You gotta say this for the Emmys which returned to full capacity at the Microsoft Theatre at LA Live and a big Governors Gala after party for the first time in three years, the show was much better on the inside than the unnecessary hassles it took just to get there. Nevertheless I made it to my seat just as the two minute countdown to showtime proceeded and what I witnessed was an Emmy stage unlike any I had seen before.
The Microsoft seats about 7000, but the Academy took out the entire orchestra section to make it look more like a banquet for the nominees, Golden Globes style. Apparently NBC misses the Globes enough that they wanted to replicate the loose nature of the affair, much like they did in that tent last year in a downsized Emmys. This one was like the good old days, aiming for a full house even though half the audience was up in the regular theatre seats watching the nominees schmooz and drink below, Thank god for all the TV screens as that was how you could see the action as the stage was quite far in the distance. On TV though it looked like fun, however I would have hoped for a little more rowdiness considering the loose design of the event, more like the Globes where no one fears getting a little drunk . My guess is those nominees take winning an Emmy a lot more seriously than winning a Globe so , at least from my vantage point, they seemed more subdued down there, maybe actually nervous. I do have to say the post-Emmy Governors Gala was a triumph, elegantly situated under the stars in front of the Convention Center instead of inside which was inspired, and the Academy got a nice balmy night to host the party, although I didn’t see a whole lot of winners there. Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson though were seemingly the life of the party until they moved on into the night.
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The banquet style format was the way Emmys were presented in the old days, the 50’s and 60’s, and the stars seemed to have a lot more fun, but as I have noted this season it feels like the voters just watched a handful of the same shows as everyone else and nominated every one in them. Reeling off the nominees of say Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology or Movie, all 8 nominations went to just two shows, The White Lotus and Dopesick. No worthy women from any other show in the category this year? Yikes! The first thing the Television Academy needs to do for their post-mortem on this season is put a cap on the number of actors who can be nominated from the same show in one category. It is easy to do and they should do it. How many times do I have to say this? Put it on your agenda, Academy.
It will be interesting to see the ratings for this special Monday night edition of the Emmys (NBC which has the show once every four years has football on Sunday nights and won’t budge it), as it was lacking more populist shows on the traditional networks, save Abbott Elementary which picked up 3 Emmys overall for ABC. ABC was the only broadcaster in the game in the three major marquee program categories, but it missed what I had expected to be a big network win again in Outstanding Comedy Series for Abbott. That instead went to a ho hum second season of Ted Lasso showing its muscle in winning a second consecutive Comedy Series Emmy. When it got shut out at last week’s Creative Arts ceremonies, going 0 for 10 nominations there I had thought it might be kaput, but the Apple TV+ series showed its strength picking up four Emmys Monday night including acting nods again for star Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein.
Actually in retrospect Lasso’s win for Comedy Series, Succession’s for Drama Series, and The White Lotus for Limited Series were rather obvious, weren’t they? Each was the individual leader in terms of nominations in their respective categories with Ted Lasso having 20 overall again this year, Succession returning after a a year off with 25 noms, and The White Lotus by far having the most noms for Limited Series with 20. Of that trio only HBO’s marvelous The White Lotus was able to sweep through so many of the categories it was nominated in, and with 8 actors spread across just two supporting categories it was impossible not to cannibalize itself, but its 10 Emmy wins (by far the leader in wins this year) were impressively across the board. The way the Emmys works is everyone, all 17000 voters, get to vote in the program categories, while individual branches vote for their specific thing – writers for writers, directors for directors. That can sometimes change up the game and let in some newbies , but with the entire Academy chiming in on program, those high nomination counts do indeed count for something as they indicate widespread support for the show, even when it comes up short in a few individual categories. That is how Lasso and Succession prevailed even though both only won four Emmys each this time around. In fact in the Drama Series category the winner (for the second time) Succession actually came in under three of the other nominees in terms of wins with Squid Game, and Euphoria each picking up six overall wins, and Stranger Things with five.
One area that always disappoints about Emmys is what I call lazy voting, going to the well the same time year after year. So when is the Academy going to bite the bullet and move Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, now winner seven consecutive times in the Variety Talk Series category, even though it is the only nominee there that is a weekly, not daily talk show. It’s quite unfair to those who toil day in and day out in the talk arena.
Conversely it is possible to see the Academy stop a winning streak and so I thank Lizzo for finally being able to stop the repitition of Ru Paul’s Drag Race wins for Competition Program, and in the process allowing Lizzo to give one of the best speeches of the night. And also some original voting practices went into separating Sheryl Lee Ralph from the pack that included past winners Hannah Waddingham, Alex Borstein, and Kate McKinnon in favor of showbiz veteran Ralph for Abbott Elementary, and that led to the night’s best acceptance speech, in fact one of the best ever at the Emmys. Ralph came and did my Deadline series, The Actor’s Side during the season and I can attest to the fact that when she opens her mouth, it is usually worth listening to whatever she has to say, or in the case of the Emmys, to sing.
It was also great to see Lee Jung-jae, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk triumph in history-making wins for Squid Game, the latter making a charming acceptance speech in thanking Ted Sarandos.
And for me, The White Lotus was a no-brainer choice, a startlingly original Limited Series that actually aired well over a year ago, but clearly stuck in voters’ heads. It certainly has stuck in mine. Mike White is a genius and we have a second edition to look forward to come October. Can’t wait, and brand new Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge is returning. HBO knows how to pick ’em and now is back on top again in total wins, its usual perch, even if it was off its numbers last year.
Television Academy voters have demonstrated they like a certain few shows each year, still reluctant though to spread the wealth around, and that sameness, and concentration on just a few titles could eventually kill the golden goose. Diversity is a word you hear thrown around a lot these days, but the Academy needs a little more of it to shake up the game. However I have nothing bad to say about any of the winners really, but it is true that, well, voters should just change the channel every once in a while.
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