Anthony Anderson hosts the 75th Emmy Awards (8 p.m., Fox). Delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, the Emmys now land in the middle of awards season and the buildup to the Oscars. Add that to the general and growing confusion about what distinguishes the “Maestro” that opens in theaters for a few weeks from the “Maestro” that most of us streamed on Netflix.
As the star of ABC’s “black-ish,” Anderson will certainly be able to relate to the assembled talent and nominees. That’s more than can be said of comedian Jo Koy, who was generally lambasted for his tone-deaf and unfunny performance hosting the Golden Globe Awards.
Despite television’s creative dominance in the quarter-century since “The Sopranos” debuted on Jan. 10, 1999, the Emmy Awards continue to be an overlooked and soon-forgotten phenomenon. This fact was lampooned in an episode of “The Sopranos” when a character played by Tim Daly tries to pawn his Emmy statuette and is refused by the shop owner. “An Oscar, maybe,” he says dismissively.
Will the Emmys’ move to winter bring more prestige?
These festivities don’t help themselves by presenting awards in a confusing array of categories. To my mind, “The White Lotus” is a satire and should be considered a comedy. But it is entered as a drama. This sets up a curious competition between Jennifer Coolidge, who won the hearts of viewers with her farcical performance as the doomed Tanya McQuoid, and Elizabeth Debicki, who was rather amazing in “The Crown” as Princess Diana, a role steeped in real-life tragedy.
So many series are shot through with satire that categorization becomes difficult. In the logic of the Emmys, “White Lotus” is a drama but “The Bear” is a comedy. You could have fooled me.
All awards shows are guilty of notable omissions and take part in the herd mentality of the entertainment industry. Will the overpraised “Succession” walk away with the show? Need we ask?
I’m still rather astounded that a series as sweet as “Julia” was ignored. Sarah Lancashire delivered one of the most humane performances of the year as Julia Child. And I’m rather partial to Judith Light’s portrayal of editor Blanche Knopf in that series as well. But they were shut out.
But with so much to choose from, it’s easy to see how series and performances can get overlooked. Will this embarrassment of riches continue? The strikes that delayed this Emmy ceremony put any number of series on hold. And the strike’s settlement will certainly add to the cost of production.
Will the laws of supply and demand ever take hold? According to some reports, streaming services lost a combined $5 billion last year. How long can that go on?
— As we observe Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, it’s easy to forget that he was an anti-poverty activist, and was planning a Poor People’s March on Washington at the time of his murder. The digital short “The Forgotten Ones” explores homelessness in Los Angeles through the eyes of one 75-year-old man. It can be streamed on Black Public Media’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@BlackPublicMedia.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— “America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild card NFL playoff game (8 p.m., ABC).
— Adopted into separate families, two siblings yearn for a holiday reunion in the 2023 romance “A Season for Family” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— The 1970 documentary “King: A Filmed Record … Montgomery to Memphis” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-14) recalls the slain leader’s role in the civil rights struggle.
— A colleague’s move to Las Vegas puts her in danger on “The Irrational” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG).
— The “POV” (9:30 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) documentary “Brief Tender Light” follows African students enrolled at MIT and their dreams of bringing change to their home countries.
CULT CHOICE
Some TV series inspire movie adaptations decades after their run, like the 2008 comedy “Get Smart” (10:35 p.m., HBO) starring Steve Carell. But the 1992 horror spoof “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (9:25 p.m., Cinemax) arrived as a movie first, before being all but eclipsed by the UPN/WB series that ran from 1997-2003, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.
SERIES NOTES
On three episodes of “NCIS” (CBS, r, TV-14): spousal abuse (8 p.m.); a heroic rescue goes viral (9 p.m.); the death of a rebellious senator’s daughter (10 p.m.).
LATE NIGHT
Gayle King, Charles Barkley and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Nate Bargatze, Andrew Rannells and Jesmyn Ward visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r) … Tiffany Haddish, Brandon Bowlin, Don “D.C.” Curry and Marc Theobald appear on “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
