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THE PRIMETIME EMMY
AWARD GOES TO: AD
SUPPORTED CABLE
Sept 2016
THE PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD GOES TO:
AD SUPPORTED CABLE
On September 18, television will air its own awards show: the 68th Emmys. The nominees
for the television’s most prestigious award, and one of television’s most watched specials,
were announced in June. As with recent years, the nominations feature many adsupported cable programs (to distinguish from premium cable) across several prominent
categories. With so many nominees, ad supported cable continues to show its leadership
in providing quality programming. Below is look at the 2016 nominees for major
categories, and previous ad-supported cable winners.
Outstanding Drama Series: This season, three of the seven nominees come from adsupported cable. The Americans on FX, now in its fourth season, has been nominated for
its first Emmy Award in the category. Mr. Robot on USA has earned a nomination for its
freshman season. The only repeat nominee is AMC’s Better Call Saul, the spin-off prequel
drama (from the multiple Emmy winning Breaking Bad) earned its second nomination in
as many seasons.
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TRENDS | INSIGHTS
The forebears of the 2016 nominees are the groundbreaking Mad Men, the first program
on ad supported cable to win the best drama Emmy (and for the next three years as
well), and Breaking Bad which won back-to-back Emmy Awards in the category in 2013
and 2014.
Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress Drama Series: This year, three actors from ad-supported
cable programs are nominated for the award: Rami Malek for USA’s Mr. Robot; Bob
Odenkirk for AMC’s Better Call Saul; and Matthew Rhys for The Americans on FX. For best
lead actress in a drama series, among the nominees are Keri Russell for The Americans and
Tatiana Maslany for playing several characters on BBC America’s Orphan Black.
Michael Chiklis was the first person, to win an Emmy in a major category, in an ad
supported cable program when he won for outstanding lead actor for The Shield on FX in
2002. Following Chiklis was Glenn Close, a two-time lead actress winner for Damages on
FX and Kyra Sedgewick for The Closer on TNT. Furthermore, Bryan Cranston has won the
lead actor Emmy for Breaking Bad four times and Jon Hamm won it once for Mad Men.
TRENDS | INSIGHTS
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Outstanding Limited Series: Nominees this year include Fargo on FX, in its second
season; (it won the award in its first season in 2014 and has 18 overall Emmy nominations
this year). Another nominee on FX is The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
That limited series has garnered 22 total Emmy nominations this year, the second highest
of any show. The remaining two are The Night Manager on AMC and the re-boot of Roots
on The History Channel.
Besides Fargo, previous ad-supported cable networks to win the Emmy Award in this
category have been Broken Trail on AMC, Taken on Syfy and Hornblower on A&E.
Outstanding Lead Actor/Actress in a Limited Series: Nominees include include Idris Elba
for BBC America’s Luther (who has been nominated in the past); Tom Huddleston for
AMC’s Night Manager; as well as Courtney B. Vance and Cuba Gooding, Jr. both from The
People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story on FX. Kirstin Dunst of Fargo and Sarah
Paulson for The People vs. O.J. Simpson; American Crime Story, both from FX, are among
the nominees for outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
Outstanding Variety/Talk Series: There is no programming category in which adsupported cable been more dominant than in outstanding variety/talk series. Over the
past thirteen years, The Daily Show on Comedy Central has captured the award 11 times.
The Daily Show’s spin-off series The Colbert Report won the other two years.
This year ad-supported cable programs continue to dominate the nominees for
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. In that category no fewer than five programs are
nominated: Drunk History, Inside Amy Schumer and Key & Peele all on Comedy Central as
well as Documentary Now! and Portlandia, both on IFC.
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TRENDS | INSIGHTS
AD SUPPORTED CABLE WINNERS IN NOTEWORTHY CATEGORIES:
PRIME TIME EMMY AWARDS
Outstanding Drama: Mad Men-AMC (4) 2008-2011; Breaking Bad-AMC (2) 2013 & 2014
Outstanding Variety Series: Daily Show with Jon Stewart-Comedy Central (11) 2003-2012
& 2015; The Colbert Report-Comedy Central (2) 2013 & 2014
Outstanding Limited Series: Hornblower-A&E 1998; Taken-Syfy 2003; Broken Trail-AMC
2007; Fargo-FX 2014
Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series: Michael Chiklis, The Shield-FX 2002; Bryan
Cranston, Breaking Bad-AMC (4) 2008-2010 & 2014; Jon Hamm, Mad Men-AMC 2015
Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series: Glenn Close, Damages-FX (2) 2008 & 2009;
Kyra Sedgewick, The Closer-TNT 2010
Outstanding Lead Actor Comedy Series: Tony Shalhoub, Monk-USA (3) 2003, 2005 & 2006
Outstanding Lead Actor Limited Series: Gary Sinise, George Wallace-TNT 1998; William
H. Macy, Door to Door-TNT 2003; Andre Braugher, Thief-FX 2006; Robert Duvall, Broken
Trail-AMC 2007; Barry Pepper, The Kennedys-The Reelz Channel 2011; Kevin Costner,
Hatfield & McCoys-History Channel 2012
Outstanding Lead Actress Limited Series: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: CovenFX 2014
Source: Emmy Awards
Conclusion
With over 400 original scripted programs to choose from across broadcast networks,
premium pay cable networks, streaming video services as well as ad-supported cable
networks, the competition for consideration of an Emmy Awards is fiercer than ever
before. Once again, ad-supported cable, which has historically provided some of the most
critically acclaimed programs in television history, will be well represented and, based on
recent performances, should win its share of Emmys.
TRENDS | INSIGHTS
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