Regina King stars as Angela Abar aka Sister Night time in HBO's "Watchmen."HBOHeading into the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday night time,
Regina King stars as Angela Abar aka Sister Night time in HBO’s “Watchmen.”
HBO
Heading into the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday night time, it might appear to be the largest competitors can 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 practically 600 nominations for each the Artistic Arts Emmys and the Primetime Emmys, 385 are held by 12 streaming or premium cable networks.
Alternatively, 25 conventional cable networks account for the 208 remaining nominations.
Netflix leads the pack with a report 160 nominations. The streaming service snagged nods for its drama exhibits “Ozark,” “The Crown” “Unbelievable,” and “Unorthodox,” in addition to for its comedies “Lifeless to Me” and “The Kominsky Technique,” in addition to its competitors sequence “Nailed It.”
HBO, which held the earlier report final yr with 137 nominations, scored 107 nods this yr, together with 26 for its restricted sequence “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 sequence for “The Mandalorian.” Apple TV+, additionally a first-time nominee, garnered 18 nominations and Quibi tallied 10.
To make certain, there are must-see exhibits 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
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NBC tallied 47 complete nominations, ABC earned 36, FX garnered 33 and CBS scored 23.
Emmy nominations and wins for cable TV exhibits have shrunk lately. Whereas there are breakout packages on these networks and stalwart exhibits, like NBC’s “Saturday Night time Stay,” lots of the packages that when 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 introduced.
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 must observe as many guidelines.
Cable TV can also be beholden to each audiences and advertisers. Nearly all of advertisers don’t desire their services or products introduced 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 charge to observe them.
Netflix, HBO and Amazon have additionally been recognized to present their content material creators extra latitude in the case of storytelling and shell out extra money for multi-year contracts.
Netflix, particularly, 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 (“Sport of Thrones”).
Amazon, too, spent $150 million for a five-year contract with the showrunners of HBO’s “Westworld.”
New entrants into the area, Apple TV+, Disney+ and even Quibi, have solely additional confirmed that high quality content material could be discovered with out a 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 quite a few 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 exhibits that ended this yr and won’t be round for future Emmy Awards.
Jodie Comer from the BBC’s “Killing Eve” received the prize for greatest efficiency by a lead actress in a drama sequence. 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” can be laborious to beat within the limited-series class, nevertheless.
The 72nd Emmy Awards will air at eight p.m. ET on ABC. This is the complete listing of primetime Emmy nominees.
Disclosure: Comcast is the mum or dad firm of NBCUniversal and CNBC.