Even more so than the annual Academy Awards for achievements in film, the Primetime Emmy Awards seem to either award the same thing every year or never get around to awarding series, actors, and creative voices that really push the bounds of the ordinary. Is that a generalization ripe for argument? Of course. But when you watch as much television as we do here at borg.com, at some point years ago we just turned off the TV award shows and never looked back.
So what changed this year? Tatiana Maslany won best actress in a drama for Orphan Black. Rami Malek won best actor in a drama for Mr. Robot. Louie Anderson won best supporting actor for Baskets. And the special Sherlock–The Abominable Bride won for best TV movie. So what poles shifted? What constellations re-aligned? What does that mean if our own best picks align with Emmy voters? Are we finally “in-touch”?
Take Tatiana Maslany, a top borg.com pick three years in a row for best actress in television (or any other medium). Not to slight her wonderful supporting cast, but she’s practically a one-woman show, playing a half a dozen characters each season–and seven this year in her fourth season playing clone sestra–meaning every scene is critical and must reflect Maslany’s work–and viewer believability–as a completely different person. She never gets the luxury of “phoning in” a performance. The result is top-notch television, and the best acting and toughest role we’ve ever seen, executed with mastery. Go Clone Club!
