Is there anyone else out there plagued by the Can’t Possibly Keep Up syndrome?
The 14 Emmy nominations that Netflix has received for online television shows is getting a lot of press – and, like so many others, I did binge on House of Cards and contributed to its popularity even if I remain ambivalent about the series – but what leaves me feeling overwhelmed is how much good and potentially great content there is out there that I can’t possibly find time to watch.
And, I’m not even putting into the mix films playing in local cinemas. (There are seven currently showing that I feel I should see. Who has time?)
Yesterday, I watched my first episode of the new Netflix series Orange is the New Black. I will probably watch the rest. I have not yet taken time to check out Gasland II on HBO, and I feel guilty about that because I should see it and weigh in on the conversation. I have unwatched documentaries from PBS series clogging my DVR. I have episodes of Breaking Bad to catch up on, and a friend has been trying to get me on the Justified bandwagon for years. I have not yet seen any of the Amazon shows. And on and on and on and on and on…
The downside is that I feel overloaded and almost pushed to inertia because I recognize that keeping up is literally impossible.
The upside is that I never have license to say “There is nothing to watch on TV” so long as I include all of the different delivery systems within that broad definition.
The nominations for the Netflix series are significant as a turning point for broadening our perspective on what is laudatory and, even, what is television. This is the biggest industry game-changer since original cable series began accumulating Emmy nominations and awards in the 1990s.
That is something to celebrate, but I simply can’t partake of all the riches.
With the fields so crowded these days and categories sometimes going to seven nominations (e.g., lead actress in a drama series this year), you begin to wonder just how many nominees we will see in the future. I remember the indignation I felt when they started going with six, and now I can’t imagine going back–and, coming out of my mouth, that is saying a lot because I tend to like those types of “traditions.” I’m still not sure how I feel about the million (okay, up to ten) best motion picture of the year nominations. Will the television academy ever copy AMPAS in that respect in, say, the drama series category?