Because All The Cool Kids Are Doing This: Opining About The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards

/ Ally Bean

I didn’t watch the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards the other night.

I never watch award shows anymore because they get me all riled up.  I either disagree with who/what gets the awards, or I disagree with the lengthy opinions expressed by some recipients.

I want my favorite shows to win because I know what is best.  And I want the award recipients to say “thank you” then mosey off the stage directly.

We get it, you’re great.  Now move on.

Also, I despise the red carpet “reporters” with their judgemental chatter/stupid interviews as the stars walk the red carpet.  Didn’t your mothers teach you that if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all?

Be polite or shut up. That’s the deal in my world view of how the Primetime Emmy Awards, or any award show, should be.

~ ~ 🏆 ~ ~

However, even though I didn’t watch the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, I got opinions– and I know how to use ’em. 

• First of all, the best comedy show is The Good Place with Kristen Bell and Ted Danson.  It’s smart, quirky, and hilarious.  With cheerful sets and a snappy pace.  And it’s funny, in a non-mocking way.

You’ll notice it wasn’t part of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards which just goes to show you how wrong the whole Emmy thing was.

• Second of all, This is Us is a wonderful, genuine drama that kept me engaged [difficult to do] and made me, an introvert with a low opinion of people, want to know more about these people [extremely difficult to do].

The show moves seamlessly between past and present while never losing sight of the relationships that form the core of the storyline.  I like the actors. I like the writing. I like the sets. I like the costumes.

So where are the plethora of awards that it deserved?

• Thirdly, The Crown is brilliant. No other word for that TV show.  I read that John Lithgow received an Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill and that’s good because he was spectacular in that role.  But again, how about everyone else in the show?  Where are their awards?

[And don’t try to downplay this show as only a costume drama, because that just makes you look ignorant about how necessary it is for us to understand history– and it gripes my grits when people say that.  So don’t do it.]  

~ ~ 🏆 ~ ~

And on that note I’ll end this post with a short summation of what I’ve written here about the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.

I’ve given you, my gentle readers, a fast review of three decent, returning this season, TV shows* that you may want to watch in the upcoming months.  You may thank me in the comments below.

And I’ve vented about how stupid I think award shows are– a sentiment that many other people agree with, if Sunday’s low ratings are to be believed.

* I didn’t realize that Veep was a comedy until I read the list of the winners. I might like it and will consider watching it.  Also, Big Little Lies looks promising, but we don’t get HBO, so until these shows hit Netflix or Hulu I won’t be seeing them. 

76 thoughts on “Because All The Cool Kids Are Doing This: Opining About The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards”

  2. I did watch it…or I should say had it on in the background while I was doing something else. I’ve never heard of many of the shows. We don’t stream so that eliminates some. I am always stunned at how people who get paid to stand in front of a crowd and speak, can’t put a full sentence together that makes sense. You know you are nominated, prepare just in case. I also get sick of the “OMG! I can’t believe this!” chatter that they do for the time they are suppose to be doing the acceptance part. Then the music starts and they rattle off a litany of names. Not interested! Your time is up. Get off the stage. Jane Fonda looks fabulous at 78!

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  3. I am in love with The Crown. Admittedly, I’m a history junkie with a huge fondness for British accents and maybe have a side of Anglophilia (…is that a word?), but it is so beautifully acted and shot.

    We did not watch the Emmys, but that’s not unusual. We sort of gave up on awards shows awhile back. When I was huge into film, we made a date for the Oscars, but not so much anymore. And the red carpet idiocy is offensive anymore; could anything matter any less than who anyone is wearing, etc?

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    • nance, Zen-Den got me watching The Crown. He was into it, so being that I majored in English, he told me that I needed to watch it. He was right, so good– regardless of your college major.

      I don’t enjoy award shows. I find them tedious and time-consuming. I agree about the whole red carpet phenomenon. I don’t care who made your gown, and I don’t care how thrilled you are to be at the award ceremony. Just hightail it inside, and let’s get this show on the road.

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  4. My wife and I are watching The Crown…excellent show…I watch little TV anymore (I have a back log of books to read and review and life to live!).

    And if your grits get gripped…my gizzard gets frosted! 🙂

    Great post Ally!

    Jim

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jim, I initially thought that The Crown might be pedantic, however it is anything but that. I find it compelling and can’t wait for Season 2.

      Good to know about your gizzard. Mustn’t allow it to become frosted. 😉

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  5. No cable here, so I don’t watch, but I do venture from time-to-time to Netflix – I’ll keep my eyes peeled for those you have suggested. I know The Crown is carried there.

    Back in Southern Ontario, a friend would host an annual Oscar PJ Party – the deal was to come in comfy clothes and settle in for a long evening of armchair critique. First the red carpet, then the awards proper.

    Since I don’t take in movies either, the awards meant nothing to me. And the criticism of the gowns and makeup and escorts? Too much! Whoa, settle down! Ease up, why don’t you? These were my thoughts directed toward the women in the living room. How easily they fell into the cruel, but oh-so-clever banter.

