SEPTEMBER 12 • 2024 | 55
J
N

DIRECTING
Randall Einhorn, 60, directing for 
a comedy series, Abbott Elementary 
(ABC); episode: Party (directing 
nominations cite a specific episode). 
Einhorn was born and raised in 
Cincinnati. He’s an acclaimed 
TV jack-of-trades: directing, 
cinematography and producing. 
Mimi Leder, 71, directing for a 
drama series, The Morning Show; 
episode: The Overview Effect. Leder’s 
mother was a classical pianist and an 
Auschwitz survivor, and her father 
was a director of indie, low-budget 
films — he tutored Mimi and her 
siblings in the “family trade.” Leder’s 
TV and film credits are extensive. 
She has won two Emmys. Leder is 
also a Morning Show producer. 
Saul Metzstein, 54, directing for 
a drama series, Slow Horses (Apple 
TV+); episode: Strange Games. Slow 
Horses is a British spy thriller. The 
series has now shown three, six-
episode seasons. Metzstein directed 
all the season three episodes.
Metzstein is a Scottish Jew, born 
and raised in Glasgow. He made his 
first film in 2001 and has gradually 
built a strong career (TV series, 
feature films and documentaries). 
He’s also a producer. His late father, 
Isi Metzstein, was a renowned 
modernist architect. Isi fled 
Germany in 1938 with his four 
siblings and his mother. They moved 
to the U.K. and settled in Glasgow. 

WRITING
It’s a surprisingly “bad year” for 
Jewish TV writers. Just three 
Emmy nominations, two in (best) 
writing for a variety special and one 
dramatic series.
Alex Edelman, 35, for Just for Us 
(HBO). This “variety special” was 
the “video version” of Just for Us. It 
began (2022) as an off-Broadway, 
one-man stage play. It did so well 
that it moved to Broadway in 2023. 
Edelman’s Jewish background 
(Modern Orthodox) is an important 
theme in the show. 
Jacqueline Novak, Get on Your 
Knees (Netflix), variety special. 
Novak is the daughter of a non-
Jewish father and a Jewish mother. 
She has written eloquently about 

the difficulty of being raised totally 
secular. Knees began as a one-
woman play in 2018. It got good 
reviews and opened in New York 
(2019). Natasha Lyonne, a friend 
of Novak, directed the Netflix film. 
The Washington Post said: “It’s a 
blisteringly intellectual, deeply funny 
sermon examining the absurdity of 
our longest-held notions about the 
power dynamics of sex — one that 
had a longer journey from stage 
to screen than anyone involved 
expected.”
Peter Morgan, 61, is the creator, 
head producer and the main writer 
of The Crown. His writing Emmy 
nomination is for the episode The 
Ritz. Morgan’s Jewish father was a 
German Jew who fled to the U.K. 
in 1933. His mother was Polish 
Catholic. My sense is that he’s 
secular. 

THE “BESTS”
The Emmy for a “best” series (or 
TV movie) goes to the executive 
producers. Some series have many 
executive producers. I’ve listed the 
most prominent (Jewish) ones. 
Here’s my list and notes.

(BEST) COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary: Director Randall 
Einhorn, is also an executive 
producer. 
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry 
David and Jeff Garlin, 62 (who 
also acts in the series) are the two 
producers always listed at the top 
of the list of Curb’s many executive 
producers. 
Hacks has six executive producers. 

One is Michael Schur, 48. He’s a 
former SNL writer and a prolific 
comedy director and producer. He 
was born in Ann Arbor but grew up 
in Connecticut. 
Only Murders in the Building: Top 
line producer is Dan Fogelman, 48. 
He’s a big-time comedy screenplay 
writer/producer (Cars, Crazy, Stupid 
Love).
Reservation Dogs: Taika Waititi, 
49. He co-created this series 
focused on Native Americans, and 
he co-produces it. Waititi is half 
Polynesian and half “European.” 
He is “only” one-eighth Jewish, but 
he really ties himself to his Jewish 
background in many, positive ways. 
I have to note that three actress 
sisters, Sarah, Jennifer and Tamara 
Podemski, have large recurring roles 
in Reservation. Their father is Jewish. 
Their mother is a Canadian “First 
Nation” member (Ojibwe). 
What We Do in the Shadows: 
Co-produced and co-created by 
Waititi. Another What We Do 
executive producer is Scott Rudin, 
66. He’s a very important showbiz 
producer, period. 

(BEST) DRAMA SERIES
The Crown: Peter Morgan, executive 
producer.
Slow Horses: Saul Metzstein, 
a director, is also an executive 
producer.
3 Body Problem (Netflix) is a 
science fiction series that was created 
by and produced by Alexander Woo, 
David Benioff, 52, and D.B. Weiss, 
52. These three have also written 
many of the show’s scripts. Benioff 

and Weiss are famous as the writers, 
producers, etc., of Game of Thrones. 

(BEST) SCRIPTED VARIETY 
PROGRAM
Just two programs were honored 
with a nomination for best scripted 
variety program: Last Week Tonight 
with John Oliver and Saturday Night 
Live. I don’t think any producers of 
Last Week are Jewish. 
The chief SNL producer for the 
last 50 years is Lorne Michaels, 79. 
But they always give the Emmy to 
John Oliver. 

THE “OTHER” EMMYS
There are so many Emmy categories 
that many Emmys (including guest 
actor/actress awards) are given at the 
“Creative Arts” Emmys ceremony. 
Those awards were given on Sept. 7 
and 8.
Next week, in my regular column, 
I will mention the Jews who won 
“Creative” Emmys. 

GAGE SKIDMORE

Ebon Moss Bacharach

GAGE SKIDMORE

Robert Downey Jr.

RED CARPET REPORT ON MINGLE MEDIA

Paul Rudd

IMDB

Hannah Einbinder

