A new controversy has erupted after TV Academy decided to move Variety Writing categories off Primetime Emmys.
In the move to limit the number of awards telecasted on TV to 25, the TV academy decided to move the awards for ‘outstanding writing for a variety series’ or ‘special’ categories out of the telecast. These awards will be handed out during the Creative Arts Ceremony, a weekend earlier than the Primetime Emmys.
This move has angered WGA (Writer’s Guild Of America) as they feel devalued as a professional. In a letter to the Members, they expressed how it undermines the role writers play in the excellence of television.
This move feels like a slap to the months of protest that writers all across the US had against production houses. Instead of getting the recognition they had been demanding, it has mocked the very core of what the writers wanted, recognition for their work.
To fit the awards in the telecast duration, TV Academy had capped the awards at 25. In the last few years, only one out of ‘outstanding writing for a variety series’ or ‘variety special’ award would make it to telecast, while the other being shifted to the Creative Arts Ceremony. This year both of them have been cut off from the telecast.
The 75th Primetime Emmys is scheduled for 16 January 2024.
