Mariska Hargitay

Severance is not nominated. Neither is The Last of Us. The drama race two days from now is a fifteen-episode hospital procedural against nine hours of Vince Gilligan, and one of them is doing something the category has not rewarded since 2006.

September is the month American television stops idling. Fourteen scripted premieres, the Emmys on the 14th, one series ending for good, and a spy show that arrives two days after it may or may not have won Outstanding Drama. Here is what is worth your evening, with dates, episode counts and release patterns.