Small screen’s best stuff shines tonight at Emmys
The 2017-2018 TV season officially begins Monday, but we have some unfinished business from last season tonight.
The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards will air at 7 p.m. today on CBS, live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles with The Late Show host Stephen Colbert doing the honors.
If you’re one of those who likes to come early and stay late, begin with E! Countdown to the Red Carpet at 3:30 p.m., followed by E! Live From the Red Carpet.
E! does this every year and it’s always the same silly stuff: “You look marvelous! Who are you wearing? Good luck tonight.”
The Emmys show will have some competition this year. PBS begins the latest outstanding documentary series from Ken Burns, The Vietnam War, at 7 p.m., and NBC will offer the Packers vs. the Falcons, with pre-game beginning at 7.
But if you love TV as I do, tonight’s always a special occasion. We get to root for our favorites and watch the stars gush, stammer, thank their agents and scramble to get it all in before the music plays. (“Thank you” speeches are limited to about 40 seconds.)
My favorite Emmy speech of all time came in 2013 from the delightful Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie). “Thanks,” she stammered. “Thank you, so much. Um … I gotta go. ’Bye.” It took 12 seconds.
You can bet the competition breathed a sigh of relief when Game of Thrones wasn’t eligible this time around. The series, which debuted this year on July 16, didn’t make the May 31 air-date cutoff.
Which shows stand to score big this year? The scifi Western Westworld and Saturday Night Live are the most nominated with 22 each. Here’s the major nominations list.
Drama: Better Call Saul (AMC); The Crown (Netflix); The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu); House of Cards (Netflix); Stranger Things (Netflix); This Is Us (NBC); Westworld (HBO).
Prediction: The 21,000 Academy voters will rally behind the huge hit This Is Us.
Drama actress: Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder); Claire Foy (The Crown); Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale); Keri Russell (The Americans); Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld); Robin Wright (House of Cards).
Prediction: Moss follows up her Mad Men performance with an even stronger one here.
Drama actor: Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us); Anthony Hopkins (Westworld); Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul); Matthew Rhys (The Americans); Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan); Kevin Spacey (House of Cards); Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us).
Prediction: Brown. His show is hot, so once again Odenkirk misses out.
Comedy: Atlanta (FX); black-ish (ABC); Master of None (Netflix); Modern Family (ABC); Silicon Valley (HBO); Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix); Veep (HBO).
Prediction: Is Atlanta truly a comedy? Well, here it is and it’s the most innovative of this distinguished lot.
Comedy actor: Anthony Anderson (black-ish); Aziz Ansari (Master of None); Zach Galifianakis (Baskets); Donald Glover (Atlanta); William H. Macy (Shameless); Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent).
Prediction: Atlanta was a joyous surprise and Glover already has the Golden Globe and should reap the Emmy as well.
Comedy actress: Pamela Adlon (Better Things); Tracee Ellis-Ross (black-ish); Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie); Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie); Allison Janney (Mom); Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep).
Prediction: Ross scored a Golden Globe for her role and an Emmy should follow.
Limited series: Big Little Lies (HBO; Fargo (FX); Feud: Bette and Joan (FX); The Night Of (HBO); Genius (National Geographic).
Prediction: The A-list cast of Big Little Lies hit all the bases.
Limited series actor: Riz Ahmed (The Night Of); Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: The Lying Detective); Robert De Niro (The Wizard of Lies); Ewan McGregor (Fargo); Geoffrey Rush (Genius); John Turturro (The Night Of).
Prediction: McGregor wins easily for his tour de force dual roles as brothers.
Limited series actress: Carrie Coon (Fargo); Felicity Huffman (American Crime); Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies); Jessica Lange (Feud); Susan Sarandon (Feud); Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies).
Prediction: Four of these women are Oscar winners, but Kidman turned in the best performance.
Reality competition: The Amazing Race (CBS); American Ninja Warrior (NBC); Project Runway (Lifetime); RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1); Top Chef (Bravo); The Voice (NBC).
Prediction: It’s a tossup. Amazing Race has won this category 10 times. I don’t believe the Academy really cares anymore.
Monday reminder. Dancing With the Stars kicks off Season 25 at 7 p.m. Monday on ABC. Little Rock native and retired pro basketball star Derek Fisher will be vying for the mirror ball trophy.