Emmys 2019: This Year’s Drama Nominees Are Anything But Dramatic
Libby Hill
For as stacked as the 2019 Emmy comedy categories are, the drama categories are comparatively dire. Blame it on a lack of competition, blame it on the TV Academy for overlooking viable contenders, blame it on the rain: No matter how you slice it, the drama races just doesn’t measure up this year.
It would be wrong to blame “Game of Thrones” for this lack of intrigue, what with its 32 Emmy nominations sucking up all the air in the room and all extra slots that could have potentially gone to a more interesting batch of candidates. RIP “Game of Thrones.” You will be missed. Eventually. Probably. But not this year.
And even if the batch of nominees is underwhelming, there’s still plenty to discuss.
This week, IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson and TV Awards Editor Libby Hill are cracking open the drama series categories and trying to make sense of what’s inside, analyzing if “Game of Thrones” is powerful enough to sweep all of the categories, including acting, or if HBO’s fantasy behemoth looks to have a less dominant night than you’d expect.
But if not “Game of Thrones,” then what? The pair also examines what non-Westeros residents could serve as spoilers on Emmy night, including Billy Porter (“Pose”) in lead actor, Julia Garner (“Ozark”) in supporting actress, and Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) in lead actress.
Final-round Emmy voting is open from Thursday, Aug. 15 through Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 p.m. PT. Winners for the 71st Primetime Emmys Creative Arts Awards will be announced the weekend of Sept. 14 and 15, with the Primetime Emmys ceremony broadcast live on Fox on Sunday, Sept. 22.
Check out the episode below, and remember to subscribe to Screen Talk on Apple Podcasts or via your preferred listening source. New Emmy edition episodes will resume imminently, while traditional Screen Talk episodes — with Thompson and IndieWire Executive Film Editor and Chief Critic Eric Kohn — will continue to hit the site each Friday. Make sure to listen to IndieWire’s other podcasts, as well, including Chris O’Falt’s Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast.
For more on this year’s Emmy race, please head over to IndieWire’s Awards page, where you’ll find breaking news, Consider This profiles, and Emmy predictions in 21 categories
