TV Academy Offers Option to Cancel FYC Events As Questions Swirl Over Emmy Campaigns During the Strike

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As TV Academy members toasted the stars of “Ted Lasso” on May 1, things were about to change dramatically in the Emmy campaign space. Apple TV+ was celebrating the opening of a “For Your Consideration” activation at Goya Studios, where it erected a massive tent to showcase its bevy of contenders. It’s a well-appointed and pristine space, with an almost Apple Store-meets-Emmys vibe. Displays celebrating Apple TV+ shows were front and center, along with an open bar, passed bites and a theater room for screenings and panels for celebrated shows like “Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking,” “Bad Sisters,” and more. But now here’s the problem with FYC: The writers strike has upended everything. The clouds were already forming at that “Ted Lasso” event, as the strike was called at the same moment co-creator/star Jason Sudeikis and team were celebrating the show’s Season 3 on stage. Many of the “Lasso” stars double as writers — Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt included — so the power and importance of writers was on everyone’s minds. Sudeikis even remarked on how surreal it was to be there on stage talking about writing “Ted Lasso” just as the issues facing the town’s scribes took center stage. “Shout out to the writers,” he said. “What a day to be doing this.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 14 season finale of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 17 on Fox. Like a river, Bishop Briggs kept a steady flow throughout Season 9 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” — and her perseverance was rewarded with the championship. Briggs, as Medusa, won this season’s top prize and was finally unmasked on Wednesday night’s finale, along with runner-up David Archuleta, revealed as the Macaw. Briggs, who performed the most of any contestant this season, sealed her victory with performances of “Elastic Heart,” by Sia, and “Welcome to the Black Parade,” by My Chemical Romance. Although Briggs said singing under the Medusa costume was a challenge, she pointed out that it was nothing compared to what she did last year.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large As Amazon Freevee’s hoax reality series “Jury Duty” is currently garnering huge amounts of attention, the format originator is staging a comeback. TBS is set to announce Wednesday that it has ordered a revival of “The Joe Schmo Show,” which will air next year on the cabler. The original “Joe Schmo” premiered in 2003 on Spike TV, with a follow-up in 2004 and then a third season revival in 2013. Created by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (both of whom went on to a successful screenwriting career, including the “Deadpool” films), “Joe Schmo” made waves when it first debuted for parodying the then-relatively new and white-hot reality competition genre.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Daytime Emmys are once again planning to pivot, as next month’s awards show to won’t go forward as previously planned. With the ongoing writers strike, the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences confirmed on Tuesday that this year’s 50th Daytime Emmys would move from its planned June 16 ceremony to an undetermined later date. “The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards planned for Friday, June 16 on CBS is postponed due to the WGA strike,” NATAS president/CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement obtained by Variety. “In addition, the Creative Arts & Lifestyle ceremony, planned for Saturday, June 17, has been postponed pending a strike resolution. We look forward to our community gathering together as one to celebrate our Golden Anniversary and all of the talented nominees and honorees at a later date.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Peabody Awards won’t be throwing a return celebration this year after all. The org has scrapped this years event, which would have been the first in-person Peabody ceremony since 2019 (before the pandemic), in the wake of the writers strike. Originally set to be held on Sunday, June 11, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, this also would have been the first Peabody Awards to be held in Southern California. “As an organization dedicated to honoring the most compelling and empowering stories in broadcasting and streaming media, we recognize and respect the position that many of this year’s Peabody Award winners find themselves in,” the org said in a statement. “Due to the ongoing uncertainty and meaningful challenges that exist industrywide, we have decided to cancel the 83rd annual Peabody Awards ceremony that was set to take place on June 11 in Los Angeles. Canceling the ceremony is extremely disappointing as this year’s 39 winners are immensely talented and have brought forth powerful stories that deserve to be celebrated.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large All three series are some of the most nerve-racking shows on television. Peak TV, meet Stress TV. Hold on, I’m not going to dust off the tired “what’s comedy versus drama” debate. I feel like we lost that battle long ago when hourlong comedic dramas (or dramatic comedies) like “Ally McBeal” and “Desperate Housewives” won comedy Emmys. Shows like “Beef” and Peacock’s “Mrs. Davis” have avoided the debate entirely by instead entering the limited Emmy race. And that’s perhaps for the best — Although “Beef” would seemingly land otherwise in the comedy race and “Mrs. Davis” in the drama race… I think “Mrs. Davis” may be the most lighthearted of any of the shows I’ve mentioned so far (and not nearly as stressful, despite the fact that it’s about A.I., the thing that will probably put me out of a job in a few years._

