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“Throwing shows against the wall and hoping for the best”: NBC, quality, and the Emmy race for Outstanding Drama Series in the 2010s

2023; Routledge; Volume: 21; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17400309.2023.2257819

1740-7923

Elizabeth Walters,

Digital Economy and Work Transformation

ABSTRACTIn 1999, The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007) was the first-ever nominee from premium or basic cable in the Primetime Emmys' Outstanding Drama Series category, a slate annually dominated by broadcast dramas; by 2012, the broadcast networks had been completely omitted from the Emmy category's nominations, ceded to the prestige cable (and later, streaming) dramas that had been influenced by HBO and The Sopranos. This article uses this turn to consider the impact on the development of broadcast dramas, examining how one broadcast network, NBC, tried to compete with cable and streaming prestige dramas from 2012–2016, an era in which no broadcast drama was nominated for the Emmy prize. By examining trade dispatches, the article demonstrates that NBC prioritized familiarity and formula rather than edgy, acclaimed dramas to stabilize its shaky primetime schedule, an aim emblematized by NBC's divergent promotion of its critically-acclaimed dramas This Is Us (NBC, 2016–2022) and Hannibal (NBC, 2013–2015). NBC's response invites us to consider the value of the Emmys to contemporary broadcast networks in the era of 'Peak TV', as well as the role that conglomeration plays in allowing broadcasters to consign prestige dramas to sibling cable channels and streaming platforms.KEYWORDS: EmmysNBCquality televisionPeak TVmedia industries Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. The West Wing won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. The Sopranos was not nominated in 2002 but won the prize in 2004. The West Wing was nominated in 2005 and 2006 but lost the prize to Lost (ABC, 2004–2010) and 24 (FOX, 2001–2014), respectively: 'Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners', The Television Academy, accessed November 28, 2022, https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners.2. For more on HBO and its impact on Quality TV, see Jaramillo (Citation2002), McCabe and Akass (Citation2007), Leverette, Ott, and Buckley (Citation2008), Edgerton and Jones (Citation2008), and DeFino (Citation2014).3. 'History of the Television Academy', The Television Academy, accessed November 28, 2022, https://www.emmys.com/academy/about/history.4. 'Peer Groups', The Television Academy, accessed December 7, 2022, https://www.emmys.com/academy/organization/peer-groups#:~:text=The%20Television%20Academy%20consists%20of,Active%20and%20Associate%20membership%20requirements.5. 'Awards Nominees and Winners: 1951 — 3rd Emmy Awards', The Television Academy, accessed December 7, 2022, https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1951.6. There was notably a stretch in the 1970s when Emmy voters, favoring British imports aired on public television, awarded the top prize to Elizabeth R (1972) and Upstairs, Downstairs (1974, 1975, and 1977) and nominated The Forsyte Saga (1970), The First Churchills (1971) and The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1972). The American public television series NET Playhouse was also nominated in 1968 and won the category in 1969.7. See Figure 1, compiled from The Television Academy, 'Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners'. The other two non-broadcast series nominated (besides The Sopranos in 1999) were the PBS airings of Rumpole of the Bailey (BBC, 1978–1998) in 1988 and the syndicated Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount Domestic Television, 1987–1994) in 1994.Figure 1. The Emmy Award® nominees in the category of Outstanding Drama Series by distributor, 1985–2022.Display full size8. Noah Hawley quoted in Prudom (Citation2014).9. Industry analyst Matthew Belloni details the labor tensions created by the streaming boom, including miniscule residuals and the lack of mobility for writers; see Belloni (Citation2022) and Katz (Citation2022).10. 'Another Loss for NBC: TNT Revives "Southland"', The Washington Post (Express), March 2, 2010, https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/03/02/southland-season-two-tnt.11. de Moraes (Citation2015). In 2014, Fox claimed that it was 'eventizing our entertainment slate': Lowry (Citation2014).12. Greenblatt noted 'the beauty of cable' six times at the 2012 upfront: Masters, 'Upfronts 2012: THR Live-Blogs NBC's Presentation'.13. Information compiled from Upfront dispatches and cross-referenced by IMDb and NBC.com. The 38 shows that premiered are as follows: Awake (2012), Chicago Fire, Revolution, Saving Hope, Smash, The Firm, Believe, Camp (2013), Deception (2013), Do No Harm, Dracula, Hannibal, Ironside, Siberia (2013), The Blacklist, Chicago P.D., Constantine, Crisis (2014), Crossbones, Night Shift, State of Affairs, Taxi Brooklyn (2014), The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016), A.D. The Bible Continues, Allegiance, American Odyssey (2015), Aquarius (2015–2016), Blindspot, Chicago Med, Heroes Reborn, The Playboy Club, The Player, Game of Silence (2016), Heartbeat, Shades of Blue, This Is Us, Timeless, and You, Me, and the Apocalypse (2016).14. TV was already so rife with lawyers, doctors, and police procedurals that Horace Newcomb identified them as bedrocks of the medium in his pioneering Television: The Most Popular Art: Newcomb (Citation1974).15. The Canadian network CTV produced and aired the series for five seasons, though NBC only aired a portion of the first. In 2019, ION acquired the show for US distribution. Source: Ng (Citation2014).16. de Moraes (Citation2016). Though Syfy did not debut Krypton until 2018, the channel showed a teaser for it at the 2016 upfronts.17. Bonnie Hammer quoted in Elliott (Citation2014).18. See: Lynch (Citation2018a) and Porter (Citation2020). ViacomCBS was renamed Paramount Global in 2022, so by 2022 CBS's yearly slate was presented as part of the Paramount upfront.19. Dan Fogelman quoted in Koblin (Citation2017).20. Industry executives posited this two-fold theory in Koblin, 'TV's Answer to Dark Days'. Additionally, scholars have considered other elements that made the series 'successful', including its nuanced representation of Black characters' lived experience; its reconfiguration of the 'maternal' melodrama into a more modern representation of 'paternal' melodrama, bolstered by its narrative complexity; and its representation of conflict resolution. See Pandey (Citation2019), Baltar and Amaral (Citation2021), and Cannon (Citation2023).21. Milo Ventimiglia quoted in Koblin (Citation2017). The article notes that the series was 'the third-highest-rated show for female viewers ages 18–34'.Additional informationNotes on contributorsElizabeth WaltersElizabeth Walters is a PhD candidate in the American & New England Studies Program at Boston University, where she also earned her MFA in Film & Television Studies. Her research focuses on the ways in which the film and television industry constructs and perpetuates ideas of prestige and artistry through awards and festivals. Her dissertation examines how industrial shifts and cultural controversies have impacted the Academy Awards in the 21st century. Before graduate school, she worked for the nonprofit film awards organization CINE and in the film festival industry. She currently sits on the board of the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Awards.