Tinseltown’s love affair with politics is in full bloom as both the Democratic National Convention and President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony are up for coveted TV trophies at this year’s Emmy awards.
Although the annual awards program has always had a soft spot for shows featuring Beltway politics (mostly fictional), this year could be different.
There is a behind-the-scenes campaign to win in two party-organized creative arts categories: one for the 2020 convention as an “outstanding hosted nonfiction series or special” and the other for Celebrating America, the Tom Hanks-hosted inauguration night event as an “outstanding live variety special.”
Ballots for the awards have already gone out, and support for the two DNC programs is gaining traction online.
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“I never thought I would be a part of something that would be submitted for an Emmy nomination,” Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic Party fixture who produced both the convention and the inauguration celebration, told the Washington Post. “It’s a little out of sync with how people in Washington think, but we were encouraged by a lot of people across the country, including people in the business, that we should submit. So, while we’re a long shot because nothing like this has ever happened before, it’s fun to try.”
The Democratic National Convention dominated TV ratings, while prime-time viewership for the Republican National Convention underperformed, according to Nielsen figures. However, Republicans saw a noticeable bump when former President Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for reelection, with 23.8 million people tuning in across 13 different networks.
More than 24.6 million people across 12 different networks watched Biden accept the Democratic nomination for president on Aug. 20. The RNC drew better numbers than the DNC on the second night of the convention, when former first lady Melania Trump spoke.
While the two possible wins would be historic, it isn’t the first time the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has jumped into the political pond.
Last year, the academy announced it would break with tradition and award its International Emmy Founders Award to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his daily coronavirus briefings.
“The Governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” the academy’s president and CEO, Bruce Paisner, said in a statement announcing the decision. “People around the world tuned in to find out what was going on, and New York tough became a symbol of the determination to fight back.”
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Cuomo receiving the award was widely panned because of his controversial nursing home policy tied to the deaths of elderly residents.
