Emmys: How PBS fight against Trump could help ‘Wolf Hall’

You probably wouldn’t be reading this newsletter if not for PBS.

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Hope you’re making a snappy new day while we consider the value of public broadcasting.

‘Wolf Hall’ is worth voters’ support in more ways than one

I was a weird kid. I’m sure this doesn’t come as a surprise to you. We all have quirks, “little weirdsies” to use the expressive term that writer and NPR host Linda Holmes coined years ago on John Hodgman’s podcast.

Back in the day, one of mine was watching a couple of film critics argue about movies on a TV series called “Sneak Previews,” a show created by WTTW, a PBS member station in Chicago. Those critics, of course, were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. I’d fire up their show on the tiny Sony black-and-white portable television that sat on my bedroom dresser, settle in and thrill to their passionate debates about film.

And, of course, I took careful notes about the movies they told me I needed to see. I’m pretty sure I was the only kid on my block who asked for a ride to the multiplex to watch “My Dinner With Andre.” I loved it! Maybe I just had a thing for listening to two guys talk about stuff. (Also: Watch this scene and note how completely on target André Gregory is about where the world is heading. “Escape before it’s too late,” indeed.)

You see where I’m going with this. Without PBS, without “At the Movies,” without Fred Rogers telling a lonely only child that “I’ll be back when the day is new, and I’ll have more ideas for you,” I’m not sure that I’d be writing this newsletter today.

I’m not the only one with a PBS story. Which makes me wonder if President Trump’s recent request to Congress that it rescind the $1.1 billion it has set aside for all public broadcasters for the next two years might have some Emmy voters thinking about one small way it can signal support. Namely: Vote for “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,” the spectacular adaptation of the last volume of Hilary Mantel’s book series that aired on PBS’ “Masterpiece” earlier this year.

It’s not a reach to consider it. “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” takes up where the 2015 series left off, covering the final years of the life of Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII. The six hourlong episodes are the definition of event television, full of intrigue and tension and excellent acting from a cast of legends — Mark Rylance, Jonathan Pryce, Damien Lewis.

The 2015 “Wolf Hall” earned eight Emmy nominations, including nods for limited series, actors Lewis and Rylance and for direction and writing. (It won zero, as “Olive Kitteridge” dominated the categories.)

Because it’s a returning show, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” is submitted in the drama categories, where it faces more ample competition, just in sheer volume alone. But it’s easily one of the best eight dramas of the past television year, and both Rylance and Lewis again merit nominations for their work.

House Republicans on Thursday voted to cancel $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting previously appropriated by Congress, as part of a package of $9.4 billion in spending cuts. The measure now goes to the Senate, where advocates for PBS, National Public Radio and other affected outlets will have one more chance to defeat the bill.

And while $1.1 billion sounds like a lot of money, consider it a drop in the bucket when compared with Trump’s plan for a $175-billion space-based “Golden Dome” missile defense system. And when you’re willing to spend around $45 million for a military (birthday) parade or at least $134 million to deploy National Guard troops and Marines that nobody asked for, the cost of the funding is put into perspective.

We vote for things for many reasons, some rational, some emotional. Voting for “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” checks both boxes.

I’m eager to see how many Television Academy members join me in that thinking. As Big Bird says, asking questions is a good way to find things out.

Skyrocketing costs nearly sunk ‘Wolf Hall.’ So key players took a pay cut to save it

Reporting from England, Times contributor Emily Zemler wrote a terrific piece on “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,” explaining why it took a decade for the show’s creators to complete the adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy of books.

“I always knew that we would come back to it at some point,” producer Colin Callender told Emily. “Although I never imagined it was going to take 10 years.”

“Part of it was that Hilary [Mantel] took a long time to write it,” adds director and producer Peter Kosminsky. “The first two novels were phenomenal successes. She became a celebrity almost overnight. But it was also a difficult book to write.”

Have you caught up with the series yet? It’s a quick watch — just six hours. The books have been on my reading list for years. But at nearly 2,000 pages, I’m going to need more than six hours. I’m going to need to retire.

Read more coverage of Trump’s attempted cuts on PBS