Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series—Honoring a Year of Big ‘SNL’ Exits
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Last Year’s Winner: “Saturday Night Live”
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: “Saturday Night Live” has a five year winning streak right now, benefitting from the split that happened in the Variety Series category in 2015 (it became the Variety Talk and Variety Sketch categories). However, when that split first happened, it was Comedy Central that had the initial winning streak with “Inside Amy Schumer” winning in 2015, and “Key & Peele” winning in 2016, so NBC’s long-running late night variety series is not unbeatable.
Notable Ineligible Series: “Documentary Now!” (Season 4 was not eligible); “I Think You Should Leave” (submitted as a Short Form Comedy Series); “The Kids in the Hall” (was not submitted)
This article will be updated throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2022 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting took place from June 16 to June 27, with the official Emmy nominations announced on Tuesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be given out over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4, with an edited presentation on the ceremonies to be broadcast on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FXX. Finally, the 74rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, September 12, and air live on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
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The State of the Race
First off, there really should be more nominees. It is all very chicken or egg, but the dearth of nominees allowed in this category does feel like it contributes to the general dearth of sketch shows nowadays. Newer ones like “Ziwe” on Showtime and “The Amber Ruffin Show” on Peacock deserve the boost a co-sign from the TV Academy provides.
Onto the nominees now, it is again slightly annoying to see a show win the big award five years in a row, and the variety categories really do need more variety, but this really was a notable season for “Saturday Night Live.” In addition to it being the last one with Emmy winner Kate McKinnon, Emmy nominee Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney, it also had newsworthy hosts like Kim Kardashian West and Jerrod Carmichael. Plus its winter finale COVID outbreak provided for one of the most memorable episodes in the show’s near 50 year history.
HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is necessary television, and really goes pound for pound with “SNL” on the writing front, but it is a show that is still growing. It may be working a little too well as a talent incubator because three seasons in there has been a lot of turnover both with the small cast and the writers room. It’s no drama though, it is just that alumni like Quinta Brunson have been really killing it with their own projects, which take away their availability to appear on the Robin Thede-run series.
Power Rankings:
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
Will Win: “Saturday Night Live”
Could Win: “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Should Win: “Saturday Night Live”
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