The Emmy nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. Pacific. Here’s what you need to know:
Television Academy is poised to honor several shows that ended their runs
Summer is in full swing and that means one thing for television lovers: It’s time for Emmy nominations.
Emmy Award-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and “Community” will be joined by Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma on Wednesday to announce the nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards. The virtual ceremony will be streamed live starting at 8:30 a.m. Pacific on Emmys.com, and on the Television Academy’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The nominations will honor shows that were released between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
This year’s Emmy nominations arrive amid the ongoing labor dispute between the major Hollywood studios and the creatives who make our favorite TV shows. Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May 2 after negotiations for a new contract remained at an impasse. Meanwhile, members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if a new deal cannot be reached by Wednesday’s deadline.
The writers’ strike has already upended aspects of Emmy season, with writers unable to participate in their usual for-your-consideration events to appeal to voters. It remains uncertain how the TV Academy plans to move forward with its awards show if both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike — at the very least this would mean there would be no writers to write the show, and no presenters to hand out awards. Fox, the network carrying the telecast, hasn’t commented, but people familiar with the internal discussions at the network say that if either union is still on strike at the end of this month, the show would be postponed. For now, the Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on Sept. 18.
In the Emmy drama categories, this year’s nominations are expected to be led by HBO’s “Succession.” The corporate family melodrama wowed critics and audiences with its fourth and final season, and its cast will likely be well represented in the acting categories. The show’s expected dominance could be bad news for fans of “Better Call Saul,” as this will be the last chance the TV Academy has to honor the AMC series, which has — as lamented by Times Awards columnist Glenn Whipp — notched zero wins out of its 46 nominations so far.
Still, a couple of other fellow HBO dramas could derail “Succession’s” victory lap. Its competition will also include the year’s buzziest new series “The Last of Us,” the video game-based apocalyptic zombie drama led by Pedro Pascal, as well as last year’s top limited series, “The White Lotus,” which was renewed for a second season and would compete in the drama category.
Over on the comedy side, AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso” is among the returning favorites that is expected to have a fine showing among the nominees. But awards prognosticators believe the show’s uneven third and final season could ultimately prevent it from scoring a hat trick in the comedy series category. ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” is another top contender with its stellar second season, and the cast is expected to be well represented in the acting races too. Other contenders include HBO’s “Barry” and Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” both returning favorites in contention for their final seasons. And with strong freshmen seasons, Hulu’s “The Bear” and Peacock’s “Poker Face” are also expected to be among the comedies recognized.
— Tracy Brown
HBO and Netflix are expected to dominate the nominations
Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in a scene from Netflix’s limited series “Beef,” which could be an Emmys contender.
(Andrew Cooper / Netflix)
The Emmy rivalry between Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO and streaming behemoth Netflix is expected to continue this year, with both outlets again poised to battle it out for the lead in nominations.
Last year, HBO led by a wide margin with 140 nominations, topping Netflix’s 108. The HBO total includes programs created for streaming service HBO Max, which has since been renamed Max.
While public interest has declined in the Emmys telecast — ratings have declined precipitously over the last five years — the awards remain a vital marketing tool for streamers looking to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace.
For HBO, the awards have an added importance, as the outlet tries to retain its reputation for being the vanguard of creativity in TV while its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, makes headlines on a regular basis with reports of cost cutting across its divisions.
Netflix has a similar balancing act, as Wall Street is looking more closely at profitability instead of subscriber growth. The streamer needs acclaimed hits to remain a must-have for consumers, and the Emmy Awards are a tool to remind them of the service’s value amid a sea of choices.
Apple TV+ should have another strong showing thanks to the final season of its hit comedy “Ted Lasso” and its new acclaimed series “Shrinking.” Last year, the service operated by tech giant Apple scored 51 nominations.
— Stephen Battaglio
