The Popculty Podcast

All the TV: Emmys 2019

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It's an all-TV episode! On the eve of the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, we run down what's nominated and who we're pulling for (#GiveAmyAdamsAnEmmyYouCowards). Jam-packed with dozens of TV recommendations, plus a fond farewell to some of our favorites (R.I.P. Broad City and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and some overdue recognition for O.G.s Jane Fonda and Gilda Radnor in the documentary category.

Join us next time when I chat with a nuclear engineer about the HBO series Chernobyl! #science

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SJ:

It's The Popculty Podcast, where we highlight women and diverse voices in pop culture. I'm your host, SJ Palm. The 71st Primetime Emmys are happening this weekend on Sunday the 22nd, so this week we're doing a deep dive on the nominees.

intro music:

[ plays]

SJ:

Welcome back, dear listeners. Now, I know I've been skimping on the TV recommendations, and I hope to remedy that here today. Because I'm going to be talking about not all of the Emmy nominees, but a good lot of them. I'll be giving you my thoughts on all the major nominees, and by the end of this episode, I promise you will have a whole list of shows to check out. Just a quick language warning, I will be playing some clips from HBO and the like, so there will be a few f-bombs. Now, this past weekend they did award the Creative Arts Emmys already, so you might've caught wind of a few of those winners. However, I had recorded this episode before those had been announced, so this episode is not going to take into account the winners that were announced last weekend, just FYI. I'm not going to talk about every single category, because if you've seen the list of nominees and categories, it goes on forever. We could easily be here all day, so I'm just going to highlight the major categories and some things that I was really excited to see get nominated this year. So hang tight for this ride- It's going to be a lot of TV.

TV:

[turns on].

SJ:

This was a pretty exciting lineup this year I thought. There's a lot of new shows and lesser-known shows that got recognition that I was really surprised about. I was happy to see some love for shows in their final seasons, like Crazy Ex-girlfriend and Veep. The bad news is that this year's nominees are significantly less diverse than last year's. And granted last year was a record 38 acting nominations for people of color, but this year it's only 26, which is really disappointing, to say the least, that we're not even maintaining the course, let alone improving, especially when we have more diverse shows than ever before. I don't really get it. Regardless. Every year, there seems to be one or two shows that no one but the critics really have seen that gets nominated for every category it can be, and this year that seems to be Fosse/Verdon and Escape at Dannemora. Now, I have not seen Fosse/Verdon or This Is Us, but other than those, I do believe I have seen every show that is nominated for a major category this year. There are two shows that I was really surprised and really happy to see get nominations this year. The first is Pose, which is nominated for Best Drama Series, Actor in a Leading Role and Casting. It's been nominated for a bunch of awards this past year like Gotham and AFI and Black Reel, but this is the first time it's been nominated for a Primetime Emmy. It's currently in its second season, and I just finished the first season. I really loved it. This wasn't a show that I was entirely sure that I would identify with or understand, but I was so taken in by it from the very first episode. The characters are so compelling. It's a story that we have really never seen before. It's based on a very iconic queer documentary called Paris is Burning that you can watch on Netflix, and it's all about ball culture in New York City in the 80s.

Pray Tell:

The category is...ROYALTY!!![EDM music]

SJ:

This is easily one of the brownest and queerest shows on TV. They cast actual trans and queer actors in these roles, which should not be that noteworthy, but unfortunately it is. In a time when cisgender actors are constantly playing transgender characters, Pose really is the exception to that rule. So I was really happy to see that get some love and I will be rooting for it in those categories. The other one that I am thrilled for is Killing Eve. Now, if you are not watching Killing Eve by now, what are you even doing with your life? This show is created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and let's just talk about PWB for a minute: In case you are not familiar with her, she is, in my opinion, one of the best writers that we have right now working on television. She created the British show Crashing and more recently she's adapted her one-woman stage show Fleabag into two very successful and critically-acclaimed seasons on Amazon Prime. That just wrapped its second season and that's nominated for a bunch of awards as well- Hell yes. Side note, I just went to see a live-stream of Phoebe Waller-Bridge performing Fleabag on stage from the National Theater in London, and it was SO good. Even knowing the general plot of Fleabag, I still was surprised by it and I was completely taken by her performance. It really gave you an appreciation for what a good actor she is, because we kind of know how brilliant a writer and comedian she is, but this monologue really is just one long 80-minute close-up on her face and her presence on stage. So you really get an appreciation for her as a performer. Anyways, that is streaming in select theaters across the country and if it is playing in a theater near you, I definitely recommend you go see that to familiarize yourself with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her brand of very dry, often dark humor. But getting back to Killing Eve: This is a show that she adapted from a book series. It stars the wonderful Sandra Oh(from Grey's Anatomy) as an MI-5 agent who is caught in this cat-and-mouse game with a very fashionable and charismatic assassin named Villanelle, played deliciously by Jodi Comer.

Villanelle:

What are you going to do with that?

Eve:

I'm going to kill you.

Villanelle:

No, you're not.

Eve:

I am.

Villanelle:

You're not.

Eve:

I am!

Villanelle:

You like me too much.

SJ:

This show is very stylish and fun, but it has this sexual tension and kind of darkness that runs underneath it, as a lot of things that Phoebe Waller-Bridge does tend to do. It really hinges on the push-pull dynamic between Eve and Villanelle, and you're constantly wondering whether Villanelle will seduce Eve to the dark side. It's fascinating and you kind of can't take your eyes off of these two.

Eve:

I think about you all the time. I think about what you're wearing and what you're doing and how you're doing it with. I think about what friends you have. I think about what you eat before you work or what shampoo you use, what happened in your family. I think about your eyes and your mouth and what you feel when you kill someone. I think about what you have for breakfast. I just want to know everything.

Villanelle:

I think about you too.

SJ:

It's nominated for best drama series, several acting categories, writing, directing, production design and casting, and to be honest, it deserves all of those. So go, KIlling Eve! All right, we're going to run down a couple of the main categories. Let's kick things off with best comedy series. We've got Barry on HBO, Fleabag on Amazon Prime(which hello, I just mentioned), The Good Place on NBC(so good), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel(a critical darling, your mileage may vary, as mine does), Russian Doll on Netflix(a fantastic first season of a show that really came out of nowhere), Schitt's Creek on Pop(a lot of people like, me not as much), and Veep on HBO, which I just finished bingeing all seven seasons of, and that is a show that really stuck the landing. It's been solid from day one and they went out on the exact right note. My pick for this category would be Fleabag or Veep because this is both of their last seasons and they both stuck the landing really well. We had a really good crop of limited series this year. Chernobyl on HBO is a very sobering and historically accurate look at the really kind of cataclysmic nuclear disaster in the 80s. And here's where I get to tease our next episode because I've rearranged things a little bit. For our next culture convo, we're going to be postponing the Jessica Jones convo and next week talk about Chernobyl with- get this- a nuclear engineer. That's right. We're getting science- y up in this bish. I'm going to sit down with my friend Patrick Burke, who's been a nuclear operator on-board ships for the U.S. Navy for several years and he's going to talk to us about the science of Chernobyl- What they got right, what they didn't. And he and I just always have really great pop culture conversations in general, so it's going to be a lot of fun. I hope you'll join us for that next episode. But back to the category, we also have Escape at Dannemora on Showtime. Now, this was a very well-produced series...If you remember that news story from a few years back about those two inmates who escaped from prison in New York with the help of one of the prison employees, a woman? It was a whole thing. It was a big deal. So this is that story. It's surprisingly well-directed by Ben Stiller of all people and it is a very well done series, but it's very long. It is seven hour-plus-long episodes and you feel it. By the last one, you really feel like you have been in prison with these guys for a year or more. It's effective storytelling, but it's also not really something that we necessarily want to feel or need to identify with. This isn't a story like Chernobyl or When They See Us, where it's important viewing, where it's something that we really need to see and understand. It's just kind of a deeper look at a news story that we all remember. It doesn't really have anything important to say. And I found the way that it treated a lot of its characters was either kind of making fun of them or it was humanizing monstrous people. So I have conflicted thoughts about it. I don't think it's a big important show that everyone needs to see, but it was well done. But the two that I am really pulling for would be either Sharp Objects on HBO or When They See Us on Netflix. When They See Us, of course, is directed by Ava Duvernay, the wonderful Ava Duvernay, and tells the story of the Central Park Five- the five black and brown boys who w ere wrongfully accused and convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989.

Young Kevin:

Is my mom here?

Cop:

It's just us- You and us.[ominous music]. Who were you in the park with?

Young Kevin:

I don't know names. I just got lost.

Cop:

Where did you see the lady?

Young Kevin:

What lady?

D.A.:

The female jogger was severely beaten and raped. Every black male who was in the park last night is a suspect. I need all of them.

SJ:

This is what I would call an important series to watch. Especially as white people in this country, this is one of those events in our history that we need to take a good, hard look at so that we can try not to repeat the sins of our past. I know a lot of white people find this show difficult to watch and yeah, it is. It should be. But isn't that the very least that we can do, to give our attention to these boys now that they have a voice and now that we have the benefit of hindsight and we have learned some things since then(not a whole lot honestly, but we have learned some things). And so I feel like the least we can do is to watch something like this with an open mind and not let our guilt or shame keep us from acknowledging the truth. And even though this is a sometimes difficult show to watch, I found it incredibly enjoyable though. It's so well done. It's so beautifully shot. The performances are incredible. It's only four parts. It does not drag on like Escape at Dannemora. It is exactly as long as it needs to be. I found the entire thing completely captivating and heartbreaking.

Young Kevin:

Why they doin' us like this?

Young Raymond:

What other way they ever do us?

