Searing teen murder saga “Adolescence” and Hollywood satire “The Studio” are expected to be among the big winners at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, television’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Meanwhile, Apple TV+’s sci-fi office thriller “Severance” and HBO medical procedural “The Pitt” will vie for the highly coveted best drama series prize.
Pundits say that the race is too close to call at the ceremony, which kicks off at 5:00 pm in Los Angeles (0000 GMT Monday).
Arguably, this year’s most talked-about TV hit, “Adolescence” is the clear favourite to win best limited series — awarded to shows that end after one season.
Earning a whopping 140 million views in its first three months on Netflix, it follows a 13-year-old schoolboy arrested on suspicion of murdering a female classmate with a knife.
It is “inconceivable to see a way in which ‘Adolescence’ loses come Emmy night,” wrote Vanity Fair’s John Ross.
“Cultural zeitgeist trumps all at the Emmys.”
READ ALSO: British Netflix Hit ‘Adolescence’ To Be Shown In French Schools
The filmmakers shot each of its four episodes in a stunning single take, creating a timely and tragic examination of the impact of toxic masculinity on young boys.
The show drew rave reviews and countless water-cooler discussions. A limited series win would be the second in a row for dark British Netflix shows, after last year’s “Baby Reindeer.”
‘The Studio’
The best comedy series prize has a similarly prohibitive favourite — Apple’s “The Studio.”
Seth Rogen plays Matt Remick, a floundering executive, as The Studio critiques and celebrates Hollywood’s contradictions and insecurities.
The Studio earned 23 nominations, tying the comedy record, and already claimed nine awards during last weekend’s technical Emmy ceremony.
One memorable episode features an awards show where nearly every winner thanks Sal Saperstein instead of his boss, Matt Remick.
Fans and critics will likely reference that joke again Sunday, since the show remains fresh in Emmy voters’ recent memories.
Dramatic finish?
Presenters will likely create the Emmys’ peak excitement when they announce the best drama series, the traditional final Sunday award.
Severance leads all shows with 27 nominations, showcasing its psychological near-future drama set inside a shadowy corporate office environment.
Lumon Industries uses dystopian technology to split minds, forcing “innie” employees to abandon outside identities, memories, and personal lives completely.
Adam Scott stars in Severance, whose acclaimed first season lost to Succession, but its second season became this year’s frontrunner.
Then The Pitt premiered, a low-key medical drama originally planned as an ER spinoff that closely follows its predecessor’s style.
The creators set all 15 episodes consecutively during the same unbearably stressful shift at an inner-city Pittsburgh hospital.
Tackling everything from abortion rights to mass shootings, it has become a word-of-mouth sensation.
Noah Wyle, an “ER” veteran, is tipped to beat Scott for best drama actor for his role as haunted emergency leader.
‘Celebrating Television’
In these divisive political times, the Television Academy — which hands out the Emmys — is determined to steer clear of controversy.
“We’re definitely just celebrating television,” ceremony producer Jesse Collins told Deadline on Thursday.
“Nobody’s trying to veer off that course. We want everybody to just have fun for three hours.”
Host Nate Bargatze told CBS he will joke about nominated shows but promises to avoid mean or mean-spirited humor entirely.
Bargatze has even devised a novel way to keep things succinct.
The comedian has pledged to donate $100,000 of his own money to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
The catch? He will deduct $1,000 for every second that a winner’s acceptance speech exceeds the allotted 45 seconds.
