The Primetime Emmy nominations for 2017 will be announced July 13, and even more shows than ever before are vying for awards glory. It has been an unparalleled year of television between comedies, dramas, limited series, and variety series, and it’s difficult to even keep up with the amount of quality art being released on a near weekly basis. Many shows will sadly go unrepresented at the Emmys — it’s simply impossible to reward all of the good stuff.
It will be a disappointment if (when) Emmy voters pass over more challenging television in favor of mediocrity, so to quell my own feelings on the matter, I present to you my own picks if I were an Emmy voter. Like Emmy voters I have not seen everything (I wasn’t even able to get through all the critically acclaimed series in time), but this is my best attempt at nailing down the absolute best in television from the past year.
COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta
black-ish
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
The Good Place
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Atlanta and The Good Place were the two best new comedies of the 2016-17 season, for very different reasons. Atlanta offered a wholly unique perspective from young visionary artist Donald Glover, while The Good Place provided genuine laughs and fit right into a lineup of modern NBC sitcoms. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Transparent, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt continued to prove their amazing consistency, while black-ish and Girls gave realistic glimpses of modern-day America.
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson as Dre Johnson in black-ish
Fred Armisen as various characters in Portlandia
Donald Glover as Earn Marks in Atlanta
Bill Hader as various characters in Documentary Now!
Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman in Transparent
Bill Hader showed off his amazing versatility by playing characters from all walks of life on Documentary Now!, while his co-star Fred Armisen did much of the same thing on Portlandia. Anthony Anderson and Andy Samberg continue to be adept at leading a madcap ensemble with precision, while Donald Glover and Jeffrey Tambor provided sensitive, lived-in, flawed portrayals that blended perfectly with their co-stars.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop in The Good Place
Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath in Girls
Anna Faris as Christy Plunkett in Mom
Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett in Mom
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in Veep
Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson in black-ish
Allison Janney’s move up to Lead was logical given her huge screen presence on Mom, which often rivals Anna Faris. Both were strong in a dying multi-camera format throughout the show’s fourth season. Tracee Ellis Ross is giving new life to the classic “TV wife” role on black-ish, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is iconic as Selina Meyer on Veep, Lena Dunham finished with her best season of Girls, and Kristen Bell was razor sharp as an unlikable yet brutally hilarious lead in The Good Place.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Fred Armisen as various characters in Documentary Now!
Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Andrew Rannells as Elijah Krantz in Girls
Timothy Simons as Jonah Ryan in Veep
LaKeith Stanfield as Darius in Atlanta
Andre Braugher and Tituss Burgess continued to be the absolute best parts of their respective shows. Fred Armisen was amazingly adaptable in Documentary Now! (despite being in the wrong category here), and Andrew Rannells, Timothy Simons, and LaKeith Stanfield were the very definition of scene-stealing comedic forces.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
D’Arcy Carden as Janet in The Good Place
Kathryn Hahn as Raquel Fein in Transparent
Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline White in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Judith Light as Shelly Pfefferman in Transparent
Kate McKinnon as various characters in Saturday Night Live
Chelsea Peretti as Gina Linetti in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
D’Arcy Carden, Jane Krakowski, and Chelsea Peretti are some of the best joke-tellers on television, while Kathryn Hahn and Judith Light blend both comedy and drama and bring life to complex characters. Meanwhile, Kate McKinnon is the shining star of SNL in the most important year in its 42-season history.
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Riz Ahmed as Paul-Louis in Girls
Josh Charles as Duke Snyder in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Daveed Diggs as Johan Johnson in black-ish
Tom Hanks as Host in Saturday Night Live
Jason Mantzoukas as Adrian Pimento in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Bradley Whitford as Mitch in Mom
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Becky Ann Baker as Loreen Horvath in Girls
Trace Lysette as Shea in Transparent
Melissa McCarthy as Host in Saturday Night Live
Sally Phillips as Minna Häkkinen in Veep
Maya Rudolph as Dionne Warwick in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Amy Sedaris as Mimi Kanasis in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
black-ish (“Lemons”) — Kenya Barris
Crashing (“Artie Lange”) — Judd Apatow
Girls (“American Bitch”) — Richard Shepard
The Good Place (“Everything Is Fine”) — Drew Goddard
Transparent (“If I Were a Bell”) — Andrea Arnold
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
black-ish (“Lemons”) — Kenya Barris
BoJack Horseman (“That Went Well”) — Raphael Bob-Waksberg
The Good Place (“Everything Is Fine”) — Michael Schur
Transparent (“If I Were a Bell”) — Our Lady J
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (“Kimmy’s Roommate Lemonades!”) — Tina Fey & Sam Means
DRAMA SERIES
The Americans
Bates Motel
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Leftovers
Orange Is the New Black
Stranger Things
This Is Us
In just their first seasons, The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things and This Is Us created rich worlds full of color that made each must-see TV. The Americans had a strong penultimate season as Bates Motel finished with beautiful poetry centered entirely on Norman Bates. The Leftovers also ended on its own terms and cemented itself as one of the best shows of the modern age.
