Who will I vote for? I have no idea, yet. This has been a year when I found the stories to be somewhat more compelling than individual performances but that being said there are some threads which many productions have in common. 1) "It's Complicated" Almost without exception these shows focused heavily on complex relationships. Characters were rarely predictable, their emotions were often hugely layered and they changed direction ... a lot. You don't have good guys or bad guys, just people. Sometimes they are likeable, honorable, and sometimes not. 2) "Based on" While none are documentaries (SAG/Aftra Awards are about acting) a good number of them are based on real events and/or people. However, even the obviously made-up tales (Watchmen, Handmaid's Tale) have significant commentary on the politics of the times. 3) Diversity, but not. Women (as directors, producers and writers) and people of color are far more represented here than in the Golden Globes nominees but there are still slights. Regina King would be my #1 "why the heck isn't she nominated?" candidate. (Followed closely by Elizabeth Olson in Sorry for Your Loss and MJ Rodriguez in Pose) 4) Comedic actors taking dramatic turns which really, truly work. 5) Streaming networks aren't just impacting network television, they are essentially changing the way television shows are made. They cover topics the networks would never cover, there is more freedom to do limited series, episode length varies widely to allow for the story rather than for commercials, bigger stars are willing to commit to an occasional 7-10 episodes rather than a full season, major players like the increased flexibility to produce outside of the Hollywood blandness machine and there is a "flow" in the storytelling which means bigger arcs rather than "wrapping it up" in 42 minutes. In short, streaming series are more innovative and out-of-the box than anything on network. What it all looks like ten years from now will be fascinating to see.
There is little feel-good here (with notable exceptions A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and The Kominsky Method). Even Mrs. Maisel goes a little dark and comedy Fleabag comes with plenty of pain. This isn't unusual. I remember the year of Brokeback Mountain. After watching all the nominated films that year I desperately needed a drink. What is interesting, and different this year is how watchable these films and series are. You really feel compelled to binge the entire seasons of each show, and many of the productions leave you thinking, deeply, about unanswerable questions. It is a year of smart programming, media which challenges assumptions. And that is a good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment