Television Academy to Remove Writing Categories Off Primetime Emmys

The Television Academy has recently decided to move the categories for outstanding writing for a variety series and special out of the Primetime Emmys telecast. In response, the Writers Guild of America is protesting the decision by sending a letter to their members stating their concerns and urging them to lobby the Television Academy to reverse its plans.

Since this year’s Emmy telecast has moved the variety live special category into the telecast after having it on the Creative Arts show, the Television Academy is likely keeping the telecast capped at 25 awards, therefore the variety writing field was pushed to the Creative Arts show. 

Over the past couple of years, Emmys has alternated between writing for a variety specials or writing for a variety of series categories. “This decision devalues our profession as a whole,” the WGA said in a letter to its members.

The WGA’s letter to its members is as follows:

Dear Members,

The Television Academy has made the regrettable decision to not present the “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series/Special” Awards during the main Emmy Awards telecast. They did this without any justification or defensible reason.

The Guild has been in touch with the Academy to convey our objection to this decision, and we are strongly advocating to have the category remain in the primetime televised program on January 15, 2024.

This doesn’t just impact the people who write on the Emmy-nominated shows for a given year — this decision devalues our profession as a whole. The Emmys are fundamentally about celebrating excellence in television, and by removing these categories from the televised broadcast, the Television Academy is essentially ignoring how writing serves as the foundation for excellence in television.

We all know how many writers it takes to create these incredible programs, and that’s exactly the point: the shows we write for are watched, loved, shared — and, yes, even nominated for awards — because of our writing.

And if the Television Academy can make this decision without any justification, we worry that it could set a precedent for them to remove other writing categories in the years to come.

We didn’t spend months on strike, fighting to receive the recognition we deserve for the work we help create, only to be pushed to the sidelines when it comes time to do exactly that.

The WGAE and WGAW are strongly advocating to keep these categories in the primetime televised program, and we will continue to push the Television Academy to change their minds.

We urge you – our fellow writers – to join us in championing the preservation of these categories in the main Emmys broadcast: Tweet at @TheEmmys [Ed. note: That is actually the tag for the National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, which doesn’t administer the Primetime Emmys or tag @televisionacad on Instagram to express your feelings about their decision, and to urge them to keep these categories on-air.

Thank you for your support. We will be in touch with further updates.

In Solidarity,

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, WGAE President
Erica Saleh, WGAE Film/TV/Streaming Vice President
Christopher Kyle, WGAE Secretary-Treasurer

Meredith Stiehm, WGAW President
Michele Mulroney, WGAW Vice President
Betsy Thomas, WGAW Secretary-Treasurer

Kaitlin Fontana, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Josh Gondelman, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Liz Hynes, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Greg Iwinski, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Zhubin Parang, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member
Sasha Stewart, WGAE Comedy-Variety Council Member

Adam Conover, WGAW Board Member, Comedy-Variety Writer