Over 100 current TV writers and showrunners are protesting the decision to remove two writing categories from the televised portion of this year’s Emmy Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Writing for a Dramatic Series and Writing for a Movie/Miniseries are two of the eight previously broadcast categories that will be time-shifted out of the program in an attempt to cut 15 minutes from the three-hour telecast, the TV Academy announced Thursday. Although the shifted categories were split evenly among mediums, the writers are complaining that they only received four (out of 28) awards to begin with, and that coming on the heels of last year’s strike, this sends the wrong message.
The writers’ full protest letter:
We, the undersigned showrunners and executive producers of television’s current line-up of programs, oppose the Academy of Television Arts and Science’s decision to remove writing awards from the live telecast. This decision conveys a fundamental understatement of the importance of writers in the creation of television programming and a symbolic attack on the primacy of writing in our industry. We implore ATAS to restore these awards to their rightful place in the live telecast of the 2009 Emmy Awards.
The Writers Guild of America has also released the following:
This action of the board of governors is a clear violation of a longstanding agreement the Writers Guilds have with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences regarding their awards telecast. It is also a serious demotion for writing and a fundamental misunderstanding of the importance of writers in the creation of television programs. Last year’s Emmys suffered a tremendous decline in quality and ratings because of a lack of scripted material. That the Academy would then decide to devalue the primary and seminal role that writing plays in television is ridiculous and self-defeating.
At this morning’s TCA executive panel, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler responded, “I don’t think we’re being unfair to the creative community. I think coming out of the telecast last year everybody knew we had to make a change and change is not easy. Even with the time shift, which is done in a very respectful way, it will have no impact on the integrity of the program. If ratings are up, more people are going to be watching the shows.”
What is Shonda worried about? She’s not going to win an Emmy for writing anyways.
Does this mean they’ve cut some acting categories as well? I highly doubt it.
Actually, I think they did–supporting acting categories for mini-series or something like that.
Um, is anyone really that interested in playing Which Episode of “Made Men” Will Win the Writing for a Dramatic Series Emmy?
Perhaps not, but they might care about MAD Men.
The problem with the telecast last year were the five “hosts” who I seem to recall ad-libbed their lines at one point..writers would have helped!! I am in complete agreement that writers are under-appreciated and the Emmy decision adds to that problem.
If anything, they should get rid of the mini-series categories or the variety/ special show (e.g. Oscars, Tony’s, last year’s Emmy’s with the awful reality hosts…). But cutting out Best Writing for Drama!?!? What are they thinking!?
Why do you have apostrophes in Tonys and Emmys? These are plurals, not possessives.
Really Karl’s, I didn’t know’s that’s. You win the grammar award of the night!
These categories are a joke anyway: “Hey look, the only good writing this year was on Mad Men or 30 Rock, so they each get four of the five respective nods in their category.” It’s an insult to other shows and should be stripped out altogether and not just from the broadcast.
So you’re going to insult them ALL stripping ALL writing awards? I hope you remember to pick up your brain from the dry cleaners before commenting next time.
And here come the Mad Men/30 Rock haters . . .
Look kids, if it makes you feel better, the awards are being cut so they can run clip reels of more “popular” shows like “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” and “I’m a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here”.
Snob.
I agree with Mike. This years writing nominations were much more insulting to writers than whether their categories are televised or not. How did any other shows besides Mad Men and 30 Rock get nominated in the first place if the writing for all these other shows are not emmy worthy?
Well… most of the writing slots were given to Mad Men and 30 Rock. But to not televise the event is still an insult to writers. Please don’t make the writers mad. The Writer’s Strike was bad enough.
Boooo! The Emmys need to rethink this. There’s an old adage in Hollywood: Nobody works unless the writer writes. If anyone should be rewarded for making TV as compelling as it can be, it should be the writers. They sacrifice a lot and their family and friends who can’t attend the ceremony should get a chance to see their moment in the sun.
Why are people antagonizing the writers? What if they go on strike again and ruin everyone’s TV watching schedules? God, the Emmy people are the most idiotic, tasteless flock of retards I’ve ever seen.
Seriously, it crippled the entertainment industry and made TV VERY BORING FOR A LONG TIME!
well, if the writers are not worth being included, the the writers should sit the Emmy’s out completely. I think anyone who supports good writing in television, should support this, and either abstain from attending the emmy’s.
You care? It is always the same barely watched shows that gets nominated anyway. Why would I watch a show that nominates shows that most of the viewing public don’t watch? Bah I’ll do something else on that night.
It sounds like a stupid mistake to me, cutting 2 of the 4 awards from the telecast to save a mere 15 minutes out of 3 hours. Who cares whether people are interested? What’s important is that the writers get their due, and the public get a reality check that writers create what we watch on tv.
You want to improve the Emmys? Cut out the BS that nobody wants to watch or care about (the same goes for the Oscars) I don’t want to sit around for three hours while hosts make bad jokes, bring on some fun entertainment but not musical numbers by actors who can’t sing. Me, at this point I just wait for the results the next day, no need to waste three hours of my life. Cutting 2 catagories in the Emmys won’t do any good, that 15 minutes they are saving is going to go to the host trying to sound like a comedian when really we all just want him to get on with the show.