It’s a hard time to be an Emmy voter. There used to be, like, two good shows to choose from every year in between reruns of Spin City, and all you’d have to do is decide if the first season of The Sopranos was better than Oz or whatever (it was). These days, there’s such an unending torrent of brilliant TV that it’s almost impossible to watch it all and make some kind of overarching value judgement, but the brave souls at the Emmys still manage to pull it off each year. And this Tuesday morning, they did it again.
The wide-ranging list of 2019 nominees is stacked full of excellent shows, from When They See Us to Succession to Russian Doll, and it’s probably going to be a brain-bleedingly difficult chore to pick winners. So we here at VICE have devised a simple plan to help out those poor, struggling voters paralyzed by all the choices: Don’t bother! Just give all the Emmys to Fleabag. That’s the only correct call here.
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Sure, you could throw past Emmy darlings some awards for the last seasons of Game of Thrones or Veep, honoring their final hurrahs. Or give Chernobyl some credit for its perfectly realized vision. You could make the case for Barry, or say that Schitt’s Creek deserves recognition after being an underdog for so long. But let us offer a convincing counterpoint: Nah. Stop. The second season of Fleabag is better than everything. It deserves every Emmy. Here’s why.
The first season of Fleabag was a solid, pitch-black comedy about sex and trauma that felt like a full and complete story. It didn’t set up a second season, or seem like it needed one, really—but then the second season came and took the entire series to a new level.The writing was impeccable, crafting these tight, flawless narrative structures in 22 minutes without being flashy or showy or distracting from the interpersonal relationships at its core. And, good lord, when the Priest noticed Fleabag breaking the fourth wall? Come on. This isn’t just the greatest show of 2019. It’s one of the greatest shows ever. Period.
Fleabag is currently up for a Comedy Emmy, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge grabbed a nom for Lead Actress in a Comedy, but is that enough? Not at all. The show’s emotionally devastating second season could easily slot into the drama category, too. So why not give it both? Plus, this second season will reportedly be its last, meaning that the entire series only clocks in at like six hours total, which isn’t much longer than Chernobyl‘s total runtime. So, whatever, give Fleabag the Limited Series Emmy, too! Let’s continue, shall we?
Lead Actor? The Hot Priest, Andrew Scott, obviously. Supporting Actor? Brett Gelman earned himself the award strictly on the strength of that final scathing speech alone. Supporting Actress? Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford could trade the award back and forth like its a gold naked woman statue or something. They both deserve it. See how easy this could be? It just makes sense.
The 2019 Emmy Awards will be held September 22 in Los Angeles, but let’s be real here. If any award doesn’t go to Fleabag, it doesn’t matter.