    It bothered me. I knew I wouldn’t care for it, but it was a social night out. I declined subsequent invites.

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  6. Maggie, we watched The Crown on Netflix, and I watched This Is Us + The Good Place on Hulu. I rarely see anything on regular TV anymore.

    What a sad party. I wouldn’t enjoy sitting around criticizing people on the screen, even if it is for snorts and giggles. Seems mean and pointless to me, but I don’t doubt that the party you attended is one of many. Glad you didn’t go back again. Who needs that?

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  7. TV watching is really pretty low on my radar, and really if you’ve ever watched one awards show then you’re set for life cause I don’t think they ever really change. I’m looking forward to This Is Us coming back, the only one of your top 3 that I watch. It makes me cry sometimes, which is an okay thing. Right now I am back to Outlander’s third season and anxious for Designated Survivor to return. Oh, and the news. I do like to check out the local news in the evening- but they have their own set of journalistic honors that I also care nothing about 😉

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    • Deb, you said it: “if you’ve ever watched one awards show then you’re set for life cause I don’t think they ever really change.” 😉

      I’ve heard of Outlander, but never seen it– or even a commercial for it. Of course, I mute commercials so how could I have seen one for it? [rhetorical question] I’ll look for Outlander.

      I think that all local news stations have lots of awards… of dubious value. I can’t keep local TV stations news reporters straight because they’re interchangeable; none stand out as superior to me.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally, Outlander is on Starz so you do have to subscribe- although having clever children who can direct you to special places online to watch TV has helped me immensely as I am refusing to pay for cable TV right now 🙂 I may watch things a day or two late, but at least I have the satisfaction of keeping some of my money away from the monopoly that is our cable provider.

        Liked by 2 people

  8. I watched it because there was nothing else on, but since I watch so few of the nominated shows – The Crown, This Is Us – it was mostly background noise while I played iPad games. I wish I could get channels alacarte- I would choose HGTV & PBS. oh, and Food Network.

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    • Carol, Kate mentioned the same way of watching the show as you did. I could tolerate it in the background, while I was doing something else. I agree about wanting a la carte channels. We pay too much money now for an odd repetitive assortment of who knows what. A few channels that I selected would make TV watching a pleasure instead of struggle.

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  9. We liked This Is Us — in fact, we turned about a dozen people onto it by force-feeding them the first episode. But, we cancelled Hulu, because we just weren’t using it much, and every time we logged in, it would make us do the whole password thing again. Annoying, which caused us to watch it even less… So someday, we’ll finish This Is Us.
    I will look into The Crown on your suggestion.
    I used to watch whatever came on before Veep, and so I have watched some Veep here and there. I liked it, campy, like Arrested Development. Not sure I’d wanna watch it religiously, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
    Currently into foreign crime dramas.
    Very irritated about shows with only one season available. Sad about how fast they go.

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  10. joey, there are so many ways to watch TV anymore that I find myself, in spite of that, watching less of it than ever before because I can’t find the show that someone has recommended to me. Who knows where it is– cable, pay cable, streaming, bunny ears? It’s always a struggle to figure it out.

    When Hulu works properly, it’s great– but I wouldn’t want to have to put in my password all the time. Forget that inconvenience. We don’t get HBO so Veep is going to have to be something I checkout later… if I can find it somewhere. 🙄

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  11. I rarely watch TV anymore, except for baseball. Usually I am in the craft room working away to music or occasionally watching a movie with the hubs. I find I can’t really sit still without using my hands for coloring or crocheting while I watch and that drives him nuts. I do love the Crown and am looking forward to that again. Grace and Frankie was hilarious and I love Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. Other than that, I can see the winners online if I am so inclined as well as the “best and worst” dressed recap online as well. I do like to see the “Tribute to those we’ve lost” though, although there is usually controversy about that too…You forgot so and so! Happy Tuesday, Ally!

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    • Janet, I pick and choose my TV shows, too. No longer do we just turn on the TV to a station and let it babble in the corner of the room. I like Grace and Frankie, but forgot about it until now. I also adore The Big Bang Theory, but it’s more a phenomenon than a TV show anymore. As a kid I was never a big TV watcher, so seeing fewer shows, often via streaming, makes me happy enough as an adult.

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  12. I know a person who does a critique of the ‘fashion’ we’re subjected to at such events. Her commentary is more entertaining than the damn award show (of which there are too many IMHO). We’re NOT ALL “SPECIAL” or noteworthy…even if we do ‘star’ in some largely forgettable film, TV show or whatever. Cheers. And a hearty thanks for sparing me the angst of actually sitting through that stuff. Now I can say I’m informed, I just won’t tell anyone it was the Cliff (Ally) Note version..

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    • Embeecee, I suspect that a real person commenting on any award show would be more interesting than the “reporters” who cover it. They’re insipid, and often mean. I agree that so many TV shows are forgettable, and it makes me sad for the good talented people who starred in them but were forced to deal with bad scripts and lousy directors. We remember the actors of failed TV shows long after the name of the show escapes us.

