2016 Emmy Awards - Too much to watch

If I learned anything watching last night's Emmy Awards, it is that there is simply too much good television to watch. Some are calling this the era of "Peak TV", while others are calling it a new Golden Age of television. All I know is there is no way we are all going to be able to watch it all.

The past year was full of people asking me if I was watching "Mr. Robot" or if I had binged all of "Stranger Things". I admit I haven't gotten to "Stranger Things", but plan to any day now.  I know, I know. It came out after Emmy eligibility, but I already feel behind for not having seen it. Everyone was talking about television this year and the chatter seem to really build around new shows.

Last night I was thrilled for Tatiana Maslany's win in particular. I'm so glad to see her work recognized before "Orphan Black" wraps up next season. It seems like sometimes it takes a few years for the nominators to come around to certain performances or programs. "The Americans" can attest to that, another show I've been told I simply dropped the ball not watching when it first premiered a few years ago. How could the "Felicity" fan in me do that to myself?

The show seemed to clip along at a good pace his year, but maybe it was just because there were so many surprises. It was interesting to read this morning in The Hollywood Reporter that the academy voting has changed. Voters now check off their top choice instead of using a ranking and point system. Blue ribbon panels have also been changed to encompass a much larger body of the specific branch if voters agree to watch the episodes submitted. I would bet that Rami Malek's deserved win for Best Actor in a Drama Series benefited from such changes to the system as I'm sure he got a lot of picks from his fellow actors.

I was also happy to see "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" dominate the night after having a strong showing at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards with wins for Best Limited Series, Writing for a Limited Series/Movie, Sterling K. Brown in Supporting Actor, and Courtney B. Vance and Sarah Paulson in the Lead Categories. I've been a fan of Paulson's for such a long time so it was great to see her finally grab the gold. The "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" episode (which won the writing award) was one of the best things I've seen all year.

The fall television season begins in full force this week. I already feel behind and have plenty of catch up to do, but you just have to plow ahead because TV doesn't wait.