Emmy Picks… Give it to Hamm Already
Don your best Dolce & Gabana, roll out the red carpet and join Cablefax’s Mike Grebb, Kaylee Hultgren, Amy Maclean and Seth Arenstein in debating who will (and who should) win Emmys Sun night ( Fox, 8pm ET). Best Drama Series: Mike: “Mad Men,” it’s the final send-off. Kaylee: Agreed. It was one for the cable history books. Seth: I think it goes to “Game of Thrones,” but Mad Men or “Downton” could surprise. Lead Actor, Drama: Kaylee: I dare anyone to refute that Jon Hamm will win for the final season of Mad Men. The world owes him a win after so many Emmy snubs—and his acting was in fact the finest this last season. Mike: Yes, the Academy will finally acquiesce. Amy: If he doesn’t win, it’ll be the biggest shocker of the night. Lead Actress, Drama: Amy: COOKIE! That’s her name, take a bite. OK, actually her name is Taraji Henson if you don’t watch “Empire.” Mike: Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”). Tatiana Maslany of BBC America’s “Orphan Black” might pull it out, but she’s unfamiliar to most Emmy voters. Best Comedy Series: Kaylee: Amazon has transformed into a true contender with original programming. Case in point: Transparent. Mike: I’m going with HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” Too good not to win despite tough competition. Lead Actor, Comedy: Kaylee: Got to go with Jeffrey Tambor—and not because of the current spotlight on transgender, but because his performance is so genuine and lovely. Seth: Yes, hands down. Lead Actress, Comedy: Mike: Amy Schumer. She’s unstoppable right now, although Lily Tomlin could pull it out as the Academy skews older. Seth: Schumer or Tomlin, although Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Edie Falco are deserving, too. Outstanding Limited Series: Mike: American Horror Story: Freak Show. FX has an incredible Emmys lobbying machine. Amy: I think SundanceTV has a shot at stealing this away with “The Honorable Woman.” Seth: I’d love to see Honorable Woman win, but AHS or even Olive Kitteridge will take it. Outstanding TV Movie: Seth: “Bessie” wins, although the story behind the making of the HBO film was better than the movie itself. Kaylee: “Hello Ladies.” I’m a sucker for British comedy.
“Vet School,” premiere, Sat, 10pm, Nat Geo Wild. True to Wild’s no-nonsense view of animals, the most gripping stories in ep 1 of this fine docu-series are about critically ill dogs. After wiping away tears, you realize you’ve learned a lot about animals and the veterinary students who care for them. — “Ferrell Takes the Field,” Sat, 11pm ET, HBO2 East. This special is the definition of a total hoot, especially for baseball fans. A for-charity stunt, taped during spring training, has Will Ferrell leaning on his ability to act totally serious while everyone else is doubled over in laughter. Ferrell spends a day and evening playing all 9 positions for various MLB teams. His journey produced a wide grin on our face for the entire special, with a break for a belly laugh halfway in, when Ferrell recalls a childhood visit to a big league park (you’ll see). HBO’s cinematography and music teams deserve kudos; they mirrored Ferrell’s faux seriousness perfectly. — The Doctor is In:Indeed, should your subscribers be running low on “Dr. Who,” they’re in luck. To celebrate the premiere of the good Doctor’s 9th season (Sat, 9pm, BBC America), BBCA has been running Dr. Who eps non-stop since early Wed. That’s more shows than you can fit into a 1960s-style London police callbox. – Seth Arenstein
