Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is April 25, 2022, which means it’s now 17 days until the Emmy entry deadline on May 12; also 52 days until Emmy nominations-round voting begins on June 16 and 63 days until Emmy nomination round voting ends on June 27. From there, it’s 78 days until Emmy nominations are announced on July 12; then 109 days until final round voting begins on August 12, followed by 119 days until final round voting ends on August 22 . Then comes the finales: It’s 131 days until the Creative Arts Emmys kicks off its two-night event on September 3; and then it’s 140 days until the 74th Emmy Awards takes place, live on NBC, September 12. Whew. That means you have a few more weeks at least to watch the hundreds and hundreds of new and returning series that are in contention this year. No joking. There’s a lot. And welcome back to the 2022 edition of Variety’s AWARDS HQ. If you’re new here, a quick primer, I’m your friendly Variety TV Editor, Michael Schneider , and together for the next several months we’ll be riding the Emmy train, along with several of my Variety colleagues. We’ve got Emily Longeretta here overseeing all of Variety’s Emmy issues (no small feat, given how many of them will be coming your way in the next few months!). Our awards guru Clayton Davis is already out there crafting his early predictions for this season, making some new friends and causing others to take long, deep breaths. (Hey, the season is still young!) Jazz Tangcay is, as always, covering all the fun stuff coming out of the artisans world, chatting with the folks who make these productions shine. But that’s not all, we’ve got a growing TV team here covering the business from every perspective — from Joe Otterson ‘s scoops and Jenny Maas ’ sharp take on the biz, to Brian Steinberg ’s look deep inside news divisions, advertising and more on the East Coast. Adam B. Vary is on top of everything genre and geek, Selome Hailu is hard at work doing a little bit of everything for us in Los Angeles (do try to meet her at one of the millions of events in the coming weeks); Elizabeth Wagmeister is covering a wide variety of stories particularly in the unscripted world (and also hosting “The Take” with Clayton) and Todd Spangler is our guru of all things digital, including the rapidly evolving world of streaming. In an exciting new move, Kate Aurthur is now overseeing our show-based coverage (think premieres, landmark episodes, showrunner debriefs and more, geared toward a consumer/fan audience), Diane Garrett is handling our print magazine (including our front-of-the-boolk “Biz+Buzz” section) while our TV critics Dan D’Addario and Caroline Framke are busier than ever. Marc Malkin and Angelique Jackson are hitting the red carpets now that red carpets are back. And our online team is on fire, led by Bill Earl, while Katcy Stephan is revolutionizing Variety’s social game. And all of this on the TV side is also overseen by our fearless leaders, Claudia Eller, Cynthia Littleton and Ramin Setoodeh.In the coming weeks you’ll hear the Awards Circuit podcast posting episodes twice a week, on Thursdays and Fridays. (The Friday episode features our weekly roundtable segment, where Variety editors discuss the news of the week, as well as how the Emmy race is shaping up.) We have plenty of video productions coming up, more Variety Streaming Room panels, our Variety TV Fest in June, the first of our Emmy Extra Edition issues on May 26, my weekly Awards Circuit column has already returned (scroll below) and we kicked off Emmy season last week with our major weekly Variety magazine cover featuring “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan (also scroll down). So back to this li’l newsletter. This is your weekly town square on everything going on in Emmyland. Breaking TV Academy news, big events, exclusive stories about Emmy strategies, chats with contenders and much more. Start your week with AWARDS HQ to remain plugged in with this year’s overwhelming competition. And I promise you, this will remain a safe space, Elon Musk is not taking over. As the Twitter dumpster fire turns into a a global inferno, let’s at least try to enjoy EMMYS 2022. Everyone, say it with me… let’s get going!
