Emmys 2017: 13 Reasons Why, Poldark, Hawaii Five-0, American Gods top our Drama Series picks!

With today being the start of June, that means that Emmy nomination season is upon us! Nomination campaigns are in full swing, and as a result of that our Emmy Preview Series will talk about many of the shows, and many of the performers that we here at CarterMatt deem worthy of nomination. This is something that the entire CarterMatt staff choose together annually, and on the other side of that, we turn it over to the readers to see who their favorite is among our staff list.

With that in mind, this article brings you the first Emmy category in Outstanding Drama Series! The six shows below represent our take on the best shows of the year in the category when you consider everything from acting to writing to set design to stunt-work to costume and so much more. There are easily about twenty or thirty worthy shows out there in this arena, so there’ll always be snubs. Nonetheless, this was a heck of a lot of fun for the staff to put together!

How do you vote? It’s easy. Just pick your favorite of the nominees at the bottom of the article, and you can do so however many times you like — though you may need to clear the cache first. Note that if you are visiting on mobile and do not see the poll, you may need to click to view the non-AMP version of the page. If your favorite is not on our list, be sure to leave us a comment in the box below with your choice.

The 2017 Emmy nominations will be formally announced on July 13. The results of all of our CarterMatt Emmy polls will be formally revealed on July 12 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

Now, let’s move forward with the nominees…

Outstanding Drama Series

13 Reasons Why (Netflix) – It may not have been the easiest series to get through at times, but that was a testament to the writing and visceral, garish nature of what was presented onscreen. There’s never been a series about high school and teen suicide so gut-wrenching, harrowing, and in-your-face about the subject. Masterful performances define it across the board, and the writing throws you into the world like no other. This is a show that haunts you, and potentially even alters your very thinking.

American Gods (Starz) – What happens when you combine the visual firepower of Bryan Fuller, the ambitious concepts of Michael Green, and the fantastic work of Neil Gaiman? You get an immensely trippy, powerful viewing experience. The first two episodes of the show were a feast, and since then the story has accelerated by diving into new avenues and concepts unimaginable before the season. It may be an adaptation, but it’s still arguably TV’s most creative show.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) – It’s an outside contender in that the Television Academy sadly doesn’t show an appetite for network shows, especially those with a strong procedural, crime-based component to them. With that, Hawaii Five-0 is coming off of its strongest season to date, one where there were more personal stories and focus on the lives of its main characters. Rather than just showing them actively being law enforcement, you saw what drove them, and the forces potentially pulling them away from what was comfortable. The end result is dramatic when needed, but also incredibly funny at times. It also can’t be overlooked for some of the best action and stunt-work in the entire medium.

Poldark (PBS) – One of TV’s best period dramas, Poldark is a fine example that both the show, and the leading man, don’t have to be any one thing. It’s in one part romance, one part business drama, and another part action-adventure. It also features a flawed lead who spoils his own fortune, has an affair, and considers abandoning his home in favor of rejoining the military, a life that he can understand and compartmentalize easily. Poldark brings a lot to fans, but most important does so in a way that puts your emotions on puppet-strings and dictates your every reaction. It’s visually-engrossing and addictive even in a way Downton Abbey was not.

Riverdale (The CW) – Creating a show like Riverdale is almost impossible, and that’s probably why it was so consistently outstanding through one season. Think about the idea of a series based on an Archie adaptation where there’s a murder investigation and Archie having a sexual relationship with a teacher. Does that sound like something that would work? Yet, the superb writing of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa managed to find the perfect balance of drama and comic-book camp to create a show that is well-acted, addictive, and redefining what the network teen drama can be.

Vikings (History) – Another great period drama, and the home of TV’s best battle scenes. Vikings takes a part of history unknown to most Americans and thrusts it into the forefront with power, gravity, and also plenty of awesome spectacles. It also showed during season 4 that it was a show with tremendous guts, killing off (spoiler alert) its lead character in Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) before the conclusion of season 4. As fantastic as he was, the series never lost a beat along the way and was just as powerful and engrossing as always.

Other Favorites – The Crown (Netflix), This Is Us (NBC), Halt and Catch Fire (AMC), The Leftovers (HBO).

Now, we leave it to you to vote! 

Remember that to see some other categories posted daily (June 2 will be Actor in a Drama Series), be sure to visit the link here. (Photo: Emmys.)