In the realm of Hollywood, few things hold more prestige and weight than a win or nomination in the annual Emmy Awards ceremony. An actor, writer, or director being acknowledged by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences can be the highlight of one’s career, and the television shows recognized in this ceremony are considered to be some of the greatest put on the TV screen. The five major categories recognizing whole bodies of fiction are Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, and Limited or Anthology Series. These categories, while the greatest honor a television program can receive, each have certain trends that reveal great and important things about pop culture, the award show, and most importantly, ourselves, by exploiting these trends, there are ways in which one can create a show that will almost assuredly garner a nomination.
In terms of the Limited or Anthology category, the nominees are Baby Reindeer, Fargo, True Detective: Night Country, Lessons in Chemistry, and Ripley, with Baby Reindeer emerging as the victor. The underlying theme between these shows is that, with the exception of Lessons in Chemistry, they all contain some thriller element, and this is not the only category in which Lessons in Chemistry is the odd one out. All other Limited or Anthology nominees have a male main character, a factor that can unfortunately still influence the Academy and its members, even if it may be subconscious. With all of this in mind, an obvious question becomes what sets Baby Reindeer apart from the competition, and what allowed it to win? For one, it has the highest score on Rotten Tomatoes, something that has a great influence on judges and cinephiles, but even more importantly than that, it is by far the most talked about in the mainstream. While not obscure among television enjoyers, the average person will statistically not know about the other four nominees, and the simple reason for this is the fact that along with Ripley, it is one of the only nominees to stream on Netflix. Concluding from all of this data, a show that is likely to win the Limited or Anthology Series category will stream on Netflix, feature a male main character, and be a thriller.
The Outstanding Reality Competition category is one that seems quite odd when analyzing the nominees on the surface. Said nominees are The Traitors, which ended up winning; RuPaul’s Drag Race; The Voice, The Amazing Race, and Top Chef. The Traitors seems like the outlier in many different criteria among its other nominees, only having one season compared to every other nominee having at least fifteen, and notably being this category’s winner. The main logical explanation for these oddities is that, while entertaining, the other four nominees have been running for a long time, meaning that, at this point, the Academy would have become sick of their admittedly repetitive formulas. The Traitors, on the other hand, is fresh, brand-new, and contains the thriller elements loved so much by the Emmys. Not much else can be analyzed about this category, but to make an Emmy-winning reality show, one will surely have to create something new and, if they were to increase their chances, add thriller elements.
In terms of the Outstanding Comedy Series category, there isn’t much to analyze compared to the others. The nominees, including Only Murders in the Building, What We Do in the Shadows, Reservation Dogs, Palm Royale, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, and the winner, Hacks, don’t seem to fit a consistent theme with the other major categories. The easiest way, then, for a show to acquire an Emmy nomination in this category is to contain enough comedy for the Academy to consider it a comedy-based program, but also include large amounts of dramatic elements, as seen with all nominees except for Abbot Elementary and Curb Your Enthusiasm. For instance, Hacks, the winner of this category, provided great humor for viewers while also telling a compelling story of the two deeply flawed main characters as they grapple for power and status. Another nominee, The Bear, deals not just with comedy, but with the crushing reality of grief on top of everything else. While no nominees in this category are streamed on Netflix, most can be viewed on either HBO Max or Hulu, the two streaming platforms that can get the second- and third-best exposure for a show. Unlike other categories, in which one can gain a nomination simply by exploiting the trends favored by the Academy, it seems as though the best way to gain an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination is to simply make something of quality, being helped by simply putting comedic elements into a primarily dramatic series and describing it as a comedy. The difference between all these nominees and the winner, though, seems to be the fact that Hacks is about the process of fame, something that feeds right into the biases of the Academy. In summation, a winner of this category will have great drama on top of comedy, stream on Max or Hulu, and to gain a great advantage, be about the Hollywood industry itself.
The most prestigious category at the Emmys is the Outstanding Drama Series category, containing Shogun, The Gilded Age, Fallout, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Morning Show, 3 Body Problem, Slow Horses, and The Crown. Once again, the theme of thrillers emerges, with 3 Body Problem, Slow Horses, Fallout, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith all containing some thriller elements, but a new trend emerges, in this category, being the prominence of historical dramas. Shogun, the category’s winner, The Crown, and the Gilded Age are all based on a certain time period or a real series of events. It is also evident that streaming services can provide an advantage in this category as well, with The Crown and 3 Body Problems, despite not sharing the critical acclaim of their contemporaries, still being nominated due to Netflix-driven popularity. The only real outlier in any of these categories is The Morning Show, which also has the lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes out of all the nominees. However, the reason for its nomination circles back to the reason for Hacks’ win. Centering a show around the industry of the people who judge it can make it relatable and increase its chances for acclaim. With all that being said, what separates Shogun from the other historical nominees is not anything tangible, but merely its sheer quality and emotional stakes, combined with the intensity of its grand battle scenes.
All in all, the Emmy Awards, while having very obvious present themes among its nominees, is ultimately a quality-based race, and an Emmy can still be considered one of the most prestigious awards one can receive. As it stands, there really is no surefire way to engineer a show to win the most prestigious categories, which is ultimately how it should be. As pop culture continues to develop and life continues, the Emmys will continue to develop in turn, and the future ultimately looks bright for this award ceremony.
