tamp down the humania -- and he still managed to be extremely funny. And Anson Mount as always shined with his subtle (and hilarious) comic timing as the host of the engagement ceremony. Watch the way he snaps his fingers when T'Pring's father asks for more Tevmel --and how he continues on in wide-eyed stride on his way back to the group once Spock starts admitting to his "condition." Mount is a performer who knows how to blend into the scenery rather than chew it -- a distinct quality in a Star Trek captain and a consistently funny one to boot.
Also I absolutely shed tears when Spock came clean to T'Pring's parents about his "condition", not just out of personal pride but as a way to express affection and appreciation for his human mother. What a wonderful moment.
The Harrison Ford snub was the one that made the most furious - and it's inexplicable cuz we all adore him!! I don't get how they nominated Jason Segel and Jessica Williams (who I am VERY happy about - I thought she would be overlooked and Ford would be a shoo-in) and not Ford. And to not nominate the show and the writing when Ted Lasso has all those nominations for a turd of a season?
I am also very sad that The Great was almost completely shut out. Not enough people watch one of the best comedies on TV. If it were up to me Nicholas Hoult would already have 2 Emmys, but to not nominate Elle Fanning for season 3 - considering what happened in the 2nd half of the season - is bizarre.
Another gripe I had was not nominating Rachel Weisz in the Limited Series category. I think Dead Ringers was maybe a bit of a mess as a show, but her performance was mind-blowing.
I actually kind of hate this new trend of filling up entire categories with nominees from 2 shows. Beyond the fact that it excludes many amazing performances, not everyone on Succession or White Lotus is equally worthy. All of the Ted Lasso nominations and the space they take up is a huge bummer for me given what a terrible season it was. It just feels very lazy to me and indicates many of the voters simply didn't watch a lot of these shows.
I learned long ago to stop caring about awards show nominations, mostly because a) I'll never be able to watch every show, and b) my favorites are never always going to be everyone else's favorites. That being said, I was really bummed to see Harrison Ford snubbed for Shrinking. I feel like his performance really elevated that show. It was both funnier and more real with him on the screen. A different role for him, too.
Given the explosion of shows in the wake of streaming (which is now receding, to an extent), there simply are too many shows for an awards show to adequately encapsulate everything. The multiple nominations in acting categories for actors from the same show quite clearly show the folks voting are more into rewarding shows they love than honestly determining who had the best performances. As a result, the diminishing legitimacy of the Emmys has plummeted even further. So the Emmys has become a show where trophies are given to reward people for being on great shows, and almost no one watches the Emmys anyway, so maybe people should quit looking at them as a barometer of much of anything, and just focus on quality work.
I agree, but I think this continues a long trend of voters simply not watching much of a variety of TV shows and instead being drawn en masse to whatever is buzzy and trendy in a given year. If regular viewers like us are overwhelmed by the sheer tonnage of Peak TV, folks in the industry likely are as well. I know I can't keep up with it all.
I am old enough that I watched TOS when it first aired, and I have watched or at least dipped into all the other Star Trek iterations, but Strange New Worlds is now my favorite. How much fun were they having in the writer's room when someone said "Wait - I know. We'll show a henpecked Vulcan husband, then try to teach him charades!" And while it didn't seem possible before, after this episode it is possible to see the T'Pring of "Amok Time" emerging, especially given her mother. On the other hand, the relationship between Spock and Nurse Chapel is shredding canon, but WHO CARES? THe storylines are brilliant, and the chemistry between Ethan Peck and Jess Bush is fantastic. I'd like to see more Anson Mount, but even the little things he does in his scenes are priceless (the finger snap and the wide eyed stares said all he needed to say in the scenes without uttering a word.)
One other thing - they went out of their way to drop another reference that Pelia and Amanda know each other. I'm looking forward to the scene later in the season where those references pay off with the great Carol Kane.
How do they determine what is a comedy and what isn't? I remember Orange is the New Black being switched from comedy to drama, but I can't remember the criteria as to why. My point being, I don't consider the Bear to be a comedy. It absolutely should be nominated for numerous Emmys, but I feel it's more similar to a show like Succession than a show like Abbott Elementary. I also don't understand how they managed to overlook one of the best comedies on television right now - What We Do in the Shadows. Ghosts and Resident Alien are also solid comedies that get little attention.
