Showtime is in a lot of trouble.
They got 21 Emmy nominations this week, as opposed to HBO’s 108. None of the Showtime nominations were for Best Drama, Comedy or Limited Series. There are a few actors, and mostly technical awards. The entire “Billions” series was ignored. Claire Danes and Liev Schreiber, two of their best actors, were omitted. It’s a mess. They couldn’t even get attention for “I’m Dying Up Here”– a really great series– starring Oscar winner Melissa Leo.
Tonight they debut a very funny series from Sacha Baron Cohen called “Who is America?” Cable ratings take a day to process, so we won’t know how this series did until Tuesday. I won’t be surprised if the ratings aren’t great. Showtime isn’t even featuring “Who is America?” on the home page of their website. Indeed, go to www.showtime.com– you can’t click on anything to find info about their shows, when they’re on, what’s on tonight, nothing.
Then go to www.hbo.com. You will learn that Amy Adam’s acclaimed series, “Sharper Objects,” is on tonight at 9pm. Click on the photo and it takes you to the show’s website. That is HBO. It’s all clean and efficient, run sensibly and like a machine. Showtime is a mystery.
I don’t know what the problem is, but maybe they should try and fix it.
As for Sacha’s series, the first episode is hilarious. I hope people see it. Maybe the “Billions” audience will pick it up. Poor “Billions.” Such a great show.
