While it’s certainly possible to say that the superhero genre as a whole is largely ignored by most awards shows, short of the occasional Heath Ledger Oscar win, what is arguably the best superhero show ever made, The Penguin, has changed that narrative.
Ahead of the “main” show this upcoming weekend on September 14, The Penguin, more of a crime drama than a superhero show, to be honest, has already won 8 Emmys out of its near-record 24 nominations, second only to Severance with 27, and easily the most nominations for a Limited Series. At the Creative Arts Emmys, for less high-profile awards than the ones that will go out on the big stage, The Penguin has won these eight:
- Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling
- Outstanding Contemporary Makeup
- Outstanding Contemporary Costumes
- Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
- Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A Single Episode
- Outstanding Music Composition
- Outstanding Sound Mixing
- Outstanding Sound Editing
That’s just from this past show, and among the rest of its nominations, most of which will be at the big show next weekend, it’s nominated in almost all top categories including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Colin Farrell), Outstanding Lead Actress (Cristin Milioti), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Deirdre O’Donnell), Outstanding Writing (Lauren LeFranc) and two Outstanding Directing nominations (Jennifer Getzinger, Helen Shaver).
So, it’s going to win all of them right? Well, we’ll see. The main competition has in the Limited Series category now that The White Lotus has been booted out is Adolescence, the huge hit on Netflix about a teen murderer that featured incredible performances and four, one-shot episodes that practically seemed impossible to film. That is steep competition in a number of categories, especially in the overall Limited Series category. Stephen Graham will compete against Colin Farrell, but first-time actor, Owen Cooper, who plays the teen in question, is almost certain to win Outstanding Supporting Actor.
I think the Limited Series category is more interesting than the actual Drama Series on given that The White Lotus has jammed just so many nominations in there. In Supporting Actress there are four White Lotus actors, in Supporting Actor there are three. One good thing there is that it’s a series without a lead, so there are no nominations in those categories. Best Actor seems to have The Pitt’s Noah Wyle as a frontrunner. Britt Lower could take Best Actress for Severance, but I wouldn’t rule out Kathy Bates for Matlock. Everyone loves Kathy Bates.
I think The Penguin will clean up a few more categories, mainly Colin Farrell as lead actor and I hope Cristin Milioti for lead actress. But I think Adolescence will take the top prize.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.