Should TV Episode Count Matter When It Comes to the Emmys?
variety.comMichael Schneider Variety Editor at Large I bring all this up not just to boast, but also to note that one of the categories in which I was nominated was for “feature under 1,000 words,” for a piece I did giving a behind-the-scenes account of how Netflix revived the comedy “Girls5eva” after it was canceled by Peacock.
It was a fun piece to report, and I got to tell a quick, first-hand account of how things all went down. But it wasn’t a sweeping, long piece of magazine journalism, and so it rightfully shouldn’t be compared to a 3,500-word opus. (Those go in another category.) It honestly reminds me of the ongoing debate over whether it’s fair to lump broadcast shows with full 22-episode seasons in with shorter-order, more bespoke 8-episode seasons that are now found on streaming and premium cable.
Broadcast is a different beast. I sometimes ask film auteurs who have moved to TV — and make a six-episode passion project — whether they could ever fulfill a massive 22-episode order.
They just laugh. No way. And yet, that used to be the TV norm. The last full 22-or-more-episode show to win a series Emmy was “Modern Family” in 2014.
Read more on variety.com
