This year, the TV Academy finally merged movies and miniseries so the two programming formats are competing against each other. The change makes sense. Last year, only two miniseries—HBO’s dominant The Pacific and PBS’ Return to Cranston —were even eligible to compete. This year, the category was robust enough to include six programs: four miniseries and two movies.
The movie and minis categories are packed with talent. Oscar nominee Todd Haynes directed Oscar winners Kate Winslet and Melissa Leo and Oscar nominee Mare Winningham in HBO’s most-nominated Mildred Pierce. Another Oscar winner, William Hurt, starred in HBO’s Too Big to Fail, while the legendary Maggie Smith is nominated for her role in PBS’ Downtown Abbey. Many of this year’s nominated actors also are Oscar nominees, including Cinema Verite’s Diane Lane, Thurgood’s Laurence Fishburne, The Kennedys’ Greg Kinnear and Tom Wilkinson, Too Big to Fail’s Paul Giamatti, Downtown Abbey’s Elizabeth McGovern and Taken From Me’s Taraji P. Henson.
