Emmy experts debate Comedy Series race: ‘Hacks’ will compete against ‘a bunch of new kids on the block’
Last year's Best Comedy Series winner, Hacks, is back in the running for more Emmy gold, but several new contenders are hoping to stop it in its tracks, including The Studio, Nobody Wants This, and The Four Seasons. Four top Emmy experts — Variety's Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg, Indiewire's Marcus Jones, Deadline's Pete Hammond — debate the race with moderator and Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum in our latest slugfest video (watch above).
"We are almost certainly going to see the return of last year's somewhat surprise winner, Hacks, and then The Bear, which had been widely predicted to win," says Feinberg. "I think we'll see Only Murders in the Building and Abbott Elementary back, and Shrinking. There's a bunch of new kids on the block, most prominently The Studio, which I think is in, as is Nobody Wants This from Netflix. So, I think in a way, we're talking about those seventh and eighth slots that are still up for grabs. You could see returning contenders What We Do in the Shadows and Poker Face, or some new options including English Teacher and The Four Seasons."
Jones says that Netflix has a "big issue" with too much product. "Nobody Wants This is the most popular, and I do think that's probably going to be nominated. But there's such a crash between The Four Seasons, A Man on the Inside, and The Residence." He also brings up the "Étoile factor," claiming that Prime Video is "pushing that and trying to do a play of craft love" to help the show get in. "They were the first streamer to win this category, and so I wouldn't put it past them to take it to the finish line." (Note: This was recorded before news of Étoile's cancellation broke late Friday)
Davis thinks there is a "clear top five" of shows that feel "locked": Hacks, The Bear, Only Murders, Abbott Elementary, and The Studio. However, "right now at the moment," he feels like The Studio is "the one to beat." He worries whether Shrinking will get in this year since it "really underperformed" the last time it was eligible. As for the Netflix shows, Davis believes Nobody Wants Us and The Four Seasons are going to be the streamer's "top performers."
In terms of out-of-the-box choices, Birnbaum wonders if "all of the press" for The Rehearsal's second season might work "for it or against it." Ultimately, for niche shows, it may come down to how many people have actually seen them. "When you go to events, [the voters] are overwhelmed by the amount of shows that they have to watch," she explains. "So, I think name recognition gets you half the battle."
Hammond agrees this is a "tough category" and suggests that the 2023 champion, The Bear, will be nominated, but won't return to the winner's circle. "The Bear is over in terms of winning. I don't see it winning again. The reason Hacks won, in addition to being a great show, is a lot of people just don't feel The Bear belonged in that category." He adds, "It's a very good show. There's no question about that. But I don't think it's going to win."
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