Final Emmy Predictions: Documentary Series/Specials — Stories About Cults, Killers, Musicians and Old Hollywood Garner Awards Buzz
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
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2024 Emmy Predictions:
Documentary Categories (Series, Special, Hosted Nonfiction, Exceptional Merit)
Weekly Commentary (Updated: July 11, 2024): Old Hollywood has been intensely examined, as seen with Investigation Discovery’s “Quiet on the Set,” which had everyone talking. In addition, the industry looked back at classic stars like Rock Hudson, trailblazers like Jim Henson and musicians such as Jon Bon Jovi. Any of those series and specials could break into their respective categories.
Anything related to unresolved murders will always attract attention, and the second season of HBO/Max’s “The Jinx” lived up to its predecessor. Despite its disturbing nature, I was enamored by Netflix’s “American Nightmare” series and Prime’s “Shiny Happy People,” which looks back at the Duggar Family.
The exceptional merit race is a juried category that can be difficult to follow, but we have our first guesses below. Check out the rankings in the four documentary categories and where they currently stand.
The eligibility deadline for all series concluding their runs is May 31. The nominations-voting-round is open from June 13 to June 24.
Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.
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Outstanding Documentary Series
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+ And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” (ID) 2 “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (Max) 3 “Beckham” (Netflix) 4 “The Super Models” (Apple TV+) 5 “Our Planet II” (Netflix) Outstanding Documentary Series -
Image Credit: David Roemer Next in Line
Rank Series 6 “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” (Apple TV+) 7 “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” (Hulu) 8 “American Nightmare” (Netflix) 9 “Secrets of the Octopus” (National Geographic) 10 “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God” (Max) 11 “American Masters” (PBS) 12 “Queens” (National Geographic) 13 “Black Twitter: A People’s History” (Hulu) 14 “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” (Prime Video) 15 “Where is Wendy Williams?” (Lifetime) Outstanding Documentary Series -
Outstanding Documentary Special
Image Credit: Disney And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “The Greatest Night in Pop” (Netflix) 2 “STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces” (Apple TV+) 3 “Jim Henson Idea Man” (Disney+) 4 “The Beach Boys” (Disney+) 5 “Wham!” (Netflix) Outstanding Documentary Special -
Image Credit: Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival Next in Line
Rank Series 6 “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” (Max) 7 “Girls State” (Apple TV+) 8 “For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign” (Prime Video) 9 “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” (Max) 10 “aka Mr. Chow” (Max) 11 “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” (Prime Video) 12 “Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only” (Netflix) 13 “Sly” (Netflix) 14 “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” (Max) 15 “In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon” (MGM+) Outstanding Documentary Special -
Hosted Nonfiction
Image Credit: Courtesy of Max And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “My Next Guest with David Letterman and John Mulaney” (Netflix) 2 “Life on our Planet” (Netflix) 3 “Conan O’Brien Must Go” (Max) 4 “The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy” (Apple TV+) 5 “Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix) Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series -
Next in Line
Rank Series 6 “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr.” (PBS) 7 “High on the Hog” (Netflix) 8 “History’s Greatest Mysteries” (History) 9 “How to With John Wilson” (Max) 10 “The Express Way with Dulé Hill” (PBS) 11 “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” (National Geographic) 12 “Orlando Bloom: To the Edge” (Peacock) 13 “Ride With Norman Reedus” (AMC) 14 “Hostage” (TBN) 15 “Beauty Beneath the Pyramids” (JODA Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series -
Exceptional Merit
Image Credit: Netflix And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “Stamped from the Beginning” (Netflix) 2 “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” (Max) 3 “The Pigeon Tunnel” (Apple TV+) 4 “The Blue Angels” (Apple TV+) 5 “Immediate Family” (Magnolia) Exceptional Merit