Critically acclaimed ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ is Emmy bound
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Hulu’s “We Were the Lucky Ones” is primed for a big night at this year’s Emmys. Adapted from the Georgia Hunter‘s 2017 book of the same name, the limited series follows the Kurcs, a Polish Jewish family who were split apart during World War II: some members go into hiding and others are forced into concentration camps. The series, brutal and dark, follows the family’s attempts to reunite after the war ends. It’s a tough watch but a vital one and the series, created by Erica Lipez, is intelligent in its portrayal of such hard subject matter, as noted by critics.
Aramide Tinubu (Variety) stated: “Devastating, and profoundly moving, ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ illustrates the scope of World War II, the inhumanity of others and the anguish of disconnection and loss.”
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Matthew Gilbert (Boston Globe) observed: “Yes, the miniseries is challenging, and steeped in heartbreak, and unrelenting. But it joins a growing inventory of important, eye-opening, memorable, and timely TV takes on the Holocaust and World War II. Ultimately it is as rewarding as it is harrowing.”
Proma Khosla (Indie Wire) opined: “As much as ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ tells an extraordinary story of endurance and triumph, the show never loses sight of suffering, and of what kind of person someone has to be to let that happen.”
Robert Daniels (Roger Ebert) explained: “‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ is a defiant and harrowing, soul shattering story—one that gives the full range of the horrors that occur when you’ve been displaced, unmoored, and dehumanized.”
Kristen Baldwin (Entertainment Weekly) wrote: “Inspired by the true story of Hunter’s ancestors, ‘We Were the Lucky Ones” sprawling narrative explores how the Nazis’ reign of terror reached far beyond the borders of the death camps — and why survival offered no escape from the horrors.”
This critical support will propel it towards an Emmy nomination for Best Limited Series. Currently, it sits on an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. This outpaces four of last year’s five nominees for Best Limited Series: “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (82%), “Daisy Jones and the Six” (69%), “Fleishman is in Trouble” (87%), and “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (57%). Only “Beef” (98%) fared better.
Period dramas tend to do very well in the Best Limited Series category. “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “Dahmer” were both nominated last year while “WandaVision,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Underground Railroad,” “Mrs. America,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Chernobyl,” and plenty more have all reaped bids in the Best Limited Series category.
Specifically, voters like stories about wars in this category. “Pacific,” “Hitler: The Rise of Evil,” “Band of Brothers,” “Nuremberg,” and “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” all earned nominations for telling such stories.
Plus, this story is based on Hunter’s own ancestors so there is truth to it, too. True stories always do well. The aforementioned collection of “Dahmer,” “Mrs. America,” “Fosse/Verdon,” “Chernobyl,” “Hitler: The Rise of Evil,” “Nuremberg,” and “Anne Frank: The Whole Story” are all such nominees, as, too, are the likes of “The Dropout,” “Dopesick,” “Inventing Anna,” and “Pam & Tommy.” “We Were the Lucky Ones” ticks all of these boxes.
Plus, period dramas are always safe bets for below-the-line awards, too, such as costume, production design, hair and makeup, and cinematography. If “We Were the Lucky Ones” performs well in those categories, which it may well do, it could earn a cumulative nomination for Best Limited Series. That would make perfect sense.
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