A pair of shows with Utah ties could each win high-profile Emmys on Monday … but don’t bet the rent on it.
“Westworld,” which is filmed partly in Utah, is nominated as best drama series. And “Godless,” which wasn’t filmed here but does include the Mountain Meadows Massacre as a pivotal plot point, is nominated as best limited series. Odds are they won’t win.
Utah already has ties to three Emmys, handed out this past weekend. “Queer Eye” — which features Utahn Tan France as one of its stars — won Emmys for best structured reality show, casting and editing.
(There are so many Emmys, it takes three nights to announce them. The “creative arts” awards were presented this past Saturday and Sunday.)
France, by the way, is not only working on an autobiography, but he’s making a guest appearance on the upcoming, fourth-and-final season of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”
Here’s what to expect when the high-profile Emmys are presented (6 p.m., NBC/Channel 5). Michael Che and Colin Jost (“Saturday Night Live”) are the hosts.
Best Drama • “The Americans” (FX), “The Crown” (Netflix), “Game of Thrones” (HBO), “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu), “Stranger Things” (Netflix), “This Is Us” (NBC), “WestWorld” (HBO)
“Handmaid’s Tale” won last year, but “Game of Thrones” wasn’t eligible. It’s the frontrunner; it already has seven this year after the creative arts presentations, bringing its overall total to 45 — the most ever by any show. But there’s a chance that “The Americans” might finally get rewarded after six great seasons.
(“Westworld” did win for interactive media, makeup and hairstyling; “Godless” won for main title theme music.)
Best Comedy • “Atlanta” (FX), “Barry” (HBO), “black-ish” (ABC), “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO), “GLOW” (Netflix), “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon), “Silicon Valley” (HBO), “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)
It’s difficult to imagine “Atlanta” not winning. But the Emmys aren’t always fair.
Best Limited Series • “The Alienist” (TNT), “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” (FX), “Genius: Picasso” (A&E), “Godless” (Netflix), “Patrick Melrose” (Showtime)
I’d vote for “Patrick Melrose.” But it seems pretty clear that “Versace” will win; it already has four awards this year. I remain troubled that so much of the narrative in that supposedly fact-based series was fabricated.
Best Actor in a Comedy • Anthony Anderson (“black-ish”), Ted Danson (“The Good Place”), Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Donald Glover (“Atlanta”), Bill Hader (“Barry”), William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
If Glover doesn’t win, it will be a joke.
Best Actress in a Comedy • Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”), Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Allison Janney (“Mom”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Tracee Ellis Ross (“black-ish”), Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”)
All are deserving. I’d vote for Brosnahan; Janney will probably win.
Best Actor in a Drama • Jason Bateman (“Ozark”), Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”), Ed Harris (“Westworld”), Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”), Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us”), Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”)
Rhys ought to win; Brown might win again.
Best Actress in a Drama • Claire Foy (“The Crown”), Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”), Keri Russell (“The Americans”), Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld”)
It would be great if Oh or Russell won; Moss probably will. (Not that she’s not also deserving, but she won last year.)