This is completely off topic but I just got finished reading one of your reviews of one of the episodes of The Americans. I missed the beginning of the show and therefore didn't watch it when it was on. Can't remember whether I started on Hulu or elsewhere. But I'm sure at the time I wished I knew where you might have reviewed it. Now I do, so I'm watching it again. (Actually I wanted to watch it again and I managed to locate your reviews, which made me happy. We haven't liked the same things in years, and from time to time I miss that. Also in the past I have appreciated that you never allowed spoilers. Although of course the comments to this no longer exist And I've already seen it one and a half times.)
One more thing about spoilers occurs to me, when I was rewatching ER it was about 8 years later and I had forgotten that a certain major character died. For all of the people like me, I will not name him. My brother is still sticks to old fashioned spoiler rules. Apparently he does not live in the age of DVR or streaming.
Watching the Justified original series finale in anticipation of the new series and remembered that Alan Sepinwall wrote wonderful columns and recaps of the original. Here's his appreciation of the series just before the finale and the website has all of his other columns available as well if you looking for way to sate your anticipation ahead of the new episodes: https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/goodbye-to-justified-a-sharp-tongued-quick-drawing-pleasure-to-the-end/
Can't wait for your Justified review and interview with Olyphant. When the embargo lifted, I kept waiting for your review. I often come back to the interview you did with him for Deadwood movie which was very fun. I often quote Olyphant's line from that interview, "I am a glass full kind of motherf*cker."
That was a memorable interview. I was on set for two days, and he spent the first day and a half avoiding being interviewed by me. On at least two occasions, I saw the publicist approach him, Tim looked at me, and then shook his head, like, "No, I'm not doing that." Finally, midway through the second day, they had to take a long break from filming a Bullock scene to shift camera angles. He shrugs, walks over to me, and leads me over to a bench along the promenade, and then we talk for at least an hour, with him as candid as I've ever heard him.
This came up at the start of the Justified interview. It won't be in the published version, but it was clearly a memorable experience for us both.
Imagine if the Emmy acting nominations was like the MLB All-Star game, where every team(show) had representation. I’d love to see a faux list of that, whether for laughter or for sadness.
It is super-confusing to my brain to have waited years for this Justified revival and then one week before it releases, seeing stills from an entirely different new show also starring Olyphant with a completely different cast. Claire Danes is on Justified: Primeval? Where's the Stetson? WHAT? Oh wait.
Anyway, the reviews for Full Circle (almost) all make the same criticisms, and even though Brian Tallerico was positive on it he was quick to point out that this plot likely would have worked much better condensed down into a film rather than extended to a mini-series. When will streamers learn?
One quick question on the Emmys. Granted when The Bear debuted a year ago a second season was not assured, but I wonder whether they're decision to drop the second season just after the Emmy deadline but during the nomination voting isn't a savvy move. Folks don't have to remember how good the show up for nomination (Season 1) is, they just watch the new season (eligible next year) and then recall immediately "Hey we can vote for them this year." The new season even featured the supporting actors in strong parts (not that their first season performances weren't worthy without the timing). (Reminds me a little of that best supporting actress guerrilla campaign that was choreographed at the end of the nominating process, aimed at the limited pool of voters during the nomination process (if I recall correctly in the Oscars at the nomination stage only the actor pool nominates actors). Each of those paths seem to be a recognition that there might be ways to effectively showcase your show without big hype campaigns. And a way for shows from earlier in the year to avoid the recency bias of shows ending around nomination time. Just a thought.
That approach has yielded mixed results. It arguably won Anna Gunn an extra Emmy for Breaking Bad, but it didn't do a thing for Bob or Rhea last year for Saul.
With Da Bear, it'll depend on a few factors: 1)How committed are Emmy voters to continuing to reward Ted Lasso, even for a lesser final season? 2)Is there enough of the old network guard left as voters to push Abbott even higher this year? 3)Will people hold the whole "Is this actually a comedy?" issue against it?
Oh and a thank you. Appreciate the decision to review shows closer to or on their release date. I enjoy reading reviews/previews and, alas, as an old person, if the show doesn't then come along for a week or 2 I can lose the plot and/or the location of the show I recall thinking might be interesting.
For some reason, Substack never inserted the link to the full nominees list, and now it isn't letting me update this post to include it. But here it is: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/2023-emmy-nominations-list-1234786602/
Ethan Peck could easily have gone too over-the-top in playing Spock's surge in human emotions, but I think he threaded the needle really well in allowing through just enough Vulcan "muscle memory" (as it were) to tamp down the humania -- and he still managed to be extremely funny. And Anson Mount as always shined with his subtle (and hilarious) comic timing as the host of the engagement ceremony. Watch the way he snaps his fingers when T'Pring's father asks for more Tevmel --and how he continues on in wide-eyed stride on his way back to the group once Spock starts admitting to his "condition." Mount is a performer who knows how to blend into the scenery rather than chew it -- a distinct quality in a Star Trek captain and a consistently funny one to boot.