SJ:

You feel for all of these boys so much. It's incredibly affecting. I don't think a limited series could get more perfect than this, to be honest. It's nominated not just for limited series, but also writing for limited series and a bunch of acting nominations. I hope it wins everything because it deserves it. I can't say enough about it. But barring that winning, I am also pulling for Sharp Objects.

Adora:

[ominous electronic music] When you're here, you're my daughter. Everything you do comes back on me.

Camille:

I didn't come back to cause any problems.

Amma:

I can tell, you hate this place like me.

Detective:

Someone in this town is hiding something.

Amma:

Mama says I need to be careful around you...That true? Are you dangerous?

SJ:

What a dark, twisted series. I mean, it's right in my wheelhouse. And this probably the darkest, most intense thing I have ever seen. If you've read Gillian Flynn's novel that this is based off of, or if you're just familiar with her work like Gone Girl, you kind of know where I'm coming from with this. Know what you're getting into for sure before you start this show, because it is pretty much the embodiment of all the trigger warnings. I'm not exaggerating. It deals heavily with everything from alcoholism to child abuse, to self-harm, to murder and sexual assault. So I don't want anyone going into this to have the wrong impression- It is a lot. But I LOVED it. This is another series that is damn near perfect. It's created by Jean-Marc Vallee, who's one of my favorite(male) creators of today. He's done Big Little Lies and Wild. He's a really artistic and skillful director. I wrote a whole paper on him. The way he uses editing to convey time and memory is really interesting to me, and Sharp Objects is no exception. This show just blew me away. I watched it twice even though it's so intense. Probably not something I would recommend to everyone, but if you like really gritty stuff and flawed anti-heroines and southern Gothic literature, this is your jam. A really surprising move to me was seeing Black Mirror: Bandersnatch nominated for television movie. This was the interactive Black Mirror movie on Netflix, and that's interesting because this has to be the first time in awards history where the thing that's been nominated will not be the same for every person who's seen it. Because this is an interactive story. Everyone who watches it will have made different viewing choices and so the narrative will be different for every single person who watches it. So it's kind of fascinating to me that we can even have this in a category with other set narratives. That's just really interesting and I don't know what that says about the future of these awards. I think this probably has more to do with the conceit of the movie and the execution of it rather than the actual content of the story, because the story itself had kind of mixed feedback. But I don't think anyone can deny that the concept of it is kind of brilliant.

Colin:

When it's a concept piece, bit of madness is what you need.

SJ:

For Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Billy Porter from Pose has my vote 110%. He steals the show, he steals every scene he's in, he brings so much heart and energy to that role.

Pray Tell:

This is a Face category, not a Fashion category. If God hath given you the eyebrows of Brooke Shields, show the motherfuckers off!

SJ:

The category of Lead Actress in a Drama Series is fire. We've got Emilia Clark from Game of Thrones, and honestly, they should just give her the award for having to endure that horrendous finale.(But that's another conversation.) Viola Davis in How to Get Away with Murder- Hell yes, love me some Annalise Keating. Laura Linney is quite good in Ozark. I haven't seen Mandy Moore in This is Us. Robin Wright in House of Cards- Yeah, she killed that final season. And honestly, good for them for just writing Kevin Spacey out of that last season. Not only was it the right thing to do, but it actually made the show more interesting than it's ever been by focusing on Claire's character for once. And Robin Wright was just so good. You love to hate her. And then Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer for KIlling Eve- Love them both so much. Sandra Oh, she did win last year, so this year I'm really rooting for Jodie Comer, because she was snubbed last year. And I mean, this girl- The range!

Villanelle:

[Russian accent] Well, who do you want?[posh English accent] Gap-year tragedy who fell in love with her coke dealer?[Australian accent] Ah. Suncream heiress from Sydney who has her own, like, super successful bikini brand.[Russian accent] No? I know...[flat-tone American accent] She's just arrived from New York after one too many nights on the wrong side of the bridge, and she has a really, really, really annoying accent.

Eve:

I like her accent. What's her name?

Villanelle:

Billie.

SJ:

Also, I just really want[Jodie Comer] to give another acceptance speech like she did at the BAFTAs this year, because her actual accent is nothing like any of the accents that she does in this role as Villanelle, and it's really cute.

Jodie Comer:

[Liverpool/working-class English accent, emotional] Thank you so much, BAFTA. Sorry, I'm the only one who's turned on the waterworks.[audience laughs] Erm...

SJ:

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series is another really solid category. We've got Christina Applegate in Dead to Me, which is a great, new, kind of fun show on Netflix. Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She's great in that role, very charming and funny. Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Veep- Of course, Queen. I know she's won for this role a million times, but you know what? She deserves it. Natasha Lyonne for Russian Doll- Yeah, I would love to see that. Catherine O'Hara for Schitt's Creek. Yeah. I mentioned I'm not the biggest fan of Schitt's Creek, but I will say her character was my favorite part of every episode that I saw. She's so good, and her comedic timing is just aces. And then Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Fleabag though- I mean, she kind of has my heart on that.

Boo:

Stop doing that to your face.

