Emmy Watch: Who will be up for Comedy Actress?

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

The "what will be nominated at the Emmys?" conversation continues. Today: Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. 

Last year, this category was upended in a major way, with just one of the six eligible previous nominees – winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) returning to the lineup. 2020, then, could be a good chance for any of the booted five to rejoin the race, as three of last year’s nominees won’t be back. Past winners Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) will have to wait for new series to bring them back since those shows have ended, and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) will probably return whenever her show does, which won’t be this season. It’s fair to assume that the other three nominees will be back: Brosnahan, Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), whose show just aired its series finale and who is definitely the fan favorite (of this site), and Christina Applegate (Dead to Me), whose second season will in fact arrive on time for Emmy consideration…

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Emmy Watch: Best Actor in a Comedy

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

The "what will be nominated at the Emmys?" conversation continues. Today: Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.  Looking at last year’s nominees, this field may not be all that different apart from the top. Only one nominee, two-time defending champion Bill Hader won’t be back. Barry hasn’t yet announced its season three premiere date. On the other hand though there’s every reason to expect that the two departing contenders, Ted Danson (The Good Place) and Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek), will return for their show’s swan songs. Those two shows seem to have the largest fanbases among TFE readers so we assume you're rooting for them.

Another nominee from last year, Don Cheadle (Black Monday), is a toss-up. But given that he earned four consecutive nominations in this category earlier this decade as pretty much the only representation from House of Lies, scoring yet another solo bid doesn’t feel far-fetched. Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) has been nominated five times in a row, and he survived his show being ousted from the Best Comedy Series race last year, so he may be able to do it again. Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) is a good bet to return, but his show’s snub in the top race last year makes his chances less secure than they should be…

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Barbara Stanwyck: Comedy Goddess

by Cláudio Alves 

Despite being one of Old Hollywood's most electrifying actresses, Barbara Stanwyck feels somewhat forgotten (apart from cinephiles) when compared to her contemporaries like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford or Ingrid Bergman. The one role that arguable does keep her immortal with the mainstream is the devilish Phyllis Dietrichson in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, the noir to end all noirs starring the greatest femme fatale of them all. Still, to believe that Stanwick was essentially a noir vixen is unfair to her grand legacy. More than many actresses of her time, she rejoiced in hopping from genre to genre, unencumbered by exclusive contracts to studios that might want to pin her down to one type of role. 

Because of that, she was able to experiment with the extremes of Pre-Code libertinism (Baby Doll), weepy melodrama (Stella Dallas), historical epics (Titanic), tragic romances (There's Always Tomorrow) and even camp classics (Walk on the Wild Side). Her tonal flexibility was unparalleled as she was able to mold her trademark toughness and sexual confidence into almost any role conceivable. She was much more than just the venomous Mrs. Dietrichson, even though that is one of her greatest achievements. I'd go so far as to say that she was one of the great comediennes of her era, on par with Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard, and Jean Arthur. Just take look at her second Oscar nomination…

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Emmy Watch: Which Comedy Series will it be?

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

We’re looking at another Emmy Awards category today – Best Comedy Series. Unlike the corresponding drama field, this one isn’t quite as overflowing with potential returning nominees. That said, it’s still worth taking a closer look to see which shows have the best shot at scoring a bid this year. 

Last year’s big winner, Fleabag, has ended, though there’s always a chance it may return someday if fans clamor hard enough for it. Three-time victor Veep is also over, and both Barry and Russian Doll haven’t yet debuted their newest seasons. Previous winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a sure thing, while the final seasons of Schitt’s Creek and The Good Place are probably safe, though they were both only nominated for the first time last year (for their fifth and third seasons, respectively)...

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Review: The Hunt (2020)

by Tony Ruggio

Blumhouse’s much-ballyhooed American political satire has finally seen the light of day after postponement due to a mass shooting last August, only to meet an unprecedented global pandemic this spring. With multiplexes closed nationwide, it’s one of a few major motion pictures to release early on VOD. Eschewing anything resembling subtlety or a desire to make a cogent point, The Hunt is a glib quasi-horror romp designed to prod and provoke, but dips into irrelevance by trying too hard for that sweet spot of zeitgeist...

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