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson in This Is Us
Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates in Bates Motel
Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings in The Americans
Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey in The Leftovers
Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson in This Is Us
Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia offered compelling portraits of masculinity and fatherhood on This Is Us, while Matthew Rhys continued his descent into emotional turmoil on The Americans. Freddie Highmore, Rami Malek, and Justin Theroux all plunged even deeper than Rhys, creating strong, psychologically flawed men.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Carrie Coon as Nora Durst in The Leftovers
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder
Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson in This Is Us
Elisabeth Moss as Offred/June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale
Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings in The Americans
Robin Wright as Claire Underwood in House of Cards
Viola Davis, Keri Russell, and Robin Wright are all at the height of their careers as three powerful, badass women. Mandy Moore gave a performance I didn’t think her capable of on This Is Us, while Elisabeth Moss showed bold new shades of her talent as an actress. Carrie Coon in The Leftovers was my favorite performance (male or female) of the TV season, concluding her revelatory performance as the fragile yet mighty Nora Durst.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christopher Eccleston as Matt Jamison in The Leftovers
Scott Glenn as Kevin Garvey, Sr. in The Leftovers
David Harbour as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things
Ron Cephas Jones as William H. Hill in This Is Us
Frank Langella as Gabriel in The Americans
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe in Westworld
Christopher Eccleston and Scott Glenn each carried their respective centric episodes of The Leftovers with panache. David Harbour was brazen yet fun on Stranger Things, and Jeffrey Wright was one of the best parts of a very flawed show. Ron Cephas Jones and Frank Langella each provided heartbreaking, understated turns as father figures of their shows.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Amy Brenneman as Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers
Danielle Brooks as Taystee Jefferson in Orange Is the New Black
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things
Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates in Bates Motel
Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson in This Is Us
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay in Westworld
This is one of the most competitive categories of the year, and for good reason. There were a number of breakout stars on new shows, including Millie Bobby Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Thandie Newton, who all became fan favorites. Amy Brenneman is one of the most under-appreciated actors on The Leftovers, but she is just as strong as those who constantly get the attention. The same goes for Danielle Brooks, who has consistently been a major force in Orange Is the New Black‘s success. Finally, Vera Farmiga is pure scenery-chewing in the final season of Bates Motel.
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ryan Hurst as Chick Hogan in Bates Motel
Benito Martinez as Todd Denver in How to Get Away with Murder
Gerard McRaney as Dr. Nathan Katowski in This Is Us
Jermel Nakia as Young William in This Is Us
Denis O’Hare as Jessie in This Is Us
BD Wong as Whiterose in Mr. Robot
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alexis Bledel as Ofglen/Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale
Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black
Ann Dowd as Patti Levin in The Leftovers
Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Harkness in How to Get Away with Murder
Amanda Warren as Dorothy Hill in This Is Us
Alison Wright as Martha Hanson in The Americans
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred”) — Reed Morano
The Leftovers (“The Book of Nora”) — Mimi Leder
The Leftovers (“The Most Powerful Man in the World [and his Identical Twin Brother]”) — Craig Zobel
Orange Is the New Black (“The Animals”) — Matthew Weiner
Stranger Things (“Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly”) — Shawn Levy
This Is Us (“Memphis”) — John Requa & Glenn Ficarra
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (“The Soviet Division”) — Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg
Bates Motel (“The Cord”) — Kerry Ehrin & Carlton Cuse
The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred”) — Bruce Miller
The Leftovers (“Certified”) — Patrick Somerville & Carly Wray
The Leftovers (“The Book of Nora”) — Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta & Tom Spezialy
This Is Us (“Memphis”) — Dan Fogelman
LIMITED SERIES
Big Little Lies
Fargo
Feud: Bette and Joan
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
The Night Of
It was a banner year for limited series (previously known as miniseries), especially ones starring women. Murder mystery Big Little Lies was the breakout HBO show this year, while Feud: Bette and Joan was a meditation on actresses aging in Hollywood. Fargo and The Night Of examined the deep flaws in the criminal justice system, and while Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life had its faults, it was the perfect burst of nostalgia needed in these trying times.
