The Atlantic Daily: This Year’s Eclectic Emmy Nominations
The past year was weird. So are this year’s Emmy nominations. Then: What gets counted as a breakthrough COVID-19 case?
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The chaotic year many Americans spent on the couch is culminating in an equally chaotic list of Emmy nominees.
“The pandemic,” our Culture writer Shirley Li told me, “blurred the lines for everything—not just in terms of streaming versus traditional networks but also in terms of binge-watched shows versus appointment television.”
On this year’s list, prestige dramas like The Crown sit aside big-budget fantasy shows like The Mandalorian and lighter fare like Ted Lasso. The Academy also took notice of pandemic trend-watches, like Emily in Paris and The Queen’s Gambit. Also, Hamilton.
“It’s just a really eclectic collection, which reflects the past year, and this idea that TV is everything, everywhere,” Shirley said. With ever-widening lineups, and so many new streamers in the game, it may even be time to retool the award categories.
“There’s so much TV. Have you heard?” she joked. “There’s too much TV.”
Here’s what our Culture writers thought of some of the shows that were nominated:
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The Mandalorian, one of the most-nominated shows, may save the Star Wars franchise, Spencer Kornhaber argues.
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The Crown was sharper than ever this season, Shirley writes.
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The Handmaid’s Tale remains relevant, Megan Garber explains.
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Ted Lasso and Emily in Paris both reckon with an America in decline, Megan points out.
The news in three sentences:
(1) COVID-19 cases are on the rise in 45 U.S. states, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. (2) Inflation jumped to a historic high last month. (3) President Joe Biden is renewing calls for national voting legislation, citing a democracy in peril.
One question, answered: The COVID-19 vaccines are incredibly effective, but, in rare cases, fully vaccinated people may still get infected. What counts as a so-called breakthrough case?
The answer is more complicated than you might think. Our staff writer Katherine J. Wu explains:
The main problem is this. As the CDC defines it, the word breakthrough can refer to any presumed infection by SARS-CoV-2 (that is, any positive coronavirus test) if it’s detected more than two weeks after someone receives the final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. But infections can come with or without symptoms, making the term imprecise. That means breakthroughs writ large aren’t the most relevant metric to use when we’re evaluating vaccines.
Tonight’s Atlantic-approved activity:
Read a poem. In “Danez Says They Want to Lose Themself in Bops They Can’t Sing Along To,” Franny Choi writes about music so powerful it transcends lyrics.
A break from the news:
Paramedics are underpaid, underappreciated, and often kept out of the loop by hospitals after dropping off patients. Their mistreatment is everyone’s problem.
Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.