This Teen Deserves to Be an Emmy Rarity

This year's Emmy nominations come out next month, and the name of 15-year-old Owen Cooper is expected to be among them. At the Los Angeles Times, TV writer Glenn Whipp makes the case that the central character in the Netflix series Adolescence should be more than nominated—he should win. Whipp quotes show co-creator Stephen Graham as saying that he "can't find enough superlatives to describe the boy," with Whipp adding:

• "Honestly, I can't either. Apart from Noah Wyle's heroic, beleaguered doctor in The Pitt, you could make the case that Cooper's turn as Jamie, a 13-year-old accused of murdering a classmate, is the year's best work on television."

Whipp cites the show's third episode in particular, in which Jamie is interviewed at a juvenile detention facility, as "an astonishing showcase," made all the more remarkable because the show was Cooper's acting debut. One hurdle is that Emmy voters don't seem to like rewarding younger actors: Only four have won prime-time honors in history, the latest in 1984. Cooper deserves to be an exception, writes Whipp. For the record, a piece at Variety predicts that Cooper will win as supporting actor and the aforementioned Wyle as lead actor. (Read Whipp's full column.)