Drama series

You couldn’t pay me to watch The Gilded AgeI have the first two episodes of Stand out and had no idea what was going on, so I left. I am not a fan of The morning show – I was honestly shocked that it was nominated. The Crown was well done, and Elizabeth Debicki was great, but it’s just not my thing. I liked 3 Body problem — you could see that it came from the same people who game of Thronesand there’s even a moment like the “Red Wedding” that is absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t think I would like it Mr and Mrs Smith – I wasn’t sure why you would remake something so new – but I was delighted; both stars (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine) were great and the dialogue was sparkling. Slow horses is one of my favorite things on TV – you can practically smell Gary Oldman through the TV – and I’m so glad it’s finally being recognized. But I was just fascinated by Shogun. I didn’t expect to be swept up in it, but it was fucking great. Not only was it gripping, but as a producer/director, I look at it and think, “They shot that thing in Vancouver?!” I really admire (FX head John) Landgraf. He zigs when other people zig, which is incredibly rare in our business today. Nobody was in a hurry to make a miniseries based on thick books that don’t have ongoing characters, and on top of that, it’s almost entirely in Japanese. There are so many things that made that a huge swing that easily could have gone down the toilet. There aren’t many things on TV that make me say, “I don’t even know how they did that,” but this one did that several times. That earthquake sequence? I’d have to go back frame by frame to figure out how the hell they did that.

My voice Shogun (Effects)

Comedy series

I do not believe that the concept of Hacking or Only murders in the building holds up – how many times can you drive the characters apart and then bring them back together? Palm Royale was the Triple-A (Minor Leagues of Baseball) version of The White Lotus. I love curb Your enthusiasm, Reservation dogs And What we do in the shadowsbut her nomination is enough. I almost voted for Abbott Elementary School because it is consistently funny, and I want to applaud the fact that it is on an old network. But you can’t not The bear. I thought, “Well, they’ll never live up to the first season; they’ll have the same gloom as most shows.” But the second season was better than the first! That Christopher Storer is – and I don’t use that term lightly – a genius. That Christmas dinner episode is one of the five best episodes in television history.

My voice The bear (Effects)

Limited series or anthology

Chemistry lessons was a great book, but a huge disappointment as a television series – Brie Larson’s character never changes. Baby reindeer takes a while to get going, but when it takes that left turn, it is the most brutal, unpleasant script I have seen in a long time; I know some people who had to turn it off because it was just too much for them. I always Fargo. The first two seasons were the top 10 of the last decade. The third season was terrible. The fourth was pretty good. But the fifth was great – Noah Hawley has an underrated ability to fill roles and Jon Hamm was fantastic. This season of True Detective: Nightland was also a return to form – Jodie Foster is a national hero and Kali Reis was a great discovery. I had never heard of (showrunner) Issa López, but I was so impressed after the first two episodes that I watched the Mexican film that got her the job, Tigers are not afraid; it looked like it was made for 25 cents, but it is phenomenal and I am so excited to see what she does next. But I had to Ripley because it’s incredible. Great performances. The craftsmanship is top notch. Every frame is fucking gorgeous. It’s the most beautiful television video ever made, period. I loved it.

My voice Ripley (Netflix)

TV movie

What happened? This is the category that Brian’s Song, The day after, An early frost, And the band continued playing And SybilHow did this category Unfrostedwhich should actually mean Not viewable? This is no laughing matter. Quiz Lady cost $24 million, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, was supposed to be released in theaters but never was. This is not a TV movie. Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie? It’s nice to see these characters again, but it’s not worthy of a nomination. Red, white and royal blue was ok. scoop wasn’t particularly convincing, but it was the only one that had the feel of a traditional, socially critical movie of the week.

My voice scoop (Netflix)

Screenwriter variety series

What the hell? Why are there only two nominees? This was a difficult decision because I love both of them (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver And Saturday Night Live), and they are so different. I chose SNL because there is no John Oliver Episode that blew me away, but there were two SNL Episodes where this was the case: the episode hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze, in which the George Washington sketch is among the 20 best sketches in the show’s history, and the episode hosted by Ryan Gosling, which is perhaps the best of the last decade.

My voice Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Lecture series

I like Seth Meyers (Late Night with Seth Meyers), but he is not on the same level as the others. I came back to The daily show for Jon Stewart – I watch the rest of the week occasionally, but I haven’t missed a single Monday. If Stewart had come back five days a week, I would have voted for The daily show; the other presenters do a good job, but Stewart is on a level that surpasses all the others – he is the closest thing to Carson. For me it was between Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) and Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert). I like that Colbert occasionally talks about things that need to be talked about, because his audience might not get them anywhere else. But I just love Kimmel. He keeps giving great monologues. He has great guests. And he’s become a really good interviewer.

My voice Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

Reality competition series

I do not care The voice or The amazing race more. I gave up The traitors — I didn’t like it. I voted for RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race) every year it runs. And I used to be a fan of Top chefbut I fell off. Then I started listening to a podcast about television called The clockand they are obsessed with Top chef. I thought: “These guys are really smart, why don’t I catch up Top chef?” And now I understand why they’re so obsessed: It’s really good.

My voice Top chef (Bravo)

Variety Special (Live)

Halftime shows like The Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show with Usher and roast like The greatest roast of all time: Tom Brady are not the purpose of the Emmys. The Dean Martin Roasts were never nominated. I’m not saying the Brady Roasts weren’t funny, but they’re not Emmy-worthy. The Oscars were great — they resurrected something dead. The Tonys did a really good job. But the Grammys were the best Grammys I’ve ever seen. They had Joni Mitchell, which was a top-five Grammy moment; Billy Joel, who hasn’t performed at the Grammys in 30 years, which was fantastic; Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, which was a showstopper; Billie Eilish, whose performance was also off the charts; and the biggest star in the world, Taylor Swift, right up front.

My voice 66th Grammy Awards (CBS)

Variety Special (recorded)

I haven’t seen Nikki Glaser (One day you will die) or Dick Van Dyke (98 years of magic). Dave Chappelle’s earlier specials were better (than The Dreamer).The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden) didn’t capture what’s so great about Billy – he’s much better live than he is on TV. Trevor Noah (Where was I) was funny from start to finish.

My voice Trevor Noah: Where was I (Netflix)

Documentary series

I have not seen Telemarketing or Stax (Soulsville, United States). I watched The Curse – Part Twowhich is not comparable to the first one. I loved Beckhamwho will probably win. But I have for Peace on set. Documentaries are supposed to make a difference, and this one made a big difference. There is very little in the industry that surprises me, but there was stuff in this that shocked even me.

My voice Peace on set: The dark side of children’s television (ID)

Documentary special

I found Jim Henson, the idea man to be disappointing. I liked Girls State. Steve! (Martin) a documentary in 2 parts was not as convincing as I wanted. I was more convinced by Albert Brooks: I defend my life because there are so many interesting aspects to his life, like the death of his father at the Friars Club and Carl Reiner, who is his surrogate father; and I had forgotten how brilliant he was as a stand-up comedian and his little SNL films. The clips were great, but even if they had just pointed a camera at him and Rob Reiner at lunch, I would have watched for two hours. Any other year I would have voted for it, but this year also had Pop’s biggest night. It’s so well done and such a crazy window into another time. You could never pull that shit again! I’ll never get over the fact that Stevie Wonder taught Bob Dylan how to be Bob Dylan.

My voice Pop’s biggest night

This story first appeared in the August 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.