Also I absolutely shed tears when Spock came clean to T'Pring's parents about his "condition", not just out of personal pride but as a way to express affection and appreciation for his human mother. What a wonderful moment.
"Mount is a performer who knows how to blend into the scenery rather than chew it"
^This. Amanda, the dad, and Pike were actually my favorite parts of the episode.
The Harrison Ford snub was the one that made the most furious - and it's inexplicable cuz we all adore him!! I don't get how they nominated Jason Segel and Jessica Williams (who I am VERY happy about - I thought she would be overlooked and Ford would be a shoo-in) and not Ford. And to not nominate the show and the writing when Ted Lasso has all those nominations for a turd of a season?
I am also very sad that The Great was almost completely shut out. Not enough people watch one of the best comedies on TV. If it were up to me Nicholas Hoult would already have 2 Emmys, but to not nominate Elle Fanning for season 3 - considering what happened in the 2nd half of the season - is bizarre.
Another gripe I had was not nominating Rachel Weisz in the Limited Series category. I think Dead Ringers was maybe a bit of a mess as a show, but her performance was mind-blowing.
I actually kind of hate this new trend of filling up entire categories with nominees from 2 shows. Beyond the fact that it excludes many amazing performances, not everyone on Succession or White Lotus is equally worthy. All of the Ted Lasso nominations and the space they take up is a huge bummer for me given what a terrible season it was. It just feels very lazy to me and indicates many of the voters simply didn't watch a lot of these shows.
I learned long ago to stop caring about awards show nominations, mostly because a) I'll never be able to watch every show, and b) my favorites are never always going to be everyone else's favorites. That being said, I was really bummed to see Harrison Ford snubbed for Shrinking. I feel like his performance really elevated that show. It was both funnier and more real with him on the screen. A different role for him, too.
And I can't wait to see more Raylan Givens.
Snrub, I believe. Great reference, Alan.
I know it's Snrub. But once I realized that "snub" is "buns" spelled backwards, I couldn't resist playing with my old pal Frinkiac.
All good.
"I broke my boy" alone should've won Banks all the Emmy's
Amazing episode.
Given the explosion of shows in the wake of streaming (which is now receding, to an extent), there simply are too many shows for an awards show to adequately encapsulate everything. The multiple nominations in acting categories for actors from the same show quite clearly show the folks voting are more into rewarding shows they love than honestly determining who had the best performances. As a result, the diminishing legitimacy of the Emmys has plummeted even further. So the Emmys has become a show where trophies are given to reward people for being on great shows, and almost no one watches the Emmys anyway, so maybe people should quit looking at them as a barometer of much of anything, and just focus on quality work.
I agree, but I think this continues a long trend of voters simply not watching much of a variety of TV shows and instead being drawn en masse to whatever is buzzy and trendy in a given year. If regular viewers like us are overwhelmed by the sheer tonnage of Peak TV, folks in the industry likely are as well. I know I can't keep up with it all.
I am old enough that I watched TOS when it first aired, and I have watched or at least dipped into all the other Star Trek iterations, but Strange New Worlds is now my favorite. How much fun were they having in the writer's room when someone said "Wait - I know. We'll show a henpecked Vulcan husband, then try to teach him charades!" And while it didn't seem possible before, after this episode it is possible to see the T'Pring of "Amok Time" emerging, especially given her mother. On the other hand, the relationship between Spock and Nurse Chapel is shredding canon, but WHO CARES? THe storylines are brilliant, and the chemistry between Ethan Peck and Jess Bush is fantastic. I'd like to see more Anson Mount, but even the little things he does in his scenes are priceless (the finger snap and the wide eyed stares said all he needed to say in the scenes without uttering a word.)
One other thing - they went out of their way to drop another reference that Pelia and Amanda know each other. I'm looking forward to the scene later in the season where those references pay off with the great Carol Kane.
How do they determine what is a comedy and what isn't? I remember Orange is the New Black being switched from comedy to drama, but I can't remember the criteria as to why. My point being, I don't consider the Bear to be a comedy. It absolutely should be nominated for numerous Emmys, but I feel it's more similar to a show like Succession than a show like Abbott Elementary. I also don't understand how they managed to overlook one of the best comedies on television right now - What We Do in the Shadows. Ghosts and Resident Alien are also solid comedies that get little attention.
