Emmys Analysis: How ‘Hacks’ Beat ‘The Bear,’ ‘Shogun’ Changed the Game and Peacock Got on the Map

As someone who’s been following the Emmys for years now, it seems like the streaming giants are really shaking things up this year! Netflix may have missed out on a few categories this time around, but they certainly gave some stiff competition. I must say, it was a delight to see newcomers like Peacock finally break through and claim their well-deserved victory with The Traitors.

At the Emmy Awards ceremony held in January 2024, which recognized TV productions from the years 2022-2023 that were delayed due to industry strikes, the majority of Television Academy members showed strong support for a single drama (HBO’s series Succession), a single comedy (the newcomer The Bear from FX), and a single limited/anthology series (Netflix’s production Beef).

Approximately eight months ago, during this year’s Emmy Awards, which included both the Creative Arts ceremonies last weekend and the Primetime ceremony on Sunday night, two shows set new records for prize hauls: FX’s series Shōgun, originally a limited show but now classified as a drama, amassed 18 awards, making it the most awarded show in a single cycle; and the second season of The Bear earned 11 awards, surpassing its previous record for the most wins by a comedy series in a single cycle by one.

Interestingly, despite expectations, the three major genres did not as significantly prevail in the 76th Emmy Awards as they did in the previous year’s ceremony. Let me explain further…

Despite its impressive stack of victories, boasting awards for direction (Christopher Storer on the eccentric “Fishes” episode) and three consecutive wins for its actors (Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, both a second time, as well as Liza Colón-Zayas), The Bear unfortunately did not take home the award for best comedy.

Contrary to expectations, the second installment of “The Bear” suffered an unexpected defeat in its category. This turn of events was none other than at the hands of the third season of HBO Max’s “Hacks”. Previously, neither show had faced off as their respective first two seasons were pitted against each other: “Hacks” lost to “Ted Lasso”, while “The Bear” made its debut last year when “Hacks” was not in contention.

What led to this outcome? It appears that Hacks has garnered significant affection, as evidenced by Jean Smart’s win for best comedy actress, surpassing Ayo Edebiri from The Bear. Interestingly, in the previous seasons, Smart had already claimed this prize. This time, however, she edged out Edebiri, who won last cycle for best comedy supporting actress. Moreover, Hacks took home the award for best comedy writing, having previously won for its first season. This victory might be attributed to the fact that The Bear had two nominees in this category during this cycle. However, it’s also worth noting that Hacks submitted an exceptionally strong episode in its season three finale, which may have contributed significantly to their success.

Despite the general consensus about The Bear being exceptional yet not humorous, this debate intensified significantly during the final Emmy voting round. This is because, while voters were evaluating the show’s second season, they were simultaneously watching its relatively unfunny third season, which was recently released. Another factor that may have influenced their decision-making process was Colón-Zayas’ win for her performance in season two, as she delivered a more outstanding performance in season three.

While weighing whether “The Bear” truly qualifies as a comedy, it’s likely that numerous viewers decided not to penalize the cast for being labeled as such. However, they might have hesitated about granting it another title like ‘best comedy’, which has often been awarded to traditional comedies like “Modern Family”, “Veep”, “Schitt’s Creek”, and “Ted Lasso” that are known for their uproarious laughter-inducing moments.

Furthermore, HBO, the external company hired for this season’s promotion of Hacks and the talents linked with Hacks, strongly underlined during their promotional efforts how challenging it is to create a comedy series about comedy. It’s a matter of either humor or not, and there’s no room for debate that when it comes to Hacks, audiences find it funny.

As a dedicated gamer of quality TV shows, it’s a satisfying feeling to see both exceptional series, like The Bear, and their competitors claiming top awards. Moving forward, I believe the creators behind The Bear should take a gamble and market season three as a drama. It’s hard to predict the competitive scene, but given its depth and intensity, I’m confident that the show would thrive under that genre label.

Regarding category reclassifications, the miniseries “Shōgun” was originally planned as a limited series. However, due to its impressive reception by both critics and audiences, it received further seasons, making it eligible for Emmy awards as a drama series. Moreover, it made history not just by the number of awards it won, but by becoming the first primarily non-English language TV show to be declared the best drama series, a title which “Squid Game” on Netflix came close to claiming two years ago, but ultimately lost to “Succession”.

