Cable network series dominated
the comedy categories at the 2016 Emmy awards. Streaming series won the second
most with broadcast network series trailing behind.
In the past two years, HBO
series Veep took home the award for Outstanding
Comedy Series. A closer analysis shows
cable network and streaming services have begun to take over.
2016 Emmys Experience A
Change
This year’s Emmys changed
nominees and winners throughout all categories. Cable networks, HBO and FX won
the most Emmys with 22 and 18 wins, respectively while streaming service
Netflix came in third with nine wins.
HBO received 4 of these wins for its comedy shows Veep, Baskets,
and Girls. NBC and ABC’s overall nominations declined from 2013 and into
2014. FX, Netflix, and Amazon have shown an overall increase in nominations
since 2011 while HBO remains untouchable, receiving an overwhelming number of
nominations each year, according to this chart
from Fortune Magazine.
Broadcast Network Loses
Grip On Comedy Categories
Prior to 2015, broadcast network shows like Modern Family and 30
Rock have dominated the Outstanding Comedy Series, beating HBO shows
such as Entourage and Girls. Ten years ago, broadcast network
series received 80 percent of the nominations. Black-ish and Modern
Family were the only two broadcast network series to earn a
nomination this year.
HBO has been nominated for
multiple series in this category for the past ten years, but with the help of
Netflix and Amazon, broadcast network nominations have been
declining. Netflix was the first streaming service to receive the
nomination in that category in 2014
and its nominations have continued to increase as they add more comedy series
to its catalogue.
Are People Consuming
Comedy Series Differently?
In categories where
broadcast network series traditionally dominated, how have cable and streaming
taken over? “The key is that audiences want quality, not just content to pass
the time,” said Dr. Naeemah Clark, a professor at Elon’s School of
Communications. Dr. Clark explains that cable and streaming services can
produce quality content over quantity since they don't have as much time to
fill.
"We burned out the
public," said Tim Doyle,
sitcom writer. Michael
Schneider, columnist for TV Insider, points out that of nine new sitcoms
debuted in Fall of 2015, four were canceled by December of that year. Schneider
says that audiences are moving to “cable, streaming services, and websites
where there's less pressure to attract a broad audience and more willingness to
experiment.” Even renewed series got canceled which further shows that
audiences are becoming burned out.
By Alex Giglio
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