Emmy nominations will kick off a celebration under the cloud of a strike

By Brian Lowry, CNN

(CNN) — The Emmy nominations will be announced July 12, for a ceremony that should have a celebratory feel, with plenty of attention expected for acclaimed TV shows that bid farewell during the eligibility period, including “Succession,” “Better Call Saul,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Barry,” and “Ted Lasso.”

Except a writers strike hovers over the industry, casting into doubt what a September Emmys might look like, and whether Hollywood will be up and running – or on speaking terms – come show time. The guild representing actors is locked in its own negotiations with the major studios, bearing down on an extended deadline that happens to coincide with nomination day.

For now, the industry can focus on the minutia of who gets nominated, in what promises to be a big year for HBO. In addition to the aforementioned “Succession” and “Barry,” its arsenal includes the new hits “The Last of Us” and “House of the Dragon” and the second installment of “The White Lotus,” this time competing in the series (as opposed to limited series) balloting.

That’s only one of the categorization shifts that could shake up some of the results, with another HBO stalwart, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” moving into the scripted variety series grouping after seven consecutive wins as variety talk series. That means the HBO show will go up against “Saturday Night Live” (itself the holder of a six-year winning streak), while freeing the comedy-talk bracket likely to honor one of the perennial nominees and also-rans, which include Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah, who, along with James Corden, has said farewell to his latenight show.

With all the high-profile finales and “The Crown” back in contention – after sweeping the drama awards during the main live broadcast in 2021, its last eligible season – comedy seems the better bet to see breakthroughs by new blood.

In addition to the previously mentioned comedies and ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Netflix’s “Wednesday,” FX/Hulu’s “The Bear” (for its first season, not the recently launched second) and Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” are prominent among potential rookie contenders to take on two-time winner “Ted Lasso.”

As for limited series, there will again be plenty of killer competition – literally in the case of fact-based streaming projects devoted to serial killers (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “Black Bird”), expected to join Netflix’s “Beef” among the nominees.

The acting categories will also be impacted by certain actors choosing to change how they submit themselves, with “Succession’s” Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin stepping up from supporting into the lead bracket.

Harrison Ford, meanwhile – the recipient of one Oscar nomination in his storied film career, for “Witness” in 1986 – could bring those movie-star credentials to a pair of fields, as the lead in a drama for the Paramount+ western “1923” and his supporting role in “Shrinking.”

The Emmys have always been a source of pride to those in the industry, but they have a more practical side for streaming services, which use the prestige associated with awards recognition as a marketing come-on to subscribers.

The eligibility period runs from June 1, 2022 until May 31. This year’s awards are scheduled to air on Fox, although the September 18 date – traditionally chosen for its proximity to the major networks kicking off the official TV season – might, like almost everything else this year, need to be viewed with an asterisk due to the writers’ strike – and actors potentially on strike.

The nominations will tell us who’s in contention. After that, the forecast becomes cloudier as to when we’ll get to hear “And the Emmy goes to…”

The Television Academy will announce this year’s Emmy nominees at 11:30 a.m. ET on July 12, streaming live on Emmys.com. Like CNN, HBO is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.