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  13. I’m not even sure why I pay for TV anymore since I almost never turn it on (other than it probably wouldn’t make my internet/phone bill much cheaper to drop the cable out of the bundle). That about sums up how much I would know about the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards Show… other than an immature chuckle about it being the 69th show.

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    • evilsquirrel13, our cable package is the same as yours. The discount to not have all these stupid channels is negligible, so we keep them. I watch a few new TV shows, but usually via streaming so that I can see them when I want, not when the networks and cable company want me to see them.

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    • Joanne, The Crown was a big surprise to me. I thought I’d find it dull, but I was wrong. Certainly Season 2 will be here soon.

      [We’re already wondering about who’s going to play Elizabeth and Phillip after Season 2, when the older actors take over the roles. Any guesses?]

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      • oh – I hadn’t given it any thought. I just naively assumed the same characters would be back.
        I don’t know the British actors and actresses well enough to make a prediction … although I’m pretty sure we can rule out Maggie Smith 😉

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        • I read that this series will be on for 6 seasons with new actors and actresses every 2 years as Elizabeth and Phillip age. I don’t know British actors and actresses very well either, so it’ll be a surprise.

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  15. I agree about This Is Us. I’m surprised actually since it is so good and since I love it so much that it hasn’t been canceled yet.

    Big Little Lies is a lot of hype. I watched the whole damn thing and guessed the ending way before the ending. I like Zoe Kravitz, though. Let me tell you, however, that Shailene Woodley is in it and, as you may remember from my earlier complaining, I really, really, REALLY wish she would just go away.

    Awards shows are dumb. My mom and I watch in our pajamas eating cake and ice cream, the likes of which most of the extremely skinny women haven’t eaten in decades. So that’s fun. 🙂

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    • Tara, made me laugh here. I like This Is Us, and I’m known to be the hex on good TV shows, so cross your fingers that this time my positive vibes don’t get this show cancelled.

      Interesting take on Big Little Lies. I didn’t know Shailene Woodley was in it, and like you, I’d like her to go away now. Soon would be fine.

      Your approach to award shows sounds smart to me. I could feel quite good about myself while consuming lots on non-nutricious calories in the name of award show fun.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Carrie, I am unaware of most of the TV shows out there. I’ve picked up on a few via word of mouth, not via network commercials. The Crown is history made real, and it’s fun to see London in the 1950s. Plus John Lithgow as Churchill is amazing. I bet that you’d like the show.

      Liked by 1 person

    • nancy, thank you for that information. I knew it’d be back at some point. I wonder how quickly it gets picked up by Hulu after it airs on the network? Will investigate.

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  18. Loved, loved The Crown! Such beautiful writing. The Veep is great if you like political satire. Smart and darkly funny. Big Little Lies was much better than I originally thought from the trailers. Great acting. Now I guess I have to give This is us a try.

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    • camparigirl, I agree that the writing in The Crown was unusually good, realistic. I adored seeing the clothes from earlier times, and the inside of Buckingham Palace amazed me (regardless of whether or not it’s accurate). I like darkly funny shows, so I’ll keep Veep on my radar.

      This Is Us is kind of like 30something meets Modern Family with a dash of Dr. Who time travel mixed in. I liked it more than I expected to.

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  20. Thanks for the recommendation on The Good Place. I’ve seen it a few times and wondered if it’d be worth watching. I’m totally going to try it now. Also I love This is Us too 🙂

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    • Janis, I’ve never seen Breaking Bad, but I’ve heard many people praise it. There are so many shows on anymore, and trying to find the right ones for you takes effort. So different from when we were kids.

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  23. I never watch those award shows either, partly because I rarely watch TV. I need to watch more of it because I think it would engage my mind and create some distractions. Thank you for the recommendations!

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    • Margaret, I’m not interested in the award shows, but realize that if nothing else they tell me what shows are currently on TV. I watch only a few TV shows, and I don’t watch them religiously. But some days, I find that a bit of TV is exactly what I need.

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  25. Had to laugh you are so on target for the awards shows. We rarely watch any tv any more. Occasionally a new series starts up and is well written, cast well, but it seems shortly the original writers move on and the show is over.
    Thanks for “The Crown” suggestion – been looking for something – something not stupid and entertaining ( that used to be fairly common) Outlander? Made it through a couple, but the books are so much better. Pretty though.

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    • philmouse, I don’t care who/what wins any award. I do care about what I watch, but am picky about the TV shows I’ll commit to watching. Even then, I rarely last past the third season. I like my TV smart, fresh, and easy to find on the cable system. We don’t get Starz so I’ll [maybe] start to watch Outlander when it gets to Netflix or Hulu. No matter if I see it or not, there’ll always be the next best greatest thing. 🙄

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  26. I don’t usually watch TV so many of these award shows are lost on me. I did, however, watch Big Little Lies. I highly recommend you watching it if you get the chance. If you don’t get the chance, no worries. The book is better!

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    • Donna, a couple of people have also told me that the book was better, so considering we don’t get HBO I may seek out the book. I loved What Alice Forgot, so I’m sure I’d like Big LIttle Lies, the book.

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