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Freshman drama “Quantum Leap” is taking a quantum leap to Tuesdays, as NBC unveiled a mostly strike-proof fall schedule that features three new series (two dramas and a comedy) and a crowded midseason bench. The Peacock net’s lineup is heavy as always on football and Dick Wolf: And even more so on the pigskin, as NBC’s new deal to cover Big Ten football kicks in with a new Saturday showcase. But with few changes in store, the network will rely on established series to launch its freshman entries. NBC will use unscripted mainstay “The Voice” on Mondays to launch the new Jesse L. Martin starrer “The Irrational,” based on author Dan Ariely’s “Predictably Irrational,” at 10 p.m. On Tuesday, the hit “Night Court” revival will continue to lead off the night and help launch the new comedy “Extended Family,” starring Jon Cryer and Donald Faison, and from Mike O’Malley, at 8:30 p.m.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Melanie Lynskey might be reading this story. The “Yellowjackets” star is a fan of TV, and she’s also a fan of writing and criticism about TV. And that includes reading press about her own shows — and herself. “I love [film and TV] criticism so much,” she tells Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. “And it would make me sad to not get to read it. You have to put your ego aside for a minute and just be like, ‘it doesn’t matter what I read about myself. When it’s someone you really love reading, and they’re writing about something that you spent six months working on, it’s hard for me to not do it.” Lynskey says the reviews aren’t always great — but they’re usually accurate even in those cases. “They’ve always been right,” she says. “I know when something hasn’t been that good. So I’ve never been like, ‘that’s not fair.’ I’ve never really had that feeling.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 13 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 11 on Fox. Pentatonix is pretty easy to recognize, as perhaps the best-known a cappella group performing today. So from the start, it was pretty easy to tell it was them on “The Masked Singer” – and indeed, the five-person group was unmasked as California Roll on Thursday’s show, which also doubled as the Season 9 semifinals. For their first song, “Paparazzi,” group member Scott Hoying said they tried to avoid doing any harmonies at first, “so we could hide the iconic Pentatonix harmony sound for  at least a minute. For the first minute, I was trying to really change my voice. But it didn’t work, because every comment on every video was like, ‘I knew from the beginning it was Pentatonix and I was confirmed as soon as they all came in. We know that sound so much.’ But it honestly it was a compliment. It was very flattering to know that we can’t even hide our voice because it’s become part of what people have heard so many years.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large CBS is supersizing two of its signature reality franchises: “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” will permanently expand to 90-minute episodes next season, the network announced Thursday morning as it unveiled its 2023-2024 TV lineup. The Eye network went first with its fall plans, but there’s a caveat to it all: The writers strike means it’s very likely that primetime won’t look at all like this come September. And indeed, CBS already has contingency plans in place, including several unscripted series waiting in the wings. But for now, CBS will head into fall with a primetime schedule that looks nearly identical to its current one. The Wednesday switch to just “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race,” for example, simply takes the night’s current 10 p.m. inhabitant, the canceled “True Lies,” out of the equation. Last fall, CBS opened the season with three reality shows on the night: “Survivor,” “The Real Love Boat” and “The Amazing Race,” so an all-reality Wednesday is not uncommon. (Nor are expanded 90-minute editions of “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race,” but until now those were reserved for special moments, like premieres and finales.)

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Roz is back! Marsha Warfield, who played the caustic bailiff on “Night Court” for six seasons, made a surprise appearance on Tuesday night’s episode of the series’ 2023 revival. Warfield’s appearance came on Tuesday during part 2 of the episode “The Honorable Dan Fielding.” In the episode, Dan Fielding (as reprised for the revival by Emmy winner John Larroquette) has taken a job as a judge and is reading what’s next on his docket: “Another fight at a bachelorette party in the French Quarter. OK bailiff, bring in this bride to be!” Turns out it’s Roz, wearing a “bachelorette” banner. “Fielding? They made you a judge?” she stares at disbelief, and then storms out of the courtroom. (Scroll down to watch.)

