TV Academy’s Decision to Move Variety Writing Categories Off Primetime Emmys Angers WGA Board: ‘Devalues Our Profession’
The Writers Guild of America is protesting the Television Academy’s decision to move the outstanding writing for a variety series or special categories out of the Emmy telecast, sending a letter to members registering its concerns and urging them to lobby the org to reverse its plans.
Because this year’s Primetime Emmys has has moved the variety special (live) category into the telecast (it was on the Creative Arts show last year), the TV Academy was likely looking to keep the telecast capped at 25 awards, so something had to fall out. And in this case, it was the variety writing field that got pushed to the Creative Arts ceremony.
More from Variety
“This doesn’t just impact the people who write on the Emmy-nominated shows for a given year — this decision devalues our profession as a whole,” the WGA board said in a letter to members. “The Emmys are fundamentally about celebrating excellence in television, and by removing these categories from the televised broadcast, the Television Academy is essentially ignoring how writing serves as the foundation for excellence in television… We didn’t spend months on strike, fighting to receive the recognition we deserve for the work we help create, only to be pushed to the sidelines when it comes time to do exactly that.”
In recent years, the Primetime Emmys has included either the writing for a variety special or writing for a variety series category, alternating one or the other. Last year, the outstanding writing for a variety special award was handed out on the Primetime Emmys ceremony, while the outstanding writing for a variety series Emmy was awarded the previous weekend, during the Creative Arts ceremonies. In 2021, it was reversed.
In comparison, neither the outstanding directing for a variety series nor the outstanding directing for a variety special categories are handed out during the Primetime Emmys show — they’re both given out during the Creative Arts show. Per Academy guidelines, the telecast has to maintain parity among key branches, including the writing, directing, performing and producing categories — and the org likely felt that this kept directing and writing on equal ground. (Both directors and writers categories are numbered at three each this year.)
Past attempts to streamline the Emmys have led to similar controversies. In 2009, the Directors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild balked when the TV Academy revealed a plan to pre-tape pre-tape award presentations in eight categories before the show. The idea was to still show the winners, but edit out the time they take to get on and off the stage — which would save several minutes from the telecast.
But the DGA and WGA allow the TV Academy to show clips from nominated series for free on the telecast — and they threatened to revoke those waivers under that plan. Another plan — to hand out trophies to winners in their seats — was also nixed.
The TV Academy declined comment. Here’s the WGA’s letter to members:
Dear Members,
The Television Academy has made the regrettable decision to not present the “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special” Awards during the main Emmy Awards telecast. They did this without any justification or defensible reason.
The Guild has been in touch with the Academy to convey our objection to this decision, and we are strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program on January 15, 2024.
This doesn’t just impact the people who write on the Emmy-nominated shows for a given year — this decision devalues our profession as a whole. The Emmys are fundamentally about celebrating excellence in television, and by removing these categories from the televised broadcast, the Television Academy is essentially ignoring how writing serves as the foundation for excellence in television.
We all know how many writers it takes to create these incredible programs, and that’s exactly the point: the shows we write for are watched, loved, shared — and, yes, even nominated for awards — because of our writing.
And if the Television Academy can make this decision without any justification, we worry that it could set a precedent for them to remove other writing categories in the years to come.
We didn’t spend months on strike, fighting to receive the recognition we deserve for the work we help create, only to be pushed to the sidelines when it comes time to do exactly that.
The WGAE and WGAW are strongly advocating to keep these categories in the primetime televised program, and we will continue to push the Television Academy to change their minds.
We urge you – our fellow writers – to join us in championing the preservation of these categories in the main Emmys broadcast: Tweet at @TheEmmys [Ed. note: That is actually the tag for the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, which doesn’t administer the Primetime Emmys] or tag @televisionacad on Instagram to express your feelings about their decision, and to urge them to keep these categories on-air.
Thank you for your support. We will be in touch with further updates.
In Solidarity,
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, WGAE President
Erica Saleh, WGAE Film/TV/Streaming Vice President
Christopher Kyle, WGAE Secretary-Treasurer
Meredith Stiehm, WGAW President
Michele Mulroney, WGAW Vice President
Betsy Thomas, WGAW Secretary-Treasurer
Kaitlin Fontana, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Josh Gondelman, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Liz Hynes, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Greg Iwinski, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Zhubin Parang, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Sasha Stewart, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Adam Conover, WGAW Board Member, Comedy-Variety Writer
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
