Emmys: predictable as ever, even though it doesn’t seem so at first glance

The announcement of the nominees for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards last week ostensibly provided the annual opportunity to measure the pulse of television viewers in an extraordinary year. One which saw more people stuck in front of their small screens than at any time since the devil’s box began to become a standard household item in the 1950s.

When you look at the nominations, however, you soon realise the awards are not really a reflection of the changing tastes of audiences or critics. Rather, they’re a reflection of the predictable preferences of Emmy voters, who tend to place predominantly safe bets on shows that do well at the awards. Occasionally they allow a few newcomers to occupy a slot or two in the nominations categories, before they lose to the usual suspects come the announcement of the awards in September.

Sometimes a year can come along that so upsets the natural order of things that even the Emmys are affected. Looking at this year’s nominations you may be forgiven for initially thinking this has been one of them...