2015 Emmys: Why ‘American Horror Story,’ ‘Secrets & Lies,’ ’24: Live Another Day’ should get Limited Series nods
While we may not profile every single category in our 2015 Emmy Preview series (there are a few that are a little bit harder to call than others), we did figure that we would today spend at least a few minutes talking about the Best Limited Series category. There are some interesting contenders here, mostly because we feel like there is an overwhelming favorite to win, and then there is some flexibility for nominations based on personal taste. This is also going to be a hard category for many voters, since there are many limited series out there that may not have been seen recently.
At the end of the article, we want to hear some of your own picks! Be sure to sound off in the poll, or in the attached comments.
Our nominees
24: Live Another Day (Fox) – The season that we waited the longest to see was ironically the best of the show since the early years. Action series rarely get any love, but just looking back at this season fills our heart with warm memories and Jack Bauer one-liners. It may not be arthouse fare, but not everything needs to be so long as you are enjoying the ride.
American Crime (ABC) – While there were some rule changes recently to this category, this show could still be an annual contender here since there is a different story every season. It is slowly paced at times, but that works because you are dealing with powerful, heavy material, and you want to ensure that you have the proper chance to wrap your head around it fully.
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) – We’re not going to say that the entire season was perfect, but the performances across the board (see Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, or recent interview subject Finn Wittrock) were pretty close to it. The show also gets some further bonus points for continuing to innovative, whether that be by unique risk-taking with the set, or bringing us such crazy characters like Twisty the Clown who will be remembered for years.
Olive Kitteridge (HBO) – The consensus favorite. Given the cast (Bill Murray!) and the HBO prestige, we see very little way in which this limited series does not get a nomination, let alone at least one trophy by the time we make it to the end of the night … and for good reason.
Secrets & Lies (ABC) – Since there is a second season coming, this will be the show’s only real chance at submitting in this category. This was one of our biggest surprises of the spring: An intense, mind-melting drama that relied on making you question everything. It’s also one of the few mysteries series that really paid it all off in the end.
Wolf Hall (PBS) – Go back and watch Damian Lewis, and you will know why this is here. While we know that there are many Henry VIII stories out there, we find this one in particular to be particularly compelling and artistic.
There are some other nominees out there, but we’re not going to do honorable mentions here since we’re dealing with overall a smaller pool.