Critics in College's 2016 EMMY coverage continues with the release of our personal ballots. These reflect, based on the category limits and divisions determined by the Television Academy, who David and Andrew would each nominate if given the chance. Still to come: Comedy & Predictions. ICYMI: Drama.
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Limited Series/TV Movie
This was an exceptional year for limited series, no question – and we both had a lot of unease going back and forth between American Crime and The People v. O.J. Simpson for the season’s top pick. We’re on the same page, in that O.J. was the cleaner, more objectively impressive production – it’s hard to find a flaw really – but that what American Crime attempted and ultimately achieved in its essential, groundbreaking and downright devastating second season is something we’ll be returning to again and again. Special mentions to the remake of Roots, which maintained vitality and freshness, and the second season of Fargo, which – while leaving us both a little cold in the end – managed a technically and aesthetically brilliant season of television. David also sees HBO’s Show Me a Hero as criminally underrated, while Andrew favors the filmed production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill – a simple but enormously effective character study. [Editors’ note: unlike the Emmys, we considered limited series and TV movies in a single category.]
David
1 | AMERICAN CRIME
2 | THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
3 | ROOTS
4 | SHOW ME A HERO
5 | FARGO
Andrew
1 | AMERICAN CRIME
2 | THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
3 | ROOTS
4 | LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL
5 | FARGO
Limited Actor
This is a pretty dense category, and we could’ve gone in many directions; among those that just missed our top spots were Bryan Cranston’s towering embodiment of LBJ, Malachi Kirby’s bracing recreation of Roots’ Kunta Kinte, Ian McKellen’s immaculate turn in The Dresser and Ben Whishaw’s nakedly emotional work in the otherwise disappointing London Spy. But, for Andrew, the choice was clear in Courtney B. Vance, whose combination of flamboyance and sincerity is awe-inspiring in The People v. O.J. Simpson. He narrowly loses out on David’s ballot to Oscar Isaac, who manages something especially authentic and complex in Show Me a Hero.
David
1 | OSCAR ISAAC, Show Me a Hero
2 | COURTNEY B. VANCE, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
3 | BRYAN CRANSTON, All the Way
4 | IAN MCKELLEN, The Dresser
5 | MALACHI KIRBY, Roots
Andrew
1 | COURTNEY B. VANCE, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
2 | MALACHI KIRBY, Roots
3 | BRYAN CRANSTON, All the Way
4 | OSCAR ISAAC, Show Me a Hero
5 | BEN WHISHAW, London Spy
Limited Actress
Same lists of actresses here, but differently ordered. We’re in-sync in terms of Kirsten Dunst and Kerry Washington very much deserving their spots, but not quite reaching the level of the top three. Anika Noni Rose gets a single episode in the four-part Roots, but she absolutely crushes it. Sarah Paulson, David’s choice, reinvents an entire person’s image with astonishingly full-bodied work. And Andrew’s winner, Audra McDonald, may be the most impressive of all: in reprising her Tony-winning turn as Billie Holliday, McDonald is magnetically tragic as she takes the legendary singer through her tortured history in a stirring stretch of monologues and songs. It’s a genuine acting feat.
David
1 | SARAH PAULSON, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
2 | AUDRA MCDONALD, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
3 | ANIKA NONI ROSE, Roots
4 | KERRY WASHINGTON, Confirmation
5 | KIRSTEN DUNST, Fargo
Andrew
1 | AUDRA MCDONALD, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
2 | SARAH PAULSON, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
3 | ANIKA NONI ROSE, Roots
4 | KIRSTEN DUNST, Fargo
5 | KERRY WASHINGTON, Confirmation
Limited Supporting Actor
A diverse range of contenders here, including O.J.’s tremendous Chris Darden portrayer, Sterling K. Brown, and Fargo’s homicidal butcher, Jesse Plemons – both of whom we’ve selected in our top five. David ultimately favors Bokeem Woodbine, who broke out of his narrow typecast shell to create what felt like an iconic Coen character in Mike Milligan, while Andrew thinks the choice, in American Crime’s breakout center Connor Jessup, is pretty clear. As for the other actors represented here: Joey Pollari, Jessup’s equally tremendous foil in American Crime; Regé-Jean Page, who exuberantly carried the back half of Roots; and Frank Langella, who did a lot with a little in All the Way – and has had quite the season, between this and his excellent supporting work on The Americans.
