Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series/Scripted Variety — Could ‘Saturday Night Live’ Get Shut Out and Will John Mulaney Crash the Late Night Race?
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:
Talk Series and Scripted Variety
Weekly Commentary (Updated: July 11, 2024): The Television Academy revised its Emmy rules regarding submissions and nominees in categories with fewer than seven submissions before voting began on May 22.
Previously, categories with fewer than seven submissions required contenders to be screened by a peer group, with nominees needing at least 90% approval. If no submissions met this threshold, the highest vote-getter would be declared the winner. The updated rules lowered the nomination threshold from 90% to 70%, capping the number of potential nominees at two.
“SNL” submitted the viral Ryan Gosling-hosted episode for jury consideration. The episode featured the hilarious sketch of the Oscar-nominated actor and cast member Mikey Day playing live-action versions of the iconic cartoon Beavis and Butthead. Interestingly, when it missed in 2007, it was also after another viral moment from the show captured the cultural zeitgeist — the catchy tune “Dick in a Box” with Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg, which went on to win the Emmy for original music and lyrics.
The new rules could make it anyone’s game.
If it misses, it will make the first time its been omitted from the significant series races since 2007, the same year the show went viral with the Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg number, “Dick in a Box,” which went on to win the Emmy for original music and lyrics.
The spicy chicken wing interview series “Hot Ones,” hosted by Sean Evans, has successfully petitioned to be included in the outstanding talk series category. On the other hand, once vying for a spot in scripted variety, Netflix’s “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA” has also been moved to compete in the talk series race. Both shows will face late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers.
Moreover, the long dual-category conundrum of outstanding talk series and scripted variety is only worsening.
Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.
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Talk Series
Image Credit: Matt Wilson/Comedy Central’s The Daily Show And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” (Netflix) 2 “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central) 3 “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC) 4 “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS) Outstanding Talk Series -
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Next in Line
Rank Series 4 “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC) 5 “Hot Ones” (YouTube) 6 “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) 7 “Real Time with Bill Maher” (Max) 8 “Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo) Outstanding Talk Series -
Scripted Variety
Image Credit: Screenshot courtesy YouTube/Last Week Tonight And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 1 “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (Max) 2 “Saturday Night Live” (NBC) Outstanding Scripted Variety Series -
Image Credit: CBS And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Series 3 “After Midnight” (CBS) 4 “Painting with John” (Max) Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) -
Eligible Titles (Talk Series, Scripted Variety)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix **The list below is incomplete and has been confirmed as officially submitted. All information is subject to change. Grouped by the network that airs each series.
Talk Series
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
- “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” (Bravo)
- “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
- “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
- “Real Time with Bill Maher” (Max)
- “A Tiny Audience” (Max)
- “RuPaul’s Drag Race: The Pit Stop With Trixie” (MTV)
- “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC)
- “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC)
- “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” (Netflix)
- “Hart to Hart” (Peacock)
- “¡Siéntese Quien Pueda!” (UniMás)
- “Hot Ones” (YouTube)
Scripted Variety
- “After Midnight” (CBS)
- “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (Max)
- “Painting with John” (Max)
- “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
- “The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman” (Netflix)