‘I May Destroy You’ Critics and Emmy 2021 Nominations


2021 Primetime Emmy nominees It was announced on Tuesday. James Poniewozik and Margaret Lyons, two television critics for The New York Times, about the oddly persistent liking of “Emily in Paris”, whether “Hamilton” really needs more awards, and the extent to which TV is meeting the challenges of 2020. They had a short chat. .

JAMES PONIEWOZIK I guess I should start by congratulating him.”Emily in Paris” is a candidate to be one of the most admired TV series of 2020s. And more importantly, real congratulations on “I Can Destroy You.” closing in on the latest Golden Globe nominations, so that “Emily” can have another strange honor before she gets sidetracked with that heist.

Speaking of “weird”, it’s obviously been a weird year on TV. On the one hand, the psychic was very much trapped despite the quarantine; on the other hand, Emmy-appropriate timeline has been somewhat hollowed out by the impact of Covid on production. Still, looking at the major categories, it was pretty usual. nominations overall, it’s a list that continues many of the trends we’ve seen in recent years (strong limited series, Same Men on variety talks, etc). As always, I have little surprises and dashed hopes, but what comes to mind?

MARGARET LION What caught my eye is that these nominations reflect the year on television – namely, a few bright spots but also a tremendous amount of inertia, the “prestige” that seems like true excellence, and an overall sense of resignation to me. joy Again, there are definitely some great shows and performances here! But when reviewing the list of eligible shows and performers, the tonnage of shows that simply meant “well, they tried” seemed much larger than shows that said “oh, I hope they win” of any kind. the air inside me. I’ll be brave and say this: It’s not the best year of television. If you think The Handmaid’s Tale is among the best shows on TV right now, I don’t know what to tell you.

PONIEWOZIK One problem with “Handmaid’s” was that the drama weakened as the limited series got stronger. I’m still thinking “Crown” TV’s poster child for competence over size – it’s solid and perfectly played but will never stun you. Still, it was perhaps the best drama of the last year! I had hoped that “P-Valley” would be known for a wild, daring first season, but I did not expect it; I think “Pose” as a whole is a success but its final season wasn’t its strongest. On the other hand, I’m glad she got attention for her acting, which has often helped keep the show going with pure passion.

And yet somehow there were eight dramas candidates! I know there are a lot of drama series, but it’s strange to see so many series listed and only five listed in the creatively dominant limited series category, for example. This left room for perfect entertainment, extravagance “The Queen’s Gambit” for none yet “Little axe,” a real success – even if it’s really five movies. Also: No Ethan Hawke for “Good Lord Bird”? He did 75 percent of all acting on television last year in this role.

LION No Ethan Hawke, no “It’s a Sin”. There are no “Little Axe” or “Fargo” in the main categories. On the reality side, no “Couple Therapy”? No “alone”? I had a lot of long-term hopes and Michael Greyeyes was at the top of that list. “Rutherford Falls.” Maybe next year!

I’m also sad that “For All Mankind” was taken off air everywhere like “Harley Quinn”. “Mythic Quest” has been removed from the main categories. At least the best television quad of the year earned a nomination: “Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special,” ready for non-fiction series or specials.

PONIEWOZIK We also risk alienating our Broadway base: “Hamilton”? I love “Hamilton” like any red-blooded American theater audience. But it seems like an odd fit for the TV movie category, even if it’s shot very well for what turns out to be a TV premiere. This is a filmed theatrical performance! It already occupies a lot of space in tight acting categories (which closed the “Underground Railroad” as a crime). Nominate Renée Elise Goldsberry for her tele-acting “Girls5Eva.”

But in Ted Lasso’s spirit of keeping it positive: happy for “PEN15,” delighted that Jane Adams got her first nomination, and let’s give the nonfiction series award to “City So Real,” possibly best drama of 2020, period.

LION I agree with you in the celebration. Please join me in being surprised that “Girls5Eva” has not received a single nomination for their song. “New York Lonely Boy” Sounds like an Emmy nominated to me and I’m listening “4 Stars” for entertainment purposes. I was shocked.

PONIEWOZIK Lonely kids in New York aren’t watching TV, they’re listening to podcasts.

Overall, these nominations are no better or worse than usual. But they don’t, maybe they can’t, they can’t really catch what’s going on. special and strange About TV during the pandemic year. TV has become a kind of virtual classroom, square and film multiplexing. (I guess “Hamilton” makes sense there.) It’s the Emmys’ job to celebrate television as a regular old television season, but this is television’s smallest. it happened last year. A more boring year ahead and more boring grips a year from now!

LION Has television really done that this year? In the most disastrous, confusing year of turmoil, TV viewers were largely “treated” to their business as usual. I get it, I get it, and I know many viewers crave for normalcy and comfort, and shows have long lead times and it takes a long time for the plague art to coalesce around a theme. But I look forward to more adventurous, comprehensive, risky and deeper research this time next year. Still, congratulations to Quibi on her eight nominations.



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