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EXCLUSIVE: Writers on TV’s late-night comedy shows are still angry at the news that for the first time their category won’t be part of the Primetime Emmy telecast. Instead, as part of last year’s agreement between the TV Academy and Writers Guild, their category will be presented at the Creative Arts Awards the week before. Now those same scribes have been invited to write pre-taped bits for the shows nominated in the Best Variety, Music, or Comedy Series category. “Kinda insulting, no?” said one of the nominated writers approached for the gig.
A spokesman for the TV Academy explained: “While we are upholding our current agreement with the WGA, we still wanted to find a way to include the VMC writers in the telecast as it is always an entertaining part of the show. [So] the producers of this year’s telecast have reached out to the VMC Series writers to contribute to the nomination packages which are a highlight of the ceremony.”
In the past, when there was one writing for VMC series/special category, it was usually highlight of the ceremony. “It has always been one few moments during the Emmys to contain actual entertainment, because the writers come up with those funny pre-taped bits that roll while all those Jewish surnames are being read,” one writer said.
As part of the agreement last summer following the split of the variety music or comedy categories in two, series and specials, the far-less-prominent writing for a VMC special category will be presented at the Primetime Emmy ceremony, slated to air Aug. 29 on NBC.
In other Emmy news, the TV Academy also confirmed that the reality host category has been moved from the Primetime to the Creative Arts ceremony. ”The Reality Host category was added two years ago, but was never required to be in the Primetime Show,” a spokesman for the TV Academy said. “Additionally, last year CBS allowed the show to run 5 minutes over which opened up more time in the broadcast. Since the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award will be presented for the first time in six years, along with the second play of the show on the West Coast beginning at 8pm, NBC wants to try to end the telecast on time; consequently, there was just no room for more awards.” The reality host change was first reported on Variety.com.
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Just don’t air the mini-series awards (shocker, HBO will win again) and you’ll have plenty of time for the rest.
Tell the WGA and the DGA. They force the Academy to include movies and miniseries in the show. Frankly, who cares about any of the writer or director awards? Only writers and directors. Boring…
Yep, they Emmys would be much more enjoyable if it wasn’t for the mini-series awards, which as you said is just watching HBO be rewarded for an hour.
If it’s consistently one of the few entertaining moments of the broadcast, why not just keep the category in the show and trim fat elsewhere? Asking them to submit nomination montages and then not including the catagory in the broadcast makes no sense.
It’s my understanding that TV is a director’s medium, and that’s why the director awards are part of the ceremony and the writers are not. Has anyone watched television lately? Most of the writing is horrible. And now we have a show called Outsourced, about our jobs being sent overseas? Ha-ha, that’s very funny – not. You may get four or five people in all of Flyover Country to watch that. This show will be canceled within weeks. The jobs of the writers who came up with this idea should be outsourced. Tom Shales, if you use that give me credit!
“It’s my understanding that TV is a director’s medium”
Actually, no. To the extent that any medium is “a director’s medium”, it’s movies. In TV, it’s about the writers, who are the ones who oversee a series from conception through execution, and through all the seasons. In movies, the big names are directors like Spielberg, Scorsese and Coppola — in TV, it’s writers like Aaron Sorkin, David E. Kelley, Joss Whedon and Greg Daniels.
“Has anyone watched television lately? Most of the writing is horrible.”
Really? Seems to me that, between “Breaking Bad,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Lost,” “Community,” “The Office,” “Parks & Recreation,” “Mad Men,” “Modern Family,” “Treme,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Glee,” “Archer,” “The Good Wife,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “The Daily Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Dexter,” “Chuck,” “The Pacific” and “30 Rock”, you could pretty easily fill a week’s worth of TV viewing with well-written shows.
K – Well put. Television is all about the writers, so it’s a shame that they won’t be getting the recognition they deserve this year.
Baxter – Why are you citing a show that hasn’t even aired yet?
NO!!! That’s the funniest part of the show. And having them write bits for OTHER noms????
What the hell, man. When is The Emmys going to get their show together?
I am glad they moved the Reality Show Host category to the Creative Arts Awards. It should be eliminated altogether and have the host nominated along with the program instead of doing that with the Individual Performance Award.
Yeah, being uninvited to attend, and then invited to write something does make you feel a little like Sara in A Little Princess. (You can stay on at boarding school; but now you’re the maid…) Of course, I always feel at least a little like A Little Princess.
