By Charlotte Dekle

In the past few years, I’ve seen a considerable decline in the amount of Emmy nominations that the four major networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX) were getting each year. Disclaimer, other networks are nominated this year that I will not be discussing (PopTV, AMC, TBS, FX). During the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, is network television becoming obsolete? Maybe. With television being a medium that constantly needs to evolve, network television might have too much censorship to move the platform forward. 

On June 28th, the nominations for the 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards came out. Streaming services Netflix and HBO lead the pack with 42 and 38 nominations respectively. But NBC had the third most nominations with 15 (the same amount they got last year). ABC got four nominations. CBS got two nominations and FOX got one. But last year with NBC’s 15 nominations, they only won 2 (both for SNL). Last year, CBS got six nominations and won zero and ABC got three nominations and won zero. So they were being nominated but they just weren’t winning. Why is this? Network tv used to house every heavy-hitter at the awards shows. Yes, this is because they were the only thing around but I digress. According to TVLine, "This Is Us and SNL are keeping the networks in the awards-season conversation, though just barely. And as we all know, scripted shows do not improve their nominations over time; quite the contrary. Outside of This Is Us, the only current broadcast show to muster much acclaim is The Good Place though it thus far has failed to convert any nods into trophies. And with so many outlets vying/bidding on quality content and name actors, is a prudent broadcast network even able to groom The Next Award-Winning Hit?” The Good Place has cleverly found a way around the censorship with the uses of bullshirt and forking instead of bullsh*t and f*cking. As Ricky Gervais humorously stated at the 2020 Golden Globes, “No one watches network tv. Everyone is watching Netflix. This show should just be me coming out, going ‘Well done, Netflix. You win everything. Goodnight!’” Though he was joking, there is some definite truth to that. Last year, out of Netflix’s 30 nominations, they won 4 of them. 

Technically, the censorship of network tv is unconstitutional because it is in direct opposition to the first amendment. But according to the FCC (an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States), “Federal law prohibits obscene, indecent and profane content from being broadcast on the radio or TV.” Obscenities are not protected by the first amendment and thus are prohibited on network television. But indecent and profane television is prohibited to be broadcast from 6 am to 10 pm. But they can be broadcast any time after 10 and before 6 when children are less likely to watch it. But what is considered obscene must meet three-pronged test established by the Supreme Court, “It must appeal to an average person's prurient interest; depict or describe sexual conduct in a "patently offensive" way; and, taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.” So these definitions can hinder a program that wants to be more cutting-edge in its subject matter. 

Programs on services such as HBO which stands for Home Box Office, are constantly moving the television medium forward with it’s avant-garde approach to some content. It still consistently produces some of the best television of all time. Shows such as Succession, Watchmen, Sex and the City, Barry, Veep, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, and the behemoth of Game of Thrones. But there is so much more. It also has Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the satirical news show that has been sweeping its Emmy categories since its debut in 2014, Angels in America; a miniseries that won every major category it was nominated in during its season. Since HBO was a subscription-based service, they didn’t have to abide by network standards. This means cursing, nudity, and more cursing and nudity. Two reasons for what is perceived as the higher quality of these shows are the quality of the writing on the programs and the fact that as a subscription-only service, HBO does not carry "normal" commercials; instead, the network runs promotions for upcoming HBO programs and behind-the-scenes featurettes between programs. This relieves HBO from some pressures to tone down controversial aspects of its programs and allows for more explicit content to be incorporated into its shows that would not be allowed to air on broadcast television or basic cable, such as profanity, strong/graphic violence, nudity, and graphic sex scenes. They’ve been around since 1972, but HBO really his their stride in the 1990s. HBO has something for everyone. Maybe you’re not such a huge fan of The Sopranos with its gore but you may be a Sex and the City fan. Or you may hate Oz but love Curb your Enthusiasm. According to Deadline in 2019, “HBO took the Emmy nom crown back and set a new network nom record for a single season with 137 Emmy nominations.” I venture to say that this nomination season juggernaut is mostly a juggernaut because they don’t have to follow FCC guidelines. They can have graphic sex scenes, more cursing than a drunken sailor’s convention, and just generally pushing the envelope forward in the television landscape. 

According to Quartz, “TV ratings for the four major US broadcast networks—ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS—have increased each week since March 1. Evening news shows are bringing in their largest audiences in decades, the New York Times reported. An average of 32 million Americans watched the evening news last week, up 42% from the same period last year.” So the ratings of network television have increased during the pandemic. But this doesn’t necessarily transfer to awards buzz. NBC used to be the talk of awards show season, with The West Wing still holding the title for the most wins for a series in its first season (9) and Frasier holding its title with most wins for a comedy series (37). ABC had Modern Family which tied with Frasier for most wins for outstanding comedy series (5). CBS still holds the record for the most wins by a network in a single year (44 in 1974). The major networks all used to push the boundaries of censorship with landmark series. From pioneering LGBTQ representation (thank you NBC’s Will and Grace), to the first interracial couple on television (CBS’s I Love Lucy), first interracial kiss (thank you Star Trek), and the first sitcom ever to focus on a single woman who wasn’t a maid or living with her parents (That Girl, though The Mary Tyler Moore Show is more famous for pioneering this) But with the rise of streaming services that don’t rely on advertisers, the boundaries that are being pushed are leaps and bounds behind.