Emmys Analysis: TV's Awards Show Celebrating Itself Is in Grave Danger

THR's executive editor of awards weighs in on a bungled 2022 Emmys telecast packed with repeat winners from the same handful of shows that TV Academy members have recognized before.

Emmys Analysis: TV’s Awards Show Celebrating Itself Is in Grave Danger

Kenan Thompson speaks onstage during the 74th Emmy Awards PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

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What is there to say about the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards that hasn’t already occurred to everyone who watched it?

The show — at least on television, where I watched it this year because it was scheduled directly opposite the Toronto International Film Festival — was awful, with an ineffective host (ironically) in beloved Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson, an intrusive announcer who was allowed more time for inane commentary than winners were for acceptance speeches, strange presenter inclusions and omissions (Sydney Sweeney was in the room, folks!), poor pacing, bad lighting, slow cuts and the list goes on. (For a more thorough dissection of the telecast, read THR chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg’s forthcoming review.)

Additionally, just one show from this year’s host network NBC — SNL — won an Emmy on the primetime telecast (a single one at that), which, yet again, makes me wonder: Why do the Big Four networks, which take turns broadcasting the Emmys, want to air their own funeral? Eventually they are going to realize that it’s not smart business to promote their competition, and then what will happen?

Perhaps most disconcertingly, Monday night’s results reinforced my belief that most of today’s TV Academy members, despite living in the era of Peak TV, can’t be bothered to watch, en masse, more than a handful of buzzy shows, bearing out a joke that Thompson made in his monologue at the top of the telecast, which echoed something that I have written about often: “Tonight, we celebrate the hundreds and hundreds of shows that were produced last year — and then we give awards to five of them.” Indeed, precisely five shows ended up winning multiple awards — HBO’s The White Lotus (five), Apple’s Ted Lasso (four), HBO’s Succession (three), ABC’s Abbott Elementary (two) and Netflix’s Squid Game (two) — while nine others won one apiece.

Here’s some food for thought: AMC’s Better Call Saul is one of the best reviewed shows on TV, but, as it nears the end of its Emmys eligibility (the last six episodes of its sixth and final season will be eligible next cycle), it remains winless across all categories. Showtime’s Yellowjackets, for its acclaimed rookie season, didn’t take home a single statuette. And wins for other exciting young shows, like Apple’s Severance and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, were limited to technical categories presented at one of the non-televised Creative Arts Awards ceremonies.

The issue is not that (most of) the shows and people that won are undeserving; it’s that others are deserving too, but don’t seem to get a fair hearing. TV Academy members appear to reflexively reward the same shows and people over and over again, which is, frankly, boring. This year, for the seventh year in a row, the best variety talk series Emmy was awarded to HBO’s Last Week Tonight (instead of one of the shows that have to air every weeknight), and, for the sixth year in a row, the best variety sketch series Emmy was awarded to Saturday Night Live (which, under the TV Academy’s bizarre criteria, now only has to face one other nominee). Also extending their winning streaks this year: drama series Succession, comedy series Ted Lasso, comedy lead actor Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), drama actress Zendaya (Euphoria), comedy actress Jean Smart (Hacks) and comedy supporting actor Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso).

Because of the aforementioned frustrations, I cheered the wins of Netflix’s Squid Game, a Korean-language global phenomenon, in the categories of lead drama actor (Lee Jung-jae became the first person to ever win an acting Emmy for a performance in a language other than English) and directing of a drama (Hwang Dong-hyuk, for the pilot); ABC’s Abbott Elementary for best comedy supporting actress (Sheryl Lee Ralph, who gave the night’s most memorable acceptance speech) and writing of a comedy (Quinta Brunson, for the pilot); Lizzo for her Amazon Prime competition series Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (RuPaul’s Drag Race lost after winning in each of the last four years); and Jerrod Carmichael’s HBO stand-up special Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel.

Here’s hoping that the people responsible for this year’s Emmys — both the voters and the people who put together the telecast — demonstrate a little more care next year.