David
1 | BOKEEM WOODBINE, Fargo
2 | STERLING K. BROWN, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
3 | CONNOR JESSUP, American Crime
4 | FRANK LANGELLA, All the Way
5 | JESSE PLEMONS, Fargo
Andrew
1 | CONNOR JESSUP, American Crime
2 | STERLING K. BROWN, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
3 | REGÉ-JEAN PAGE, Roots
4 | JESSE PLEMONS, Fargo
5 | JOEY POLLARI, American Crime
Limited Supporting Actress
Catherine Keener is quiet but invigorating as the racially prejudiced Mary Dornan in Show Me a Hero, and Jean Smart playing crime boss in Fargo showed a wonderful new side of the longtime comic actress. But let’s be clear: this category belongs to the American Crime women. We didn’t have room for Hope Davis, who is plenty excellent, but of those who did make our ballot: Felicity Huffman manages to be both monstrous and affecting as an image-obsessed private school headmaster; Regina King balances her character’s elitism and struggles as a wealthy black woman with grace, intelligence and rich emotion; and Lili Taylor is – really, you need to watch this performance – just incredible as the unstable working-class mother of a rape victim. No argument here: this should be Taylor’s in a walk.
David
1 | LILI TAYLOR, American Crime
2 | REGINA KING, American Crime
3 | CATHERINE KEENER, Show Me a Hero
4 | FELICITY HUFFMAN, American Crime
5 | JEAN SMART, Fargo
Andrew
1 | LILI TAYLOR, American Crime
2 | FELICITY HUFFMAN, American Crime
3 | REGINA KING, American Crime
4 | CATHERINE KEENER, Show Me a Hero
5 | JEAN SMART, Fargo
Limited Directing (AC)
No spoilers here, but John Ridley builds the seventh episode of American Crime masterfully, like a character-driven horror film – and ends its utterly shocking climax in complete, unnerving silence. Ridley has been an acclaimed screenwriter for decades, but American Crime has proven his consummate talent behind the camera.
David
1 | JOHN RIDLEY for “Season Two: Episode Seven,” American Crime
2 | PAUL HAGGIS, Show Me a Hero
3 | ADAM ARKIN for “The Castle,” Fargo
4 | JOHN SINGLETON for “The Race Card,” The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
5 | JAY ROACH, All the Way
Andrew
1 | JOHN RIDLEY for “Season Two: Episode Seven,” American Crime
2 | ADAM ARKIN for “The Castle,” Fargo
3 | JOHN SINGLETON for “The Race Card,” The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
4 | PHILLIP NOYCE for “Part 1,” Roots
5 | LONNY PRICE, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Limited Writing (OJ)
There were several exemplary episodes in O.J., but none encapsulated the series’ unique ability to dramatize history better than “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” a contained, thematically focused hour that featured Sarah Paulson’s best work. (And that’s saying something.)
David
1 | D.V. DEVINCENTIS for “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
2 | JOHN RIDLEY for “Season Two: Episode One,” American Crime
3 | NOAH HAWLEY for “Rhinoceros,” Fargo
4 | ALISON MCDONALD for “Part 2,” Roots
5 | DAVID SIMON & WILLIAM F. ZORZI, Show Me a Hero
Andrew
1 | D.V. DEVINCENTIS for “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
2 | ALISON MCDONALD for “Part 2,” Roots
3 | LAWRENCE KONNER for “Part 1,” Roots
4 | JOHN RIDLEY for “Episode 7,” American Crime
5 | CHARLES MURRAY for “Part 3,” Roots