Best Moments on TV of 2021... So Far

The nominations for the 73rd Primetime Emmys were announced on July 13. HBO and HBO Max combined have 130 nominations. Netflix alone though has 129 nominations total. The other dominant, streaming service is Disney+ and it got 71 nominations. Apple TV+ is the other notable, streaming service this year with 34 nominations. Of the traditional, broadcast networks, NBC is the leader with 46 nominations.

Netflix's The Crown is tied with Disney's The Mandalorian. Both have 24 nominations each. Disney's WandaVision is the newest, dramatic TV show with the most, banking 23 nominations. Technically, it's a limited series. The newest, drama series with the most nods is actually HBO's Lovecraft Country. it earned 18 nominations, despite HBO having canceled the series. It ties with Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, which is another limited series that received a lot of buzz when it premiered last fall.

Apple's Ted Lasso is the real headline here. It's the brand new comedy that has gotten the most nominations, banking 20. It premiered on Apple TV+ nearly a year ago, but it was critically acclaimed and stayed in the consensus conversation for 11 months. It did so by winning prizes at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the WGA Awards. It may end up being this year's Schitt's Creek, as it might just sweep the telecast. I personally cannot say if I think Ted Lasso deserves the sweep or not, since I haven't seen it. I certainly didn't think Schitt's Creek deserved the sweep.

For Outstanding Comedy Series, the nominees are: Black-ish, Cobra Kai, Emily in Paris, The Flight Attendant, Hacks, The Kominsky Method, Pen15 and Ted Lasso. Unfortunately, of those 8 choices, I've only seen Netflix's Cobra Kai, and I absolutely love it. It's 80's nostalgia done right. It incorporates Millennial issues perfectly, and it has kick-ass fight scenes.

For Outstanding Drama Series, the nominees are: The Boys, Bridgerton, The Crown, The Handmaid's Tale, Lovecraft Country, The Mandalorian, Pose and This Is Us. Given the amount of nominations, it seems as though The Crown will likely win this. However, The Handmaid's Tale is right behind it. I enjoyed The Crown. The fourth season, which is the season in question, was my favorite thing on television last year.

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown, The Queen's Gambit, The Underground Railroad and WandaVision. I wasn't a fan of WandaVision. I had no interest in The Queen's Gambit, being that I'm not a fan of chess. I didn't see The Underground Railroad, at least not beyond its first episode, which wasn't bad but it just didn't hook me. Due to recency bias, I would probably vote for Mare of Easttown. However, my hope is that I May Destroy You wins, due to the kind of representation it presents and point-of-view that is rarely recognized.

When it comes to diversity, the Television Academy certainly does better than a lot of others, at least this year. That diversity is probably no more evident than in the category of Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The nominees included four Black men, Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Majors, Billy Porter and Sterling K. Brown. Porter is not only Black but also openly gay and openly HIV positive. Porter is nominated in the series Pose for its final season.

Speaking of Pose, in the category of Lead Actress in a Drama Series, MJ Rodriguez made history being the first transgender performer nominated in this category. Laverne Cox was the first transgender performer nominated in any category. Cox was nominated for the series Orange Is the New Black (2013). Uzo Aduba who was also in that 2013 series was nominated this year for her role in Season 4 of HBO's In Treatment. Jurnee Smollett is the other woman of color nominated in this category, but I would give the award to Aduba, even though she's coming off a win last year for Mrs. America.

What's incredible is that Hamilton on Disney+ last year has gotten 12 nominations. 7 of those nods are for the diverse actors. Those actors include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Anthony Ramos, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo. Some of these actors are going up against two actors from I May Destroy You. In those categories, I would give it to the actors from I May Destroy You, including Michaela Coel for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, and Paapa Essiedu for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Other notable nominees are Kenan Thompson who is double nominated for his new series Kenan, as well as his veteran status on Saturday Night Live. Aidy Bryant is also a double-nominee for her Hulu series Shrill, as well as her continued role on Saturday Night Live.

I usually don't delve into the technical categories, but I saw that Donald A. Morgan is an African-American cinematographer who is a veteran in the TV industry and a bit of a legend, having won the Emmy ten times already. Last year, Morgan won the Television Career Achievement Award from the American Society of Cinematographers or ASC. Most of his wins were for the sitcom Home Improvement (1991). Normally, Morgan would be nominated once a year. This year, he's a triple-nominee and he's all nominated against himself in the category of Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series. He shot for Last Man Standing, The Conners and The Upshaws. He won last year. Most likely, he'll pick up his 11th Emmy this year.

One person who definitely won't be picking an Emmy will be Steve McQueen whose series of films, known as Small Axe (2020) was snubbed. The series was critically acclaimed. Some even wanted to push the films for Oscars. The Oscars rejected them, as Amazon Prime angled more for TV awards, but the series was mostly ignored. McQueen himself was certainly snubbed. At least, the BAFTA Awards showed him some love.

After several Emmy wins a couple of years ago, Netflix's Master of None was also left off the lists. It didn't have a prayer but the recently canceled series on NBC called Manifest didn't get any nominations either. I personally think that it was better than Lovecraft Country and Bridgerton, but it won't get any more shine. Yet, I will still hold it up.

Best Drama

MANIFEST: SEASON 3 (NBC)
FOR LIFE: SEASON 2 (ABC)
IT'S A SIN (HBO Max)
THE SISTER (Hulu)
THIS IS US: SEASON 5 (NBC)
MARE OF EASTTOWN (HBO)

Best Comedy

COBRA KAI: SEASON 3 (Netflix)
MASTER OF NONE: SEASON 3 (Netflix)
SPECIAL: SEASON 2 (Netflix)
SHRILL: SEASON 3 (Hulu)
KIM'S CONVENIENCE: SEASON 5 (Netflix)
A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW: SEASON 2 (HBO)
LOVE, VICTOR: SEASON 2 (Hulu)
MIXED-ISH: SEASON 2 (ABC)
KENAN (NBC)

Best Reality

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER: SEASON 8 (HBO)
CATFISH THE SERIES: SEASON 8 (MTV)
OPRAH INTERVIEWS MEGAN AND HARRY (CBS)