One of my highlights of the 2022-23 TV season was on “Ted Lasso” when the soccer players on AFC Richmond sang the lyrics of “So Long, Farewell” to their coach after learning it was going to be his final season in England.
It was even sweeter since Ted earlier in the season asked his fellow coaches who their favorite Julie Andrews character was. Ted (Jason Sudeikis) picked Mary Poppins, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) picked Maria von Trapp.
Andrews famously played Maria in the movie version of “The Sound of Music,” in which all the von Trapp children sang “So Long, Farewell.”
Many television critics sounded off negatively on the final season of “Ted Lasso” on Apple TV+. I thought the season had some shaky early moments, but it was back on its game in the last several episodes and had a satisfying ending.
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The Emmy voters apparently agreed. “Lasso,” which recently was ignored in the Television Critics Association nominations, received 21 Emmy nominations Wednesday, including for the direction of the “So Long, Farewell” final episode. Sudeikis was nominated for playing Ted and was joined by teammates Goldstein, Phil Dunster, Hannah Waddington, Juno Temple, Sarah Niles and Becky Ann Baker, who played Ted’s mother.
HBO’s “Succession” had 27 Emmy nominations, the most of any show. Sara Snook, left, and Brian Cox, who play father and daughter, were among the multiple actors on the popular series who received nominations.
“Lasso” was the fourth most nominated program, behind three HBO series given TCA nominations – “Succession” (27 Emmy nominations), “The Last of Us” (24) and “The White Lotus” (23).
Every actor in the extended Roy family of media monsters was nominated – Bryan Cox, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck and James Cromwell. Supporting characters played by Matthew Macfayden, Nicholas Braun, J. Smith-Cameron, Hiam Abbass, Cherry Jones, Arian Moayed, Harriett Walter and Alexander Skarsgård were along for the ride. And, of course, creator-writer Jesse Armstrong was nominated.
Similarly, just about every key cast member of “The Last of Us” was nominated including triple nominee Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Keivonn Woodard, Storm Reid, Melanie Lynskey, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett.
Ditto for the cast of “The White Lotus,” including F. Murray Abraham, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Will Sharpe, Meghann Fahy, Sabrina Impacciatore and Simona Tabasco.
Looking at all those nominations, it was almost as if some Emmy voters only watched three programs.
Of course, not even a TV critic can watch everything these days carried on broadcast television, cable, pay-cable and streaming services.
I haven’t seen everything and I just look for some of my favorite things and some surprising things about the nominations.
One of my favorite things was seeing Julie Andrews nominated for her voiceover work on “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” So cue up the soundtrack of “The Sound of Music” to hear Andrews sing as you look at more of my list of favorite things about the nominations.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” gets some love: I also loved the series finale of the Prime Video series. It was ignored by the TCA, but it received an Emmy nomination as best comedy. Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein and Luke Kirby received nominations. Writer-creator Amy Palladino-Sherman was nominated for best director for the series finale, “Four Minutes,” but surprisingly didn’t get a writing nomination for the episode.
James Marsden nominated for playing James Marsden: He played a fictional obnoxious, prima-donna version of himself in the Freevee-Prime Video comedy “Jury Duty” about a gracious, clueless guy who, despite the craziness around him, didn’t realize everyone else on the jury was an actor in a fake case. It grew on me after a few episodes of watching Marsden make everything about him. Marsden also was nominated for a TCA Award so let’s hope his ego doesn’t get out of control.
Network TV gets poor grades: The only prime-time scripted broadcast network to get any love was ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” Its eight nominations included one for best comedy. Creator and star Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James, Tyler James Williams and Taraji P. Henson were nominated in acting categories.
It’s a crime: While Martin Short was nominated for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” his cohort in crime solving, Steve Martin, strangely wasn’t. They are a team like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis used to be. The snub makes no sense. Nor did the absence of the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking” from a best comedy nomination. It received three TCA nominations. I would have given it an Emmy nomination over “Jury Duty,” which critics put in the reality category. At least “Shrinking” stars Jason Segel and Jessica Williams received Emmy nominations. Surprisingly, Harrison Ford was not and had to be content with a TCA nomination. Christine Baranski also was snubbed for her work in the final season of “The Good Fight” on Paramount+. She received a TCA nomination.
First course of “The Bear” gets meaty nominations: The FX on Hulu series received 13 nominations, including one for best comedy. Cast members Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edeibiri, Jon Bernthal and Oliver Platt all were nominated. The even-better second season, which started after the eligibility date, should get more nominations.
Elvis’ granddaughter is in the building: Riley Keough, the female lead in Prime Video’s “Daisy Jones & the Six,” was nominated. Her performance was the best part of the series.
The local angle: Marguerite Derricks, a Western New Yorker, was nominated for outstanding choreography for a musical number in an episode of “Mrs. Maisel.”
Ken Burns honored: Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein all were nominated as directors of “The U.S. and the Holocaust” and Geoffrey Ward as the writer. The series was nominated as best documentary.
Bad sister, good series: Sharon Horgan, one of the stars of my favorite under-the-radar series, “Bad Sisters” on Apple TV+, was nominated in acting and writing categories. The rebellious sister is played by Eve Hewson, the daughter of U2’s Bono.
Tip of the cap to Lizzy: I’ve long been a fan of Lizzy Caplan, who makes everything she is in better. She was nominated for her part in FX on Hulu’s “Fleishman is in Trouble.” She also was terrific in the Glenn Close role in the Paramount+ remake of “Fatal Attraction.”
Landry still going strong: When I watched one of my favorite all-time shows, “Friday Night Lights,” I always said that Jesse Plemons, who played Landry, was going to become a breakout star. Kidding. I didn’t imagine he’d have the career he has had. His latest nomination is as one of the stars of the HBO Max series “Love & Death,” which deserved more nominations. Shockingly, Elizabeth Olsen, who played the lead, wasn’t nominated.
The answer is Mayim Bialik: She got the last laugh on all her critics on social networks as she and Ken Jennings were both nominated as hosts of “Jeopardy!” in the outstanding game show category.
Oliver, Oliver: I was surprised I didn’t see “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” in the talk show category before seeing the program in a variety category. His old boss, Jon Stewart, was nominated in the talk category for his Apple TV+ series, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” Emmy voters think “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” has problems. It wasn’t nominated.
The political zone: David Letterman’s Netflix series, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” was nominated for the episode in which he interviewed Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukraine leader has something in common with Letterman. He is a former comedian. Former President Barack Obama was nominated as best narrator for Netflix’s “Working: What We Do All Day” on Netflix and his wife Michelle was nominated as executive producer of Netflix’s “The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey.”
The Emmy winners will be announced Sept. 18. The show airs on Fox opposite a Monday Night Football doubleheader on ABC and ESPN.
