Yesterday marked the first day of voting for the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards and for the next two weeks voters will be making filling out their ballots to determine this year’s nominees. The great thing about the Emmys is that they make their nominating ballots available to the public once voting begins. The nominating ballots show us the final decisions on category placement as well as specific writing and directing submissions and because of that they can be a huge indicator of what’s to come once the nominations are announced.
For the most part this is a big year in terms of Emmy submissions. A record 728 programs were submitted for consideration (up 18 from last year) and an astounding 2,372 performers were submitted (92 more than last year). With literally thousands of performances and programs to sort through these are some of the biggest surprises with this year’s submissions.
Notable Submissions
Ten years in the Outstanding Host for a Reality Program category is shaping up to be one of the more interesting categories at the Emmys with an eclectic group of contenders. The reigning winner for the past two years, RuPaul, will certainly be back. The big surprise however (and RuPaul’s biggest competition) is that Netflix submitted the fab five from the newest edition of Queer Eye for consideration. The reality show has become one of the most well-liked new shows of the season and the winning combination of the five hosts might be unstoppable this year at the Emmys.
Black Mirror made history last year by entering the Outstanding TV Movie race last year as an episodic anthology series. The Netflix series was able to enter the category by submitting a single episode and this year they wisely submitted the U.S.S. Callister installment. This year Amazon has their own episodic anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams however the streaming service has decided to submit multiple installments, The Commuter and Kill All Others.
The other strategic decision Amazon Prime made this year in their submission choices was to submit their cancelled drama series The Last Tycoon as a limited series. Other networks have tried this in the past with recently cancelled shows but so far no show has had any luck.
Over in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category the biggest surprise was the omission of the 71st Annual Tony Awards. The Tony Awards ceremonies are nominated every year and the ceremony is just won last year. The likely factor in their decision not to submit probably has to do with the fact that Kevin Spacey was last year’s host and the producers will want to avoid any controversy.
This year Netflix made the decision to submit the second season of their TV adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events in the Outstanding Children’s Program category. Last year the streaming service submitted the show as a comedy only for it to be shut out except for a single nod for its original score.
The big news coming over in the acting categories is that Anthony Hopkins will indeed be back on the ballots after receiving a Lead Actor nomination for the first season of Westworld. This year however because of his reduced screen time and number of episodes Hopkins will be submitted in the supporting actor category. This decision came as a surprise to a lot of people especially those not caught up on the second season who had no idea that the Oscar winner would even be making a return.
Although Suits was never a show that Emmy voters paid any attention to it is worth noting that Meghan Markle was submitted in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category. Her chances of a nomination are slim to none but as far as we can tell Markle is the first member of the royal family to be submitted for an Emmy.
Writing & Directing Submissions
In the writing and directing categories the submission choices are major factors in determining the nominees. The branches vote on specific episodes and even though the writers aren’t provided with names the directors have the added benefit of being provided the directors for each submission. One of the biggest indicators in predicting what shows might make it into the writing and directing categories is looking at how many episodes each show submitted. Shows that only submit one or two episodes have historically had a much easier success rate at earning a nomination for their creative teams while shows that submit 4+ episodes on a given category tend to risk vote splitting unless there is an obvious standout.
Last year the This Is Us team submitted an incredible amount of episodes (7-8) and shut themselves out of receiving any writing or directing nominations. This year they were much more strategic in their submissions and only submitted two episodes in each category. One of the episodes they did submit was the Super Bowl episode focused on Jack’s death which is bound to be a popular choice with voters.
Overall most shows were much more strategic this year with the number of episodes they submitted. In fact a majority of the major contenders only submitted one or two episodes. Some of the major shows that submitted 4+ episodes for consideration that might be at risk of being shut out include Westworld, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Will & Grace (writing), Transparent (writing), Homeland, and Curb Your Enthusiasm (directing).
Because the directors names are on the ballot next to actual episodes certain well known directors are name-checked year after year. Gail Mancuso who has won several times for directing Modern Family is on the ballot this year for directing an episode of Roseanne.
