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.

There's no time for all this good TV.

Andy Samberg's opening song pretty much told the whole story on Sunday's Emmy Awards. There really isn't enough time to watch everything you want to on television. You would have to have no responsibilities, go into an underground bunker and glue yourself to the screen to watch everything you want and everything you have been told that you need to watch. A part of me thinks I would feel good after, knowing that I had nothing to catch up on, but the other part of me realizes my mind would just start drifting to all the books I want to read, the movies I need to see and all the other real life stuff I would like to get done.

Many people don't tend to get all that excited about the Emmy Awards. There are over twenty categories to get through, a lot of people only watch a select amount of shows, and it doesn't carry the same degree of build-up as the Oscars and even the Golden Globes for the actual ceremony. One thing that was nice about the show on Sunday was seeing an increase in diversity amongst the nominees and winners. It was a refreshing change to see two female directors take home the trophies for "Transparent" (Jill Soloway) and "Olive Kitteridge" (Lisa Cholodenko). Actress Regina King took home an Emmy after decades of stellar work and Uzo Aduba's win proved to be quite the emotional moment on her personal journey in the business. Viola Davis made history as the first African-American actress to win Lead Actress in a Drama and her speech was another inspiring moment of the night. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there," she said, pointing out that women of color just need opportunity. 

I am excited to see the returns of "How To Get Away with Murder" and "Empire" this week. These thrilling, fast-paced shows are changing things on the network side. Audiences want to sit down and devour everything about them - the world, the characters and the countless twists and turns. I'm still in mourning over the end of "Mad Men" however, one of my favorite dramas. I was happy that at least one actor from the show was finally recognized by the Television Academy for their work. If it had to be just one person, Jon Hamm deserved it.

I'm surprised by how when I look back on my past year of entertainment consumption, how much I think about the television moments now, and not just the great movies or music that affected me. Film and television seem to be growing closer in a lot of ways, from the actors working in the mediums to the quality you can find...if you have the time.