The 77 Emmys nominations have been announced and the state of almost everything has been given, it is easy not to worry.
Our president is dismantling great portions of the federal government and offers new tax exemptions to people such as the portrayed who behave badly in “the white lotus.” The sudden floods, an epidemic of potential measles and the bloody wars in Ukraine and the Middle East seem to echo the pre-apocalyptic drums of the “Paradise”.
Federal Masked ICE agents, which seem to be part of the Federal Disaster Response Agency of “The Last of Us”, roam the streets of Los Angeles, arrested people who could not have the right documentation and take them to the detention centers that seem to be out of “the history of women.”
Television itself is in a state of free fall, with transmission prices even increasing when the amount of new series decreases sharply, and although “The Studio” makes it seem that it is still the geographical center of the entertainment business, the increasingly empty sound scenario of the city and unemployed production workers tell another story.
Then, since many Americans could agree to work for the sinister Lumon industries of “Severance” if it guaranteed a decent payment check and benefits of medical care, it seems impossible to obtain an emotion on how many Nominations HBO/Max, Netflix, Apple TV+ or any other entertainment conglomeration with an obscenely exaggerated CEO received this year.
Except, you know, Jeff Hiller, whose surprising role of median age, as sincere Joel in “Sombody Subwhere” finally obtained the nomination he deserved. Or Jenny Slate, who skillfully sank plaques of hilarity, humanity and pathos in “dying for sex.” With its good appearance and seductive accent, Colin Farrell still managed to hypnotize in “The Penguin”, which not only resurrected an exhausted genre, but also led him to a new level of story narration.
From its 15 -year -old star to its risky direction of a single shot and disturbingly resonant themes, the limited series “adolescence” was as close to perfection as television. Jean Smart (“Hacks”), Kathy Bates (“Matlock”) and Catherine O'Hara (“The Studio”) continue to demonstrate the absurdity of the traditional margin of women of Hollywood of women over 40, while “Abbott Elementary” reminds us how good it can be a traditional transmission comedy.
The artistic awards of any kind are inevitably absurd, how a relatively small group of people decides what is “better”, and given the quantity and diversity of television, Emmy are more absurd than most.
According to the president of the Television Academy, Cris Abrego, this was a record year in terms of electoral participation. Even so, it is difficult to see categories dominated by one or two programs and I do not ask how much television the vote members managed to see. If it were just a matter of judging programs in episodes sent, after all there would be no need for FYC faces.
But Emmy are important because television is art. And art matters. Even if you imply complaining how ridiculous this year is the elections, the nominations give us the opportunity to talk about art: what touched/impressed/moved/changed us, or not. What comforted us, bothered us, made us laugh or look at things a bit different and why.
That is important, especially when so much is in a constant state of agitation, when we everywhere we look at people question the future of democracy, civilization, the planet. Television can be used as an escape from “real life”, and heaven knows that we could all use some of that, but its existence, and our appreciation of this is part of that real life.
Art is a distinctive seal of civilization. It is proof that we have evolved beyond the basic instincts of survival, that we understand the need for stories, images and music, and that we encourage its creation and appreciate the existence of even those things that we personally do not perceive as great or good.
Although Peak TV gives way to the era of contraction, television remains one of our most universally experienced art forms. At its most basic level, it is curiosity: we see television, whether “slow horses”, “the Pitt” or “the traitors”, to see what other people are doing, what they feel, say and do in a wide variety of circumstances and if we feel, say or do something similar.
So, yes, Emmy are not as important as ice raids, sudden floods, children who die of measles or the social security network of disappearance. When climate change has made the world so hot that the World Cup is under threat, it is easy to consider conversations about why “squid game” or the last season of “The Handmaid's Tale” did not receive important nominations, or how the members of the Academy could nominate Martin Short and not Steve Martin for “only murders in the building”, a complete waste.
Until considering the alternative. Because the day we stop celebrating and discussing art is the day we will know that bastards have won.
