THIS WEEK’S BANTER

The 2024 Emmy nominations are here, and the results pretty much confirm the success of Disney’s 2019 acquisition of FX. Its partnership with Hulu brought major awards attention to shows like Shōgun and The Bear. Plus, a new Bank of America report on Warner Bros. Discovery suggests ways the company can reshuffle its assets. Might it bode a pivot to… unbundling? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni break it all down.

Is Disney’s FX an Emmys game-changer? FX nearly doubled their previous Emmy nomination record (56 in 2016) by securing 93 noms this week(!). Netflix dominated overall with 107, but FX’s strong showing is clearly the story of the season — especially given that they beat out the usual frontrunner HBO/Max who picked up 91 nominations this season.. And two of FX’s most buzzed-about shows are leading the major categories: Japanese historical drama Shōgun got the most of any series (25, including best drama), while acclaimed comedy The Bear broke the record for most nominations for a comedy series with 23 nods. It’s great news for Disney, which was hesitant when it acquired FX back in 2019. 

But, FX’s partnership with streaming giant Hulu has been the key to its success. “Because FX has been attached to Hulu, it's really been a game changer. And we see it now with this huge Emmy run,” Belloni says. Disney boasts a staggering 183 nominations in total across its various TV platforms which also include Hulu (non-FX partnership division), ABC, and Disney+.  

An unsettling report card for Warner Bros. Discovery? A new media analysis by Bank of America out this week urges the company to do something to change the trajectory of the company. The report suggests many potential ideas, including a merger with a major broadcaster and possibly selling its TV brands. “It's up to David Zasloff and his team to figure out what the best path forward is,” says Belloni. The consensus: something needs to happen soon.

But wait, there’s more! Get the full scoop on this week’s audio edition of The Banter.

Sorry/Not Sorry: What happened after Louis C.K. was canceled?

At the height of #MeToo, Louis C.K. admitted that sexual misconduct allegations against him were true… then resumed his career nine months later. A new documentary looks at what his comeback says about how we view celebrities who’ve done wrong. Caroline Suh, co-director and writer/comedian Megan Koester sit down to discuss with Press Play.

Alma Har’el believes the greatest human mysteries lie within

When setting up a suspenseful story, writer-director Alma Har’el says that the most interesting mysteries are those within her characters. She explores this idea in depth as showrunner of the Apple TV+ thriller Lady in the Lake. The series, based on the 2019 Laura Lippman novel of the same name, stars Natalie Portman as a housewife turned reporter who becomes obsessed with two murders. Har’el’s previous directorial works include Shia LeBeouf’s semi-autobiographical 2019 feature Honey Boy and the 2011 documentary Bombay Beach. 

Har’el joins The Treatment to discuss changing and building on the book for the Apple TV+ series. She reveals how the rhythms of music informed the editing of the show, and she explains why she thinks the show has “one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.”

ENCORE: Justin Marks, Rachel Kondo on their Emmy-smashing hit Shōgun

Shōgun co-creator Justin Marks says he and his wife, Rachel Kondo, poured blood, sweat, and tears into their massively expensive, and heavily subtitled FX series, Shōgun.

The series earned 25 Emmy nominations this week, including outstanding drama. It’s now the second non-English show after Squid Game to be considered in the category. Marks and Kondo spoke with us in March about adapting the story of feudal Japan and their elaborate five-step process of translating their English words into Japanese dialogue.

Weekend film reviews: Twisters, Oddity, Crossing, Skywalkers: A Love Story

A twisty sequel to a 1996 original arrives this weekend. Twisters features Daisy Edgar-Jones as a former storm chaser who decides to get back into the game and Glen Powell stars as a tornado-obsessed cowboy — making it a must-watch for fans of high-octane weather drama… and Sundance-approved family dramas. Twisters is filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2020 film, Minari. Next on the review docket, Oddity is a gripping murder mystery centered around an occult shop owner determined to avenge her sister's death. Then, follow the emotional journey of a retired teacher in Crossing as she searches for her missing trans niece in Istanbul. Burdened by guilt for not accepting her LGBTQ+ family member, she is determined to make amends and bring her niece home. Finally, Skywalkers: A Love Story is a captivating Netflix documentary offering a thrilling look into the lives of a daring Russian couple. Their idea of a romantic date night? Dangling off the side of a skyscraper. 

Monica Castillo, freelance film critic and senior film programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center, and Tim Grierson, senior U.S. critic for Screen International and author of This Is How You Make a Movie give you the rundown.