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Emmy voting is now closed, and not a moment too soon.
Every year, more than 27,000 members of the Television Academy — actors and editors, showrunners and composers, the people who actually make television — sit down
with their ballots and decide who walks away with an Emmy. And every year, almost none of them will tell us, on the record, what they really think.
So, like we do with Oscar voters, we reached out to a few of them ourselves.
In the final days of voting for the 78th Emmy Awards, Variety spoke with dozens of Academy members across the organization’s 31 professional peer groups — the specialty divisions that sort the membership by craft, from performers to picture editors — and promised each of them anonymity in exchange for total candor. What we saw was a very small snapshot of where the race could go when awards are handed out across the first two weekends in September.
Every voter was also asked the same four questions off the ballot — their biggest snub, the most overspent FYC campaign, the network or streamer having the best season and the one win that would actually move the business. Their answers close each entry.
In the categories deemed “area awards” — hosted nonfiction and variety series — voters have the opportunity to select multiple nominees by answering a simple question: Does this show deserve an Emmy? Yes or No. Interestingly, not one voter Variety spoke with checked “Yes” for every nominee, and only four of those surveyed selected more than one. That strongly suggests voters aren’t viewing these categories as an opportunity to spread the wealth, but rather as a traditional “may the best show win” competition.
Ballots have been edited for length and, where necessary, to protect identities.
The opinions are their own. They’re contradictory, occasionally indefensible and, at least for the purposes of this article, the only ones that matter.
Notably, and vitally important to point out, 10 ballots are not an official presidential poll. They are barely even a focus group. But what you get is a window into a small, unscientific and anecdotal sample of a voting body of more than 20,000 industry professionals. Nobody should mistake this for a forecast, and the voters themselves would be the first to tell you as well (except for one, anyway).
What these conversations reveal, year after year, is how little of the field any one voter has actually seen. Most watch a fraction of what they’re voting on, then default to what they feel they’re supposed to pick — the title everyone’s talking about. It’s a very human way to fill out a ballot, and it makes Emmy voters a notably more out-of-the-loop bunch than the Oscar crowd I sample every season, who at least tend to show they’ve done their homework.
If you fold in what these 10 told us — and what they suspect their colleagues are quietly doing — the picture that emerges looks an awful lot like the one the pundits have been sketching all along.
“The Pitt” looks poised to take drama in a runaway. Comedy is most definitely “Widow’s Bay” against “Hacks,” though the freshman holds a considerable edge over the departing champ. And in limited series, the expected “Beef” vs. “DTF St. Louis” duel is real — but I was struck by how much affection kept surfacing for “The Beast in Me.” Call it, at the very least, a spoiler worth watching.
The first two nights celebrating the artisans and the Governors Gala will take place on Sept. 5-6. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sept. 14 on NBC.
Final Emmy predictions will be revealed before the first ceremony date.
VOTER 1 — The Suit Who Didn’t Watch but Voted Anyway
Peer group: Television Executives
“Who has time to watch all this crap?”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “The Pitt”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “All Her Fault”
- Movie: “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War”
- Game Show: “Jeopardy!”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize” (Y); “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.” (No); “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” (No); “The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy” (No); “Tucci in Italy” (No)
- Reality Competition Program: “Survivor”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “Colbert Before Air”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Inside the Pitt”
- Structured Reality: “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”
- Unstructured Reality: “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked”
- Variety Series: “The Daily Show” (Y); “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (No); “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (No); “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (Y); “Saturday Night Live” (No)
- Variety Special (Live): “68th Annual Grammy Awards”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable …”
Biggest snub: “The Testaments”
Most overspent FYC campaign: “The Pitt”
Network/streamer having the best season: HBO
A win that would actually move the business: “Widow’s Bay”
VOTER 2 — The Actor Who’s Voted “Hacks” Every Year Since the Start
Peer group: Performers
“I don’t know a single person who watches all the nominees. Who has time? … I’ve loved ‘Hacks’ since the beginning and have voted for it every year it’s on the air.”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “Paradise”
- Comedy Series: “Hacks”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: “Celebrity Family Feud”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr.” (Y); rest (No)
- Reality Competition Program: “The Traitors”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “This Is a Gardening Show”
- Structured Reality: “Love Is Blind”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (Y); rest (No)
- Variety Special (Live): “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Nikki Glaser: Good Girl”
Peer group ballot — Performers:
- Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
- Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Zendaya, “Euphoria”
- Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
- Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise”
- Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man”
- Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
- Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”
- Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
- Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
- Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”
- Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Richard Gadd, “Half Man”
- Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Constance Zimmer, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette”
- Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Colman Domingo, “Euphoria”
- Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Shailene Woodley, “Paradise”
- Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Christopher McDonald, “Hacks”
- Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Leslie Bibb, “Hacks”
Biggest snub: Jamie Bell, “Half Man”
Most overspent FYC campaign: Anything Apple
Network/streamer having the best season: Apple
A win that would actually move the business: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
