Writing categories are some of my favorite categories in all entertainment awards shows, but they really do rule supreme for me at the Emmys. Why? Because TV writing can be so good and emotionally taxing, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, but it can also absolutely suck. So any award that appreciates good writing is one that I'm for.
This year in Writing for a Drama there is a mixed bag of returners and new shows, but there are a couple wild cards that could throw a wrench into the category.
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1. “Ozymandias”, Breaking Bad (Written by Moira Walley-Beckett): If this wasn't one of the greatest episodes of drama to hit the small screen, then I don't know what is. Further than that, considering the show received two nominations in this category last year despite a 4 year drought shows me that voters are paying attention and if they know what's good for them, this episode is solidly in first place.
2. “Waterloo”, Mad Men (Written by Matthew Weiner): This one is pretty much a hunch. If Mad Men is able to get back into this category, which they dominated until last year, it's probably going to have to be a big episode. That's why I'm thinking the season finale could be it. It probably doesn't hurt that Matthew Weiner penned the episode.
3. “The Last Call”, The Good Wife (Written by Robert and Michelle King): For some reason they didn't submit the superior “Hitting the Fan” for consideration, which I could have seen winning. While this episode is good, they're just holding on to a nomination now.
4. “The Long Bright Dark”, True Detective (Written by Nic Pizzolato): If True Detective makes as big a splash at the Emmys as we think it will, then it's just natural that their Pilot is nominated here.
5. “The Children”, Game of Thrones (Written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss): The decision to again only submit one episode is probably going to work in favor for Game of Thrones, especially with their most buzzed about season yet.
6. “Pilot”, Masters of Sex (Written by Michelle Ashford): The Emmys are suckers for Pilots and I think in any other year Masters of Sex would be nominated in series, but this is a nice consolation prize.
7. “Felina”, Breaking Bad (Written by Vince Gilligan): If the Emmys go crazy over the show again, it's possible that they up their writing nominations from two to three. If that's the case, I think the series finale is a safe bet.
8. “Confessions”, Breaking Bad (Written by Gennifer Hutchison): Of all the memorable episodes from the final season of Breaking Bad, the “Confessions” confession tape has to be one of the most memorable scenes. It also doesn't hurt that the episode won the WGA award for Best Drama Episode.
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.