Fleabag:

No, I have to. I don't know what's wrong. I just[ sighs heavily] I look so good!

Boo:

It's okay, we can sort it out. Just take some of your makeup off.

Fleabag:

I'm not wearing any makeup.

Boo:

What? What has happened? I have never seen you look so good!

Fleabag:

No, I don't know! I just woke up looking amazing, and then everyone's going to think I got a fucking facial for my mother's funeral.

Claire:

Oh, what the hell? You look incredible.

Boo:

We're trying to mess her up.

Fleabag:

[sighs] No matter what I do with my hair, it just keep falling in this really chic way.

SJ:

For Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, I am rooting for Jharrel Jerome from When They See Us, 100%. This kid broke my heart. You might've seen him in Moonlight. He was equally wonderful in that, but he gets so much more to do in this limited series, and his character, Korey is the most heartbreaking character in this real-life story. He's the only actor to play his character spanning the entire age range. The four other boys, they're played by two different actors, one as them when they're 14/15 years old, and then another actor steps into the role to play them years down the road. But Jharrel Jerome has not only the face but the range to play this character over the course of 10-15 years of his life. Of all these boys, Korey suffered the most, and we get to explore his journey a little more than the others. Jharrel Jerome is just so heartbreaking in this role. I mean, I defy you not to cry watching this kid. It will be a crime if he doesn't win.

Korey:

I should call my mom, make sure she okay.

Prison Warden:

We are here to make sure that you are okay, Korey.

Korey:

Me?

Warden:

Yes. We are here for you.

Korey:

You're here for me. Ah nah, I'll be here forever, sir. I'm not sure what you mean.

Warden:

If there is anything--

Korey:

I'm gonna be here forever, sir! I don't know what you mean!

Guard:

Alright, come on. Let's go, kid.

Korey:

Don't touch me! Don't touch me! You don't give a fuck about me![commotion, handcuffs clicking] Nobody give a fuck about me! Nobody give a fuck about me! Nobody gives a fuck about me[sobbing]

SJ:

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie- I'm definitely rooting for Aunjanue Ellis and Niecy Nash from When They See Us. But I'm slightly more pulling for Amy Adams for Sharp Objects, because this was a doozy of a role, especially for someone like her who i s so naturally bubbly and full of life. The depths that she had to bring herself down to- not just in a physical outward transformation, but an inner one- She had to explore some really dark places in this show, and she carried it. I've never seen her in a role like this, and I can't imagine the kind of emotional toll this would have taken on someone playing a character so deeply damaged. Amy Adams is one of those people who is nominated all the time, we all know how talented she is, but she never seems to win anything. So just on principle, I'm really hoping she finally wins. Variety Talk Series- You know I'm rooting for my girl Samantha Bee, the only woman in late night TV.(Although shout-out to Lilly Singh, who made all kinds of history this week, being the only woman and person of color on network late night TV.) The category of Supporting Actress in a drama series is basically all the women from Game of Thrones, plus Fiona Shaw from KIlling Eve, and I support that. But it would be especially sweet if Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones won, considering that HBO didn't even bother to put her forth for nomination. She had to nominate herself, so this would be a nice little eff-you to HBO if she went ahead and won. Supporting Actor in a Drama Series- Meh. Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones? I mean, he was barely in this season. Nicolaj Coster-Waldau from Game of Thrones- I mean, fine, he's okay. Peter Dinklage, now? Yeah, I would like to see him win, or Michael Kelly from House of Cards. He was a great foil to Claire Underwood this last seaso., Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. We've got Alex Borstein, who's great in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Anna Chlumsky, now, she's been nominated every year for Veep and has never won. And apart from having a special place in all our millennial hearts for My Girl, if she doesn't deserve a trophy for giving Selina Meyer the take down of the century, I don't know who does.

Amy:

I have bitten my tongue so long, it looks like a dog's cushion. But no more! You have made it IMPOSSIBLE to do this job. You have to two settings: no decision and bad decision. I wouldn't let you run a bath without having the Coast Guard and the fire department standing by. But yet, here you are running America. You are the worst thing that has happened to this country since food in buckets-- and maybe slavery!

SJ:

Sian Clifford and Olivia Colman were nominated for Fleabag, which I love and was not expecting. Olivia Colman, I mean, yeah, give her all the awards. She is literally queen in things like The Crown and The Favourite, but also queen of our hearts. Betty Gilpin is so good in GLOW... And Kate McKinnon for basically being the best part of Saturday Night Live every week. For Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, I'd really like to see Tony Hale win for Veep. I know he's been nominated and won a bunch for this role, but I'd like to see him get one last hurrah. He had some scenes in that finale that almost made me cry, and this is Veep we're talking about! He and Julia Louis-Dreyfus can never have too many awards for their roles on Veep, as far as I'm concerned. Supporting Actress in a Series or Movie- Patricia Clarkson for Sharp Objects. Yes and yes. I mean, she basically plays the same character in everything, but she is so good at it. You always kind of hate her character, but she is just so fun to hate. She is an icon, and casting her in this role is just too good,

Adora Crellin:

But that's what I want to apologize for. You can't get close. That's your father, and that's why I think I never loved you. You were born to it, that cold nature. I hope that's some comfort to you.