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AWARDS CIRCUIT COLUMN: Exorcising Those Ugly Oscar Demons as We Head Smack Into Emmy Season
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My weekly Emmy column is back! An excerpt from the return: I’ve been a big fan of the Paley Fest going back to when the Paley Center was known as the Museum of TV & Radio. In the 1990s, the annual event focused on reunions of classic TV show casts, but in recent years, it’s become more of a Comic-Con style gathering of current series. I’ve had the pleasure of serving as a moderator for countless panels over the years — most memorably, I won a staring contest with Jon Hamm (sorry Jon, I have the proof on tape) during an event for “Mad Men.” This year, I was asked to moderate two of my current faves: AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and HBO Max’s “Hacks.” It was during the “Hacks” panel that I felt we had to address that Slap-ephant in the room. The moment that Will Smith got up out of his seat, unexpectedly raised his hand against Oscars presenter Chris Rock, shouting profanities and leading to weeks of hand-wringing, debate, repercussions, and really terrible hot takes. And it all went down in the same spot that I was now grilling Jean Smart about Season 2 of her hit comedy. I couldn’t resist pointing it out to Smart and her “Hacks” executive producers. “You know, it happened right there,” I said, pointing to the stage floor in front of us. “Just days ago. Right there.” Nervous snickers from the panel. They soon realized what I was referring to. Read it all, including how we helped restore the Dolby Theatre mojo and awards shows in general in time for Emmy season, here. |
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Let the Emmy Jockeying Begin! The Latest Scoop on ‘Yellowjackets,’ ‘Loki’ and ‘Severance’ Submission Strategies
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My colleague Clayton Davis has been busy updating his Emmy predictions, and staying on top of how shows and talent are submitting for contention. And in many cases, it has already changed. Take the case of “Yellowjackets.” As Clayton writes: One of the biggest stars and standouts of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets,” Christina Ricci, will be submitted in the supporting actress drama category, Variety has learned exclusively. She’ll now compete alongside her young co-stars — Ella Purnell, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher and Samantha Hanratty. The campaign had initially planned to have her alongside her fellow “adult-version” co-stars Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Melanie Lynskey. Instead, they will still seek consideration in the lead actress drama race, as previously reported.Meanwhile, Clayton also reveals a hiccup in the plans to campaign Disney+’s “Loki” in limited series: With Tom Hiddleston reprising his beloved character, the six episodes of Marvel Studios’ “Loki,” which premiered on Disney+ in June 2021, were a massive success for the phase four entry. Disney and Marvel are hoping to have a similar success after the limited series “WandaVision” led the Emmy nomination field with 23. After initial plans to submit it in limited series, Variety has learned exclusively that “Loki” will seek Emmy love in the drama categories.
Disney’s original plan was to submit the third MCU TV series in the limited series field alongside its other MCU counterparts “Hawkeye” with Jeremy Renner and “Moon Knight” with Oscar Isaac. But, unfortunately, that’s not so simple because of “Loki’s” post-credits scene in the final episode that reads: “Loki will return in season 2.”Clayton also has the skinny on how the cast of Apple TV+’s breakout “Severance” will be submitted: Stars Adam Scott and Britt Lower will try their luck in the lead drama actor and lead drama actress races. At the same time, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman and Jen Tullock will angle for supporting drama attention. Perhaps the biggest mystery of who may end up where, Christopher Walken will not be submitted for guest actor in a drama, as originally presumed by Apple because of his role in more than half of the episodes of the season. He will compete alongside his co-stars Turturro and Tillman in supporting actor drama. |
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CrimeCon’s First-Ever True Crime Awards Announces Nominees and Host
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It was only a matter of time before true crime got its own awards show, and the first-ever Clue Awards, created by CrimeCon, aims to fill that void six categories across television, film, books and podcasts. Nominations in the television categories include streaming docuseries such as Peacock’s “Dr. Death” and “Epstein’s Shadow” and HBO Max’s “The Way Down,” as well as network programming such as three nominations for NBC’s “Dateline” series. Legal commentator Dan Abrams will host the awards, which take place April 30 at the Paris Las Vegas hotel during CrimeCon 2022 (which runs from April 29 to May 1). Some key noms: Television: Outstanding Docuseries“Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story” (Peacock) Produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group “Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell” (Peacock) Produced by Blue Ant Studios “Fall River” (Epix) Produced by Blumhouse Television, Pyramid Productions “The Missing Children” (Topic) Produced by Topic, True Vision, Nevision “The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin” (HBO Max) Produced by Campfire Studios, Huntley Productions Television: Outstanding Episodic Series“Accident, Suicide or Murder” (Oxygen Network) Produced by Dorsey Pictures, a Red Arrow Studios company “Cold Justice” (Oxygen Network) Produced by Wolf Entertainment, Magical Elves “Dateline” (NBC) Produced by Dateline NBC “Evil Lives Here” (Investigation Discovery / Discovery+) Produced by Red Marble Media “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here” (Sundance TV / AMC+) Produced by Authentic Entertainment, Mischief Farm, Bungalow Media + Entertainment Outstanding Documentary Film“Broken Harts” (Discovery+) Produced by Jupiter Entertainment and Condé Nast Entertainment “Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story” (Oxygen) Produced by Marwar Junction Productions and Entertainment One “The Doomsday Files” (NBC) Produced by Dateline NBC “The New York Times Presents: To Live and Die in Alabama” (FX) Produced by The New York Times, Left/Right (a Red Arrow Studios company) “What Happened to Amy” (NBC) Produced by Dateline NBC Read more here. |
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WATCH MY SHOW: Will Forte, Jorma Taccone and John Solomon (“MacGruber”) Fill Out Our Showrunner Seven
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Peacock’s “MacGruber” (Will Forte) brought back America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot and released him from jail with a new mission: Take down the mysterious villain Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Billy Zane). Also back are MacGruber’s old team: Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) and Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe). Sam Elliott, Joseph Lee Anderson and Timothy V. Murphy also star. We asked co-showrunner/writer/executive producer/star Will Forte and co-showrunners, writers, EPs, directors John Solomon and Jorma Taccone to fill out our Showrunner Seven.
