The Emmy Awards this year are introducing a new category, “Best Variety Series,” which presents a unique voting dynamic, potentially allowing up to five programs to secure a win within the same grouping. This consolidation was enacted by the Television Academy following a decision to merge the existing “Outstanding Scripted Variety Series” and “Outstanding Talk Series” categories due to reduced submission numbers. The inaugural lineup for this combined category features several prominent programs, including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Saturday Night Live, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
What distinguishes this new category is its voting methodology, departing from traditional Emmy evaluation standards. Instead of a cumulative vote count, the voting process requires viewers to answer a binary question: whether the specific program merits an Emmy award. This means each series is evaluated independently.
A program must achieve a threshold of support to be recognized. Specifically, a show must garner at least 90 percent of the votes cast to be considered a winner in this specialized grouping. This structure fundamentally alters how success is measured compared to previous years’ award structures, emphasizing consensus within the voting body for each individual contender.
Topics: #category #new #series
