Emmys 2022: What to Expect and How to Watch

Can a Network Show Actually Win Best Comedy?

On the one hand, it seems inevitable that “Ted Lasso,” the feel good Apple TV+ sports comedy, will repeat for outstanding comedy. After all, when Emmy voters find a show they like, they usually stick with it. (John Oliver’s HBO show has won the best talk show category six years in a row.)

However, as with the drama race, there are a pair of viable upset candidates: “Only Murders in the Building,” the Hulu comedy about a murder mystery in a swanky Manhattan apartment building, and “Abbott Elementary,” the big-hearted ABC comedy about a group of elementary school teachers. The second season of “Only Murders” streamed during the Emmy voting period, keeping it fresh in the minds of Emmy voters.

The Television Critics Association sent a loud statement last month when it named “Abbott Elementary” its program of the year, with the show besting formidable contenders like “Succession” and “The White Lotus.” And then “Abbott” took the best casting award for a comedy last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys. That’s a promising sign — the best casting winner has taken the best comedy award for seven consecutive years.

If “Abbott Elementary” does win, it would snap a long dry spell for the broadcast networks. The last network show to win best comedy was “Modern Family” eight years ago. And if Quinta Brunson, a creator and star of “Abbott Elementary,” beats out last year’s winner, Jean Smart (“Hacks”), for best actress in a comedy, it would make her the first network star to take the category since Melissa McCarthy won it in 2011 for the CBS half-hour “Mike Molly.” Brunson would also be the first Black woman to capture the award since Isabel Sanford (“The Jeffersons”) won in 1981.

‘The White Lotus’ Faces Off Against ‘Dopesick’ in Best Limited Series

Last year, Emmy producers made official what everyone already knew: The best limited series is now right up there with best drama as the most prestigious award in television. At the ceremony last year, the limited series award was the final category presented, breaking from the usual tradition of handing out the last statuettes to best drama.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/arts/television/emmys-2022-how-to-watch.html