2022 Emmy Nominations Prove Nostalgia Is a Recipe for Success
variety.comEmily Longeretta Can that nostalgic feeling be enough to garner an Emmy nomination? If the 2022 list of nominees is any guide, the answer is yes.In the live variety special category, the proof is in the pudding.
Per usual, the Grammys, the Tonys and the Oscars — slap and all — are nominated. However, the final two slots are filled by ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff ’rent Strokes” and NBC’s “Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.”The Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel live special has been nominated each time it has aired previously — first for the recreation of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” in 2019 and in 2020, with “Good Times” in the mix.
With “The Facts of Life” and “Diff ’rent Strokes” this year, not only were old stories retold, more A-list stars — and talent from the original shows— joined in.“Diff ’rent Strokes” star Todd Bridges and “Facts of Life’s” Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields participated alongside Jennifer Aniston, Ann Dowd, Kevin Hart, John Lithgow, Gabrielle Union, Damon Wayans and even Snoop Dogg.That feeling of nostalgia and retelling a familiar story clearly resonates with the audience. “The beauty of those shows is I think we’ve proven that those shows can be on today.
They’re just as relevant as they were then,” Lear’s producing partner Brent Miller says. “We’ve had a lot of fun doing them.”While those series originally aired in the ’70s and ’80s, “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” is just one example of the past resurfacing — and just one of Snoop Dogg’s two projects that landed in the live variety special category.
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