(Los Angeles) Will the Succession series still dominate the Emmys? Can The Lord of the Rings prequel conquer the tech categories? And with the ongoing strikes in Hollywood, will the equivalent of the TV Oscars even take place this year?
Ahead of the nominations announcement Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. in Los Angeles, here are five things to watch out for when it comes to these awards.
The very holding of the Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 18, is uncertain, as Hollywood screenwriters have been on strike for more than two months.
The actors, who are also calling for salary increases and safeguards concerning the use of artificial intelligence, will say if they join the movement on Wednesday, a few hours after the announcement of the appointments.
A walkout decreed by their union, SAG-AFTRA, would be synonymous with a boycott of the ceremony by all the stars… and therefore a probable postponement.
In the event of a strike, the organizers will have to estimate “how long it will last” and until when they can wait “to move the show”, underlines Pete Hammond, columnist for the specialized site Deadline.
Emmy voters love Succession. This dark and grating chronicle of a powerful family that is torn to take control of a media empire has already been crowned with 13 victories for 48 nominations, including the award for best drama series twice.
Its last season has just ended and has been acclaimed by critics. What predict many nominations to honor its actors.
Among the six selected for the best actor award, we could thus find three faces of this HBO production: Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin.
“With all the actors they have, they could get 20 or more nominations, easily,” Hammond said.
HBO also produces most of the series capable of competing with its ultra-favorite, from The White Lotus to The Last of Us, including House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones.
The competition seems more open on the comedies side.
The series Ted Lasso, which features an American football coach parachuted into an English football team, may have crushed the competition in recent years, its third season has disappointed critics.
Abbott Elementary, a The Office-style mockumentary set in a predominantly African-American elementary school in Philadelphia, broke through last year with three awards. A list that the ABC series hopes to increase this year.
And then there’s the chef’s surprise: The Bear, a grueling and exhilarating dive into the kitchens of a ramshackle Chicago sandwich shop. Funny, frenetic and sometimes violent, the series established itself as the revelation of last summer.
The category of miniseries, limited to a single season, has been among the most competitive in recent years, with big budgets and many stars on the bill.
But this season has been quieter. Two productions evoking serial killers stand out as strong contenders: Dahmer: Monster-The Story of Jeffrey Dahmer and Black Bird.
The Netflix series Relentless, a game of massacre in Los Angeles between two fairly pissed off Asian motorists, is also in the running.
With an overall budget of one billion dollars allocated by Amazon, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is considered the most expensive series ever made.
Despite a critically acclaimed first season, the production impressed with the quality of its sets, costumes, makeup and other special effects. What make him hope for rewards in the technical categories.
“I don’t think we’re going to see her in the top categories,” Hammond predicts. According to him, the series could also suffer from competition from the other candidate from the fantasy genre, House of The Dragon.
