At an event like Monday's Emmys,where brilliant showsSchitt's Creek,Watchmen andSuccession rightly swept the majority of the awards,it's the harsh reality that some equally acclaimed shows – such asNormal People andMrs. America – would have to be left out in the cold.
Similarly,actors such as Hugh Jackman,Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Snook missed out when Mark Ruffalo,Zendaya and Julia Garner deservingly won their categories respectively. But as the TV experts on this week's episode ofThe Televisionaries discuss,the losses just serve to highlight what has been an epic year in television.
" is a career-best for him. The ambiguity,the edges he gives the Frank Tassone character really shows you what he's capable of,"saysThe Guide andGreen Guide critic Debi Enker.
"He was probably the strong competition against[winner] Mark Ruffalo ... but Ruffalo gave every inch of himself to his performance inI Know This Much Is True, so it was really good to see that recognised."
Hugh Jackman gave one of the best performances in his career playing Frank Tassone in Bad Education.HBO
For host Louise Rugendyke,one of the biggest surprises of the Emmys was that the critically acclaimed showNormal People,which became when it was released in April,saw no love on the award front.
That lead actress Daisy Edgar-Jones didn't even receive a nomination while her counterpart Paul Mescal did reminds how tough this year's competition was.
"It's a good signifier for the amount of female talent that's out there at the moment,"says Rugendyke."The people who were nominated in the outstanding lead actress in a limited series category,which is where Edgar-Jones would have ended up ... all[gave] strong performances. You really would have had to have done something very exceptional to elbow your way in."
Elsewhere in the podcast,Rugendyke,Enker andSpectrum deputy editor Kylie Northover discuss other surprising snubs,Jimmy Kimmel's efforts as host – did he pull off the first-ever virtual Emmys? – and why shows likeSchitt's Creek andSuccession reflect the mood of the times we're living in. They also hand out a few awards of their own!
Listen to the new episode now and don't forget to subscribe toThe Televisionaries wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.