Nonfiction Emmys
Where's PBS?
Magdalena asked me this, after I had read off the list of this year's Emmy Award nominations.
Neither of the two lists we were looking at - one with shows like Succession, Ted Lasso and White Lotus, and one with networks like HBO, Netflix and Hulu - had anything recognizable as originating in public media.
I thought for a minute, then realized that we were looking at Primetime Emmy Awards nominations.
OK, I thought, PBS isn't really "primetime" so it was probably in a different category.
And that is where my learning journey started.
After a quick Google search I was reminded there are a number of Emmy Awards including Daytime, Children's & Family, News & Documentary, Sports, Tech & Engineering, Regional, and Student Productions.
But as one thing became clearer, another became murkier because the above are not categories or subcategories of some larger Emmy Awards, they are stand-alone competitions of their own.
In fact, in 2022, PBS did receive a number of nominations but they were all in the News & Documentary category Emmy Awards.
And after reading down the News & Documentary Emmy Awards noms, I realized I had seen only one of them - My Garden of a Thousand Bees (Nature - PBS) - because my father is beekeeper.
So I have lots more to watch.
And not only on PBS because this year programming from ABC, CNN, Vice, CBS, HBO, NYT, Nat Geo, Netflix, Hulu and NBC also made the cut.
Because it is a standalone competition, the News & Documentary Emmy Awards has numerous categories, which are segmented by format (Documentary, Short), and topic (Current Affairs, Social Issues, Arts/Culture, Science/Tech, Nature, Business/Economy, Crime/Justice), and craft (Writing, Research, Direction, Editing, Cinematography, Graphic Design).
HBO had the most nominations in the Best Documentary category. And with its Op-Docs, The New York Times did well across multiple categories - not only Shorts.
To make things interesting (and confusing) the Primetime Emmy Awards also has an Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series category. Although PBS did not get nominated for any of these, there are some really good documentaries/series that did.
Among those, I watched The Beatles: Get Back (Disney+) and 100 Foot Wave (HBO/HBO Max) and have several more in my "up next" queue.
So, what's the deal?
Why is there an awards SHOW for television documentaries, and a separate awards CATEGORY (in a different show) for essentially the same thing?
As I understand it, the reason is there are two television academies in the United States, each with a similar purpose - to promote the industry and to recognize creative leadership - that are somewhat duplicative.
Decades ago there was a schism - essentially East Coast vs West Coast - which resulted in the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) based in New York, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) based in California.
NATAS is behind the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and ATAS backs the Primetime Emmy Awards (which has an Outstanding Documentary category).
For television audiences, this might be viewed as a good thing. More competition in nonfiction programming, leading to more and better choice.
Or maybe not. It IS a little confusing because they give two different answers to the question, Which television documentaries are the best?
My recommendation is that if you have the time and interest, do a little research yourself. Scan all of the lists. Watch the trailers. And add the ones you want to watch later to your queue.
Beyond that, you can follow the awards ceremonies. This year's Primetime Emmys will be bestowed on 9/12 and the News & Documentary Emmys on 9/28 and 9/29.
I'd like to end with some clarity-inducing words from Adam Sharp, president and CEO of NATAS:
At a time when critical, monumental, and world-changing events are more immediately accessible and available than ever before, the work of the journalists and documentarians that bring us the truth of these stories is under tremendous assault. We honor these individuals’ courage and excellence of craft that allows each of us to be better informed and understanding of the issues of our day.
Rewarding the people behind high-quality nonfiction television is good for society, because it is still one of the most powerful platforms for educating and informing the citizenry.
One last thing. If PBS wins, please remember to celebrate by watching and donating to your local affiliate station. Big donors like Chan/Zuckerberg are great, but PBS can't cover all of their operating costs that way. Their ability to do great work depends on micropatronage from Viewers Like You.
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