Regina King stars as Angela Abar aka Sister Night time in HBO’s “Watchmen.”
HBO
Heading into the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday evening, it might appear to be the largest competitors might be between HBO and Netflix.
The 2 networks have essentially the most nominations this yr and have battled it out for essentially the most wins over the previous few years. HBO stays the reigning champion in that regard.
Nonetheless, the dogfight between HBO and Netflix is a part of a a lot bigger development within the TV awards circuit: subscription-based companies are creating extra Emmy Award-nominated and -winning content material.
In 2020, a disproportionate variety of nominees don’t require cable or satellite tv for pc TV to be watched. Of the almost 600 nominations for each the Artistic Arts Emmys and the Primetime Emmys, 385 are held by 12 streaming or premium cable networks.
Then again, 25 conventional cable networks account for the 208 remaining nominations.
Netflix leads the pack with a file 160 nominations. The streaming service snagged nods for its drama reveals “Ozark,” “The Crown” “Unbelievable,” and “Unorthodox,” in addition to for its comedies “Useless to Me” and “The Kominsky Technique,” in addition to its competitors collection “Nailed It.”
HBO, which held the earlier file final yr with 137 nominations, scored 107 nods this yr, together with 26 for its restricted collection “Watchmen,” essentially the most of any TV present this yr.
Streaming companies new and previous additionally raked in nominations this yr. Amazon Prime Video’s “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” earned one other 20 nods this yr and Disney+, which launched in November, scored 19 complete nominations together with one for greatest drama collection for “The Mandalorian.” Apple TV+, additionally a first-time nominee, garnered 18 nominations and Quibi tallied 10.
To make sure, there are must-see reveals on cable. NBC’s “The Good Place,” Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek” and AMC’s “Higher Name Saul” all secured nominations for this yr’s ceremony.
“Chidi Sees the Time-Knife” Episode 312 — Pictured: (l-r) Kristen Bell as Eleanor, William Jackson Harper as Chidi, D’Arcy Carden as Janet, Manny Jacinto as Jason, Jameela Jamil as Tehani
NBC | NBCUniversal | Getty Photographs
NBC tallied 47 complete nominations, ABC earned 36, FX garnered 33 and CBS scored 23.
Emmy nominations and wins for cable TV reveals have shrunk in recent times. Whereas there are breakout packages on these networks and stalwart reveals, like NBC’s “Saturday Night time Stay,” lots of the packages that after raked in nominations and wins both ended or aren’t producing the identical buzz that they used to.
Final yr, premium companies dominated the primetime telecast, successful 21 out of the 27 awards offered.
Some analysts have attributed the decline in cable nominations and wins to the strict broadcast requirements that censor obscene, indecent and profane content material. Premium companies like HBO, Netflix and Prime Video do not should comply with as many guidelines.
Cable TV can also be beholden to each audiences and advertisers. The vast majority of advertisers don’t need their services or products offered alongside inappropriate language or express intercourse scenes.
Streaming companies and premium cable networks solely must please their audiences. If subscribers like a present, they’re going to proceed to pay a month-to-month price to look at them.
Netflix, HBO and Amazon have additionally been identified to offer their content material creators extra latitude in the case of storytelling and shell out extra money for multi-year contracts.
Netflix, specifically, has been eager to scoop up expertise. Within the final decade it has signed offers with Guillermo del Toro (“Form of Water”), Ryan Murphy (“Glee”), Shonda Rhimes (“Gray’s Anatomy”) and D.B. Weiss and David Benioff (“Recreation of Thrones”).
Amazon, too, spent $150 million for a five-year contract with the showrunners of HBO’s “Westworld.”
New entrants into the house, Apple TV+, Disney+ and even Quibi, have solely additional confirmed that high quality content material might be discovered with no cable subscription.
Annie Murphy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Dan Levy star in “Schitt’s Creek.”
Pop TV
That being stated, each “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Good Place” are sturdy contenders within the comedy class this yr and will upset “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which has snagged plenty of trophies in years’ previous.
Final yr, Prime Video snatched up awards on this class for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag.” Notably, each “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Good Place” are reveals that ended this yr and won’t be round for future Emmy Awards.
Jodie Comer from the BBC’s “Killing Eve” gained the prize for greatest efficiency by a lead actress in a drama collection. She is nominated once more this yr, however faces some competitors from Olivia Colman, who received a nod for her flip as Queen Elizabeth in Netflix’s “The Crown.”
HBO’s “Watchmen” might be onerous to beat within the limited-series class, nevertheless.
The 72nd Emmy Awards will air at eight p.m. ET on ABC. Here’s the full list of primetime Emmy nominees.
Disclosure: Comcast is the mum or dad firm of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