Yes, being uninvited to attend, and then invited to write something does make you feel a little like Sara in A Little Princes. (You can stay on at boarding school… only now you’re the maid.) But then, I always feel at least a little like Sara in A Little Princess. That’s just me.
The line about “upholding our current agreement with the WGA” is BS. The WGA has stated, explicitly and unequivocally, that they have no problem with the Emmys including the comedy/variety series writers in the telecast. Trying to blame the WGA is just cowardly on the Emmy producers’ part.
Also, you’ve got to love the way the Emmys people handled this: First, they invited the comedy/variety series writers. Then, they disinvited them, and pretended that they’d never invited them in the first place. And then they asked the writers to produce some of their telecast, for free. Here’s a thought: If you have time in your broadcast to show the funny videos that traditionally precede the comedy/variety series writing award, why not take an extra thirty seconds out of the telecast to actually give out the award?
This is the Emmys’ solution? Really? “We think You’re funny enough to write for our show, we just don’t want you *on* the show.” Yeah. That makes it all better. How incredibly insulting to the writers, and to their fans! (Oh, yes. These writers DO have fans, fiercely loyal ones.) Pull another category; there’s plenty of filler to cut elsewhere.
The Academy knows that the VCM specials awards are not big ratings bringers. It’s the series awards that we love to watch because all the series nominated have very dedicated fans and the award for series writing is, in my opinion and many as well, the best award of the night because of the videos that they tape for the award.
It is insulting to the series writers to not to be able to showcase their talents during the prime time broadcast because of this agreement that should have never been made. We all know that bits can be cut from the show, awards can be awarded quicker, and the pre-show could be gotten rid of to make way for more popular awards.
I do hope that the Academy will listen to not only the series writers, but also us fans. We want to see them honored in prime time where they deserve to be. I bet if you polled people of whether they want to see the writing/directing awards for either VCM series or specials, and make sure to tell them who are nominated, I bet you will find the majority will say series.
The Emmys as it is is hardly bearable, and to get rid of the 5 minute slice of actual entertainment in the show is suicide by all parties involved. PUT THE WRITERS BACK ON THE TELECAST!!!!!
First, you don’t let the VMC SERIES Writers appear on the Primetime telecast, but you make them write material for the telecast. Then, you say you’ll let them make a montage for the show, but not allow their category to be presented? How many more ways can John Shaffner and the Academy anger writers? It’s just not right anymore. John, working for Conan’s Tonight Show, you should know full well what you’re doing is wrong. Don’t pull a Zucker.
Really????? This is a step in the right direction but still, how insulting is it to say ok fine we’ll play your videos but you still are not on? We want to see the writers accept their award! They’ve worked hard to get the shows on the air and never get the recognition they deserve, this is their chance. Don’t screw them over Emmy’s!
VMC Specials Writing – “far less prominent” – prehaps in your opinion, but as a nominee, I am pleased to not have to sit thru the creative arts ceremony and be recognized on the air. What we have here is what we have every year, in every category that gets rotated off the show, per a previous agreement. A bunch of crying babies and reporters looking to stir up some controversy. Either enjoy the nomination or refuse it if you’re that upset. We fought long and hard for Series and Specials to be split categories, which they were at one time. Now that we have them, embrace that fact that this allows more writers to be lauded. To the rest, no one is making you watch the Emmy telecast.
Will the Creative Arts ceremony be televised? Or streamed?
I don’t see why the agreement was made anyway. The only reason I would watch the Emmy’s this year is to see my favorite show and his writers win the most prestigious award for their business. The writers, not just the show deserve an award and have it presented just like all the other awards because of the tradition that’s been living since the beginning. As Gidget said, there are plenty of other filler bits that can be cut. I personally don’t care what it is, as long was this award is presented via telecast. If John Shaffner has a heart, he would allow both Series and Specials for this category to be telecast. It should stay that way forever and get rid of the stupid musical montages and/or have the presenters beamed to the mic; kick their asses into gear just TELECAST THE BEST SERIES FOR WRITING IN A VARIETY/COMEDY SHOW! Thank You.
I choose which programs to watch, 80% by the writing, and maybe 20% by the personalities, but really, I only consider the actors if I really love them or really hate them. Otherwise, it’s all the writing. So leaving them out of the Prime Time Emmys is not only an insult to the writers, but also to me and everyone else who cares about quality writing.