Many of the biggest Limited Series contenders like “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “Black Bird” came earlier, learning from the faults of last year’s Emmy race.
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
After what was likely the most jam-packed Emmy season for the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category last year, with new shows dropping what seemed like every other day in April 2022, television networks seem to have learned from their growing pains.
There are still a ton of limited series vying for the Emmy, but most of the contenders have had room to breathe and actually find an audience. Plus, “The White Lotus” moving to the Drama categories for its second season, after winning all the major Limited Series Emmys it was eligible for last year, gives these shows even more room to shine.
Some of the important ones to point out are “Black Bird” (Apple TV+), “The English” (Amazon Prime Video), “George and Tammy” (Showtime), “The Patient” (FX), and most of all “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix), which all got major wins and/or nominations during their winter awards season runs. “Fleishman Is in Trouble” (FX), “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Disney+), and “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu), which happen to all fall under the purview of Disney TV, were not quite as successful on that front, but could easily find a second wind as voters catch up on what they may have missed last year. “Fleishman” especially has great word-of-mouth.
Two shows currently on most TV fans’ lips though are “Daisy Jones and the Six” and “Swarm” on Amazon Prime Video. Having a premiere at the tail end of winter worked out particularly well for last year’s nominees “The Dropout,” “Pam & Tommy,” and “Inventing Anna,” so the two buzzy new series from Amazon’s streaming service seem to be off on the right foot for awards campaigns.
Speaking to the broader landscape of limited series coming from streaming services, Peacock is now diving into the Emmys race, primarily with “A Friend of the Family” starring Jake Lacy, a nominee last year. HBO Max has “Love and Death,” which complements the HBO limited series “White House Plumbers.” Both shows happen to be hitting on many of the same beats as “Candy” and “Gaslit,” two contenders from last year, but boast more high profile creators in David E. Kelley and David Mandel, respectively. Apple TV+ has “Extrapolations” starring Meryl Streep and “The Last Thing He Told Me” starring Jennifer Garner to look forward to this spring.
Less certain are Netflix’s contenders outside of the blockbuster series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” While that show wrapped up its narrative, and now seeks to become an anthology series, “The Watcher,” another Ryan Murphy production, has reportedly been renewed for a second season that will continue the story. It is also unclear whether “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” will be a series executive producer Shonda Rhimes will want to expand on, and if that decision would solidify it as a drama series rather than a limited series event.
Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
“A Friend of the Family” (Peacock)
“Black Bird” (Apple TV+)
“Daisy Jones and the Six” (Amazon Prime Video)
“The English” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Extrapolations” (Apple TV+)
“Five Days at Memorial” (Apple TV+)
“Fleishman Is in Trouble” (FX)
“George and Tammy” (Showtime)
“The Last Thing He Told Me” (Apple TV+)
“Love and Death” (HBO Max)
“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix)
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Disney+)
“The Patient” (FX)
“Swarm” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
“White House Plumbers” (HBO)
More Limited Series and TV Movie Category Predictions:
Outstanding TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
To see IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 75th Emmy Awards click here.
Last Year’s Winner: “The White Lotus”
Still Eligible: Kind of (It moved categories).
Hot Streak: The last five winners have been shows from other networks cutting into HBO’s streak attempts, but should “White House Plumber” win, it would bring the cable network its second category win in a row.
Notable Ineligible Series: “The White Lotus: Sicily” (submitted as a Drama Series); “Class of ’09” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Fargo” (Season 5 was not eligible)
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