Emmy Predictions: Drama Categories

The White Lotus, now competing as a drama this year

By Abe Friedtanzer 

This is a very competitive year for drama at the Emmys. Last year, Succession and The White Lotus scored fourteen and eight acting nominations, respectively, and The Handmaid’s Tale, which wasn’t eligible last year, picked up ten the year before that. If they show up in similar numbers this year, that accounts for thirty-two spots, and there are only forty acting nominees in total! Changes in voting rules mean that it’s unlikely shows will dominate quite so much, but the first two of those are still extremely popular. And while other awards bodies have largely abandoned The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s worth noting that Emmy voters sometimes stick by shows longer (see Killing Eve).  

Exactly three of last year’s nominees for Best Drama Series are back in contention, and they’re all expected to show up in many places: Succession, Better Call Saul, and Yellowjackets...

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Emmy Category Analysis: Drama Series

By Abe Friedtanzer 

BETTER CALL SAUL

This category feels to me like one of the most interesting since there isn’t an undeniable frontrunner -- all the nominees  offer something truly captivating. While it’s possible that Succession takes it again, which I think would be disappointing since it already swept a lot the last time it was eligible, there’s legitimate buzz to be considered for at least half the slate. Let’s take a look at the series in contention, their awards history, and the episodes they submitted (links to reviews with spoilers)… 

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"Heartstopper" and "Yellowjackets" take the Dorian Awards

by Nathaniel R

The 14th annual Dorian Award TV winners have been announced. Mike White's anthology series The White Lotus and Showtime's unnerving but supremely watchable Yellowjackets picked up the most prizes (2 each) while Netflix's high school romance Heartstopper was named the best LGBTQ show. GALECA, the organization behind the Dorian Awards, is comprised of 360 LGBTQ+ entertainment journalists across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. (As you know a few members of Team Experience are in this organization.)

After the jump the winners for the TV season (the film nominations run on the calendar year like the Oscars and will be announced in January)...

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2022 Emmy Category Analysis: Drama Directing & Writing Categories

By Abe Friedtanzer

Julia Garner in the series finale of Ozark "A Hard Way To Go"

The directing and writing categories for drama this year have seven slots each and both honor the same five shows, with one additional series thrown into the writing race. It’s become increasingly rare for shows that aren’t nominated for Best Drama Series to make the cut in either category. Indeed, for the second consecutive year, none managed that feat. The only shows that managed multiple nods in either of these categories this year were Yellowjackets  with two writing nominations and Succession with 3 directing nominations. Fun trivia: Succession keeps matching its season number to its number of directing nominations (Season 1: 1 nod; Season 2: 2 nods; Season 3: 3 nods) While Succession won the directing race for season two, it has won the writing Drama Emmy for season 1 and 2 which makes it the frontrunner in each category again. But let’s look at what else is in the mix. 

Brief descriptions of the nominees below - click on the episode titles for spoiler-filled reviews…

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TCA Nominations 2022 + Notes about This Award in General

by Nathaniel R

Quinta Brunson in "Abbott Elementary" © ABC

The Television Critics Association have announced their nominees for the past year of television, aiming straight towards being "influencers" since they announced the day Emmy voting began (yesterday). ABC's wonderful hit sitcom Abbott Elementary led the nominations with five while Better Call Saul, Yellowjackets and Severance were not far behind with 4 citations each. 

Generally speaking this organization continues to have good taste though we have two gripes with them that we'll share after the jump. Here's what they loved this year in their 11 categories...

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