VOTER 3 — All In on ‘Widow’s Bay’ and Claire Danes
Peer group: Casting Directors
“The same stuff is nominated every year and it’s hard for new things to break in. I’m all in on ‘Widow’s Bay’ … I did not see ‘Beef’ or ‘DTF St. Louis’ — I’m rooting for Claire Danes!”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “Paradise”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “The Beast in Me”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: “Celebrity Family Feud”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “Tucci in Italy”
- Reality Competition Program: “The Traitors”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “SubwayTakes With Kareem Rahma”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Inside the Pitt”
- Structured Reality: “Shark Tank”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Wicked: One Wonderful Night”
Peer group ballot — Casting Directors:
- Casting for a Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Casting for a Drama Series: “Paradise”
- Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “The Beast in Me”
- Casting for a Reality Program: “Love on the Spectrum”
Biggest snub: “Game Changer” (Outstanding Game Show) and “Age of Attraction” (casting)
Most overspent FYC campaign: “Widow’s Bay”
Network/streamer having the best season: Hulu
A win that would actually move the business: “SubwayTakes With Kareem Rahma”
VOTER 4 — ‘The Whole Industry Is Now Completely F—ed’
Peer group: Cinematographers
“This year shows how this whole industry is now completely fucked!”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “The Pitt”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “Beef”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: Abstain
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: Abstain
- Reality Competition Program: Abstain
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “Bad Thoughts”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “This Is a Gardening Show”
- Structured Reality: “Shark Tank”
- Unstructured Reality: “Welcome to Wrexham”
- Variety Series: “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Oscars”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Wicked: One Wonderful Night”
Peer group ballot — Cinematographers:
- Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour): “Widow’s Bay” — “Our History”
- Cinematography for a Series (One Hour): “Alien: Earth” — “Neverland”
- Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Beef” — “It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey”
- Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program: “The Tale of Silyan”
- Cinematography for a Reality Program: “Welcome to Wrexham”
Biggest snub: “Task”
Most overspent FYC campaign: “Widow’s Bay” and “Hacks”
Network/streamer having the best season: The streamers
A win that would actually move the business: Any broadcast show
VOTER 5 — The Voter Who Thinks We Should Predict Based on Their Ballot
Peer group: Daytime Programming
“I loved so much of this year’s television. … Everyone I spoke to about their ballots, many of them look just like mine. I’m not a predicting guru like you, but I think mine is the right ballot to predict.”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “The Pitt”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “DTF St. Louis”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: “Jeopardy”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman” (Y); rest (No)
- Reality Competition Program: “The Traitors”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “Bad Thoughts”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Inside the Pitt”
- Structured Reality: “Love Is Blind”
- Unstructured Reality: “Summer House”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (Y); rest (No)
- Variety Special (Live): “The Oscars”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “The Muppet Show”
Biggest snub: K Callan, “Widow’s Bay”
Most overspent FYC campaign: All of them.
Network/streamer having the best season: HBO and Netflix
A win that would actually move the business: Everyone from “Widow’s Bay”
VOTER 6 — The Cynic Who Says It’s All About Who You Know
Peer group: Music
“I wish there was a better way to do all these award nominations. If you have friends in this industry, you get your name on the list — even if you’ve made a piece of shit.”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “Pluribus”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “Beef”
- Movie: “Miss You, Love You”
- Game Show: Does not recall
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: Abstain
- Reality Competition Program: “Top Chef”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: Abstain
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: Abstain
- Structured Reality: “Queer Eye”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Oscars”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “The Muppet Show”
Peer group ballot — Music:
- Original Main Title Theme Music: “Pluribus”
- Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score): “Widow’s Bay” — “Our History”
- Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score): “The Beast in Me” — “The Beast and Me”
- Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score): “John Candy: I Like Me” — Tyler Strickland
- Original Music and Lyrics: “Spider-Noir” — “The Devil You Know”
- Music Direction: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” — “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale”
- Music Supervision: “Widow’s Bay” — “Beach Reads”
Biggest snub: “High Potential”
Most overspent FYC campaign: Disney
Network/streamer having the best season: Peacock
A win that would actually move the business: The actors who self-submitted from “The Pitt”
VOTER 7 — An Actor’s Director, Smitten With Bateman and Offerman
Peer group: Directors
“I love Jason Bateman in ‘Black Rabbit’ and Nick Offerman in both of his TV shows.”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “The Diplomat”
- Comedy Series: “Shrinking”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “DTF St. Louis”
- Movie: “Miss You, Love You”
- Game Show: “Jeopardy”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “Tucci in Italy”
- Reality Competition Program: “The Traitors”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “Bad Thoughts”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Inside the Pitt”
- Structured Reality: “Shark Tank”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Oscars”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Taylor Swift | the Eras Tour | the Final Show”
Peer group ballot — Directors:
- Directing for a Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay” — “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”
- Directing for a Drama Series: “Task” — “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There Is a River”
- Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Black Rabbit”
- Directing for a Variety Series: “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” — “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Series Finale”
- Directing for a Variety Special: “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny”
- Directing for a Reality Program: “The Traitors” — “Let the Cards Fall as They Will”
- Directing for a Nonfiction Program: “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year Old Man!”
