Voting for the Emmy nominations begins on June 13th. By now, we’re starting to have a solid idea of what series will most likely be showered with love by the Television Academy. Still, there are always surprises. It’s a delight to recognize performers who slip by and make everyone’s jaw drop when you hear their names announced on nomination morning. There were many great series this Emmys season and performances that feel like they aren’t getting the attention they rightfully deserve.
It’s baffling that a veteran television actor like Walton Goggins only has one Emmy nomination. Whether it’s “The Shield,” “Justified,” or “The Righteous Gemstones,” few people exude the magnetism that Goggins can bring to any character, no matter what genre he’s thrown in. We’ve become accustomed to his gun-slinging sliminess that you can’t help but fall in love with, and in “Fallout,” Goggins gets to play into his familiar spur-stepping routine as “The Ghoul.” Where Goggins really gets to shine is through his character’s flashbacks as Cooper Howard. His character ultimately is a struggling actor of Westerns in this retro-futuristic Hollywood. Howard has to navigate his career through a McCarthy-esque period in which his wife’s career challenges his own ambitions and morality. Getting Goggins to play in the “Fallout” sandbox only allows him to deliver what fans of his come to expect and expand beyond his typical typecast. More than likely, Goggins will be back at the Emmys with season three of “The White Lotus,” but he should be back this year.
Imagine not only having your first leading role in a series be from legendary filmmaker Park Chan-wook but having to hold your own against Academy Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. and Emmy nominee Sandra Oh. It’s a tough ask, but Hoa Xuande more than meets the demand. Xuande perfectly rides the varying wavelengths of “The Sympathizer,” threading the needle between the series’ more outlandish moments and sweat-inducing espionage thrills. You can’t help but root for “The Captain” as he narrowly evades the clutches of the CIA and those closest to him. Audiences are left breathing a sigh of relief each time, and it’s mainly due to what Xuande can bring to the character. It feels like a star-in-the-making type of performance that should be acknowledged. Let’s hope Xuande’s name pops up on nomination morning.
There’s no best-of list for television this year without “Expats.” Lulu Wang’s adaptation of Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel, “The Expatriates,” is sublime. Wang masterfully brings to life the stories of three interconnected women bound by one single moment of tragedy. It’s a moving exploration of loss and how connection can often come off as transactional. Wang elicits three lights-out lead performances from Nicole Kidman, Sarayu R. Blue, and Ji-young Yoo, and the rest of the ensemble also kills it. The series’ fifth episode might be one of the year’s best episodes. Sure, “Expats” might not be the number one priority for Prime Video, but they shouldn’t leave it in the rearview during this final stretch of campaigning.
It feels like everyone is still talking about “Baby Reindeer.” The Netflix limited series has taken the world by storm in an unbelievable retelling of an experience from series creator and star Richard Gaad. While Gaad and series co-star Jessica Gunning deserve all the praise coming towards them, Nava Mau as Teri is one of the pillars that make this series work. Mau delivers scene-stealing work with her heartbreaking performance. Teri and Donny’s relationship ultimately builds to one of the series’ most important sequences. Frankly, much of it doesn’t work without how convincing and honest Mau is in bringing this relationship to life. It’s a showy performance that makes you ask, “Where has this person been all this time, and when can I see more of them?” If “Baby Reindeer” ends up making a large impact in the Limited Series race as most people expect, Mau should be along for the ride and deservedly so.
Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod are so brilliant together in “One Day” that it feels wrong to mention one without the other. Not since “Normal People” have a pair of actors captured my psyche the way these two have. Woodall, fresh off “The White Lotus,” dramatically switches gears, playing a swoon-worthy heartthrob with a trunk full of emotional damage and no one to lean on besides Mod’s Emma. Mod brings so much energy to such an intelligently insightful character. Both characters juxtapose yet complement each other seamlessly, and that’s all credit to Mod and Woodall’s effortless chemistry.
With all the cringe-inducing drama that Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone, and Benny Safdie concocted on Showtime’s “The Curse,” it feels like Nizhonniya Luxi Austin makes a strong case for being the only character who made it out (somewhat) alright at the end of the series. Austin (who plays Indigenous artist Cara Durand) spends a large majority of her time on the series acting opposite Stone – and is outstanding. Cara has to endlessly endure Whitney (Stone) and all the microaggressions that come along with her privileged behavior. Austin painfully captures a character slowly being pushed to a breaking point as she’s constantly being harangued and manipulated by a grifter only motivated by personal gain. The entire series’ scathing commentary on gentrification, white privilege, and psycho-television personalities works, in part, due to Austin’s ability to tap into viewers’ empathy. Out of everyone on this list, Austin may have delivered the most underrated performance on television in the past year.
If you didn’t catch “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.,” then you are missing out on some of the funniest television of the year. The stand-up comic’s six-episode foray into late-night variety television showcases the beauties and oddities of the town that he loves so dearly. “Everybody’s in L.A.” feels like a natural evolution to Mulaney’s style of humor at this stage of his career. The entire show feels like an inside joke that only he and those closest to him would understand. “Everybody’s in L.A.” is the only show where you’ll have bits such as Richard Kind beefing with Saymo the delivery robot, Kevin Gage performing stand-up as Waingro (his character from Michael Mann’s “Heat”), and guests of the show trying to find Flea. It’s nonsensical in all the right ways and may be one of the bigger delights to come to television in recent memory.
Who do you think deserves to be in the conversation for an Emmy nomination this year? Do you agree with our list? Please let us know in the comments section below or on Next Best Picture’s Twitter account. Be sure to also check out our Next Best Series Podcast throughout the Emmy season and our current Emmy Award Nomination predictions here.
