The Emmy Awards: UAE gets crystal-ball gazing

As the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards gets underway, the TV industry is witnessing a digital revolution of sorts. House of Cards, the Kevin Spacey/Robin Wright political drama’s nomination marks the first time a show distributed on the internet has competed at TV’s biggest night. And the prospect that it could win the Outstanding Drama category, has cast a spotlight on just how profoundly the television landscape has changed.

For us in the UAE, where Netflix – the company that streams House of Cards – is not yet officially available, consumption trends are changing too, says those in the industry.

Khulud Abu Homos, the senior vice president of programming and creative services at the Dubai-headquartered OSN says her company noticed this when it premiered House of Cards on its on-demand service.

“[The] new trend in the consumption of content is what is known as ‘binge viewing’ with full seasons being watched over a weekend on digital platforms, enhancing the ratings and popularity of continuing seasons. Viewers now have the opportunity to catch up with previous seasons or episodes, hence hooking a wider audience to continuing series that they would have otherwise skipped,” she says.

Abu Homos’ network owns the regional rights to a majority of the shows that have been nominated at this year’s Emmys.

Of the five Drama Series nominated however, Breaking Bad is one of the most watched shows in the UAE, according to programmers at OSN, followed by Game of Thrones and Homeland. In the Comedy Series, top three shows are Girls, Modern Family and the last season of 30 Rock.

This seems to match with Gulf News readers’ preferences. In a poll, we asked which was your favourite TV programme. The majority of votes, at 26 per cent, went to The Big Bang Theory, nominated for best Comedy Series. That’s followed closely by fantasy drama Game of Thrones, at 19 per cent, nominated for best Drama Series. Crime drama Breaking Bad, also nominated in Drama Series, was the third most preferred show with 15 per cent of the votes, followed closely by the comedy Modern Family.

Emmy Awards crystal-ball gazing was so much easier in the old days, circa the last few years: ABC’s Modern Family would be honoured as best comedy series and a cable show, Homeland or Mad Men or such, would win best drama.

Modern Family may earn its fourth consecutive trophy at Sunday’s (early Monday morning in the UAE) ceremony. But the drama picture is murkier because of House of Cards, the first online programme to be nominated for top series honours under a 2007 Emmy rule allowing digital contenders.

“We didn’t believe it would take as long as six years-plus for the world to start looking to this new explosion of original content,” said Rob Barnett, who moved his career from cable (MTV, VH1) to online as founder and CEO of My Damn Channel. “But it’s clearly happening.”

Or it is possible that astute Emmy voters smacked their foreheads, realised they had yet to crown AMC’s Breaking Bad as TV’s best drama and made amends?

They should have, we say in unison. Here’s what else we’re predicting for ceremony Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris – who, no Ouija board needed, will be reliably outstanding. 

DRAMA SERIES:

Should win: Breaking Bad. TV’s best drama has never won!

Will win: Breaking Bad. With hysteria building in its final year, it’s going to cook up a win this time. 

COMEDY SERIES:

Should win: Louie. Life can be brutal, but also brutally funny in Louis C.K.’s hands.

Will win: Modern Family. It’s comfortably amusing and academy voters like it, they really like it. 

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:

Should win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men Don Draper finally confronts his pain and what he’s done to others. Hamm’s trophy is even more overdue.

Will win: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards. Take that, movies! TV is better than ever, and honouring a visiting big-screen star drives the point home. 

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:

Should win: Kerry Washington, Scandal. A powerhouse performance that keeps the madcap series spinning but not out of control.

Will win: Kerry Washington, Scandal. Don’t overthink what will be an unprecedented African-American victory – she simply deserves it. 

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:

Should win: Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire. Of course he can bring a fresh spin to a gangster role – what can’t this actor do?

Will win: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad. His character’s vulnerability is habit-forming, and he’s poised for his third consecutive win. 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:

Should win: Christina Hendricks, Mad Men. When the going got tougher so did her character, and Hendricks soared.

Will win: Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad. It’s the embattled Mrs White’s turn to shine. 

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:

Should win: Matt LeBlanc, Episodes. He plays himself, and then some, and does it winningly.

Will win: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory. Three bids and two statues the past five seasons, but it’s been since 2011 since he last won. Too long? 

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:

Should win: Laura Dern, Enlightened. If you’re looking for layered humanity in any character, she’s your woman.

Will win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep. She wears power and the lunacy of ambition well. Elaine who? 

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:

Should win: Ed O’Neill, Modern Family. He’s the paterfamilias of modern TV dads. Show some respect.

Will win: Ed O’Neill, Modern Family. Respect will be paid. 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:

Should win: Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock. She never let down her side as the role model for self-involved TV stars, and Emmy shouldn’t let her down.

Will win: Julie Bowen, Modern Family. A two-time consecutive winner for her beleaguered mom. Voters will be charmed again.