Well, that’s another “wrap” at the Emmys. Time to reflect on what is considered “excellence” in television programming – acting, directing, writing, and all those technical things that most of us don’t understand. More and more, the Emmys are, like the Oscars in film, increasingly moving away from viewers. We’re estranged, like that sad couple in separate bedrooms, and making separate meals. In the quest for “excellence”, perhaps they’re trying a little too hard to produce things we’ll actually enjoy watching. Sometimes, we’ll test-drive one of the winning shows after it’s racked up multiple awards, only to have Her Ladyship and myself look at each other and shake our heads. Really, that won for best writing? Or more commonly, that was a comedy? After some show has won for a couple of years in a row, we may give it another try, but often with the same result. Nope.
This year’s Emmy gala was a two-part affair. The first, which someone mentioned will be broadcast through. . . . . . not exactly sure when, where, or on what, were called the “Creative Arts” awards. They are still Emmys, with the full force of prestige carried by, well, what will be presented at the broadcast we’ll actually see. I’ll assume it was a lot of the categories that we’re used to seeing but didn’t. That allows for much more time for ads, for witty banter by the presenters, for some performances, and a couple of awkward moments, like one with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey told to “stretch” at the end. Television should do what it always does – if you need to fill more time, go to a commercial. But for heaven’s sake don’t add “content”.
When the awards are given, they pose a significant question in my mind. Who is making these decisions? Who is voting on these? Are they industry professionals or members of the viewing public? Perhaps people randomly pulled off the street? I’d be happy to watch an episode or two and render a decision, a critical insight or two. And do they really fit the categories, particularly when it comes to comedy and drama? I submit the following for my readers’ consideration.
People my age grew up on comedy. Classic comedy, that stretched from “I Love Lucy” onward. Through Mary Tyler Moore and Archie Bunker, to “Cheers” and “Frazier”, Leslie Knope in “Parks and Recreation”, Michael Scott in “The Office”, and onward to “Abbott Elementary”. They feature hilarious, preposterous characters saying and doing truly hilarious things. Getting themselves into very funny and very awkward situations. And there are some classics. Leslie Knope’s campaign event at an ice rink, where the carpet doesn’t go all the way to the podium, so they’re literally tiptoeing gingerly across the ice. Michael Scott’s “Fun Run for Rabies” fundraiser, that doesn’t start and finish at the same location. The Valentine’s Day episode of “Frazier”, when Niles tries to remove a thread from his pants, tries to press them and ends up setting fire to the couch. Mary Richards’ dinner party, where Sue Ann Niven doesn’t prepare enough portions of “Veal Prince Orlov”. If you’ve never seen Lucy Riccardo’s “Vitameatavegamin” episode, or some of Barney Fife’s antics on “The Andy Griffith Show”, you’ve missed some of the classics, the truly greats of comedy. You’ve got some make-up watching to do. Carol Burnett coming down the stairway of Tara with a curtain rod across her shoulders in a “Gone with the Wind” sketch, along with Tim Conway’s dentist sketch, where Harvey Korman loses his composure completely. More recently, Vice President Selina Meyer’s campaign debate on VEEP, forgetting some of her three points, and Ross’s new couch going up the stairs on “Friends”, adding “pivot” – heavy emphasis on the second syllable – to the comedy lexicon. Or Chandler having a brief fling with one of Joey’s sisters, but he can’t remember which one. Howard Wolowitz, or “Fruit Loops” as he’s known to his fellow astronauts, going into space on “Big Bang”. Dr. Sheldon Cooper, George Castanza, Kramer, Phoebe Buffet, Dr. Lilith Sternin Crane, Norm Peterson and Carla Tortelli, Dr. Niles Crane, all great, hilarious, memorable characters. The list goes on and on.
In full disclosure, I’ve tried “The Bear”. Not all of an episode, but enough to give me what I hope is a sense of the show. Was it good? Okay, great characters, yes. Funny, or even mildly amusing? Not really. This year’s big winner in the comedy category, was “Widow’s Bay”, which our daughter described as a “horror/comedy”. I’m not sure how that works. I’m not really a fan of horror shows or movies, although I understand that the genre is growing in popularity. But that seems to be rather an odd mash-up. Rather like P. D. Q. Bach’s “Echo Sonata for Two Unfriendly Groups of Instruments.” Which turns out to be a woodwind quintet and a marching band. Now that “Widow’s Bay” has won so many awards, perhaps some night, when we’re feeling adventurous, we’ll give it a test drive, looking for the comedy and enduring the “horror”. Although it’s not likely we’ll lift the curse of viewer popularity.
In the drama category, I was a bit surprised, although perhaps I shouldn’t have been, to see “The Pit” taking all of the top honors. Again, in full disclosure, I haven’t watched it, and maybe I should catch an episode or two before passing judgement. However, since medical / hospital shows, along with police dramas, have been on the air since Marcus Welby was making house calls, I can’t imagine anything left to be, well, dramatized. Any diseases or medical conditions left untreated. Any incisions left to be made, any bones left to be reset, or any bits of skin left to be grafted, going back decades through “ER”, generations of “Grey’s Anatomy”. We’ve seen quirky doctors – “House” and “The Good Doctor”, medical comedies – “Scrubs” and “St. Denis Medical”, along with the standard “rushing down the hallway to the emergency room” fare. I personally can’t see how it compares with some of the richly contoured period pieces like “The Gilded Age”, but then again, I’m a big fan of history, and quite obviously, those voting for the top dramas aren’t. The last period series to be nominated was “Downton Abbey”, which was 15 years ago. Since then, it’s been sparse territory. Emmy voters tend to favor the off-beat, shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men”, “The Wire”, shows that are, we might say, an ‘acquired taste’. Another show that received multiple award nominations this year is titled, “Pluribus”, and it won several awards. According to the AI summary I found, which is the definitive source, it’s about a fictional infectious virus that works its way, COVID-like, all over the place, transforming the show’s characters that have lived through it. No, that’s not something I’m likely to watch. We all went through COVID in real life, and while transformative, it was hardly entertaining. Which reminds me, I need to schedule a booster shot. Yet another show, a Netflix offering called, “Beef”, is, from what I can gather again from my sources in AI, about conflicts that spiral out of control. “Road rage” on steroids. Marital disputes that escalate to, well, ‘Wars of the Roses’. Kind of like an ICE arrest and detention. Don’t we get enough of that drama in real life, among the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, or from members of the Supreme Court?
Finally, I’d add this note. Perhaps in keeping with the administration’s directives, this year’s awards were not what one would call a “melting pot” of diversity. I’m never quite sure why white folks seem to dominate both the Oscars and the Emmys in most categories. You’d think that the movie and television industries would fully represent America both in excellence and in diversity. Any yet, there they are again. Those smiling white folks picking up the vast majority of awards, with only a few minorities sprinkled in here and there. The 78th Emmy’s did very little to balance the scales of equity and diversity, as far as I could see. Rather like this year’s Trump-chosen Kennedy Center honorees.
In any event, we’ll plan to catch an episode of “Widow’s Bay” and see what all of the talk is about. We may also go back and binge-watch a season or two of “Hacks”. Happy viewing and warmest regards, my faithful readers!
I'm Thinking...No! 