THE REBOOTS LOOM LARGE
During an eight-season run that ended in 2006, “Will & Grace” earned 83 Emmy nominations, winning 16, including comedy series and prizes for its four primary cast members: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally. “Roseanne” picked up 25 nominations in nine years, with Roseanne winning once and Laurie Metcalf three times. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” snagged 39 Emmy nods for its first eight seasons, prevailing twice. Following long layoffs, all three shows have returned. Will Emmy voters embrace them as if they’d never left?
Possible spoilers: “GLOW,” “Roseanne,” “The Good Place,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
In the mix: “Modern Family,” “One Day at a Time,” “Arrested Development,” “Better Things,” “Baskets,” “Insecure,” “SMILF”
Analysis: Three-time winner “Veep” is sidelined with Julia Louis-Dreyfus undergoing cancer treatment. “Master of None” didn’t return, and even taking into account Emmy voters’ loyalty (or lack of imagination, if you prefer), “Modern Family” would seem iffy to return this year for a ninth consecutive time. (If it did, it would tie “All in the Family.” “Cheers” and “MASH” share the record for series nominations with 11.)
So there are openings, slots that could be filled with excellent new shows like HBO’s clever, complex “Barry” and Amazon’s engaging “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Netflix’s briskly paced women’s wrestling comedy “GLOW” wasn’t quite in that league but deserves consideration, as does NBC’s brainy, bubbly “The Good Place,” which turned in a superb second season.
But history tells us Emmy voters don’t easily break with tradition, meaning both “Will & Grace” and “Curb” will likely return, even for seasons that didn’t come close to matching their best. “Roseanne” wasn’t nominated during its creative peak, making its prospects dicier. That’s too bad because, of the trio, it made for the most fascinating viewing.