This year’s Emmy Awards might be particularly notable, with the potential for it to stand out more than other aspects – a significant juncture akin to the 2021 Oscars, where “Parasite” made history by becoming the first non-English film to win Best Picture. In the coming years, the notion of hosting a separate International Emmys ceremony might appear outdated.

In addition to winning honors for directing and acting categories, Shōgun also garnered awards for best drama actor and actress. However, it’s worth noting that this success wasn’t likely due to complacent voting as it also missed out on several other prizes. For instance, in the supporting actor category, its nominees were not victorious against Billy Crudup from Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. Moreover, another series, Slow Horses, claimed the writing prize instead of Shōgun, possibly because Shōgun had too many nominees which dispersed its support. Interestingly, it also didn’t have any nominations in the supporting actress category, a win that went to Elizabeth Debicki from The Crown, who had won at every major awards show throughout the past year.

This leads us to the Netflix limited series titled “Baby Reindeer“, a deeply personal and poignant autobiographical journey authored and acted by the previously unrecognized Richard Gadd. As recently as early June, even Netflix itself didn’t view the show as a significant Emmy contender. However, it gradually amassed an enormous audience, ignited intense cultural discussions, and eventually proved to be an irresistible force (despite the attempts of the real woman who served as an inspiration for the series). In the end, it overcame formidable competition to win the categories of best limited/anthology series, best writing for a limited/anthology series (Gadd), best actor in a limited/anthology series (Gadd), and best supporting actress in a limited/anthology series (Jessica Gunning).

However, while “Baby Reindeer” didn’t win the best limited/anthology series award, it did triumph in other major categories. For instance, Steven Zaillian, director of another impressive Netflix project titled “Ripley,” was recognized for his work over Weronika Tofilska from “Baby Reindeer.” In the supporting actor category, Lamorne Morris from FX’s “Fargo” took home the prize over Tom Goodman-Hill from “Baby Reindeer.” Reflecting upon the event, it seems Netflix might have regretted not nominating Gunning as a lead, which could have opened the way for Nava Mau in the supporting category and possibly resulted in two actress wins. Instead, the award for best limited/anthology lead actress went to Jodie Foster from HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country.

Outside of the big three genres, there were some other notable results.

It’s a significant accomplishment for the team behind Peacock streaming service, who have worked tirelessly over the years to earn Emmy nominations for their shows, but hadn’t made a real breakthrough until this year. Switching TV viewing habits is difficult, especially when it comes to trying out new streaming platforms. However, they successfully achieved this with their debut show, The Traitors, which won the award for best reality competition program by beating MTV’s long-standing champion, RuPaul’s Drag Race, which had claimed victory in five of the last six years. The host of The Traitors, Alan Cumming, also took home the award for best reality or competition series host at the recent Creative Arts Emmys, ending RuPaul‘s eight-year winning streak in this category.

Currently, The Daily Show on Comedy Central is leading the talk series category. Although Jon Stewart is no longer a part of it, this year they managed to secure the win, marking the first victory since his return. While Jon’s Monday appearances have been impressive, the show wouldn’t have won without the other hosts stepping up the rest of the week. So, kudos go out to Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, and Desi Lydic for their outstanding performances. It’s worth noting that The Daily Show also won last year, during Trevor Noah’s tenure as anchor, but prior to that, the show hadn’t been recognized since 2015 – a time when Stewart was back in the driver’s seat.

Lastly, HBO/Max had cause to celebrate not just the success of Hacks, but also of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which won best scripted variety series over Saturday Night Live (although, as I recently wrote, the shows are virtually nothing alike and do not belong in the same category); and Alex Edelman: Just for Us, a televised adaptation of Alex Edelman’s one-man show, which won best writing for a variety special.

Even though it’s over eight months until the 77th Emmys, we’ve likely started seeing some potential contenders. One such series is Apple TV+’s drama “Presumed Innocent,” which was a big success on their platform in June and July, and “Disclaimer,” a limited series that debuted at various fall film festivals.

The race never stops.

2024-09-16 08:55

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