Jennifer Garner (‘The Last Thing He Told Me’) could return to Emmys 17 years after ‘Alias’

Apple TV+’s “The Last Thing He Told Me,” adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Laura Dave, arrives 17 years after we bade farewell to Sydney Bristow, and critics agree it’s great to see Jennifer Garner on television again. Though she headlined HBO’s “Camping” and has a recurring role on Starz’s “Party Down,” this is Garner’s most solid Emmy vehicle since “Alias” earned her four nominations throughout its five-season run on ABC.

Artisanal woodworker Hannah Michaels (Garner) has worked to shield herself from unwanted surprises, but that carefully curated existence is thrown into disarray when her husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) vanishes amidst an FBI raid of his software startup. All Hannah’s given is a handwritten note requesting she protect his 16-year-old daughter (Angourie Rice). The mismatched duo must dodge investigators and a host of seedy figures while attempting to uncover the truth behind their newfound state of jeopardy. 

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SEE ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ creators Laura Dave and Josh Singer on adapting novel and Jennifer Garner’s ‘career-best work’ [Exclusive Video interview]

Gold Derby’s Christopher Rosen compares the limited series, a longshot our odds place in 27th, to a “vintage John Grisham legal thriller from the ‘90s” in the vein of “The Client” and “The Firm.” Garner, canvassing the Best Movie/Limited Series Actress field from 19th place, “transforms a character who is lately becoming a thriller-lit trope into someone with dimension and substance,” writes Michael Idato (The Sydney Morning Herald). Tim Stevens (The Spool) adds that the Apple thriller provides Garner “a range of emotions she hasn’t had the opportunity to explore in some time,” and Joel Keller (Decider) says the actress’ “badassery” is at a “level we haven’t seen from her since her ‘Alias’ days.” 

While speaking with Gold Derby senior editor Denton Davidson, Laura Dave, who wrote three of the show’s seven episodes and has an EP credit, called Garner an ideal collaborative partner: “We could not have had a better number-one in [Garner], who cared so deeply about every word and every page.” Dave’s husband, Oscar-winning screenwriter and fellow producer Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), declared Garner’s performance “career-best work” and further detailed her commitment to the role by recounting extensive table reads in the couple’s backyard, a technique he acquired while developing Netflix’s upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, “Maestro,” with Bradley Cooper.

SEE Jennifer Garner looks for answers in Apple’s ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ trailer [Watch]

“The Last Thing He Told Me” is one of three Hello Sunshine titles in the mix this year (the other two are Amazon’s “Daisy Jones and the Six” and Hulu’s “Tiny Beautiful Things”). Reese Witherspoon’s production label previously had  “Big Little Lies,” “The Morning Show” and “Little Fires Everywhere” in competition. Immediately ahead of Garner in a crowded Movie/Limited Series Actress race are Alicia Vikander (“Irma Vep”), Dolly Parton (“Dolly Parton’s Magic Mountain Christmas”) and Keira Knightley (“Boston Strangler”). 

Will “Alias” nostalgia incline Emmy voters to embrace the four-time nominee for the sort of role that made her a pop culture icon? 

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