Analysis: What the Emmy nominations say about this moment in time

The Emmy nominations are always "political," but they're rarely political. While many non-artistic factors may affect the anointing of a chosen handful with the word "best," the nominations, at least as a group, rarely reflect the sociopolitical concerns of the American citizenry. In the midst of a presidential race bristling with divisive issues and distrust, the Television Academy singled out a large number of series that took on that distrust and those issues in ways dramatic, comedic and deeply human. Political TV came in two distinct forms this year. Robot," "Veep"--reflect a near-hopeless cynicism toward actual government. Other nominated series took on issues rather than governance --"black-ish," "The People v. O.J. Simpson," "American Crime"-- and directly addressed complicated themes, especially those of race, in a way that is, if not always hopeful, at least productive. Likewise, series anchored by the once-rare strong female lead and her experience filled virtually every ...