Sum up your show’s pitch in one sentence.
America’s most lethal and inept weapon is released from prison to save the world from Billy Zane.
What’s an alternate title for your show?
“One Tree MacGruber”
What do we need to know before tuning in?
Since we last saw him in 2010 in the critical and financial box office hit, “MacGruber,” MacGruber has been imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. That’s basically all you need to know. Oh, did we mention what a critical and financial success the 2010 movie was? No need to fact check that — just trust us.
Give us an equation for your show. (Blank plus blank minus blank times blank, etc.)
Gripping emotion + throat rips + Ryan Phillippe’s abs + wigs + Wiig – military and technical research = MacGruber Season 1
What’s the best thing someone said about your show?
We got a nice letter from the Pope about the healing power of violent comedy. He is praying for season 2.
If you could work on any other series on TV, what would it be?
“NBA on TNT”
Finish this sentence: “If you like _______, you’ll love our show.”
“If you like drinking milk well past its expiration date, you’ll love our show.”
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ON THE CIRCUIT: HBO’s ‘We Own This City’ Premieres in New York
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Dispatch from Joe Otterson in New York:
“We Own This City” received a warm welcome at its premiere event at The Times Center in New York on Thursday. Attendees included series creators David Simon and George Pelecanos, director and executive producer Reinaldo Marcus Green, and cast members Jon Bernthal, Jamie Hector, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Rob Brown, Josh Charles, and more.
The show is based on the true story of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force, a group of corrupt cops who routinely robbed drug dealers and regular citizens alike while also re-selling drugs they seized. Before the screening began, Simon joked the show would be the water cooler show of 2032, referencing the fact “The Wire” did not achieve widespread popularity until long after it was off the air.
“‘The Wire’ famously didn’t get a lot of awards love,” HBO boss Casey Bloys said of his awards hopes for “We Own This City.” “My hope for this show is that we have progressed enough that a show that has themes as challenging as this one would be in the awards conversation, unlike ‘The Wire’ 15 years ago.”
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Peabody Awards 2022 Nominees: ‘Dopesick,’ ‘Underground Railroad,’ ‘Yellowjackets,’ Bo Burnham and More
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 Clayton Davis reports on this year’s Peabody Award nominees:“Dopesick” and “Only Murders in the Building,” “Yellowjackets” and “The Underground Railroad” are among this year’s nominees for the Peabody Awards. Oscar winners, including “Summer of Soul” and “The Queen of Basketball,” and Emmy winners including “Bo Burnham: Inside” and “Hacks,” also landed spots, as did “Colin in Black & White,” “We Are Lady Parts” and “Reservation Dogs.” The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced this year’s nominees for entertainment, documentaries, news, podcast/radio, children’s & youth, public service and arts. A total of 60 nominees were revealed as “an array of stories that poignantly and powerfully help us make sense of the challenges we face as a nation and world,” according to Jeffrey Jones, Peabody Awards executive director. Here are the nominees in the entertainment field: “Bo Burnham: Inside”(Netflix) “Dopesick” (Hulu) “Hacks” (HBO Max) “The Long Song” (PBS) “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) “Pen15” (Hulu) “Reservation Dogs” (FXO “Sort Of” (HBO Max) “Station Eleven” (HBO Max) “The Underground Railroad” (Prime Video) “We Are Lady Parts” (Peacock) “The Wonder Years” (ABC) “Yellowjackets” (Showtime) Read more here. |
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ON THE CIRCUIT: Showtime’s ‘First Lady’ Takes Over Ritz Carlton Suites
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Showtime has partnered with The Ritz-Carlton chain to promote its new anthology series “The First Lady” by turning presidential suites into “First Lady suites.” Members of the Marriot travel program Bonvoy will get a first crack at staying in the rooms, which have been made over to reflect the First Ladies featured in Season 1.