The directors branch often times makes room for famous film directors and this year there are plenty of options. Spike Lee is the most high-profile name submitted in the comedy category for the television adaptation of She’s Gotta Have It while the drama category includes Oscar nominees like David Fincher (Mindhunter), Danny Boyle (Trust), and Stephen Daldry (The Crown). The Limited Series/TV Movie race includes a long list of well-respected names including Dee Rees, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, and Jane Campion. The biggest name to look out for is the late Jonathan Demme who directed Netflix’s Seven Seconds.
Shows like The Last Tycoon do get success in the limited series or movie categories. Perhaps not as programs, but Andre Braugher won as one of the earliest examples of this fraud and Ashley Judd was nominated. So at least there is some success when going with this strategy. Unfortunately for Amazon, nobody remembers their show as they didn’t give it a chance.
I am crazy – went through all the main categories (plus reality coz why not) and I picked my personal ballot. I did 7 choices for every award. Yep, call my crazy, but out of the tons of TV I watch – here are my choices below. Consider this my attempt to be a part of Awards Daily 😉
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Ash Vs Evil Dead
Baskets
Broad City
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Difficult People
Grace and Frankie
Schitt’s Creek
BEST LEAD ACTOR – COMEDY
Bruce Campbell – Ash Vs The Evil Dead
Ted Danson – The Good Place
Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm
Billy Eichner – Difficult People
John Goodman – Roseanne
Bill Hader – Barry
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek
BEST LEAD ACTRESS – COMEDY
Jane Fonda – Grace and Frankie
Ilana Glazer – Broad City
Julie Klausner – Difficult People
Natasha Leggaro – Another Period
Wendi McLendon-Covey – The Goldbergs
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek
Lily Tomlin – Grace and Frankie
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – COMEDY
Louie Anderson – Baskets
Billy Eichner – Friends from College
Artie Lange – Crashing
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Keenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live
Sam Waterston – Grace and Frankie
Henry Winkler – Barry
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – COMEDY
Alex Bornstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Susie Essman – Curb Your Enthusiasm
Cheryl Hines – Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jennifer Lewis – Blackish
Andrea Martin – Great News
Laurie Metcalf – Roseanne
Rita Moreno – One Day At A Time
BEST GUEST ACTOR – COMEDY
Ed Asner – Kobra Kai
Ed Begley Jr – Lady Dynamite
Mario Cantone – The President Show
RuPaul Charles – Broad City
Johnny Galecki – Roseanne
Gilbert Gottfried – Episodes
Phillip Baker Hall – Room 104
BEST GUEST ACTRESS – COMEDY
Alexandra Billings – Transparent
Kirsten Dunst – Drunk History
Kathy Griffin – The President Show
Lisa Kudrow – Grace and Frankie
Catherine O’Hara – A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Maya Rudolph – The Good Place
June Squibb – I’m Sorry
BEST DRAMA SERIES
Claws
The Handmaid’s Tale
Lost In Space
Mindhunter
Preacher
Stranger Things
Westworld
BEST LEAD ACTOR – DRAMA
Dominic Cooper – Preacher
Alan Cumming – Instinct
James Franco – The Deuce
Johnathan Groff – Mindhunter
Cilian Murphy – Peaky Blinders
Donald Sutherland – Trust
Jeffrey Wright – Westworld
BEST LEAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
Melissa Leo – I’m Dying Up Here
Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black
Elizabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale
Neicy Nash – Claws
Ruth Negga – Preacher
Sandra Oh – Killing Eve
Evan Rachel Wood – Westworld
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA
Sean Astin – Stranger Things
Joseph Fiennes – The Handmaid’s Tale
Shawn Hatosy – Animal Kingdom
Louis Hertham – Westworld
Johnathan Rhys Meyers – Viking
Lawrence Washington – The Star
Fin Wolfhard – Stranger Things
