Critics in College's 2016 EMMY coverage begins 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, Limited/TV Movie and Predictions.
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Outstanding Drama Series
It was our pick last year, and after an even more impressive fourth season – one that should cement the show as one of the greats – The Americans is our clear choice for Outstanding Drama Series. Right behind in that top tier: the second seasons of The Leftovers and Better Call Saul, and the third season of Rectify. Both David and Andrew dub Horace and Pete, Louis C.K.’s star-studded experimental series, the best new drama of the year, but there’s some disagreement beyond it. David rounds out his list with last summer’s dynamic pair of newbies, UnREAL and Mr. Robot, while Andrew favors the Showtime duo of freshman Billions and sophomore The Affair.
David
1 | THE AMERICANS
2 | THE LEFTOVERS
3 | RECTIFY
4 | BETTER CALL SAUL
5 | HORACE AND PETE
6 | UnREAL
7 | MR. ROBOT
Andrew
1 | THE AMERICANS
2 | RECTIFY
3 | THE LEFTOVERS
4 | BETTER CALL SAUL
5 | HORACE AND PETE
6 | BILLIONS
7 | THE AFFAIR
Drama Actor
Matthew Rhys had a hell of a season in 2015, but as he took a back-seat to Keri Russell in The Americans this year, we are agreed: now’s the time to honor Aden Young, who continues to give the most fascinating and transformational performance on television in Rectify. And otherwise, we’re completely in-sync for this category: Rami Malek’s breakout Mr. Robot performance, Damian Lewis’ slick Billions turn, Kyle Chandler’s continued intensity on the unfortunately diminished Bloodline and Michael K. Williams’ quick-witted melancholy on Hap and Leonard deserve the remaining four spots.
David & Andrew
1 | ADEN YOUNG, Rectify
2 | MATTHEW RHYS, The Americans
3 | RAMI MALEK, Mr. Robot
4 | DAMIAN LEWIS, Billions
5 | KYLE CHANDLER, Bloodline
6 | MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS, Hap and Leonard
Drama Actress
Keri Russell blew us away with her powerhouse season four performance, and she’s the obvious pick – but let that not detract from the many worthy competitors here. TV veteran Edie Falco showed yet another new side of herself in Horace and Pete; character actresses Carrie Coon and Constance Zimmer were offered, and made good on, the roles of their career in The Leftovers and UnREAL; Ruth Wilson continued to subtly shatter on The Affair; and while her show may not have lived up to her performance, Viola Davis gave a tour-de-force on a weekly basis in How to Get Away with Murder. Again, we’re agreed.
David
1 | KERI RUSSELL, The Americans
2 | CONSTANCE ZIMMER, UnREAL
3 | VIOLA DAVIS, How to Get Away with Murder
4 | RUTH WILSON, The Affair
5 | EDIE FALCO, Horace and Pete
6 | CARRIE COON, The Leftovers
Andrew
1 | KERI RUSSELL, The Americans
2 | RUTH WILSON, The Affair
3 | CARRIE COON, The Leftovers
4 | CONSTANCE ZIMMER, UnREAL
5 | VIOLA DAVIS, How to Get Away with Murder
6 | EDIE FALCO, Horace and Pete
Drama Supporting Actor
The Knick isn’t always a great show, but André Holland is tremendous as Dr. Algernon Edwards, and got even more to work with in a juicy second season. David slightly favors him over Clayne Crawford, Andrew’s pick, who turned in a devastating performance in the third season of Rectify as the brutish Teddy Talbot. That aside, we’re on the same page in regard to Better Call Saul’s Michael McKean, who plays the righteous Chuck with delicious contemptuousness, and – despite the limited screentime – the fact that you can’t not make room for what Alan Alda achieves in Horace and Pete. David also goes for Hugh Dancy in The Path, a drama we didn’t much care for otherwise, and Christopher Eccleston in The Leftovers, who deserves mention for his spotlight episode alone. But Andrew finds additional Better Call Saul and Horace and Pete players, in Jonathan Banks and Steve Buscemi respectively (as well as The Affair’s Joshua Jackson), more worthy of inclusion.