SJ:

For Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, I'm rooting for anyone from When They See Us. The acting is so stellar across the board, you can't go wrong there. Guest Actress in a Comedy Series- Love this category. We've got Jane Lynch from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Sandra Oh on Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolph from The Good Place, Fiona Shaw on Fleabag, Emma Thompson for Saturday Night Live, and Kristen Scott Thomas for Fleabag. Now, you really can't go wrong in this category. These are all amazing performances from amazing women. But I got to go with Kristen Scott Thomas because of that incredible monologue that launched a thousand think-pieces on menopause:

Fleabag:

How old are you?

Belinda:

Fifty-eight, and you?

Fleabag:

Thirty-three.

Belinda:

Oh. Well, don't worry, it does get better.

Fleabag:

You promise?

Belinda:

I promise. Listen, I was in an airplane the other day and I realized, well I-- I mean, I've been longing to say this out loud, so... Women are born with pain built in. It's our physical destiny! Period pains, sore boobs, childbirth, you know. We carry it within ourselves throughout our lives. Men don't. They have to seek it out. They invent all these gods and demons and things, just so they can feel guilty about things, which is something we do very well on our own. And then they create wars so they can feel things and touch each other. And when there aren't any wars, they can play rugby. And we have it all going on in here, inside! We have pain on a cycle for years and years and years. And then, just when you feel you are making peace with at all, what happens? The menopause comes, the fucking menopause comes! And it is...the most wonderful fucking thing in the world. And yes, your entire pelvic floor crumbles and you get fucking hot and no one cares, but then you're free. No longer a slave, no longer a machine with parts. You're just a person...in business.

Fleabag:

[chuckles] I was told it was horrendous.

Belinda:

It is horrendous. But then it's magnificent.

SJ:

The category of Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, on the other hand, is kind of a joke. It's basically a bunch of white guys who hosted SNL, like Matt Damon, Robert Deniro, John Mulaney, Adam Sandler with a few others thrown in. Of all those kind of boring white guys, I would go with John Mulaney. I actually find him genuinely funny and he seems like a really decent guy, so he has my vote. Structured Reality Program- I got a lot of love for Queer Eye. I know it's overrated, but that's one of the few reality shows that I genuinely love. It's so positive and uplifting, as opposed to those reality shows that are just creating drama and pitting people against each other. I just like that Queer Eye is a nice antidote to all that. I find the category of Variety Special Live a completely ridiculous category. It's basically Hollywood giving themselves an award for giving awards. Like, really? You want to give yourself a statue for putting on the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards or the 61st Grammy Awards? Are you kidding me? Are we really taking time to do this? Information Series or Special- I didn't get a chance to see a lot of these, but from what I've heard, I hope that Surviving R. Kelly will get a win, if for no other reason than to bring more attention to the issue and really take R. Kelly down, once and for all. I'm really tired of hearing about him, and his list of crimes just gets longer and longer every week. But the thing that's probably gonna win is Anthony Bordain: Parts Unknown because, well, R.I.P. Directing for Drama Series- I had to laugh a little bit at this, because HBO nominated the Game of Thrones finale. This is the episode that launched a petition to re-shoot the entire last season because the finale was so bad. I don't know a single person who is actually happy with the finale. I know people who were"meh" about it, and I know people who hated it. No one loved the GoT finale. So the fact that HBO thought it was worth nominating for both directing and writing is hilarious to me. I don't know what they were thinking, honestly. And kind of same with the episode"The Long Night". This was also nominated for directing, but honestly who could see it with such shitty lighting? I mean, the title of"The Long Night" is a little too on the nose. Fans actually had to go back and add lighting to the episode to be able to watch it clearly. I mean, no one could tell what was going on. They told us it was the longest action sequence in television history, but honestly who could tell? So that's also pretty funny to me. Who should win this directing category though would be Daina Reid for The Handmaid's Tale or Lisa Bruhlmann for Killing Eve. Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie- When They See Us, hands down. Ava Duvernay, give her all the awards please. Writing for a Comedy Series is a really strong category. The nominations include Barry, Fleabag, PEN15, Russian Doll, The Good Place, and Veep. That's a really solid lineup. I'd be cool with any of those, but in my heart I'm kind of pulling for PEN15 because this is the only thing it was nominated for. It's soo funny. Even just the concept of it: Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, who are best friends in real life, in their twenties are playing themselves at 13 years old, while all the other actors are actual 13 year-olds. It's so funny just visually to see that, but then the writing is also hysterical, and their chemistry and their friendship really makes this a completely lovable show. So I'm really happy that this freshman series was nominated for anything this year, and I just hope to see it nominated for more things in the future.

Anna:

You're here with your mom? We're here alone, bitch.

