4 Dark Horse Directors Who Deserve DGA Award Nominations

The 75th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards will announce the nominations for the television categories on Tuesday, January 10. Voting began on December 9 and will continue until Friday January 6. Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. For more on the film's awards show, head over to IndieWire's awards calendar.

With the DGA vote underway, clear leaders are emerging. There are former nominees whose work on current series deserves recognition once again, like Bill Hader with "Barry", Lucia Aniello for "Hacks" or Donald Glover with "Atlanta" (plus Hiro Murai , Besides). Then there are the directors whose most recent work on new programs has already been recognized elsewhere and is likely to be so again at the DGA. (Ben Stiller's direction of "Severance" seems undeniable, especially after the show's Emmy run.) Popular series like "Abbott Elementary" and "The Bear" will likely earn deserved nominations, but there are more names. to consider - names that don't have a clear benchmark for awards review, either because their show has been going on for years, or it's a genre series not often considered, or that they're just flying under the radar because there's so much TV. Four of those names are below, and while there are many more, we hope voters will take the time to consider these deserving candidates.

Related Related 1. "What we do in the shadows" - Yana Gorskaya (comedy series)

Yana Gorskaya made her 'What We Do in the Shadows' debut with one of the best sitcom episodes of all time - Jackie Daytona's 2020 classic, officially titled 'On the Run' - and she did not look back. In 2021, she directed more than half of the third season, including "The Casino" and the finale, "The Portrait". Then she continued her efforts with the Season 4 premiere, “Reunited,” and the standout entry, “Go Flip Yourself.”

In the spoof/homage to reality-shaping shows, everyone's favorite Staten Island vampires get a surprise visit from Laszlo's favorite TV hosts: twin brothers Bran and Toby Daltry (played by Randy and Jason Sklar ). Much of the episode takes the form of something you'd see on HGTV, as Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), and Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) claim to be joint owners for " Go Flip Yourself!", and the brothers lay out their vision for a bright, shiny vampire lair. (Perhaps you can sense why the trouble is cropping up.)

A feat of imagination and production design rolled into one, Gorskaya not only shines with its flexibility - silly on-screen graphics and extensive editing make it look like a real renovation show - but also by the way it mixes the traditional mockumentary style of "WWDITS" with this new format. There's still room for telling cutaways and direct-to-camera addresses in "Go Flip Yourself!", which never feels separated from the ongoing series as much as a brilliant recalibration of its storytelling engine. exquisite.

2. "Andor" - Toby Haynes (drama series)

It's hard to say better than IndieWire's Sarah Shachatt in her interview with Toby Haynes and her analysis of the making of "Andor":

The last three episodes of 'Andor' featured a prison without bars, but part of the thrill and pathos of the latest 'Star Wars' series is that Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) has longed for a captive of the Empire all the time. Everyone in "Andor" is trapped, often visually through the strong, sculpted lines of Luke Hull's incredible production design, and always through the eye of the camera, directed in the first three episodes and episodes 8 to 10 by director Toby Haynes.

From tight framing and skipped cuts that build tension in conversational conflict to wide shots that stretch and reveal unexpected layers across planetary landscapes (and space itself), "Andor" is a meticulously crafted gem, constantly using its rich visuals to further define the series' rebellious themes. Haynes and his team of directors, Susanna White and Benjamin Caron, work with...