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