THE LATEST ON HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST RACES
APRIL 29, 2022
Broadcast’s New Hope
Emmy season already has one valedictorian: Abbott Elementary.
I’m Rebecca Ford, and as Oscar season was winding down, I began asking people what TV shows they were loving, and the show that came up the most was not some dark, mysterious thriller on premium cable or a based-on-a-true-story crime drama on a streamer—it was a feel-good situational comedy series on a broadcast network.
Abbott Elementary, ABC’s mockumentary-style comedy about a group of Philadelphia elementary school teachers, has taken the town by storm—and could next shake up Emmy season. So this week, I took a look at how this charming, funny, and heartfelt comedy from Quinta Brunson made its way to broadcast and became a breakout hit. It turns out Brunson had always hoped her show would land at ABC, and then the network strategically timed its release for the best possible outcome, using Hulu to its particular advantage.
The question is if Abbott can break into the extremely crowded Emmy race in the comedy-series category, where broadcast shows have struggled as streamers and premium cable stack their lineups with A-list talent and expensive, ambitious content. Last year, NBC’s This Is Us and ABC’s Black-ish were the only two network shows to land in the nominations lists for drama and comedy series. The year before there was only one: NBC’s The Good Place.
So it’ll be an uphill climb for Abbott, but it’s not even the only show from the broadcast brethren hoping to crack its way into the race. CBS’s series Ghosts, about a couple who move into a home inhabited by spirits, is another popular new show that has some awards buzz, and Fox is pushing The Cleaning Lady, the crime drama starring Élodie Yung. I’ll also be curious to see if The Thing About Pam, NBC’s limited series starring a very disguised Renée Zellweger can remain in the conversation. Zellweger already has an Oscar on her shelf for a transformational role, so I wouldn’t count her out yet. Plus, two veteran shows, Black-ish and This Is Us, are eligible for their final seasons, and it would be sweet to send them off with one more Emmy nomination under their belts.
But over here at Awards Insider, we also need to be realistic, and the harsh truth is that it’s going to be tough for any of these broadcast shows to stand out in these extremely competitive races. But insiders I’ve spoken to point out that many of the projects competing in the comedy race—like Barry, Atlanta, and The Flight Attendant—aren’t exactly…light and funny, which might give Abbott the last laugh. We’ll all just have to tune in to find out.
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