Mom:

Did you drink this beer?!

Girls:

[ whooping]

Anna:

Maya, we're going to be a supermodels!

Teacher:

[camera flashbulb] I don't know what you're doing here, Maya. You know, you almost look like you were missing and um, I know you're not,'cause you're right there.

Maya:

Thank you for the note.

SJ:

Speaking of shows about BFFs, I was really disappointed that Broad City wasn't nominated for Best Comedy. It had a really strong last season to top off a series that has been solid from the get-go and one of my favorite shows in the last few years. Always funny, always smart. I was really hoping it would get a nomination this year, but its short spinoff web series, Hack into Broad City, was nominated for writing and acting. So I would definitely like to see it win for that at least. That would be a small consolation.

Abby:

Dude, stop filming.

Ilana:

I'm sorry, I have to record that Abby just got close-lined by a metal pole in the middle of the city--[impact][yelps, splashes]

Abby:

[from far away] Ilana! Oh my god, Ilana!

Ilana:

Ow, dammit!

Abby:

Dude, are you okay?

Ilana:

Yeah, I just fully fell down a manhole?!

Abby:

Oh my god...Wait, are you still filming?

SJ:

I'm really gonna miss those two and their shenanigans on the streets of New York. R.I.P. Broad City- You truly were the best. Writing for Drama Series- I mean, I mentioned the LOL in the room, Game of Thrones,"The Iron Throne"... Um, we're gonna move right past that and go straight to the ones that should win: KIlling Eve, the episode"Nice and Neat," directed by Emerald Fennell, and The Handmaid's Tale, an episode called"Holly," directed by Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder. I really hope you caught Hannah Gadsby's special on Netflix called"Nanette" this past year, because that is nominated for Variety Special Pre-recorded and Writing for a Variety Special. Equally likely to make you cry as it is to make you laugh. She's hilarious, but she also really has something important to say.

Hannah Gadsby:

I do think I have to quit comedy. Probably not the forum to make such an announcement, is it? But I've built a career out of self-deprecating humor, and I simply will not do that anymore. Not to myself or anybody who identifies with me[audience cheers]. Do you understand what self-deprecation means? It's not humility. It's humiliation.

SJ:

That stand- up special blew me away. I had never seen Hannah Gadsby perform, I didn't know anything about her, but I'm really glad I watched Nanette when everyone was talking about it. Did y'all know that Short Form Variety Series was a category? Because I didn't. But turns out, it's really fun. Billy on the Street is nominated, in which Billy Eichner runs around the streets of New York, shoving dollar bills in people's faces and asking them random questions.

Billy Eichner:

Miss, for a dollar, name a woman.

Woman:

Name a woman?

Billy Eichner:

Yes.

Woman:

Um...

Billy Eichner:

Who?

Woman:

Who?

Billy Eichner:

No, name a woman.

Woman:

Name a woman?

Billy Eichner:

Yes!

Woman:

Um...

Billy Eichner:

[bleep]ing yoga bag. Name a woman!

Woman:

Sorry!

Billy Eichner:

No, name a woman!

Woman:

Name a woman?

Billy Eichner:

Yes, go!

Woman:

Any?

Billy Eichner:

Yes!

Woman:

Oh my God. This is so hard!

Billy Eichner:

Name a woman!!

Woman:

Um...

Billy Eichner:

NAME A WOMAN!!!

SJ:

Carpool Karaoke is nominated, which is always fun. And my favorite though, Gay of Thrones, hosted by Queer Eye's very own Jonathan Van Ness.

JVN:

So down there at the beach, Christina Aguilera wasted no time reading Doctor Evil his Miranda Lambert rights:

Daenerys:

I, Daenerys of House Targaryen, first of my name, sentence you to die.

JVN:

But she lights his ass up like a flat iron finger burn-- Ow!

SJ:

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program. My money is on Chernobyl or Game of Thrones, which I think both are very deserving in very different ways. Chernobyl has already gotten a lot of praise for its historical accuracy and its attention to detail in the set design and everything, so that has a really good chance of winning. But Game of Thrones then, of course, has dragons and armies and White Walkers, so it's probably going to win, and it probably should, honestly. That's one thing I don't think we can ever fault the show on is its production design and CGI. Those two aspects of that show have always been A+. I would love to see Russian Doll, Fleabag, or Veep win for Casting in a Comedy Series. I'd like to see Game of Thrones, KIlling Eve, or Pose for Casting in a Drama Series, especially Pose, considering that they actually do the work of casting trans actors to play these roles, which again, is not something that should be note-worthy, but it is. Most shows and movies don't bother auditioning trans actors, and Pose does. In the category of Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program, I think The Handmaid's Tale and Killing Eve both have really distinct, striking looks to them that k ind o f set them apart from any other show on TV. So I'd like to see one of them w in. I can't believe Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wasn't nominated for more things, but at least it was nominated for Choreography, Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music, and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

Chorus [singing]:

She's the crazy ex-girlfriend--

Rebecca Bunch:

What? No, I'm not.

