What to watch this weekend April 21, 2023: TV awards contenders

Kaitlin Thomas
·3 min read
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Keri Russell is back. The Emmy-nominated star of “The Americans” returns to TV with the new Netflix series “The Diplomat” from showrunner Debora Cahn (“The West Wing,” “Homeland”). In the eight-episode political drama, which is streaming now, Russell stars as Kate Wyler, a competent and confident woman in her first ambassadorship who, unbeknownst to her, is being considered for the position of vice president. 

Although Kate expects to be sent to Afghanistan at the start of the limited series, she quickly finds herself named the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom after an attack on the Royal Navy. Once she touches down across the pond, Kate must prove she can navigate high-stakes crises and forge strategic alliances while secretly dealing with a failing marriage to another career diplomat (Rufus Sewell). With comparisons to shows like longtime Emmy favorite “The Good Wife,” “The Diplomat” is the awards contender to watch this weekend.

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But defusing tense political situations is nothing compared to trying to navigate a jam-packed TV schedule in the final weeks of the Emmy cycle. Other awards contenders to watch include:

  • “Dead Ringers”: An adaptation of David Cronenberg’s chilling 1988 film of the same name, this new Prime Video series from Emmy nominee Alice Birch (“Normal People”) stars Oscar winner Rachel Weisz as Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twin gynecologists who share everything, from lovers to drugs to a desire to push the boundaries of modern medicine. With a well-timed debut, strong performance(s) from Weisz and a wide-open race for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Actress, this could be a sleeper hit. All six episodes are streaming now on Amazon.

  • “Mrs. Davis”: Three-time Emmy nominee Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”) leads this new sci-fi series from Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof that depicts one nun’s sacred mission to take down the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence alongside her ex, played by Jake McDorman (“Limitless”). With a wild mix of tones and an assist from Emmy winner Margo Martindale, the sometimes silly but always enjoyable series is making a late awards push. The first four of eight episodes are streaming now on Peacock. Subsequent episodes premiere weekly.

  • “Succession”: It’s getting repetitive seeing this here, but the HBO drama is always worth it, right? Sunday’s episode, “Kill List,” features the return of Alexander Skarsgård as Lukas Matsson, GoJo’s founder, as the Roy siblings — two of whom are now running the company (on an interim basis, anyway) — crash the GoJo company retreat in Norway. A nominee for Best Drama Guest Actor last year, Skarsgård could easily snag a repeat nom for this season (depending, of course, on how many episodes in which he appears). The episode drops at 9/8c on HBO and HBO Max.

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