2017 Emmy Awards

[RainMaker]

Did anyone watch? Thoughts?

[ISiddiqui]

Netflix may have started original programming first, but Hulu definitely got to the top well before Netflix did. Well deserved too. "Handmaid's Tale" was fantastic. When I watched it I thought it was HBO-level in terms of production value and casting and the way the story was told was wonderfully done.

I also wonder if it helped that Hulu released the first 3 episodes at once and then the next 7 once a week, allowing episodes to resonate and for discussion to occur in a way that releasing it all at once would not.

[RainMaker]

I liked it. Wasn't the best show I saw (Leftovers was). Think politics played a little role in it winning.

Couple gripes with the show:

- The big categories get smashed down to the last 15 minutes. This lets the Limited Series categories take over most of the show. Feels like some better spacing might help.

- Maybe categories should be broken down into "short season" and "full season". Short season is anything 10 episodes or less (or set an hour limit). Just feels unfair that a show like This is Us has to put out 18 episodes of the same quality as a show that puts out 10. Or that Blackish has to put out 24 episodes to Veep's 10.

The show felt rushed in parts. I know they wanted to finish by the top of the hour but maybe it should be 4 hours. Make the first hour for the smaller awards and some recaps. Start the main show after that.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I liked it. Wasn't the best show I saw (Leftovers was). Think politics played a little role in it winning.

Agree with you on the Leftovers, but aside from that, I think The Handmaid's Tale was the best thing I saw this year.

Maybe categories should be broken down into "short season" and "full season". Short season is anything 10 episodes or less (or set an hour limit). Just feels unfair that a show like This is Us has to put out 18 episodes of the same quality as a show that puts out 10. Or that Blackish has to put out 24 episodes to Veep's 10.

You already break it out into Drama and Comedy, breaking it even further is just a bit too much. Networks can put out 10 ep seasons if they want. They already do with some shows.

[RainMaker]

I'm fine with more awards. It's not the 70's where you had 3 channels producing content. You have hundreds of shows. Many worth celebrating that didn't even get a mention on the telecast.

The Kimmel-Colbert bit was kind of spot-on. Lot easier to do what John Oliver is doing. Why is a show that does 20 episodes in the same category as a show that does over 200 a year?

[ISiddiqui]

To me they are competing in the same headspace. Veep and Black'ish are both comedies to me. Whether or not they have less or more episodes doesn't really make much of a difference to me in how I conceive of those shows (half hour comedies).

A "full season" award is basically just a sop to the networks anyway since they are really the only ones that still do 22 ep seasons. It'd immediately be seen as a lower quality award.

Besides it wasn't that long ago when Modern Family was winning Best Comedy multiple years in a row.

[larrymcg421]

The number of episodes isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be, since each show submits specific episodes up for consideration. This past year it looks like each show got to submit 6 for the Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Comedy categories. For the Variety shows, they only submit one episode. Therefore, you could argue that the daily talk shows have many more episodes to choose from than the weekly ones. Also, the limited cable series have much less wiggle room for clunker episodes than a network show.

The win I loved most was the writing Emmy for Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, because that Thanksgiving episode of Master of None is one of the best individual episodes of TV I've ever seen.

[stevew]

Was just about to say the same thing about it being based on single episodes vs a season arc, etc.

[RainMaker]

I'm assuming voters have seen more than one episode of most of these shows.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

- Maybe categories should be broken down into "short season" and "full season". Short season is anything 10 episodes or less (or set an hour limit). Just feels unfair that a show like This is Us has to put out 18 episodes of the same quality as a show that puts out 10. Or that Blackish has to put out 24 episodes to Veep's 10.

I would up that cutoff to 13 as that seems to be the upper limit for streaming shows.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

The win I loved most was the writing Emmy for Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, because that Thanksgiving episode of Master of None is one of the best individual episodes of TV I've ever seen.

I was initially disappointed that the show only did 2 episodes in Italy, but starting with New York, I Love You those last 5 episodes were perfect. I probably have a different favorite depending on mood, but Thanksgiving was perfectly written and acted.

[ISiddiqui]

The other problem with long and short season awards is that isn't just for the top award, but for every other award that pertains to a show. You'd have to best director for a long/short season comedy/drama, best writing for a long/short season comedy/drama, etc. It'd be a 6 hour show.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

The other problem with long and short season awards is that isn't just for the top award, but for every other award that pertains to a show. You'd have to best director for a long/short season comedy/drama, best writing for a long/short season comedy/drama, etc. It'd be a 6 hour show.

Maybe you don't need to split off the writing and directing. I don't know. Just seems like TV's unconventional formats have screwed up the awards a bit.

[ISiddiqui]

It's an award for best TV show. If unconventional formats have made for better TV, I'd rather see that rewarded. Maybe the networks will learn from that and make lesser episode seasons.

[cuervo72]

something something syndication model

[ISiddiqui]

To a point. Streaming is changing the calculus for syndication.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It's an award for best TV show. If unconventional formats have made for better TV, I'd rather see that rewarded. Maybe the networks will learn from that and make lesser episode seasons.

Yep, I agree.

The only issue I really have is the "Limited Series" category. It feels weird to have Fargo and American Horror Story and shows like that competing against one time TV movies, and series designed for one season and that's it. I get that every season of Fargo is truly unique and standalone, but there's still a "brand" to fargo and all of their seasons that just makes me see it differently than a one time miniseries or TV Movie.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It's an award for best TV show. If unconventional formats have made for better TV, I'd rather see that rewarded. Maybe the networks will learn from that and make lesser episode seasons.

Arguably the best thing on network TV last year was The Good Place and it did just that. 13 episodes and done. Still had the stupid months off because NBC thought it was better to hold 4 episodes into January instead of keeping things going. The return of Roseanne is only scheduled for 8 episodes. Maybe they'll be smart enough to finally figure out that even the longer run shows need distinct story arcs for each part so they don't have people waiting from November 5 to January 3 like they did with The Good Place last year.

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

To a point. Streaming is changing the calculus for syndication.

I wonder how much longer syndication will actually be a thing. Does that disappear in a single generation? Does syndication even make sense for kids today that don't encounter TV in any way other than on demand without commercial?