Chorus [singing]:

She's the crazy ex-girlfriend--

Rebecca Bunch:

That's a sexist term!

Chorus [singing]:

She's the crazy ex-girlfriend--

Rebecca Bunch:

Can you guys stop singing for just a second?

Chorus [singing]:

She's so broken insiiiiiiide!

Rebecca Bunch:

The situation's a lot more nuanced than that.

SJ:

That's been one of my favorite underrated shows of the last few years. Always funny, and the music is so, so good. I don't think people understand how much work goes into writing original music that is good and catchy and funny as hell- sometimes two or three songs per episode, and we're talking 20-some episodes per season. Some of my all-time favorites include an anthem for the large-chested women in our lives...

Rebecca [rapping]:

I got them heavy boobs, heavy boobs/ Dense like dying stars/ I got them heavy boobs, heavy boobs/ I can't run real far.

SJ:

A song about my favorite pastime...

Women [singing to 80s beat]:

Let's generalize about men/ Let's generalize about men/ Let's get super lit and not admit/ This is some kind of primal ritual we need now and then/ Maybe our spirits will rise/ If we generalize about men...

SJ:

And this klezmer gem, featuring icons Patti Lupone and Tovah Feldshuh:

Patti Lupone:

[fast-paced, upbeat] Now it's time to celebrate/ Grab a drink and fix a plate/ But before you feel too great/ Remember that we've suffered. Nights like these are filled with glee/ Gnoshing, dancing, singing, wee!/ But we sing in a minor key/ To remember that we suffered...

Group [sings]:

Being happy is selfish/ Remember that we suffered--

Patti Lupone:

You have no idea what pain is--

Group [sings]:

Remember that we suffered, hey!

SJ:

The music and the choreography is on par with any A+ Broadway show, and it's one of those series that I'm not sure why people don't talk about it more and why it never really had high viewership. I don't really get it because it's kind of a brilliant show, and I think people, as soon as they see an episode, they realize what they've been missing out on. There really aren't any other musical shows on TV right now, so Crazy Ex-Girlfriend really was a unique gem of a show and it will be sorely missed.

Chorus [singing]:

C-R-A-Z-Y...

Rebecca Bunch:

Okay, we get it!

Chorus [singing]:

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!

SJ:

And the last category we'll talk about: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. There were a lot of really good documentaries this past year. You probably saw the Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix. There was also one released on Hulu, I think the same week even. I thought the Netflix one did a much better job of explaining the entire situation and how it got so out of hand and how people actually fell for this thing. What a fuster-cluck that was. Much like the next nominee, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, which is the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos and her whole blood-testing pharmaceutical scam, essentially. These first two nominees were pretty infuriating but very well done documentaries. Another one that was pretty tough to watch was Finding Neverland on HBO. This is the documentary about Michael Jackson and the children he abused. That's another one that felt very long, and I had to watch it in 20-30 minute increments, so it took me awhile to finish and I don't think it needed to be that long. But wow, it definitely paints the picture for you of what exactly was going on at Neverland Ranch, and really reframes someone that we have idolized. It really gets us to reconsider that. Minding the Gap is a great documentary on Hulu about generations of toxic masculinity and how that's kind of handed down from father to son. I really wish I had gotten to see Love, Gilda, the Gilda Radner documentary. I've heard nothing but good things, and she was one of the most important players in the early days of Saturday Night Live.

Gilda Radner [as Roseanne Roseannadanna]:

[audience cheers] A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, New Jersey writes in and says,"Dear Roseanne Roseannadanna.[audience member laughs wildly] Last Thursday, I quit smoking. Now I'm depressed, I gained weight, my face broke out, I'm nauseous, I'm constipated, my feet swelled, my gums are bleeding, my sinuses are clogged, I got heartburn, I'm cranky, and I have gas.[audience laughs] What should I do?" Mr. Feder, you sound like a real attractive guy.[Audience laughs] You belong in New Jersey![audience laughs hysterically, cheers]

SJ:

Her life was unfortunately cut very short. She died of cancer at the age of 42. This doc has interviews with Saturday Night Live cast members and comedians like Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy, all talking about Gilda Radner and what she meant to them as comics and how she influenced the show and the genre.

Amy Poehler:

I can't believe this is her handwriting.

Bill Hader:

This is a real honor. Like seriously, this is huge.

Melissa McCarthy:

Are these actually her papers, like what she...

Amy Poehler:

This is, um, Gilda Radner: her voice and her writing.

SJ:

My favorite of the nominees in this category that I have seen though is Jane Fonda in Five Acts.

Richard Nixon:

[film reels whirring] Jane Fonda.

Lucille Ball:

One of Hollywood's most exciting new stars.[flashbulb]

Dick Cavett:

There's a lot of hostility towards you. Would you have done anything differently?

