'Fleabag', 'Russian Doll', And 'Chernobyl': The TV That Should Triumph At The Emmys
While admittedly 2019 has seen many great film releases, some of the biggest talking points in entertainment this year have been bought to us by the small screen. Whether it was the eccentric time-loops of Russian Doll, Fleabag toeing the line between sex and abuse of power or surprise hit Chernobyl captivating us for five brilliant episodes, Peak TV is giving us plenty of excuses to stay indoors.
Yesterday's Emmy announcements were further evidence of this, with such strong competition that successful performances such as Richard Madden in Bodyguard, and series like GLOW and Better Things, were overlooked for nominations.
Still, there's some obvious frontrunners, such as Game of Thrones, which has received a record breaking 32 nominations. This includes four supporting actress nominations for Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, and Gwendoline Christie, and one supporting actor nomination for Alfie Allen. Go Reek!
The final instalment of the fantasy epic received the lowest ranking of any in the series, sparking a backlash among many fans who felt the writing had deteriorated and the show had been hurried to its conclusion. That said, the nominations may well be a way of paying respect for the body of work rather than the season itself. Either that or the Emmys are trolling us.
Also leading the charge is the second season of Fleabag, which netted no nominations for its first season, but is sitting on 11 for the masterful follow-up. As well as nods for writing and directing, there are four female acting nominations for cast members Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford. Nothing for Andrew Scott's Sexy Priest, but as we knew by the end, the love story wasn't really about him.
In just six half hour episodes, Fleabag constantly shifted the ground beneath our feet, leaving audiences in the UK and America winded by the time it was over. It should triumph in multiple categories if the Emmys choose wisely, while Waller-Bridge's other project, the six times nominated Killing Eve 2, feels less likely to achieve another year of wins.
Another female-fronted project which gained a number of nominations was Russian Doll, the Netflix series from Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler. The brainchild of Lyonne's, and one was many years in the making, the series tells the story of a woman who repeatedly dies in increasingly creative ways at her 36th birthday. Darkly comic and utterly bizarre, Russian Doll felt totally unlike anything else on TV. Fingers crossed it's justly rewarded for the risks it took.
Beyond Waller-Bridge, Lyonne's major competition for outstanding actress in a comedy is Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, who won the award in 2018. The Amazon series is chasing down Game of Thrones with 20 nominations, though the comedy category feels considerably more competitive than usual, with Veep, Barry, The Good Place and Schitt's Creek all also in the running.
Two of 2019's most important series come in the form of HBO's Chernobyl, sitting on 19 nominations, and Ava DuVernay's Netflix dramatisation of the Central Park Five case, When They See Us, which has 16. Both are difficult to watch in their faithful retelling of historic events, grappling with the worst and best of what humanity is capable of in different ways.
While The Emmys haven't traditionally held the same sway as, say, The Oscars, the increasing talent flocking to television, and steady success of the format, means these awards are worth paying attention to. The question is whether this year's results reflect a thankfully diversifying entertainment industry, and reward the different kinds of stories that people are celebrating coming to their screens.
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