Netflix seeks this Sunday to complete the transformation process of television that began long ago. It can do so by conquering the best drama series on Emmy night, a category that has been denied multiple times by the streaming giant despite its growing presence year after year.
The Crown
, the drama that imagines the intimate life of the British royal family, is the great favorite, with 24 nominations (it has already won four technicians), to take that award at the ceremony of the United States Television Academy, which It is once again in-person and becomes the first major event of the season that requires vaccinations from the nominees who attend.
Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin, favorites in the categories of best actor and actress at the Emmy Awards, as Prince Charles and Diana in 'The Crown' Des Willie / AP
To achieve that coveted award, Netflix must defeat
The Mandalorian
, the Disney + series,
The Handmaid's Tale,
Lovecraft Country
,
Pose
,
Bridgerton
and
This is Us
, which is the lone representative of a traditional network drama series. TV.
This fight at the Emmys is set against the backdrop of the
streaming
war
, with major companies battling each other and making significant investments to make their catalog offers more attractive to audiences.
More information
The series you should watch, according to the Emmys
All 2021 Emmy nominees
Where and when to see the Emmy gala
Ted Lasso
, the comedy of an inexperienced coach of a disastrous English league football club, is another big favorite in the comedy category, featuring
Black-ish
,
Cobra Kai
,
Emily in Paris
,
The Flight Attendant
, Hacks. and the final season of
The Kominky Method
. The series starring Jason Sudeikis has been a watershed for Apple TV +. The premiere of the second season, in July, increased subscriptions to the service by 50% and had six times more views than the first season, which became a phenomenon during the pandemic, especially last December. The series has already won three of the 20 Emmys to which it aspires in the technical awards given a few days ago. Now it remains to be seen if the forecasts are fulfilled and the cast, with six nominations in the acting categories, take the awards.
The closest category of the night is the miniseries.
Industry insiders and analysts don't find a clear favorite among
I May Destroy You
,
Mare of Easttown
,
Lady's Gambit
, which became another pandemic sensation and one of Netflix's most-watched series upon its premiere, though now faces a legal battle over a defamation charge.
The crude and violent
The Underground Railroad
, about slave America and
WandaVision
close the close category.
Festive atmosphere
The gala, which begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern United States (2:00 a.m. Spain), will go from last year's virtual format to an event in a marquee. Some 500 people have been summoned to the Event Deck, an area for outdoor ceremonies located in downtown Los Angeles a few meters from the Microsoft Theater, which is where the ceremony was held in pre-pandemic times. As with the Oscars, invitations for productions have been very limited. Attendees must present a negative test and their vaccination record. Unlike in previous years, now the attendees will be accommodated at tables, where there will be drinks and some food. "I think this creates a certain party atmosphere, which makes the audience happy and also the viewer," said Reggie Hudlin,one of the producers of the ceremony this week.
The Emmys have become the first major ceremony that requires vaccination as a requirement, which will surely become a trend in the awards season in the coming months. Ian Stewart, one of the producers, affirms that even they did not find reluctance among the nominees for the imposition of the measure and that many quickly confirmed their presence. The cast of the hit comedy
Schitt's Creek
, a winner of nine Emmys last year, has confirmed that she will reunite at the ceremony.
Among them the creator of the series, Dan Levy, who has just signed a multi-million dollar agreement with Netflix to produce series and a movie.
Others in attendance include Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen and Sarah Paulson and Billy Porter, who is looking to repeat
Pose's
groundbreaking 2019 best actor award
.
The cast of 'Friends' recalling anecdotes on the show's old set.Terence Patrick HBO
Despite the sanitary demands, some stars have recently said that they will not attend the event. Jennifer Aniston told Jimmy Kimmel, the host of ABC's late-night program, that she will not attend the ceremony, so she will miss, if it happens, the triumph of the
Friends
reunion
, a special nominated in three categories. The producers of the ceremony have ensured that "a handful" of nominees will connect to the event remotely. Among the absences is part of the cast of
The Crown
, which will be in London. "There are some people who have preferred to connect from a distance and we understand that," said Maury McIntyre, the president of the Television Academy.
The ceremony will be carried out by actor and comedian Cedric The Entertainer, who starred in the 2002 cult comedy
The Barber Shop
(2002) alongside Ice Cube. The producers ensure a "very fun" musical start that will have among its guests several rappers and artists who are friends of the presenter, who also bears the responsibility of recovering part of the territory lost in last year's ceremony. The 2020 Emmys had the worst audience ever with just 6.1 million viewers. In 2018, instead, the broadcast was watched by 10.2 million people.
The Emmys have also bet on shaking things up a bit. The order of some of the awards has been changed between dramas, comedies and miniseries. It also promises to shorten the time that passes between one category and another. This has its dangers, as the anticlimactic finale of the Oscars already showed, which closed for the first time by handing out the best actor award in the hope that it would go to the late Chadwick Boseman, but ultimately it was for Anthony Hopkins, who was not there. . The organizers admit that the first prize of the night can go to someone who will not be physically in the tent.
To arouse curiosity, surprises have been promised.
One of them will be in charge of Jon Batiste and Leon Bridges, who will be in charge of putting the music to the tribute to the talent who died in the last year.
Both musicians are great friends, something that the producers were unaware of when they were invited to participate in the gala.
The result, they say, is beautiful and of a perfect sensitivity for a time that has left so much mourning.
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