With increase in quality of TV production and writing have the Emmys become as prestigious as the Oscars?
While TV was for the longest time not seen with the same critical eye as film, recent innovation in the medium, particularly in the writing, has put the medium at par with film. This has also led to an increased prestige for the medium, which is evident when one sees the big movie stars who today work in TV and the big awards they get for their work there.
New Delhi: The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in American prime time television programming, were held on September 14. Picking the best in TV from June 1, 2024, until May 31, 2025 was chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
With time, the Emmy Awards have established themselves as a worthy contender of the Oscars. While earlier it was film which was critically seen as the more refined, deep and prestigious medium and TV as the ‘trashier’ and less intellectual one, this today has changed and the Awards are one indication of this.
Major wins
One of the highlights of this year’s Emmys was 15 year old Owen Cooper becoming the youngest ever male Emmy winner for his breakout role in Netflix miniseries ‘Adolescence’. The Netflix miniseries won big, raking up six trophies that included the best limited series win.
Seth Rogen's comedy series ‘The Studio’ was all set for a big night, taking home four Emmys, including lead actor in a comedy series for the same show. ‘The Pitt’ was another surprise, underdog winner, beating heavyweights like ‘Severance’ and ‘The White Lotus’.
Win for TV
While TV was for the longest time not seen with the same critical eye as film, recent innovation in the medium, particularly in the writing, has put the medium at par with film.
Television since its inception saw vitriolic attacks from all quarters. From being touted as the ‘idiot box’ to being accused of bringing down societal morals, television series have not always been seen as what some films have, art. While many TV actors went on to have big, even critically acclaimed, roles in films, it was often the writing of TV that was at fault.
Written for quick applause and long term suspense building, television writing often did not offer as depth as many serious films did. The medium’s aim was restricted to entertain, not incite introspection.
This has changed now and the biggest example of this can be seen at the Emmys. The prestige of the Emmy Awards has changed significantly. A big part of this started when big TV actors started to act in TV series and eventually came on the TV stage. Bryan Carston in Breaking Bad and Matthew McConaughey in True Detective are just two examples of big names who graced not just TV, but the Emmy stage as well.
This is tied principally to writing, which has elevated the medium of TV, making it more serious, for the maker, viewer and critic. The distinction between film and TV, in terms of critical acclaim, acting ability and production has thus considerably lessened.
This has led to a renewed appreciation of television and an increased appreciation for awards associated with it. The Emmy Awards are now being touted more and more, and to say that their prestige is nearing that of the Oscars is no overestimation today.