Networks are still playing it by ear a bit, but projects that recently vied for Oscars, like Prime Video’s “Good Night Oppy,” are once again allowed to campaign for the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, with an edited presentation of the ceremonies to be broadcast on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards take place on Monday, September 18, and air live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
The State of the Race
In an Emmys year that has seen plenty of interesting updates to eligibility rules, one gamechanger affecting the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category is the re-introduction of projects that were also Oscar contenders. As of this February, the new rules dictate that if a 2022 documentary did not ultimately receive an Oscar nomination, it can compete in this year’s Emmys (as long as it also fits inside the June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023 release window as well).
That means “Goodnight Oppy,” an award-winning film from Amazon Prime Video that was shut out by the Academy, now has more than a fighting chance at an Emmy. Interestingly enough, the film about NASA’s triumphant Mars rovers was directed by Ryan White, the same filmmaker behind one of Netflix’s big contenders: “Pamela: A Love Story.” The director of Emmy nominees like “The Keepers” now sees himself on both sides of the debate surrounding letting films double dip, having made a project that went theatrical, and a project specifically made for television.
The distinction between the two does not seem to be as important to voters as it was originally made out to be, when the TV Academy made the rule in 2021 that films on the AMPAS viewing platform were not allowed to submit for Emmys, as plenty of projects specifically made for television beat even Best Documentary Oscar winners like “Icarus” in this category in recent years.
So, with all that said, it does seem like networks are still being careful, not pushing films that were on the Oscars shortlist (i.e. NatGeo’s “The Territory”), but “Sidney” on Apple TV+, which also was in the mix this past awards season, but just missed making the shortlist, is fair game for Emmys.
And those films have plenty of competition from projects like “Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano,” from the FX series “The New York Times Presents,” which has caught the attention of voters with the success of its two episodes on Britney Spears, credited with helping the popstar become free of her conservatorship.
Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
“A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” (HBO)
“Call Me Miss Cleo” (HBO Max)
“Goodnight Oppy” (Amazon Prime Video)
“If These Walls Could Sing” (Disney+)
“Judy Blume Forever” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Katrina Babies” (HBO)
“Pamela: A Love Story” (Netflix)
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” (Hulu)
“The Sound of 007” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” (Apple TV+)
“Sidney” (Apple TV+)
“Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano” (FX)
“‘Sr.’” (Netflix)
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
“Wildcat” (Amazon Prime Video)
Last Year’s Winner: “George Carlin’s American Dream”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Judd Apatow’s George Carlin documentary happened to actually be a HBO Max project, rather than a film made for HBO proper, so something like “Call Me Miss Cleo” winning this year would extend the streak after what has been a tough few months for the streaming service that’s under new management.
Notable Ineligible Series: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (ineligible as a 2023 Oscar nominee); “All That Breathes” (ineligible as a 2023 Oscar nominee); “Fire of Love” (ineligible as a 2023 Oscar nominee)
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