David
1 | ANDRÉ HOLLAND, The Knick
2 | CLAYNE CRAWFORD, Rectify
3 | MICHAEL McKEAN, Better Call Saul
4 | CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON, The Leftovers
5 | HUGH DANCY, The Path
6 | ALAN ALDA, Horace and Pete
Andrew
1 | CLAYNE CRAWFORD, Rectify
2 | JOSHUA JACKSON, The Affair
3 | ALAN ALDA, Horace and Pete
4 | STEVE BUSCEMI, Horace and Pete
5 | JONATHAN BANKS, Better Call Saul
6 | MICHAEL McKEAN, Better Call Saul
Drama Supporting Actress
The toughest category to pin down. For both of us, the top two had to be Maura Tierney and Alison Wright, who each, in their own way, did utterly magnificent work in seasons that spotlighted their characters. Regina King made for a fabulous addition to The Leftovers' cast, and probably deserves an MVP award for her work between this and on American Crime; Maggie Siff continues to build on her solid resume with what might be her most substantial role (and impressive performance) yet, in Billions; and Linda Cardellini, however disappointing Bloodline became in season two, had an absolutely stellar season as her character, Meg, went off the rails. We disagree on one of the six slots – Andrew ranks Rectify’s J. Smith-Cameron highly, while David gives Selenis Leyva her due for a breakout season on OITNB – but there are several actresses worthy of a spot not even mentioned here.
David
1 | MAURA TIERNEY, The Affair
2 | ALISON WRIGHT, The Americans
3 | REGINA KING, The Leftovers
4 | MAGGIE SIFF, Billions
5 | SELENIS LEYVA, Orange Is the New Black
6 | LINDA CARDELLINI, Bloodline
Andrew
1 | ALISON WRIGHT, The Americans
2 | MAURA TIERNEY, The Affair
3 | J. SMITH-CAMERON, Rectify
4 | REGINA KING, The Leftovers
5 | MAGGIE SIFF, Billions
6 | LINDA CARDELLINI, Bloodline
Drama Writing
We both had some problems with the new season of Orange Is the New Black, but are unanimous on the point that its finale was still something special. Andrew finds it most deserving of a win – for that final baptism sequence alone – while David’s all-in on Episode 3 of Horace and Pete, which features one of the more artfully-written monologues in recent memory.
David
1 | LOUIS C.K. for “Episode 3,” Horace and Pete
2 | DAMON LINDELOF & JACQUELINE HOYT for “No Room at the Inn,” The Leftovers
3 | TANYA BARFIELD for “Travel Agents,” The Americans
4 | JENJI KOHAN & JIM DANGER GRAY for “Trust No Bitch,” Orange Is the New Black
5 | SHARR WHITE for “208,” The Affair
Andrew
1 | JENJI KOHAN & JIM DANGER GRAY for “Trust No Bitch,” Orange Is the New Black
2 | SHARR WHITE for “208,” The Affair
3 | DAMON LINDELOF & TOM PERROTTA for “Lens,” The Leftovers
4 | TANYA BARFIELD for “Travel Agents,” The Americans
5 | JORDAN HAWLEY for “Savior,” UnREAL
Drama Directing
The feverish, urgent aesthetic created by Niels Arden Oplev in the Mr. Robot pilot is obviously one of the year’s most substantial directorial feats – and David, particularly, finds it too impressive to pass on. But sometimes it’s the little things that count, and the intimate, devastating duet of The Leftovers’ “Lens,” filmed in extreme close-ups and exploding with sensational acting, is Andrew’s pick for precisely that reason.
David
1 | NIELS ARDEN OPLEV for “Hello Friend,” Mr. Robot
2 | STEVEN SODERBERGH for “Williams and Walker,” The Knick
3 | PETER GOULD for “Nailed,” Better Call Saul
4 | MIMI LEDER for “Axis Mundi,” The Leftovers
5 | NICOLE KASSELL for “The Future,” Rectify
Andrew
1 | CRAIG ZOBEL for “Lens,” The Leftovers
2 | NIELS ARDEN OPLEV for “Hello Friend,” Mr. Robot
3 | PETER GOULD for “Nailed,” Better Call Saul
4 | RAY MCKINNON for “The Source,” Rectify
5 | JIM MICKLE for “War,” Hap and Leonard