Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
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There was just no satiating our craving for stories about rich white women learning what “the grass is always greener” means this year on TV. There was no hair salon or brunch you could step into without having a conversation about HBO’s Big Little Lies, and rightfully so. It was the spring’s buzziest show. But the bitchiest limited series has to be FX’s FEUD: Bette and Joan. Both will compete for Emmys this weekend, but one will surely leave a longer impression on viewers, if not the Academy as well, for years to come.
If you’re thinking, oh, here we go again pitting women against each other, just back it on up. That we are having this discussion is the true victory, ahead of any golden statues or Best Dressed awards that will be given out on Sunday night, both highly coveted titles. The fact that we have a true plethora of women’s stories being told in an interesting and honest way, so much so that it has created a super tight awards race, is a wonderful problem to have. These stories made it to mainstream television and despite the fact that they can be dark and depressing at times (and they very, very much can be) audiences related and relished every moment they watched. While the two shows will face off in a handful of categories, the Limited Series and Limited Series Actress (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Lange, and Susan Sarandon) are the ones to keep an eye on, and the ones everyone is sure to be gossiping about.
Big Little Lies was fun; it was the TV version of Halo Top. We kept convincing ourselves it was good for us and at times it was truly delicious, but by the end, it had a lot of people saying, “…That’s it?” It just did not stick the landing. The ending was more predictable than a show that juicy should’ve ever allowed for. But the journey, was a good time. FEUD, however, was a savory lasagna, with its many different layers, and by the time it was over, you’d find yourself saying, “Oh wow, that was a lot, I’ve got to digest that.”
The acting in Big Little Lies was great, but specifically, it was great for these actresses. Reese was at the top of her game, Nicole gave a breathtaking performance, Shailene established herself as the real deal and not just the Divergent girl. But over on FEUD? That was the big league. Sarandon was perfectly bitchy, Lange’s performance was haunting in the best way, and because of that, in any other year, the dynamic performances of FEUD would be sweeping the Female Acting categories. That Big Little Lies is giving them a run for their money this year is great competition and a lot of fun. But there’s a good chance the flashy (and younger) A-listers of BLL will run over the deep performances of the more subtle FEUD, and in years to come we might rethink the show that stuck with us much, much longer.
All this is to say, if Big Little Lies was your favorite show this year, you should try FEUD. It might not have the same brashness, but it’s got intricacies to appreciate and even the male performances from Alfred Molina and Stanley Tucci are fun to watch, and much more so than those from Adam Scott (who was fine) and Alexander Skarsgard (who was very good, but still makes me shiver). The FX drama will transport you back to old Hollywood, while HBO potentially scared me into never visiting Monterey, CA.
When I think back to my spring TV viewing habits, Big Little Lies was fun, but FEUD I haven’t forgotten, and hopefully the Academy hasn’t either.
