
12 years ago, I was glued to my TV screen as Claire Danes and Bryan Cranston announced the most anticipated awards of the Emmys season for a TV movie, “Behind the Candelabra.” Back then, these prestigious awards were given for “Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.” Steven Soderbergh’s masterpiece, with Michael Douglas in the iconic role of Liberace, was the clear favorite. It wasn’t hard to guess that the win would go their way. After all, they were Oscar winners and A-list stars, representing an exceptional TV movie HBO had heavily promoted. That night was just another in a long line of big wins for HBO’s TV movies, which had dominated at the Emmys for the past 20 years, amassing 65 major awards. “Behind the Candelabra” might have been one of their more star-studded productions, but HBO had consistently demonstrated the TV movie as a reliable path to prestigious acclaim and Emmy victories, with films like “Don King: Only in America,” “Recount,” and “Temple Grandin.