Do You Have an Emmy Favorite?

Mara here. So once again, because I live in Los Angeles, it's impossible for me to not think about awards shows. The Emmys—the television's programming awards—are this Sunday.

People unfamiliar with the entertainment industry might not realize that Emmy winners aren't chosen by random people voting on their favorite TV shows. Similar to all the other major awards shows, such as the Oscars or the Golden Globes, the Emmy winners are chosen by a select group of people in the television industry. And there is serious marketing that's targeted specifically at Emmy voters. So living in Los Angeles, where the bulk of Emmy voters live, there are billboards all over the city promoting the nominees.

People who are members of the Television Academy are sent promotional materials that include fancy marketing brochures and screeners, or copies of the television programs. (I am a member of the Screen Actors Guild, so every Fall I get the screeners for several of the films and television shows eligible for SAG Awards.) And the reason they do this promotion is that it's a huge marketing benefit for shows to win Emmys. They get to add the Emmy to the show's accolades. It makes producers and advertisers take the show more seriously. It means that they can get more money for advertising, and it means the network is going to get a lot more recognition for keeping that program on the air. It means there's a good chance the show will even more money through syndication or DVD/streaming sales.

So the Emmy awards are not like getting a Good Student of the Month award at school. It's a big financial boost for the show's producers and network. And so, they spend a lot of money to increase their show's chances of being nominated and hopefully become a winner.

This has become a bit controversial because the money spent on promotional materials can be a significant part of a production's marketing budget. This gives a major advantage to established producers and networks over the smaller cable or independent networks.

But regardless of the validity of the process, I always enjoy hearing who gets nominated.

This year, there was some great television programming. Here are the nominees for Best Drama, along with my comments on the ones that I've seen:

“Better Call Saul” (AMC) - Don't watch it.

“The Crown” (Netflix) - Love, love, love it. The acting was really well done. The production was immaculate. It's beautiful to look at. And I love history shows. Even though I know this is dramatized, it was based on actual events.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu) - We actually subscribed to Hulu just to watch this, and we were not disappointed. It's a great story and it was compelling to look at visually. Also, I'm a fan of Elisabeth Moss from her "West Wing" days. She did a really impressive acting job here.

“House of Cards” (Netflix) - Haven't watched it even though I know, given my political background, I should! 

“Stranger Things” (Netflix) - This was fun to watch. I didn't like it as much as some people did, but I thought it was well done. The kids were definitely fun to watch, and I was happy to see Winona Ryder having some success.

“This Is Us” (NBC) - Haven't seen it. Now that we have Hulu, I might go back and watch it because I've heard great things.

“Westworld” (HBO) - Strange. The acting was great and the concept was great. I liked it, but didn't love it. I'll watch the next season, but again, it's a little weird.

Two shows not nominated in the Best Drama category that I thought were amazing were "Big Little Lies" on HBO and "Genius" on National Geographic.

The acting was great in "Big Little Lies," with amazing chemistry between the three female leads: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley. The kids in the show were particularly charming. And I was very impressed with the adaptation the writers did with Liane Moriarty's book.

"Genius" was beautiful to watch and the acting by Johnny Flynn, who portrayed a young Albert Einstein, was masterful. If you watch the show, YouTube Johnny Flynn to see videos of him not in character. Once you see how different he is from the character he played, you'll be even more impressed.

Toni here.

Okay. This is odd. I watch every evening, and yet I've only seen one of the nominated shows: "The Crown." I thought it was superb. The only other show here that I'm even familiar with is "Westworld" because my husband and I tried watching it when it premiered but found it too strange, even though we like so many of the actors in it. And so, my pick for best drama is, of course, "The Crown."

The dramas I love all stream on Netflix and are from the UK: "Shetland," "Vera," and "Hinterland" to name three. They're all police detective dramas that are filmed in remote locations, and I love getting to know each of the locales. "Vera" takes place in Northumberland. Shetland is an island north of Scotland and "Hinterland" takes place in Wales (and I read that every scene in "Hinterland" is shot twice—once in English and once in Welsh).

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So how many of the shows nominated for an Emmy for Best Drama have you seen? Did you have a favorite?