By Eliza Berkon, Winn Duvall, Stefanie Gans and Beth Kellmurray
Shows that go on to win Emmy awards are supposedly the best of the best, but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? That’s why we were disappointed when our favorite shows failed to receive even a nomination. Here’s what we’ve been watching and why we think they got robbed:
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
I don’t watch enough TV, prestige or not, but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is probably the most fun I’ve ever had with a show. Not only is it straight-up hysterical, it’s also unapologetically weird. It takes risks, features a diverse cast (without making it an issue) and is truly a feminist manifesto, not only by promoting girl power (it honors women friendships) but by letting its star be complicated, distasteful and amazing all at the same time. She’s real (for a TV character). Also, this show is a musical. So there’s that. –SG
Insecure
Insecure is beloved because it’s honest. It’s a story about relationships: Issa with her equally insecure but totally loyal best friend, Issa with her racially insensitive white co-workers, Issa with men who don’t fully appreciate her and, most importantly, Issa with herself. Whether approaching race, love or the existential anxiety that comes with arriving at your 30s and realizing you still don’t know what you’re dong, the show rings true. And it should have been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. –EB
The Leftovers
After having a hand in Lost, a show that, in many ways, changed the way we watch TV in the 21st century, Damon Lindelof returned with his follow-up project, The Leftovers, in 2014, and the first season was … not great. Heavy-handed would probably be a generous review. But then, Lindelof and his crew rebounded in the second season of the Justin Theroux- and Carrie Coon-starring series: It became surreal, mystical, heartbreaking and even funny. The third and final season concluded in 2017 and should have been recognized by the Emmys for the way it handled inexplicable loss, the indefinable and meandering scope of grief and the stories we create to cope. –BK
Love
Love is one of those Netflix shows that seems to get lost in the streaming service’s constant flood of content. While the original perception was that it was a show about a couple falling in and out of love in L.A. (yawn), the real story here is about a couple figuring their way through addiction—a far more compelling story that has deep heart (with no shortage of laugh lines). –BK
Real Housewives
On a Mount Rushmore of iconic elements of trashy pop culture over the past decade, the Real Housewives franchise would be memorialized alongside Amanda Bynes’ Twitter account circa 2013, New York versus Pumpkin on Flavor of Love and Britney’s meltdown. This shows span the nation and bless us with endlessly GIF-able moments (the New York installment being a personal favorite in this category: exhibit A and exhibit B) and three-part reunion episodes full of one-liners, drama and tears—and aren’t those things what most Emmy-worthy shows are bringing anyway? –WD
