Emmy Category Analysis: Main Title Design

The Film Experience Team takes a look at the major Emmy categories & some extras, too.

By Nathaniel R

If you're a regular reader 'round Emmy time you'll know that this particular category is of significant niche interest to us. That's partially because voters are (mostly) forced into keeping it fresh. Unless your show changes its opening titles significantly each season, you'll only be eligible on your first season. It's also because we dig main titles and we totally miss them in cinema which seems to have (mostly) abandoned this wonderful practice of setting the mood before the story begins. Let's look at the nominated titles.

The nominees are listed below the title and, unless otherwise noted, this is a first nomination for each of them...

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Emmy Analysis: Who will win Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie?

by Cláudio Alves

Like its respective writing category, the Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie Emmy race is a mess of inconsistent rulings. Some shows compete with entire seasons, while others have submitted individual episodes. This is allowed, so that miniseries with different directors per episode can compete. However, this year, I May Destroy You's Sam Miller got two nods through a technicality, making the rule feel superfluous and poorly conceived. Beyond that, the big oddity of the category is the presence of Hamilton's Thomas Kail. While similar projects of filmed theater were deemed TV Specials and are competing in that race, the Disney+ musical somehow got into this lineup. If he wins, Kail will repeat his Tony victory. With that out of the way, let's dive in and explore the nominated works…

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Category Analysis: For Drama Directing, will The Crown get the crown?

Team Experience takes a look at the episode submissions for all the major Emmy categories. 

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Unlike last year where eight nominees sprang from just three shows, the nominees this year were fairly distributed. Five of the six nominees were either season premieres or season/series finales. Fifty percent of the nominees in this category were women. In the shows nominated, only The Crown and The Handmaid's Tale have won previously. These are just some of the stats that might (or might not) help in predicting the winner of this category. The Crown is the frontrunner for Drama Series, but would that help with its two nominations here? Could The Handmaid's Tale or The Mandalorian snag a win? Could Pose win for its series finale? Or is the Bridgerton love for real?

Without further ado, the nominees...

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Category Analysis: Are Three Nominees a Charm for 'Ted Lasso' in Comedy Directing?

Team Experience takes a look at the episode submissions for all the major Emmy categories. 

Apple TV+'s "Ted Lasso" earned three nominations for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.

By: Christopher James

How do you beat a frontrunner? Ted Lasso submitted four episodes for directing and three of them earned nominations. The freshman Apple TV+ series is the odds on favorite across nearly all comedy categories. Yet, this category is prime for an upset. The last two times Veep had three directing nominees, they all lost. Granted, Modern Family prevailed in 2011 when it had three nominations in this category.

So who else is nominated? There are three other pilots in contention - B Positive, The Flight Attendant and Hacks. Past pilots that have won directing over the past decade include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Glee. Mom is also in contention for an episode from its eighth and final season. So what stands the best chance to win Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series? Let’s dive into the nominees...

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Emmy Analysis: A close race in Outstanding Writing for Limited Series or TV Movie

The Film Experience Team takes a look at the episode submissions for all the major Emmy categories.

by Cláudio Alves 

Unlike the Drama and Comedy writing categories at the Emmys, the Limited Series or TV Movie one can find entire seasons competing against solo episodes or single films. In the recent past, individual chapters of Sherlock and Black Mirror, classified as TV movies, won out against juggernaut series such as Fargo and Big Little Lies. This year, there are no such "movies" nominees. Indeed, despite six slots, only four series are recognized across the board. Wandavision is the nomination leader as well as the only show competing with single episodes instead of seasons. Indeed, with three nods, it thus becomes only the second limited series to score triple writing nods in the same year. The first one was American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson. That Ryan Murphy show won in 2016, despite the threat of vote splitting, and maybe the Disney+ program can do the same. Let's take a look at the nominees…

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