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EXTRA EDITION CONTENDERS' PICKS JULY 9, 2020 ADVERTISEMENT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION in all categories OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS JESSIE MUELLER IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS MEGAN HILTY IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS QUEEN LATIFAH MARY J. BLIGE MISSY ELLIOTT HOLLY CARTER LORETHA JONES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION in all categories OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS AUNJANUE ELLIS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE STORY BY TELEPLAY BY DIRECTED BY CAMILLE TUCKER SYLVIA L. JONES AND CAMILLE TUCKER CHRISTINE SWANSON FOR YOUR EMMY® CONSIDERATION OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES HISTORY’S #1 NON-FICTION MINISERIES OF ALL TIME CONTENDERS OFFER INSIGHT INTO THEIR PROCESSES AND WHAT THEY’RE ROOTING FOR, STARTING ON PAGE 23 2020 EMMY EDITION CONTENDERS’ PICKS CELEBRATION OVER STRENGTHENING SKILLS CLEVER AND QUOTABLE COMPETITION PERFORMERS WEIGH IN ON GET TO KNOW 25 OF SHOWRUNNERS SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED TODAY’S TOP WRITERS WHAT THEY HOPE GETS WHILE SHOOTING REMOTELY AND PRODUCERS NOMINATED PRODUCED CONTENT TOP BILLING DRAWN TO THE MEDIUM “The Simpsons” started as a series of shorts in the late 1980s before becoming a half-hour animated sitcom that has inspired new generations of comedy writers. WHEN “THE SIMPSONS” PREMIERED IN 1989, it was an outlier. Animated shows in primetime were by no means Drawing the unprecedented — “The Flintstones” broke that barrier in the ’60s — but never before had an animated series aimed at adults res- onated so powerfully or had as significant an impact on a network as “The Simpsons” did for Fox. Three decades later, though, such series Golden Age are having their moment in a big way. Mike Moon, head of adult animation at Netflix, began his career ADULT ANIMATED COMEDIES ENJOY AN as an artist on “The Simpsons.” What he’s seen in the years since has been a blossoming of adult animation on U.S. television. EVER-GROWING TELEVISION FOOTPRINT “Adult animation [over] the last 25 years has been a really incredi- ble story,” says Moon, who charts the format’s growth through shows BY DANIEL HOLLOWAY such as “The Simpsons,” Comedy Central’s “South Park,” Fox’s “Fam- ily Guy” and Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman,” to a recent crop of new shows. “I think in those early seeds, you saw a lot of variety, a lot of different types of tone.” Netflix, which Moon joined two years ago after the premieres of foundational series such as “BoJack” and “Big Mouth,” has been at the forefront of adult animation’s rapid recent growth. Much of that expansion has been driven by the entry of deep-pocketed streamers 2020 (including Netflix itself) into an area that for a long while had been limited to Fox’s longstanding Sunday-night “Simpsons”-anchored ani- EMMY mation block, Turner’s Adult Swim and a smattering of cable shows. EDITION But the proliferation of new platforms in the market translated into an insurgence of programmers unencumbered by the same THE SIMPSONS TM AND © 2020 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ALL RIGHTS FILM CORPORATION. FOX THE SIMPSONS TM AND © 2020 TWENTIETH CENTURY 4 VARIETY Untitled-5 1 6/17/20 9:57 PM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ON DEMAND Untitled-15 1 7/6/20 11:01 AM TOP BILLING forces that made adult animation a tough Family,” Hulu’s “Crossing Swords,” TBS’ OUT OF “When ‘The Simpsons’ first came prospect for traditional networks. “Final Space,” Fox’s “Duncanville” and DC THIS WORLD out, that generation didn’t grow up on ANIMATION Mike McMahan, co-creator of Hulu’s Universe’s “Harley Quinn” — has actually Justin Roiland animation,” says Bento Box co-founder “Solar Opposites,” says the demands of the been years in the making. and Mike and CEO Scott Greenberg. “We now have broadcast development cycle often dis- “It takes a couple of years to develop McMahan’s “Solar viewers who have grown up on more Opposites” couraged networks from focusing on adult and write and animate and finish these launched on Hulu animation [and] on anime, and they have animated comedies, which take far longer shows,” McMahan says. “You’re seeing in May. a more sophisticated palate.” than traditional live-action series to get off more of these adult animated shows Greenberg sees the current crop of the ground. cropping up right now because a couple adult animated series not as the ultimate “A lot of executives who are ending up years ago it was proved by the streamers fruit of the format’s growth, but rather at the streamers came from other places that there was an audience for these kinds the most recent stage in an evolution where they might have been fans of ani- of shows.” that is ongoing. mation, but they weren’t able to fit an ani- McMahan says the same programmers “There hasn’t been a better time to mated show into what the network was who began greenlighting adult animated be a producer of animation,” Greenberg looking for at any one time,” McMahan shows at a faster rate a few years ago rec- says. “There are more buyers. And I says. “I would see this problem happen ognized that a newer generation of viewers think also animation straddles genres. In where they would say, ‘OK, here are our had grown up “with more complex ani- adult primetime, we’ve seen success in goals, here’s what we’re going to develop mated shows” for children. He cites Nick- scripted comedy.” this year.’ But then all the live-action stuff elodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” But he points toward the success in would go through that cycle.” which is enjoying renewed interest after Japan and Europe of other kinds of ani- Broadcast executives are accustomed Netflix acquired the rights to the series and mated shows — shows that American to pivoting quickly from year to year based recently began streaming it. audiences are now being exposed to by on successes and failures. “Since the ani- But linear networks remain very much streamers such as Netflix and HBO Max, mated stuff took longer, they wouldn’t in the adult animation game. Adult Swim which set a landmark deal prior to its be able to fit into those kinds of tradi- continues to be a keystone for what is now May launch to stream the library of leg- tional planning sessions. And now with WarnerMedia. ViacomCBS ordered reviv- endary Japanese animator Studio Ghibli. the streamers, you don’t have to fit some- als of “Daria,” “Beavis and Butthead” and “We’ve always seen opportunity thing into the broadcast schedule,” McMa- “Clone High.” And Fox’s Sunday anima- where animation is a way of telling sto- han says. tion lineup continues to be a fixture on its ries, not a genre,” Greenberg says. “We Because of that longer development schedule. can possibly do more hour-long dra- process, what viewers may see as a sud- Last year, Fox Corp. purchased Bento mas, we can do horror, we can do thrill- den expansion in adult animated pro- Box Entertainment, the studio behind the ers and do dramedy. So I think, in a way, gramming — including “Solar Opposites,” long-running “Bob’s Burgers,” as it sought I think there’s a great opportunity for us Netflix’s “Disenchantment” and “F Is for to strengthen its adult-animation brand. to really grow.” FOX VARIETY 7 IN THE RUNNING ccategory,at perennial nominee aandnd 10-time winner “The Amaz- iingng Race” kept getting pushed FRESH FACE bbackac by CBS, until suddenly it Zendaya wwasn’ta even airing during the plays a drug- yyear-longea Emmy eligibility addicted teenager perperiod. And in TV movie, “Black in HBO’s MirMirror” was moved to the drama “Euphoria.” rrace,ac so its three-in-a-row win- nningin streak will be halted. In comedy, several of last yyear’sea nominees won’t be back inin 20202 — besides “Fleabag,” that includes the retired “Veep,” as well as “Russian Doll” and “Barry.” But the drama category is only losing “Thrones” and “Bodyguard.” Whether that means a returning nominee gets back on the ballot or there’s room for something new — or something newly return- ing after sitting out last year’s race (see: “The Crown,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Stranger Things,” “Westworld”) — still remains to be seen. Several months ago, before the Emmy race got under way, I Michael Schneider would have told you I thought “Succession” and “Schitt’s Creek” had it in the bag as frontrunners. And without a doubt both shows will be nomi- Out With the Old, in nated. But the pandemic altered this FYC season in a way no one expected. With the Hopefully New With less campaigning and people mostly staying at home, the noise of the season has DIFFERENT FYC CAMPAIGNS AND LAST YEAR’S NOMINEES NOT been tempered. Instead, there’s a pureness to this year’s Emmy RETURNING COULD ALLOW SOME SURPRISES TO SNEAK ONTO race, and a possibility that THE DRAMA AND COMEDY SERIES BALLOTS Academy members actually watched more shows. Perhaps the recent nation- COULD THIS BE THE YEAR mys only deal in new contend- (and younger) body might lead wide conversation about inclu- that the Television ers every year, but the ongoing to more representation. And as sion and representation has Academy voters finally nature of TV means often the we’ve also noted, the decision even spurred a willingness by shake up the Emmy race? Emmy race is over before it to firm up eight nominations in voters to broaden their scope. Given that this is a time in our ever begins: Just look at the both comedy and drama will at And, in turn, that could lead to a history like no other, perhaps dominant wins over the past least potentially add a little more real shakeup vs.