Hot Ones, John Mulaney & Dropout Shake Up Messy Emmy Variety Race—Who Gets Nominated?

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Evolving Talk Series and Award-Winning Scripted Commentary (Latest Update: May 5, 2025): The popular talk shows and award-winning scripted commentaries continue to adapt and change.

Due to the success of a petition in 2024, the YouTube interview series “Hot Ones,” which features spicy chicken wings and is hosted by Sean Evans, will now be eligible for the Outstanding Talk Series award. Since its inception, Evans has conducted over 360 episodes and eaten more than 3,000 wings. The viewership of this show on YouTube is comparable to the highest-rated late-night television shows. In the past year alone, popular “Hot Ones” episodes have featured actors like Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (who played Deadpool and Wolverine), Conan O’Brien, Jenna Ortega, and even Donald Duck, in a sponsored segment by Disney.

As a cinema enthusiast, I must say that Netflix’s “John Mulaney: Everyone’s Live by John Mulaney,” which seems like a continuation from his earlier show “Everybody Loves L.A.,” falls squarely into the same category of exceptional comedy series. The Emmy-winning stand-up comedian, who is none other than me (John Mulaney), delves deep into the peculiarities and unique charm of my cherished city, while also sharing a mix of random musings.

My witty partner in crime, Richard Kind, and the ever-efficient robot delivery cart, Saymo, join me on this comedic journey. My ’70s-inspired talk show is the latest contender to stir up the category, as there seems to be no clear frontrunner. And who knows? With my unique blend of humor and a stellar cast, I might just shake things up!

Simultaneously, independent streamer Dropout has unveiled its Emmy nominations for 2025 and is making a daring debut. The comedy talk show “Very Important People,” hosted by comedian Vic Michaelis, has been submitted in the talk series category. Previously too long to qualify for the short form category due to its extended length, it now competes against established networks like NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which won the category last year.

These advancements have further muddled the ongoing debate between Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted EbMaster Series, a problem that the Television Academy is still working diligently to clarify.

In December 2022, the Academy made changes to two of its categories to enhance clarity. From now on, the Outstanding Talk Series category encompasses shows that focus on unscripted discussions between hosts and guests, such as interviews or panel talks. Conversely, the Outstanding Scripted Program Series category includes productions that are largely scripted or improvised, including segments like sketches, monologues, musical performances, and stand-up comedy routines.

Still, the reclassifications haven’t eliminated the uncertainty.

In the year 2024, there were 14 talk series submissions, which was less compared to the 19 in 2023. Currently, EbMaster is monitoring 13 confirmed entries. According to Emmy regulations, a field of this size would result in just three nominees (four if they choose to round up).

In the EbMaster Series category for Outstanding Scripted Programs, we’ve noticed a concerning trend – the number of entries is dwindling. Last year, we received 12 submissions, but it seems we might only get four this year, similar to what happened in 2024. This year’s potential entrants include NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” HBO/Max’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” and the recently canceled shows “After Midnight” and “It’s Florida, Man.” If no more entries are submitted, we may need to resort to an “opt-in” jury process for eligible voters.

According to Emmy regulations, when a category has less than seven entries, they undergo peer review and must earn at least 90% approval to be nominated. However, since there isn’t currently a peer group for scripted variety shows, if no submission reaches the 90% threshold, the entry with the highest approval is chosen by default. This method was used last year, resulting in nominations for “Saturday Night Live” and its winner, John Oliver.

The deadline for Emmy submissions is on Thursday, 8th May. Voting for the nominees will take place between June 12 and June 23. The official list of nominations is expected to be revealed in July.

See Emmy Award predictions below:

EbMaster Awards Circuit: Emmys

We’re still working on the full list of potential nominees and candidates. This list will be updated each Thursday during the TV Awards season.

    Talk Series

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    Scripted EbMaster Series

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2025-05-06 00:18