Emmy Nomination Wish List

by Julian Spivey and Tyler Glover

Photo: NBC

Brooklyn Nine-Nine for Outstanding Comedy Series
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has just never gotten the love from the Emmy Awards it deserves. It’s only two Emmy wins have come in the Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series category. The show has never been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series despite it’s incredibly solid run and both critical acclaim and loyal fan-base that saved it from cancellation, so it’s unlikely it’ll ever receive a nomination in the category. But when it comes to my dream nominees it’s the first one on top of my list. JS

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Photo: CBS

Big Brother for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Despite delivering 22 seasons of alliances, betrayals, showmances and Zingbot, "Big Brother" (CBS) has failed to garner an Emmy nomination every year since the Academy introduced the Best Reality-Competition Program category in 2003. "Big Brother" has always been a very interesting show because it is not always about being the best player because houseguests have to have a strategy for jury management (which has hurt some strong competitors in recent years). Aside from the compelling dynamics of the game, many houseguests have been held accountable in recent years for comments that were deemed racist or sexist. Instead of avoiding the topic, "Big Brother" has put them on the spot and held them accountable. In 2020, this definitely makes the show relevant and worthy of an Emmy nomination. TG

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Photo: NBC

Saturday Night Live for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
This is the one absolute lock on my entire list to be nominated. Not only is NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” always nominated for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, but it’s won the last three consecutive years (this category has only been around five years). So, while I know it’s going to be nominated, I’m still including it on my wish list because I was so damn impressed with ‘SNL’ this year. Not only was the comedy more hit than miss than it has been in the last few years when it was winning this award, but the cast and crew of the show were thrown the biggest curveball they’ve ever had in the show’s 45 years with the COVID-19 pandemic coming in the show’s final months of the season and still knocked it out of the park with pre-recorded sketches and bits in three special ‘At Home’ episodes. They could’ve packed it in and gone home and called it a season, but they came together for the fans and it’ll always be appreciated. JS

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Photo: NBC

Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's breakout performance in "Fleabag" netted her three Emmys last year for starring, writing and producing. However, another Emmy is needed for her extremely hilarious hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" this past season. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been very busy ever since wrapping "Fleabag" by also executive producing "Killing Eve" and working on the new James Bond film, "No Time To Die." This performance is just more proof of why Phoebe Waller- Bridge is one of the busiest women in entertainment these days. TG

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Photo: Netflix

David Harbour for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
It’s hard to believe because it’s been more than a full year since season three of “Stranger Things” dropped on Netflix, but it is eligible for the 2020 Emmy Awards having just missed the deadline for last year’s honors. David Harbour is always so strong as Sheriff Jim Hopper on the series and definitely gave some of his best performances throughout season three. Harbour was nominated in this category for seasons one and two so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him garner a third nomination … as long as voters haven’t forgotten about it in what seems like the longest almost 13 months in world history. JS

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Photo: TNT

Snowpiercer for Outstanding Drama Series
Based off of the 2013 film, "Snowpiercer," the television series is set in a dystopian world where everything in the world has frozen over, leaving the only survivors aboard the 1,001 car-long train, Snowpiercer. This show examines the politics of survival and deals with class struggle as a revolution is brewing. Daveed Diggs plays Andre Layton, a tailee train passenger whose previous career as a detective helps him get bumped to first class when a murder is needing solved. However, as secrets are revealed, he becomes a threat to the mysterious Head of Hospitality Melanie Cavill. This show is addictive and leaves viewers wanting more every week. The finale set up what will be a very exciting second season. I would love to see the Emmys give some attention to what truly was a thrilling ride aboard "Snowpiercer" this season. It would be great for a show like "Snowpiercer" to fill the void of fantasy sci-fi that "Game of Thrones" has left since it ended last year. Even though it’s set in a dystopian world, this show feels incredibly relevant today. TG

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Photo: TNT

Daveed Diggs for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Daveed Diggs' performance as Andre Layton, the detective that helps start a revolution aboard Snowpiercer is absolutely captivating. We see a man who is everything we need in our world today. We need people who will stand up for what is right and take risks to ensure a better future for not only themselves but for others. What this show really succeeded at is throwing Andre into situations where he was forced to make similar decisions as the show's villains. However, he always chose the right thing to do. This truly is what we all need right now and Diggs delivered flawlessly. TG