Biggest snub: Michael Shannon, “Death by Lightning”
Most overspent FYC campaign: The talk show hosts
Network/streamer having the best season: Netflix
A win that would actually move the business: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
VOTER 8 — The Writer Who Already Knows How This Ends
Peer group: Writers
“It’s a weird year. I liked a lot of the shows and performances nominated, but I feel like we know what’s going to win, and it can make you feel like, ‘What’s the point?’”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “Pluribus”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “DTF St. Louis”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: “Jeopardy!”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.”
- Reality Competition Program: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Hacks: Bit by Bit”
- Structured Reality: “Antiques Roadshow”
- Unstructured Reality: “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- Variety Special (Live): “78th Annual Tony Awards”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “The Muppet Show”
Peer group ballot — Writers:
- Writing for a Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay” — “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”
- Writing for a Drama Series: “Slow Horses” — “Scars”
- Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “The Beast in Me” — “Sick Puppy”
- Writing for a Variety Series: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
- Writing for a Variety Special: “The Muppet Show”
- Writing for a Nonfiction Program: “The American Revolution”
VOTER 9 — The Editor Missing Dolly Parton
Peer group: Picture Editors
“How can we vote when Dolly Parton is gone?”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “Pluribus”
- Comedy Series: “Hacks”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “The Beast in Me”
- Movie: “Heads of State”
- Game Show: “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “Tucci in Italy”
- Reality Competition Program: “Dancing With the Stars”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “Bad Thoughts”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Hacks: Bit by Bit”
- Structured Reality: “Queer Eye”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Wicked: One Wonderful Night”
Peer group ballot — Picture Editors:
- Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: “Hacks” — “The Cube”
- Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series: “The Upshaws” — “Election Day”
- Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series: “Pluribus” — “We Is Us”
- Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: “Black Rabbit” — “Isle of Joy”
- Picture Editing for Variety Programming: “Wanda Sykes: Legacy”
- Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment): “The Daily Show” — “RFK Hospital: An Original Series Inspired by the Medical Advice of RFK Jr.”
- Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program: “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” — “Blink Again”
- Picture Editing for a Structured or Competition Reality Program: “The Traitors” — “The Death Conga”
- Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program: “Deadliest Catch” — “Kings of the Frozen North”
Biggest snub: “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat”
Most overspent FYC campaign: Apple and Amazon
Network/streamer having the best season: HBO and Netflix
A win that would actually move the business: “Hacks”
VOTER 10 — The Academy Turns Up Its Nose at the Shows People Watch
Peer group: Reality programming
“’Real Housewives’ and ‘The Valley’ are way overdue for love. They’re the most-watched shows anywhere, and the Academy turns up its nose at them.”
Official votes submitted:
- Drama Series: “The Pitt”
- Comedy Series: “Widow’s Bay”
- Limited or Anthology Series: “Beef”
- Movie: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
- Game Show: “Wheel of Fortune”
- Hosted or Nonfiction Series: “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy”
- Reality Competition Program: “Survivor”
- Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: “SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma”
- Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: “Inside the Pitt”
- Structured Reality: “Shark Tank”
- Unstructured Reality: “Love on the Spectrum”
- Variety Series: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
- Variety Special (Live): “The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny”
- Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): “Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable …”
Peer group ballot — Reality Programming:
- Host for a Reality or Competition Program: Jeff Probst, “Survivor”
- Host for a Game Show: Martin Short, “Match Game”
Biggest snub: “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island”
Most overspent FYC campaign: All of them
Network/streamer having the best season: HBO and Apple
A win that would actually move the business: “Survivor”
See all Primetime Emmy predictions
Variety Awards Circuit: Emmys