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Riz Ahmed as Nasir Khan in The Night Of
Timothy Hutton as Nicholas Coates in American Crime
Alex Lawther as Kenny in Black Mirror: Shut Up & Dance
Ewan McGregor as Emmit and Ray Stussy in Fargo
John Turturro as John Stone in The Night Of
In the interest of full disclosure, the names above were the only performances I saw in this category. Luckily, I was impressed by each and every one of them, from Riz Ahmed and John Turturro’s lived-in performances on The Night Of to Timothy Hutton’s villainous yet realistic businessman on American Crime to Alex Lawther’s brave turn as a depraved young man on the “Shut Up & Dance” episode of Black Mirror. Then there’s Ewan McGregor’s double role on Fargo, which showed how underrated he truly is in Hollywood.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Carrie Coon as Gloria Burgle in Fargo
Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacey Pound in Black Mirror: Nosedive
Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright in Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford in Feud: Bette and Joan
Reese Witherspoon as Madeline MacKenzie in Big Little Lies
If the Lead Actor category was thin, Lead Actress is chock-full of impressive performances. Carrie Coon and Lauren Graham each gave warm performances of troubled women, while Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Lange were each devastating as they saw their lives slipping away. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon lent their own skills as actresses to women just trying to keep everything together, with Kidman especially giving a career-best performance.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Benito Martinez as Luis Salazar in American Crime
Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich in Feud: Bette and Joan
Michael Stuhlbarg as Sy Feltz in Fargo
David Thewlis as V.M. Varga in Fargo
Stanley Tucci as Jack Warner in Feud: Bette and Joan
Michael Kenneth Williams as Freddy Knight in The Night Of
Benito Martinez and Michael Kenneth Williams turned in the kind of performances that don’t even feel like acting, in the best possible way. Alfred Molina and Michael Stuhlbarg were strongest in subtle moments, Stanley Tucci reveled in boisterous lunacy, and David Thewlis was unafraid of forsaking vanity for ugliness and chaos.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Judy Davis as Hedda Hopper in Feud: Bette and Joan
Laura Dern as Renata Klein in Big Little Lies
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Kelly in Black Mirror: San Junipero
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Nikki Swango in Fargo
Shailene Woodley as Jane Chapman in Big Little Lies
Another competitive category, Supporting Actress is full of performances of women at difficult points in their lives. Kelly Bishop and Laura Dern play demanding women forced to confront things beyond their control, Judy Davis plays a Hollywood gossip icon desperate enough to create drama from nothing, and Shailene Woodley plays a woman haunted by demons in her past. As for Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, they imbue so much life into roles that could have had much less impact in lesser hands.
DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Big Little Lies — Jean-Marc Vallée
Black Mirror: Nosedive — Joe Wright
Fargo (“The Law of Vacant Places”) — Noah Hawley
Feud: Bette and Joan (“And the Winner is… [The Oscars of 1963]”) — Ryan Murphy
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (“Fall”) — Amy Sherman-Palladino
The Night Of (“The Beach”) — Steven Zaillian
WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Big Little Lies — David E. Kelley
Black Mirror: San Junipero — Charlie Brooker
Fargo (“The Law of Vacant Places”) — Noah Hawley
Feud: Bette and Joan (“Pilot”) — Jaffe Cohen & Michael Zam & Ryan Murphy
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (“Winter”) — Amy Sherman-Palladino
The Night Of (“The Call of the Wild”) — Richard Price & Steven Zaillian
VARIETY TALK SERIES
Conan
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
This year, talk shows were more relevant than ever as they scrambled to cover the 2016 presidential election and the Donald Trump presidency. Each had their own take on the matter, but they stood out as products of entertainment as well. Full Frontal provided the righteous indignation from a woman’s perspective, Conan continued to prove the old talk show format isn’t dead, Last Week Tonight offered in depth coverage of largely unknown topics, The Late Late Show was escapist fun without being cloying, Late Night held our leaders and the media accountable, and The Late Show thrived by allowing host Stephen Colbert to let loose.
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Billy on the Street
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live was perhaps more relevant than any show on television this year, poking fun at the president and seemingly getting under his skin. Documentary Now! and Portlandia remained very niche but so weirdly great, while Comedy Bang! Bang! and Drunk History delivered infectious silliness for the thinking man. Finally, Billy on the Street is the funniest show on television, expertly blending political and pop culture commentary.