A Closer Look at the Emmys’ Most Confounding Category: TV Movie |
What is a movie, and what is TV, anymore?
I’m Rebecca Ford, and this question is at the core of my issue with one of the most confounding categories at the Emmys: TV movie. Back before the birth of streaming, this category honored movies that aired on broadcast TV. Then there was a period when HBO won nearly every year for prestige TV movies like Grey Gardens, Recount, and The Normal Heart. But now that streaming services have movies and TV shows on them, what are we doing with this category?
Over the past few years, it’s become a showcase for a mystifying hodgepodge of works—everything from Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas to Hocus Pocus 2. And let’s not forget the 2022 winner, Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
But dying on this hill is not going to change the fact that this category is once again part of the Emmys this year. So let’s take a closer look at what strange mix of projects might end up as nominees this time around.
The most notable entry is Mountainhead, the HBO movie from Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, which premiered on the very last day of Emmy eligibility (May 31). It feels like a lock for a nomination, especially with a strong cast (Jason Schwartzman, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef) and a timely and disturbing storyline about billionaires being awful people.
A few movies on streaming services also seem very likely to land nominations, including Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, an action thriller starring Aaron Pierre as a former Marine. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the delightful new installment in the Bridget Jones franchise, is also eligible because it debuted on Peacock in the US. I still think this is all very strange, but the idea of Renée Zellweger getting an Emmy nom for it is still lovely. My colleague Savannah Walsh recently spoke to Zellweger about returning to her iconic character for the project.
The remaining spots in TV movie are a little more up for grabs. Contenders include Out of My Mind, a coming-of-age drama that premiered at Sundance, was released on Disney+, and already won a Peabody; fellow Sundance movie Am I OK?, which stars Dakota Johnson and debuted on Max last June; and Nonnas, Netflix’s enjoyable film about a man (Vince Vaughn) who opens a restaurant where the chefs are grandmothers.
Voting for the Emmy nominations opens next week, and I can’t wait to see the random assortment of movies on “TV” that Television Academy members pick this year. At least I know it’ll be unexpected. |
