Emmys 2020: Making the Case for ‘SNL’ and ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ for Variety Sketch Series

Watchmen, Amazon Prime Video's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Netflix's The Crown, and new Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorian.

Watchmen, Amazon Prime Video's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Netflix's The Crown, and new Disney+ seriesThe Mandalorian.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAnd so it begins. The most unusual Emmy season in history finally arrived at the moment that everyone’s been waiting for, the actual awards, on Monday night, as the first of five Creative Arts ceremonies got underway.The Creative Arts Emmys, which is normally an in-person event at the Microsoft Theatre over two nights the weekend before the Primetime Emmy telecast, will instead take place Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeLast month, when the Television Academy asked Creative Arts Emmy nominees to pre-tape their acceptance speeches, it caused a bit of a stir.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeJimmy Kimmel has been a part of my life since the moment I arrived in Los Angeles in 1996 and started listening to him every morning as Jimmy the Sports Guy on KROQ’s “Kevin & Bean Show.” As a radio geek myself, I’ve always loved that Kimmel started in radio, where it’s live; you must think fast and you have to rely on your instincts since there’s no audience to give you immediate feedback.In many ways, radio was the perfect training ground for Kimmel as

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAdult Swim’s “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal,” FX’s “Archer” and NBC’s “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” are among this year’s first batch of Emmy victors, as the Television Academy announced juried award winners on Tuesday.The juried categories included nods for choreography, interactive programming and motion design, which will be handed out on Thursday, Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeFor “Drunk History” co-creator and host Derek Waters, it’s pretty bittersweet to still be campaigning for an Emmy now that his show has been canceled.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs the 72nd Emmys goes virtual, so will the media that covers it.

food restaurant that’s its own kind of purgatory.It's from the Black female perspective but with a comic sensibility inviting to all. Season-one sketches included a gang meeting with standard HR protocol; a wedding dinner hijacked by a severely woke family member, and a support group for women who are “bad (expletives),” as in rhymes-with-witches.A commanding Angela Bassett earned an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWhat are we going to do about the variety talk series category? The Television Academy implemented a plan this year to limit or expand a category’s nominations depending on how many contenders were submitted — with the exception of comedy and drama series, which will always get eight slots.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: The Virtual Cannes Market was a bustling affair with several major films set up. Will we see a similar result at the Toronto Film Festival? Here’s a hot package to get things going.Endeavor Content will be handling worldwide sales on The Making Of, a romantic comedy written and produced by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWith less than a month to go before the Primetime Emmys, the telecast’s producers are still building the show and figuring out how to make it as live — and safe — as possible.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeMiss Monster is popping up at iconic spots all over Los Angeles in support of Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” while also promoting a pandemic-appropriate message: Wear a mask.Staring Aug. 20, the “Masked Singer” activation features the show’s “Miss Monster” character at the Santa Monica Pier and taking over the famous Randy’s Donuts sign.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSometimes, the laugh’s on us. Last year, at the start of Emmy campaign season, most pundits believed it would be a race to the finish between Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeABC-owned KABC-TV (“ABC7”) has named Pam Chen to serve as the station’s vice president and news director. The move makes Chen the first Asian American news department head at a network-owned station in Los Angeles.Chen replaces Rob Elmore, who had headed up KABC’s news operations since 2015.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Television Academy has finished updating 2020’s Emmy nomination roster, and three overachievers stand out from the pack: Kerry Washington, Daniel Levy and Will Ferrell, all of whom earned four nods this year.Close behind them, Jason Bateman, Jimmy Kimmel, Issa Rae, Maya Rudolph and RuPaul each have three nominations.The TV Academy released the updated numbers after vetting producer credits for all Emmy-nominated narrative programming (comedy and

Tyler Perry and The Perry Foundation have been selected as recipient of the Television Academy’s 2020 Governors Award. The entertainment mogul will be presented with an Emmy statuette during the 72nd Emmy Awards telecast on ABC on Sept.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeTyler Perry and his Perry Foundation will be honored by the Television Academy as the recipient of this year’s Governors Award, which will be handed out during the Primetime Emmys televised event on Sunday, Sept. 20.Perry is the first individual to receive the Governors Award since 2014; last year, the Academy opted not to give out the honor at all.

Eli Countryman The 2019 premiere of “A Black Lady Sketch Show” opened on its group of comics lounging on a couch discussing “The Event,” an apocalyptic occurrence that leaves the women trapped and alone within their home.Fast forward to 2020, and the couch-confined lifestyle is all-too-familiar.