Thursday, October 3, 2024

Emmy Awards Tonight, Second of This Year, Promise Little in Surprises: “The Bear,” “Shogun” Tipped for Honors

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The Emmy Awards are on tonight on ABC.

It’s the second Emmys this year because back in January we had the delayed edition from 2023 (thanks to the strikes).

Eugene Levy and Dan Levy of “Schitt’s Creek” fame will be the hosts. Eugene is currently on “Only Murders in the Building.” Dan Levy does real estate commercials.

Will they be funny? Let’s hope so, and distracting, too. Because these Emmys aren’t promising a lot of surprises.

“The Bear” and all its actors will win tonight. Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal have already won Best Guest actors in a comedy. Now Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss Bacharach, and Ayo Edibiri will win their categories.

The whole problem, of course, is that “The Bear” is a drama, or at least a dramedy. It’s not a comedy. “Hacks” is the best comedy, and Jean Smart should be Best Actress in A Comedy. “The Bear” and all its wonderful cast and crew should be in Drama.

It looks like “Shogun” is set to win Best Drama. Yes, “SHogun” was a miniseries decades ago. This is a new one, on Netflix, and it’s in Japanese. Is is the Best Drama? Better than “The Crown”? Or “Slow Horses?” Or “The Bear”? Netflix is very good at promoting novelty shows, like “Squid Game,” with the TV Academy.

Will there be any surprises? Probably not, although this may be the first year ever HBO goes home empty handed. (They’ll be back big time next year.) Hulu, FX, and Netflix have had the best year. It’s the luck of the draw.

What we won’t see is any acknowledgment of broadcast TV apart from “Abbott Elementary.” How could Angela Bassett be on a TV series and not get nominated? But that’s the Emmys now. Broadcast TV is considered crass and commercial. It’s too bad because “Abbott” really deserves more consideration. It’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s funny.

One problem with these streaming shows, like “The Bear” and “Shogun,” is that no one knows the size of their audience. Streamers don’t release actual viewing figures. At least with HBO you have an idea of some ratings. But not with Hulu or Netflix. So the actual interest in the Emmys based on popularity of these shows remains a mystery.

So, on to tonight, for better or worse.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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