Culturess’ Emmy Predictions for 2016: Will HBO and FX Clean Up?
John Oliver talks about Birds (Image via Last Week Tonight/YouTube)
Variety and Reality
Outstanding Reality-Competition Series
Nominees: American Ninja Warrior, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, The Amazing Race, The Voice, Top Chef
Winner: American Ninja Warrior
Behold, fresh blood in the reality category! The fact that American Ninja Warrior got nominated after so many seasons makes it look like it has enough support in the Television Academy to take the Emmy away from previous winners like The Amazing Race and The Voice. (The Voice may still steal the show, though.)
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Nominees: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Winner: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Sure, James Corden’s gotten plenty of celebrities to participate in his “Carpool Karaoke” sketch series, but John Oliver has taken on anything and everything, including subjects like standardized testing and churches with humor and sharp research. Five words: Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption.
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Nominees: Documentary Now!, Drunk History, Inside Amy Schumer, Key & Peele, Portlandia, Saturday Night Live
Winner: Inside Amy Schumer
Inside Amy Schumer benefits from having already won the award last year and heads back to the winner’s circle this year, despite the fourth season not reaching the highs of the third. (Drunk History is the winner in our hearts.)
Outstanding Writing, Variety Special
Nominees: Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo, John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid, Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping, Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted, Triumph’s Special Election 2016
Winner: Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo
2015 and 2016 have had a lot of Amy Schumer in them, and that should lead her stand-up special to take this award as well, particularly for its sharp commentary on women in Hollywood. If anything, The Comeback Kid may pull off an upset.
Outstanding Directing, Variety Special
Nominees: Louis J. Horvitz (58th Grammy Awards), Beth McCarthy-Miller (Adele Live in New York City), Chris Rock (Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo), Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski (Grease: Live), Kahlil Joseph and Beyoncé Knowles (Lemonade), Glenn Weiss (The Kennedy Center Honors)
Winner: Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski
Kail and Rudzinski took the idea of the live TV musical and revamped it, embracing television as the medium instead of pretending it wasn’t there. As a result, Grease: Live actually felt live and pretty wonderfully staged. Otherwise, we think Joseph and, well, Beyoncé could take this Emmy.
Next: Game of Thrones wins 9 Creative Arts Emmys
That wraps up our predictions for the Emmys. The 68th Annual Emmy Awards will air this Sunday, September 18th on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.