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Photo: Hulu

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal for Outstanding Actress and Actor in a Limited Series
This is basically a two-for-one for me, but I’d like to see both Daisy Edgar Jones (Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series) and Paul Mescal (Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series) both nominated for their outstanding performances in Hulu’s “Normal People,” based on the novel by Sally Rooney. These two portrayed a late teens, early twenties relationship exquisitely and incredibly were both unknown prior to their work here. Based on the oddsmakers at Gold Derby it seems Mescal is probably a more likely nominee than Edgar-Jones, but it just wouldn’t quite seem right for one to be nominated without the other. JS

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Photo: NBC

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist for Outstanding Comedy Series 
"Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" was an exciting new show this past season on NBC that was "Glee" meets "Touched By An Angel" meets "What Women Want." Zoey is a young woman working to get a promotion, dealing with a parent sick from a neurological disease, and has a crush on someone unavailable. During an MRI to make sure she is not developing the same disease as her father; an earthquake causes Zoey to wake up to people singing their innermost thoughts and desires to her. She decides to use it as a way to help people. It is such a sweet show that is hilarious but also really honest and heartbreaking in other moments. This show helps us understand that sometimes, people are hurting and need help but everything appears fine on the outside. This show manages to be very entertaining with great musical performances but also highlights an important issue: mental health. TG

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Photo: NBC

This one’s definitely a wish because I imagine Jane Levy in NBC’s musical-comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” to be an extreme longshot at garnering a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. But Levy’s performance as Zoey Clarke, a computer programmer who has the ability to hear the inner-thoughts of those around her through popular songs, was such a breath of fresh air as she aptly did a bit of everything with the performance making the viewer cry tears both via laughter and from sheer heartbreak. Levy especially deserves a nomination for her zany performance in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Glitch,” the eighth episode of the season, in which her power flips and she uncontrollably sings her inner-thoughts and everybody can hear her. JS

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Photo: CBS

Christine Baranski for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski has essentially played Chicago attorney Diane Lockhart for more than a decade now between the critically-acclaimed CBS drama “The Good Wife” (2009-2016) and its spinoff “The Good Fight” (2017-present) on CBS All-Access and hasn’t won an Emmy for her terrific performance, despite six consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama for ‘Good Wife.’ She’s yet to be nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for ‘Good Fight’ and that’s a crime. It’s time.  JS

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Photo: AppleTV

Jennifer Aniston for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Starring in an insanely popular television show and creating an iconic character can be a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing for what it is but it is hard sometimes, for fans and executives to imagine these actors as anyone else and can lead to similar roles always being offered to the star. After 10 seasons on the insanely popular sitcom, "Friends," the same could have happened to Jennifer Aniston and I fear it did for many years. However, Aniston is finally getting the chance to leave Rachel's shoes and create a role that is very different. In AppleTV+’s "The Morning Show," Aniston stars as Alex Levy, a TV news anchor whose world is turned upside down when her co-host is fired for sexual assault allegations. Aniston has a commanding presence in this series while also showing a very vulnerable side. We see a woman in private who is really worried about the future but in public, she is confident and ready to take on the world. If it wasn't for Olivia Colman's performance as Elizabeth II in "The Crown," I feel Aniston would have this Emmy in the bag. TG

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Photo: CBS

Evil for Outstanding Drama Series
Very rarely does a drama series on a broadcast network receive a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys anymore. NBC’s “This Is Us” has received nominations for its first three seasons over the last few years, but before that you have to go back to the second season of CBS’ “The Good Wife” in 2012. “The Good Wife” was created by Robert and Michelle King, who’s newest CBS drama series “Evil,” which follows a religious skeptic and a Catholic priest attempting to solve abnormalities, was my favorite new drama series from the last year. Maybe since the Kings have been here before Emmy voters will pay attention, but I still have to believe a nomination for “Evil” in this category is a huge longshot. I guess that makes me the skeptic in need of a bit of faith. JS

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Photo: CBS

“Room 320” (Evil) for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Robert and Michelle King got some Emmy love for their CBS legal drama “The Good Wife” with five Emmy wins (all in acting categories). The Kings were also nominated twice themselves in the Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series category, the first for the Pilot episode of the series and the second for the series finale. While critics seemed to enjoy the first season of their newest CBS drama “Evil” it seems unlikely it’ll have the same kind of love from Emmy voters as “The Good Wife” did. That’s a shame because the drama about a religious skeptic teaming up with a Catholic priest to investigate strange religious phenomenon is excellent. “Room 320” from the show’s debut season was the high point for me as a viewer and I would love to see writer Aurin Squire receive a nomination in this category. JS

