[Emmys intro music]
AYO EDEBIRI: I’m so incredibly grateful for this for so many reasons.
CILLIAN MURPHY: Thank you so much guys
KIERAN CULKIN: Every single one thank you so much, I love you.
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH: I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for this Award.
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE: Thank you thank you I am I’m so proud I am so full of gratitude to be standing in front of you all.
While January is obviously known for being the beginning of the new year, it’s also known for being the beginning of something else: the awards season. Every year, nominations and awards ceremonies for award bodies like the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and the Oscars are held this month. Because it was postponed by the SAG-AFTRA strike this summer, even the Emmys were held on January 15th.
ANTHONY ANDERSON: Well hello friends and welcome to our Emmys neighborhood on this beautiful MLK Day.
The viewerships for each of these awards shows are experiencing downward trends. At its height, the Golden Globes drew 20 million viewers. On January 7th, only 9.4 million Americans tuned in to watch the awards ceremony. The Emmys reached an all time low last week, at only 4.3 million viewers. So, why haven’t people been watching these awards shows like they used to?
MELODY MA: I feel like I watch a lot of pop culture stuff, but I always seem to miss the awards shows because I just never know when they’re going on.
MAIYA WAHL: I don’t really hear about the award season shows unless there’s a controversy and it sort of makes it out to other platforms.
ARIEL PAUL: I only really see an award show when something that people consider iconic happens, or if I watch a show and an actor wins an award for that, then I’ll probably get it on my feed at some point. I mostly obtain all my information through osmosis.
AIDA BELAY: I’m not saying that people only watch it for controversy. But I think that’s like, that’s the main reason why people watch it.
Nowadays, people don’t have to sit through hours of speeches and red carpets to see the juiciest moments from these events. They just appear in social media feeds the morning after. Any controversies that arise become the subjects of Twitter threads or Tiktok videos. So far, the biggest controversy to come from this year’s awards season would be Jo Koy’s comedy (or lack thereof) as the host of the Golden Globes.
JO KOY: Oppenheimer answered a lifelong question that’s been on my mind for years: yes, scientists do get laid.
WAHL: Award shows are a chance to celebrate people and their accomplishments. So I think if comedians could find a way to bring humor to the situation, but also uplift people in the same time, that’d be good.
BELAY: I thought it was LAME. I think he could have done better.
MA: The fact that he started to try to take blame off himself also just makes him even more lame.
PAUL: When you remove the laugh track, it’s really not funny.
[ambient noise: sound of crickets chirping]
In the face of declining ratings and relevance, what can these awards bodies do to improve their reputations?
MA: Maybe like, get a more relevant host. If they had someone that like, people were really excited about hosting, like, I feel like a lot more people would tune in.
One big concern in making awards shows more relevant is diversity.
ANDERSON: This was the blackest Emmys ever.
Each year, awards bodies break their own records by nominating and awarding more marginalized artists, but some big questions still remain: who is eligible to vote for these shows and films? Whose responsibility is it to make these spaces more open?
BELAY: I think Hollywood itself could do a better job, not necessarily the award shows. I think just opening opportunities for more minorities and movies. And then once that happens, which might not be for a long time, but hopefully happen soon. Then the award shows will have to have to recognize them
PAUL: I think it’s happening more now where people who I know and people who I enjoy are being more included, because it’s not as much of an old white man’s club anymore. Just continuing that trend, I think will make it more relevant
Awards shows have a long way to go if they want to regain the popularity and influence they once had, but there are plenty of things they can do to get there.
For WNUR News, I’m Ella Smith
[Emmys intro music]
