And the winner is… us
A ward ceremonies can be tedious things, especially if you’re not winning anything. That’s probably why the?Oscars has so much razzle-dazzle in it these days – with massive musical collaborations becoming YouTube hits from the following morning (check out Gwyneth Paltrow singing ‘Forget You’ with what looks like a cast of ginormous Muppets and Cee Lo Green), as well as big name hosts (Eddie Murphy has been booked for next year) and any other whizz bangs they can think of to keep the people who aren’t likely to be taking home any fancy statuettes glued to the goings on. There is one set of people who were riveted from start to finish at last week’s Emmys, who weren’t nominated for a single gong. The commissioning editors. And the purchasing editors. They wanted to know what’s hot. And they wanted it all for themselves.
It used to be that if you won an award it was great for your ego and not bad for business. In these times when Psychoville is said to not be returning to our screens, My Family is limping through its final series and the big chiefs at the BBC are announcing further cutbacks, every penny has to count. Which means winning awards puts you that step ahead of the others when it comes to the scrum with commissioning editors and getting that next series in the works.
The recent series of Torchwood, a co-production with US channel Starz, is testament enough to working practices in the current climate. They needed the big budget and had a fanbase in America thanks to BBC Worldwide and found the compromises that could work for all to take the series forward. Downton Abbey, with its four shiny Emmys hard won last week, has just started another series to great critical cheers, so there should be little need to plonk a US airforce base next door to round up more backing.
“Awards puts you ahead when it comes to the scrum with commissioning editors”
Another winner at the Emmys was Jim Parsons as Lead Actor In A Comedy Series, for Big Bang Theory. Nice to know we already have commissioning editors recognising quality at C4. Others on our screens to pick up awards include The Good Wife, Justified, Mad Men, Mildred Pierce and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, scattered across various channels.
The thing is, the ones we haven’t got yet should surely be snatched up soon after their accolades were announced. With pennies pinched all round at the TV channels it makes sense to snap up the shows everyone has already agreed are top notch. Which means that even though there may be less money, we’re getting better and better programmes for our time. Thank you Emmys. You don’t need a flashy host or fireworks. You’ve given me something better – more good programmes guaranteed.
Downton Abbey, ITV1, Sunday 2 October; The Big Bang Theory, E4, early evening throughout the week