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Photo: Fox

The Masked Singer for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
"The Masked Singer" just wrapped up its third season on FOX and it is mind boggling that this show has not been nominated for the Best Reality-Competition Program Emmy yet. The show adds a new dynamic to the singing competition show by having celebrities disguised in cute costumes leaving America to guess every week who is under the mask. This show successfully has something for the whole family and has brought my family together. Plus, who doesn’t love Ken Jeong? His insanely off projections for who a celebrity is always starts with a "I know EXACTLY who this is." His incorrect answers provide so much comedy to the show. The show is definitely getting more traction because the celebrities revealed in season three were definitely more widely known than in previous seasons. Hopefully, this will help it become more known to Emmy voters when they fill out their ballots. TG

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Photo: FX

Matt Berry for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series
I recently binged the first two seasons of FX’s vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” and my God it is glorious. The show uses the frequent documentary crew follows our characters style of comedy to follow the lives of vampire roommates in Staten Island and my favorite of the group is Laszlo, an English nobleman who was turned into a vampire by his now wife Nadja (played by Natasia Demetriou), and Matt Berry’s performance and especially line delivery is side-splittingly funny. I particularly think Berry should be nominated for the outrageously hilarious “On the Run” episode of season two in which he develops the alter-ego Jackie Daytona. JS

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Photo: PBS

Ken Burns’ Country Music for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series
Ken Burns is the Michael Jordan of documentarians for television and has proven as much by winning five Emmys for his PBS documentaries, including “The Civil War” (1990) and “Baseball” (1994). His latest PBS documentary “Country Music,” which debuted last fall, should be a shoo-in for a nomination in the Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series and I hope it wins, but he might have stout competition from ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary on Michael Jordan’s final championship winning season with the Chicago Bulls. JS

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Photo: HBO

Big Little Lies for Outstanding Drama Series
"Big Little Lies" was originally supposed to be a limited series. In fact, in 2017 it won the Emmys for Best Limited Series, Best Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. However, fans were eager to see what would happen next after the finale ended very abruptly. All of the questions were answered and all the twists were revealed but with little knowledge of what this would all mean for our beloved Monterey Five. I was concerned that since the first season relied so heavily on figuring out a mystery (who was murdered at the high school?) that the second season could prove to be a little dull. I was optimistic upon learning of the casting of Meryl Streep as Nicole Kidman's mother-in-law but still had my doubts. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The Monterey Five dealing with their shared secret and its' impact on their lives showcased so many great performances from all of its cast (Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Streep and Zoe Kravitz). If there was an Emmy for Best Ensemble In A Drama Series, this would be theirs to lose. I really hope to see "Big Little Lies" on the shortlist for Best Drama Series for an awesome season that leaves this viewer wanting a season three. TG

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Photo: HBO

Nicole Kidman for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Even though Nicole Kidman recently won an Emmy for playing Celeste Wright in "Big Little Lies" for the first season in 2017, I would argue she deserves another one. Kidman's performance of an abused mother trying to keep her family together takes on a new dynamic in season two. Celeste is trying to deal with the conflicted emotions of relief that the abuse is over but missing her husband at the same time. Celeste finds herself fighting for her children by the end of the season and the courtroom scenes from Kidman should be enough to secure her an Emmy nomination. Kidman has an impeccable ability of playing the roles of mothers. She always has you rooting for her and on Emmy night, I certainly will be too. TG

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Photo: HBO

Meryl Streep for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
In a career that has spanned five decades, Meryl Streep has managed to deliver performances that have made us laugh, made us cry, and challenged us to think. In a career that has roles ranging from a nun to a Holocaust survivor to Margaret Thatcher and Julia Child, it can feel like she’s has done it all already. However, as Mary Wright in "Big Little Lies," we see her deliver another unforgettable performance as a mother who continues to believe her son's innocence despite the evidence mounting against him. As the season progresses and the excuses are harder to believe, Streep shows how masterful she is at her craft by making us feel Mary's pain at the realization that just because she tries so hard to believe it, it doesn't make it true. TG