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Mrs. Davis” may be one of the most surprising and unconventional new series of the spring — and now it’s making a surprising and unconventional move in the Emmy race as well. As the Television Academy deadline for category submissions ends today, Peacock has decided to make a last-minute shift and move the series into the limited/anthology series categories. Betty Gilpin stars in “Mrs. Davis” as Simone, a sometimes nun who takes on her nemesis, the artificial intelligence being known only as “Mrs. Davis,” and strikes a deal with the algorithm — which promises to shut down if Simone finds and destroys the holy grail. This exploration of faith and technology comes from executive producers Tara Hernandez (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Damon Lindelof (“The Leftovers”).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Paramount Global is taking over the Hollywood Athletic Club this month to launch its first ever cross-platform “Paramount Showcase” Emmy FYC activation. The event will tout projects from the company’s Paramount+, Showtime, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Network outlets, with shows including “Yellowstone,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Star Trek: Picard,” “The Daily Show” and “Yellowjackets.” The event will move into Hollywood Athletic Club on Friday, May 12, with a panel devoted to the Paramount+ series (and “Yellowstone” prequel) “1923,” and continue through Sunday, May 21, wrapping with an event devoted to the new Showtime series “Fatal Attraction.”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Original Amazon series like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” will be sold off-platform to third parties for the first time, the company announced Monday as it launched the new Amazon MGM Studios Distribution. A revamp of MGM’s pre-existing distribution team, the division will now handle Amazon Studios/Prime Video originals in addition to current and library titles. Chris Ottinger, who led the MGM distribution team for more than a decade, will oversee the new division. Ottinger will report to Brad Beale, the VP of worldwide licensing and distribution at Amazon and MGM Studios; Beale, in turn, reports to Amazon/MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The MTV Movie & TV Awards may still be going on this Sunday without the services of host Drew Barrymore, but the Writers Guild has taken notice. In a short press release on Friday, the guild announced that it would picket outside Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, where the kudocast is set to take place on May 7, at 5 p.m. PT. MTV had already scrapped a red carpet before the show, in the hopes that the awards show would stay off the radar of any pickets. As Variety wrote exclusively on Thursday, Barrymore opted to step down as host of this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, in a show of support and solidarity to the striking Writers Guild members. She instead agreed to return and host next year’s edition of the kudocast instead.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The ninth annual SeriesFest, an annual television-centric event held in Denver, kicks off Friday with a slightly abbreviated schedule in light of the writers strike. Per WGA rules, writers are not allowed to make “promotional appearances” at film festivals (or presumably, TV festivals like SeriesFest) or at “For Your Consideration” Emmy events. Already, a number of FYC showcases have either been canceled, or continued on but with just a screening, no panel, due to the strike. SeriesFest becomes the first festival to be impacted by the strike. This year’s event takes place from May 5 to May 10, which now happens to coincide with the early days of the strike. As a result, showrunners have opted out of a handful of panels, while screenings of many new and returning shows will now take place without talent/showrunner Q&As. It could be an early peak at the pivot that may have to take place with other upcoming festivals, including Cannes and ATX.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Ken Marino credits his pal Adam Scott for making the unlikely and unexpected “Party Down” revival a reality. “Adam helped guide this and make this happen in a real way,” he tells Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast. “I think everybody in that cast recognized how special it was, and to just kind of go back and to get to do some more, to be with these people again, creatively, it’s a real gift.” The first two seasons of “Party Down” aired on Starz in 2009 and 2010; the revival takes place a decade after the show’s last episode and features the returns of Marino as Ron, the slightly clueless catering manager who now owns the business — well, running it out of his van — and Scott as Henry, the sardonic failed actor who’s now a teacher and working on the side with Party Down to help pay for his alimony.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Drew Barrymore is stepping down as host of this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, in a show of support and solidarity to the striking Writers Guild members. But as a sign of good faith to MTV, Barrymore has also agreed to return and host next year’s edition of the kudocast instead. Sunday night’s MTV Movie & TV Awards will still continue, but will now go hostless. The state of the show is still evolving day-by-day, as producers pivot to their strike contingency plans and wait and see who among their presenters, nominees and guests are still willing and able to appear on the telecast. As another nod to the evolving news, there will no longer be a red carpet or talent interviews before the show.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 9, episode 12 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 3 on Fox. Former Miss USA and Miss Universe Olivia Culpo was the next celebrity to be revealed on Fox’s “The Masked Singer.” Culpo was unmasked as UFO on Thursday’s show, which also doubled as the Season 9 quarterfinals. Culpo, a model and Internet star, sang Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own” on the episode, having previously sang “Yellow” by Coldplay. “I was really nervous when I sang my first song,” Culpo said in her pre-tape package. “But I’m really excited to have made it this far. This experience has exemplified going out of my comfort zone and being more vulnerable than I ever have before. So much of my career is based on the way I look physically, so adding value through my energy or my singing, it feels like there is more that I have to offer. And I’m getting older, so I have to hold on to something. Joking!”

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Paramount+ has sealed a multi-year deal with New York’s Bryant Park to take over its Monday evening summer movie series, the streamer announced on Wednesday. Dubbed “Paramount+ Movie Nights at Bryant Park,” the deal is timed to the 30th anniversary of Bryant Park’s “Movie Nights” franchise. This year’s “Paramount+ Movie Nights at Bryant Park” will run from June 12 to August 14. The event is also paired with the pop-up Hester Street Fair, which features a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors from the five boroughs on the park’s Fountain Terrace each Monday. “Movie Nights is one of Bryant Park’s most popular series and with the support of Paramount+, we can continue to provide free high quality outdoor movie screenings for New Yorkers and visitors for many more years to come,” said Bryant Park Corp. president Dan Biederman in a statement.