That means First Lady Suites that will evoke Eleanor Roosevelt and the FDR era at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park; Betty Ford and the Ford era at The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles; and Michelle Obama and the Obama era at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. All three eras will be featured at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
According to Showtime, each suite will include actual set pieces and props from the production of “The First Lady.” Pictured above is a suite at the Ritz-Carlton in D.C.
Each hotel is featuring period costumes worn by the actors in the series and will offer “First Lady”-themed beverages and cocktails in its bars and restaurants. Docent-guided tours of the suites will be open to the public, while Bonvoy members will have a chance to bid on stays at the suites, which may include a private in-suite custom-curated dinner and drinks for two, featuring the First Ladies’ favorite recipes.
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VARIETY COVER: The ‘Yellowstone’ Empire: How Taylor Sheridan Struck TV Gold by Reinventing the Western
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Shout out to Variety’s Joe Otterson, who flew to Arizona in order to meet up with “Yellowstone” MVP Taylor Sheridan in person. “Yellowstone” was already a hit, but now it’s a bonafide awards play. And Sheridan is busy with other hits too, like “1883” and a ton more series on the way. He felt like the perfect cover subject for our Variety Emmy kick-off issue. An excerpt from Joe:
“Write what you know” are words to live by for any writer. Taylor Sheridan, showrunner and architect of the fast-expanding “Yellowstone” universe, excels at creating modern Western characters because he is exactly that.
When Variety catches up with Sheridan for an in-depth look at the narrative worlds he is crafting for Paramount TV platforms, it is at the Schmersal horse ranch near Scottsdale, Ariz. Keen-eyed viewers may recognize the location from “The Last Cowboy,” the reality series that Sheridan executive produces.
Sheridan arrives for the interview outfitted in a cowboy hat, aviator sunglasses, a denim jacket and jeans, a torn white T-shirt and boots with spurs that jangle every time he moves his feet. He has just come from an equestrian workout, riding a horse in a large covered arena where he has practiced reining, or leading, the animal through a series of spins, stops and circles.
But Sheridan is not a man indulging in a boyhood fantasy of being a cowboy, nor is he donning a costume. Rather, the Schmersal setting offers a glimpse into the key to Sheridan’s success in the neo-Western space: his authenticity.
“For me, a sense of place is so incredibly important,” he says. “When I wrote ‘Yellowstone,’ I went to Montana. Now, I lived up in that area for many, many years, so I knew it very well.”
Sheridan’s auteur career has soared over the past half-decade with the success of the Paramount Network drama “Yellowstone,” led by Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the patriarch of a Montana ranching empire. A slow build, the series has grown into a massive heartland hit.
“Yellowstone,” which is likely to be a strong Emmy contender after breaking through this year with a SAG Award nomination for ensemble drama, proves there is more to TV drama than cops, doctors and lawyers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — and it is also a welcome reminder for the industry that traditional cable TV can still have real traction, with the right show. Moreover, the series has defied gravity by becoming a hit even with limited availability via streaming.
Read the full story here, and Joe’s companion piece on the Sheridanverse here.
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ON THE CIRCUIT: ‘Bosch’ Returns as ‘Bosch: Legacy’ as IMDbTV Turns Into ‘Amazon Freevee’
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“Bosch” helped usher in the age of Amazon’s Prime Video, and now “Bosch: Legacy” is doing the same for Amazon’s Freevee, the new name for what was once IMDb TV.
The show’s world premiere screening took place on Sunday at the London hotel in West Hollywood; above are Ryan Pirrozzi (co-head of content and Programming at Amazon Freevee), Michael Connelly (creator, executive producer), Titus Welliver (executive producer, “Harry Bosch”), Mimi Rogers (“Honey “Money” Chandler”), Madison Lintz (“Maddie Bosch”), Stephen A. Chang (“Maurice “Mo” Bassi”) and Henrik Bastin (executive producer/CEO, Fabel Entertainment).
The new series, which shifts the characters of “Bosch” in a new direction, premieres May 6 on Amazon Freevee. Yes, I keep typing “Freevee” in hopes that I get used to that name.
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Clayton Davis’ Emmy Predictions: Comedy Series – Can ‘Abbott Elementary’ Be the Little Broadcast Engine that Could?
