Game of Moans, er, Thrones rules with Emmys
Two things are abundantly clear following the recent Emmy nominations: Game of Thrones still rules, and you are missing some of the best stuff on TV if you don’t subscribe to the streaming service Netflix.
Before you fire off an email blaming the messenger, let me say that if there’s one thing I’ve learned in almost 25 years on the TV beat, it’s this wisdom from the television classic Diff’rent Strokes:
“Now, the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum.
What might be right for you, may not be right for some.”
“Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout Willis?” In other words, one person’s brilliant, characterdriven, finely nuanced, inspiring adult drama is another’s vile, tawdry, disgusting display of degenerate vulgarity.
Some believe TV became too coarse and tasteless after, say, The Andy Griffith Show or Leave It to Beaver. Others prefer television that reflects more contemporary adult themes. For years, the Emmy nominations have fallen in the latter category.
I enjoy a good TV-MA series as much as the next guy. My only complaint is when the adult stuff becomes gratuitous. Many Showtime series, for example, seem to have a “two minute rule,” feeling they must show bare breasts within the first two minutes to justify the premium channel fees.
Even Game of Thrones, one of the most satisfying and intriguing dramas in years, has been guilty of the occasional gratuitous brothel scene. One writer even collected all the Thrones scenes containing sex and/or nudity (71 so far), watched them over and over and concluded most were unnecessary for character and/or plot development.
Interestingly, Game of Thrones’ casual nudity has tapered off in recent seasons. HBO must believe it’s no longer necessary to titillate the audience.
But if such “mature audience” fare is not a deal-breaker for you, then Game of Thrones is a highly anticipated delight and the Emmy nominations agree with you.
After taking a year off of eligibility, Game of Thrones came roaring back last season, leading the pack with 22 nominations. They include one for outstanding drama, two for outstanding supporting actor (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage), outstanding supporting actress (Lena Headey), outstanding guest actress (Diana Rigg), two for directing and one for writing.
The 22 nominations bring the Game of Thrones Emmy tally to 129 over seven seasons. That’s remarkable.
Season 7 ended with the long-anticipated, passionate (but tasteful) love scene between Jon Snow, the erstwhile King in the North, and Daenerys Targaryen the Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.
That’s one heckuva cliffhanger, because Jon doesn’t yet know (but viewers do) that he is actually Aegon Targaryen, the legitimate and rightful heir to the Iron Throne. And — and — that makes Daenerys his aunt.
Whoa. Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout Willis?
We’ll have to wait a bit longer for the exciting climax. Winter may be here and the Night King (he has a dragon!) and his white walkers are on the march, but the six-episode, eighth and final season won’t arrive until 2019.
Meanwhile, not far behind with 21 nominations each this season are NBC’s Saturday Night Live and HBO’s Westworld. Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale has 20.
Where’s the good stuff on TV? It depends on your definition of good. But HBO pulled in 108 Emmy nominations and Netflix earned 112, breaking HBO’s 17-year record as the outfit with the most.
Netflix’s outstanding original series include The Crown (13 nominations), Godless and Stranger Things (12 each) and GLOW (10).
Over on the broadcast network side, ABC’s Modern Family was finally snubbed with zero noms. The series, which has earned 80 Emmy nominations over the years, won outstanding comedy each of its first five seasons.
Modern Family has been on the air for nine seasons and TV shows have a natural life span. The rumor is the forthcoming 10th season will be the last.
ABC managed 31 Emmy nominations this year — third behind NBC (78) and CBS (34). Fox only got 16 and The CW received none.
The nominations for outstanding drama and outstanding comedy illustrate the dominance of cable and streaming services. Only one broadcast series managed to break into each category and I guarantee you neither will win:
Drama: The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu); Game of Thrones (HBO); Stranger Things (Netflix); The Americans (FX); This Is Us (NBC); The Crown (Netflix); Westworld (HBO).
Comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon); blackish (ABC); GLOW (Netflix); Atlanta (FX); Barry (HBO); Silicon Valley (HBO); Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix).
The 70th Emmy Awards broadcast airs Sept. 17 on NBC, with Saturday Night Live stars Michael Che and Colin Jost co-hosting.