Last year, “Saturday Night Live” won its second straight Best Variety Sketch Series Emmy, marking the first time it took home back-to-back statuettes. And now it’s going for another first: a three-peat.
“SNL” has the early lead in our combined odds, with 17/5. Twelve Experts are predicting it to win again, with just one, Robert Rorke (New York Post), going out on a limb for “Documentary Now.”
Though it’s been on the air for 44 years, “SNL” has somewhat surprisingly bagged very few series Emmys: just four total, and two of them came in the last two years. It competed in Best Variety Series until 2015, when the category was split into Best Variety Sketch Series and Best Variety Talk Series. Under the old category, it prevailed in 1976 for its first season and in 1993 for its 18th season. And lest you think “SNL” was just racking up bids without wins, Lorne Michaels‘ baby wasn’t nominated every year, receiving 19 nominations for its first 39 years.
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“SNL’s” dry spell over the past two decades was due to late-night talk shows dominating the Best Variety Series category. Since 1993, “Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” all took home multiple awards, combining for 18 wins, with “Daily Show” scoring 10 in a row.
“SNL” has been nominated every year since the inception of Best Variety Sketch Series. It lost the first two to “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Key & Peele,” respectively, but was powered to victory in 2017 for its resurgent post-election 42nd season. It hung on for a repeat last year despite less buzz and is hoping to do so again now.
“Documentary Now” is in second place in our odds, followed by “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” “Who Is America,” “Drunk History” and “Tracey Ullman’s Show.”
PREDICT the Emmys now; change them until July 16
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before nominations are announced on July 16. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmy taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
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