This is completely off topic but I just got finished reading one of your reviews of one of the episodes of The Americans. I missed the beginning of the show and therefore didn't watch it when it was on. Can't remember whether I started on Hulu or elsewhere. But I'm sure at the time I wished I knew where you might have reviewed it. Now I do, so I'm watching it again. (Actually I wanted to watch it again and I managed to locate your reviews, which made me happy. We haven't liked the same things in years, and from time to time I miss that. Also in the past I have appreciated that you never allowed spoilers. Although of course the comments to this no longer exist And I've already seen it one and a half times.)
One more thing about spoilers occurs to me, when I was rewatching ER it was about 8 years later and I had forgotten that a certain major character died. For all of the people like me, I will not name him. My brother is still sticks to old fashioned spoiler rules. Apparently he does not live in the age of DVR or streaming.
Watching the Justified original series finale in anticipation of the new series and remembered that Alan Sepinwall wrote wonderful columns and recaps of the original. Here's his appreciation of the series just before the finale and the website has all of his other columns available as well if you looking for way to sate your anticipation ahead of the new episodes: https://uproxx.com/sepinwall/goodbye-to-justified-a-sharp-tongued-quick-drawing-pleasure-to-the-end/
Okay so maybe my comment about Alan's reviews of The Americans isn't as off topic as I thought :-)
“T’Pring’s parents do not respond to Spock’s revelation by asking exactly how he is suddenly human.”
I read that as the mom having just basically assumed all along that Spock would turn into a human some day.
Can't wait for your Justified review and interview with Olyphant. When the embargo lifted, I kept waiting for your review. I often come back to the interview you did with him for Deadwood movie which was very fun. I often quote Olyphant's line from that interview, "I am a glass full kind of motherf*cker."
That was a memorable interview. I was on set for two days, and he spent the first day and a half avoiding being interviewed by me. On at least two occasions, I saw the publicist approach him, Tim looked at me, and then shook his head, like, "No, I'm not doing that." Finally, midway through the second day, they had to take a long break from filming a Bullock scene to shift camera angles. He shrugs, walks over to me, and leads me over to a bench along the promenade, and then we talk for at least an hour, with him as candid as I've ever heard him.
This came up at the start of the Justified interview. It won't be in the published version, but it was clearly a memorable experience for us both.
Imagine if the Emmy acting nominations was like the MLB All-Star game, where every team(show) had representation. I’d love to see a faux list of that, whether for laughter or for sadness.
It is super-confusing to my brain to have waited years for this Justified revival and then one week before it releases, seeing stills from an entirely different new show also starring Olyphant with a completely different cast. Claire Danes is on Justified: Primeval? Where's the Stetson? WHAT? Oh wait.
Anyway, the reviews for Full Circle (almost) all make the same criticisms, and even though Brian Tallerico was positive on it he was quick to point out that this plot likely would have worked much better condensed down into a film rather than extended to a mini-series. When will streamers learn?
One quick question on the Emmys. Granted when The Bear debuted a year ago a second season was not assured, but I wonder whether they're decision to drop the second season just after the Emmy deadline but during the nomination voting isn't a savvy move. Folks don't have to remember how good the show up for nomination (Season 1) is, they just watch the new season (eligible next year) and then recall immediately "Hey we can vote for them this year." The new season even featured the supporting actors in strong parts (not that their first season performances weren't worthy without the timing). (Reminds me a little of that best supporting actress guerrilla campaign that was choreographed at the end of the nominating process, aimed at the limited pool of voters during the nomination process (if I recall correctly in the Oscars at the nomination stage only the actor pool nominates actors). Each of those paths seem to be a recognition that there might be ways to effectively showcase your show without big hype campaigns. And a way for shows from earlier in the year to avoid the recency bias of shows ending around nomination time. Just a thought.
That approach has yielded mixed results. It arguably won Anna Gunn an extra Emmy for Breaking Bad, but it didn't do a thing for Bob or Rhea last year for Saul.
With Da Bear, it'll depend on a few factors: 1)How committed are Emmy voters to continuing to reward Ted Lasso, even for a lesser final season? 2)Is there enough of the old network guard left as voters to push Abbott even higher this year? 3)Will people hold the whole "Is this actually a comedy?" issue against it?
Oh and a thank you. Appreciate the decision to review shows closer to or on their release date. I enjoy reading reviews/previews and, alas, as an old person, if the show doesn't then come along for a week or 2 I can lose the plot and/or the location of the show I recall thinking might be interesting.