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We’ll dive into a different category each week to examine Clayton Davis‘ Emmy predictions. This week, comedy:Apple TV Plus is the reigning champ with “Ted Lasso,” and it’s the presumptive frontrunner for its second season outing. After winning the SAG and Critics Choice top prizes, it has a very good chance to win it back-to-back. However, it won’t be so easy this time. Aside from balancing “Schmigadoon!” and “The Afterparty,” the latter of which is totally worthy of multiple noms across the board, they’ll need to fend off some critical favorites. HBO Max is back in the hunt with the second season of “Hacks,” which arguably narrowingly lost this race last year after picking up prizes for writing and directing. They’ll also have the sophomore season of “The Flight Attendant.” For the cable side of the house, HBO will give considerable pushes for the return (finally!) of “Barry,” the latest season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and the farewell season of “Insecure.” Amazon Prime Video is back with a TV Academy favorite, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which could be a familiar choice for voters to get behind. Hulu has a sure-fire contender with “Only Murders in the Building” but will also give a platform for “The Great” and the second half of “Pen15.” Netflix is back in the conversation with “Russian Doll” while also having a possibility of nabbing back-to-back noms for “Cobra Kai” (if the Will Smith executive producer credit doesn’t become a distraction on the campaign trail). FX has the best shot for cable networks to land Emmy gold, with two diverse selections in the mix. A long-awaited return of “Atlanta” could be heavily embraced for its final season, and the inaugural charm of “Reservation Dogs” has performed very well with the precursors. In addition, FX has the once-nominated “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Better Things” that have loyal fans. If the Oscars were looking for a good mood with “CODA,” then the TV Academy might look to Philadelphia school teachers’ delightful and charming maneuvers with ABC’s hit show “Abbott Elementary,” which just had its season finale on April 12. Created, written and executive produced by it-girl Quinta Brunson, the mockumentary sitcom serves as a lovely reminder of the challenges that educators face daily, both in pre- and post-pandemic society, that undervalues their contributions and roles in the lives of our children. As broadcast television continues its struggles with viewership and overall presence in the awards races, the ABC comedy could be one of the freshman series that aces it with the Television Academy and its members. Here is Clayton’s comedy frontrunners as of this week:  Read more here.
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Monday, April 25, 4 p.m. PT: HBO Max’s “Made for Love” FYC event at WarnerMedia Hudson Yards. (New York) Monday, April 25, 5 p.m. PT: Netflix’s “Anatomy of a Scandal” FYC event. (Virtual) Monday, April 25, 7 p.m. PT: HBO Max’s “The Other Two” FYC event at the Ted Mann Theater, Academy Museum. (Los Angeles) Wednesday, April 27, 4:30 p.m. PT: HBO Max’s “Somebody Somewhere” FYC event at WarnerMedia Hudson Yards. (New York) Wednesday, April 27, 7 p.m. PT: Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and “Tournament of Champions” FYC event at the Wolf Theatre, Television Academy. (North Hollywood) Wednesday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. PT: Showtime’s “I Love That for You” world premiere screening and FYC event, at the Pacific Design Center. (West Hollywood) Thursday, April 28, 7 p.m. PT: Hulu’s “The Girl from Plainville” FYC event at the Wolf Theatre, Television Academy. (North Hollywood) Friday, April 29, 5 p.m. PT: NBC’s “The Endgame” FYC event. (Virtual). Friday, April 29, 7 p.m. PT: HBO Max’s “And Just Like That” FYC event. (Virtual). Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m. PT: Netflix’s “Maid” FYC event at NeueHouse Hollywood. (Los Angeles) Saturday, April 30, 3 p.m. PT: HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” FYC event. (Virtual) Saturday, April 30, 3 p.m. PT: Prime Video’s “Harlem” FYC event. (TBD) Saturday, April 30, 7 p.m. PT: Prime Video’s “LuLa Rich” FYC event at the Prime Experience. (Beverly Hills) Saturday, April 30, 7 p.m. PT: Netflix’s “Cheer” FYC event at NeueHouse Hollywood. (Los Angeles) Sunday, May 1, 3 p.m. PT: Prime Video’s “Lucy and Desi” FYC event. (TBD) Sunday, May 1, 5 p.m. PT: Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” FYC event. (Virtual) Sunday, May 1, 3 p.m. PT: Prime Video’s Prime Standup FYC event for “Phat Tuesdays” and “Yearly Departed,” at the Prime Experience. (Beverly Hills)
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Send Me Your Questions, Comments and More!
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Feel free to send your burning Emmy questions and suggestions to mschneider@variety.com, and your hot tips as well! Thanks for reading.
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