Jane Fonda:

This is the beginning of my last act. In order to know how to go forward, I'm going to have to know where I've been.[tape rewinds, intriguing music plays]

SJ:

That's a documentary on HBO. Whether you are someone like me, a millennial who just kind of knew the name Jane Fonda and didn't really know much about her, or you're of an older generation where you actually grew up with her, definitely seek out this documentary. I had the benefit of watching this with my mom, who actually grew up watching Jane Fonda, and she was telling me how she remembers the media portraying Jane Fonda back in the 60s and 70s, especially when she was very vocally anti-war, and Nixon was really going after her. She remembers the media portraying her as if she had just gone off the rails, and that's what a lot of people believed about her. So for my mom, watching this documentary now and having the benefit of hindsight, especially with what we now know about Nixon and everything, she found this film really enlightening, and it kind of forced her to reframe how she had seen Jane Fonda growing up. It gave her a new respect for her, even though she's someone that my mom always liked and enjoyed.(She watches Grace& Frankie.) But this doc really got her to question the way she had thought when she was younger. Jane Fonda really is a fascinating person. She's someone who is known as an actress but is really so much more than that. This documentary is especially about her activism and her contributions to society that we either don't know about or we don't really talk about. I mean, yes, she's a fantastic actress, but she also went head to head with Nixon over the Vietnam War, and there's a lot more to the whole"Hanoi Jane" story than was presented at the time. This documentary gets into all of that. It gets into her family dynamic with her very famous actor father. It gets into her workout videos, which we kind of make fun of now, but turns out she was struggling with bulemia that entire time. So it really gives you the whole story about things that maybe you've heard about or thought you knew. I really have a new-found appreciation for Jane Fonda just recently, and I have to really credit Karina Longworth's You Must Remember This podcast, where she delves into the lost and forgotten history of Hollywood. She did a whole series on the parallel lives of Jane Fonda and Jean Seberg, which was fascinating. I learned so much. It really gave me a new respect for her and made me realize that she really has been on the forefront of a lot of activism and social movements. She's really an important feminist icon. I don't think she gets enough credit for that.

Unknown Actor:

I consider Jane Fonda one of the most courageous women of our time.

Robert Redford:

She didn't look back, she didn't change her voice.

Jane Fonda [at a rally]:

I pledge to resist!

Crowd:

I pledge to resist!

Jane Fonda [to camera]:

None of my marriages were democratic, because I had to be a certain way. I had to look a certain way.

Young Jane Fonda [in character]:

Am I attractive to you?

Film Critic:

She's lived her life in front of us.

Jane Fonda [in TV interview]:

Any healthy country like any healthy individual should be in perpetual revolution.

Jane Fonda [to camera]:

It took me a really long time to find my own narrative, but I am what I am.

SJ:

And that concludes our Emmy's roundup. I hope you got your list of TV recommendations out of this episode and hopefully you're excited for the ceremony this Sunday. I'll definitely be watching. I want to start ending every episode with the pop culture things that are giving me life. And since I already talked your ear off about TV this episode, I want to leave you with a movie, reading, and song recommendation. The movie that is absolutely giving me life this week is Hustlers directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Cardi B, and Lizzo. Yes, Lizzo and her flute make a cameo appearance. This is one of the best casts, t has an amazing 2008 soundtrack that you will be singing along to, it's funny, it's fun as hell, it's a caper, it's wish-fulfillment, and it's the embodiment of the female gaze. You will want J-Lo to wrap you in her fur coat and call you"baby" and do crime with you. It is everything. Get your girlfriends, make it a girls' night, have so much fun at this movie. My read recommendation that's giving me life is an article written by Rachel Handler for Vulture called"Let Liv Tyler Go to Space." Just read it and enjoy.

Beach Bunny's "Prom Queen" plays:

Shut up/ Count your calories/ I never looked good in mom jeans...

SJ:

The song that's giving me life you are listening to right now. It's from a Chicago band called Beach Bunny, and the song is"Prom Queen." This episode was produced by yours truly, SJ Palm. Cover art by Max Badger,@wxdmnd on Tumblr. Be sure and follow the Popculty Blog for all the visual content your heart desires, be it pics or gifs. It's all at popculty.blog. Or you can follow me@popculty on Twitter. Pose clips courtesy of FX Networks; Killing Eve courtesy of BBC America; Fleabag courtesy of BBC Three; PEN15 courtesy of Hulu; Black Mirror Bandersnatch, When They See Us, and Nanette courtesy of Netflix; Billy on the Street courtesy of TrueTV; Gay of Thrones, courtesy of Funny or Die; Crazy Ex-Girlfriend courtesy of Rachel Bloom, CBS Studios Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc; Saturday Night Live courtesy of NBC; Love, Gilda courtesy of CNN, Magnolia Pictures, and Magnet Releasing; Veep, Sharp Objects, and Jane Fonda in Five Acts courtesy of HBO; and"Prom Queen" courtesy of Live Nation Video Network, BMI, and One Music Rights Societies. Until next time, support women directors(i.e. go see Hustlers!), stay critical, and always demand representation.

Music:

[concludes]