If someone would have told me a year ago that a show on the USA network was going to win Best Drama Series at the 2016 Golden Globes, I might have said, “Suits has a really big year then?”
Not to knock the channel that’s given us the TV equivalent of beach reads like Royal Pains and White Collar, but drama and USA network have never really gone together.
Until Mr. Robot, that is.
This show came in to the 2015 summer TV season like a computer virus, slowly infiltrating your browser before becoming an all-encompassing being that you just can’t shake. Why? Because it has the mind-bending narrative of Fight Club (even a borrowed soundtrack), but with a paranoid, cyber-vigilante anti-hero for Millennial audiences (the superb Rami Malek).
Without giving too much away, Elliot (Malek) works for a cyber-security firm named Allsafe, while also hacking bad people for fun. He’s recruited by a fellow hacktivist named Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and a group known as fsociety. But one of the many twists on this show is that fsociety wants to take down E Corp, which is one of Allsafe’s biggest clients, putting Elliot in a bit of a pickle, to say the least.
Series creator Sam Esmail originally meant for Mr. Robot to be a film, but had so much to say that he decided to expand it into a TV series. Will Emmy love this show more than the Oscars ever would? Probably.
Mr. Robot has a lot of things going for it. For one thing, it’s fresh-faced and hasn’t had a “bad” season yet, unlike many of its fellow Best Drama Series nominee contenders (House of Cards, Homeland). It’s also completely original and isn’t a spin-off of a beloved show (Better Call Saul). And even though it’s set in New York City, it’s shot on a grand scale that makes you feel like you’re watching something as epic as Game of Thrones. There’s a sense of foreboding urgency on this show that’s unparalleled.
Rami Malek should most definitely take a slot in Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series category, as so much of the show relies on his performance. If you don’t believe him as manic depressive morphine addict, the code doesn’t run. Direction is also an important aspect of this show, with a neo-80s style reminiscent of American Psycho.
Guaranteed Nominations
Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series
Direction
Writing
Music
Probable Nominations
Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor Drama Series
Editing
Sound Editing
Possible Nominations
Casting