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA
Ellen Barkin – Animal Kingdom
Madeline Brewer – The Handmaid’s Tale
Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale
Melissa McBride – The Walking Dead
Thandie Newton – Westworld
Yvonne Stahovski – The Handmaid’s Tale
Carrie Preston – Claws
BEST GUEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Brian Dennehey – The Black List
Ron Cephus Jones – This Is Us
Nathan Lane – The Black List
Hiroyuki Sanada – Westworld
Jimmi Simpson – Westworld
Roger Guenivere Smith – Queen Sugar
Sylvester Stallonne – This Is Us
BEST GUEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Laverne Cox – Orange is The New Black
Judy Gold – I’m Dying Up Here
Cherry Jones – The Handmaid’s Tale
Margot Martindale – The Good Fight
Uma Thurman – Imposters
Marisa Tomei – The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley – The Handmaid’s Tale
BEST LIMITED SERIES
The Assasination of Giani Versace
Channel Zero: No End House
Mosaic
The Sinner
Top of the Lake: China Girl
Twin Peaks
Waco
BEST TV MOVIE
Cocaine Godmother
Farenheit 451
Flint
Kill All Others
Murder By Text
Paterno
The Tale
BEST LEAD ACTOR – MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Darren Criss – The Assasination of Giani Versace
Garrett Hedlund – Mosaic
Taylor Kitsch – Waco
Kyle MacLaughlan – Twin Peaks
Al Pachino – Paterno
Evan Peters – American Horror Story: Cult
Michael Shannon – Waco
BEST LEAD ACTRESS – MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jessica Biel – The Sinner
Laura Dern – The Tale
Carmen Ejogo – The Girlfriend Experience
Vera Farmiga – Kill All Others
Rosemarie DeWitt – Arkangel (Black Mirror)
Elizabeth Moss – Top of the Lake China Girl
Sarah Paulson – American Horror Story Cult
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Rory Culkin – Waco
Billy Eichner – American Horror Story Cult
Robert Forester – Twin Peaks
David Lynch – Twin Peaks
John Carroll Lynch – Channel Zero : No End House
Edgar Ramirez – The Assasination of Gianni Versace
Paul Reubens – Mosaic
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Ellen Burstyn – The Tale
Penelope Cruz – The Assasination of Giani Versace
Laura Dern – Twin Peaks
Judith Light – The Assasination of Gianni Versace
Sharon Stone – Mosaic
Tracey Ullman – Howards End
Naomi Watts – Twin Peaks
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SHOW
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition
Dancing With the Stars
Food Network Star
Ink Master
Project Runway
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
BEST REALITY SHOW HOST
Cast – Queer Eye
Nicole Byer – Nailed It
RuPaul Charles – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn – Project Runway
Jeff Probst – Survivor
Gordon Ramsey – Master Chef Jr.
Mackenzie Westmore – Face Off
I hope you voted in the Coolie Awards!
The Good Place bias on this site (not including one cast member in the ballot for any acting nominations from Awards Daily) is just astonishing. They submitted smart and strong and this show needs to get 10+ nominations on July 12.
If you would like to write an FYC piece to increase the show’s visibility on this site, then we would gladly publish it.
It’s on its way! 🙂
Awesome! Send it to Clarence.adtv@icloud.com.
You’ll get it by Sunday night, just in time for the new week 🙂 Thanks.
Remember voting ends Monday!
Having watched a lot of Westworld recently, Jeffrey Wright and Thandie Newton seem pretty worthy as does Evan Rachel Wood, but a lot of them basically are acting the same part (robots suddenly turning badass) so I wouldn’t be surprised if they cancelled each other out.
Didn’t Evan Rachel Wood once have a promisning career before Westworld. I thought she was solid in Across the Universe around that era
Hang the DJ was my favourite episode of Black Mirror this season. It was a refreshing change … too bad it wasn’t submitted.
I liked happy endings. Black Mirror’s Star Trek parody episode was soooo good, but I agree that’s a good one too. I think the whole season was amazingly solid as opposed to last year. I hope Andrea Risborough gets something for acting, lots of great performances there