LNSM: Category 88: (PEA)OSFCDOVS

methinks mesmells d r a m a

May 31, 2022

Background

The comically long acronym stands for The Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series. What?! You don’t keep up with all ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN Categories, Areas, and Juried Emmy Awards?!

Category 88, for the savvy missing f reader,* is, of course, the Emmy award for which Late Night with Seth Meyers’ “Corrections” is eligible. Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series.

So what exactly is an OSFCDOVS? Well…Corrections, obviously. And historically, a lot of other things. The category has been acknowledged by the Television Academy since 2011, originally called Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. For five years (2016-20) the award split into two categories: CD (Comedy, Drama) and VS (Variety Series). But, in 2021 it returned to the original combined category, by the current title (OSFCDOVS).

*should I start italicizing missing f? methinks yes…sometimes…when i remember

The Winners

2011: The Daily Show: Correspondents Explain

2012: Childrens Hospital

2013: Childrens Hospital

2014: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: President Barack Obama

2015: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt

2016: Park Bench with Steven Buscemi (VS), Childrens Hospital (CD)

2017: The Daily Show — Between the Scenes (VS), Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training (CD)

2018: Carpool Karaoke: The Series (VS), James Corden’s Next James Corden (CD)

2019: Carpool Karaoke: The Series (VS), State of the Union (CD)

2020: Carpool Karaoke: The Series (VS), Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler (CD)

2021: Carpool Karaoke: The Series (CDVS)

The Losers

2021: Late Night with Seth Meyers: CORRECTIONS, The Randy Rainbow Show, Reno 911!, Stephen Colbert Presents Tuning Out the News

Unnecessarily confusing history. Sorry.

The Tea (maybe)

Take a look at the 2021 nominees. Three late night hosts…60% of the noms. Historically, a late night comedian friendly category. Smells like the savvy crafter of jokes, bits, or bonus content might adjust any BTS to fit OSFCDOVS qualifications.

**Sniff sniff sniff**

Looks like the six time PEAFOVTS (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series) winner wants a piece of the Short Form pie. Keep in mind…Oliver can already hold up three separate rows of books with his Emmy bookends (for further reading see the Masterdoc, keywords: bookend, campaign, or Emmy). The unofficial patron saint of missing f, Michael Shoemaker, can’t even keep one row from toppling over (he and Seth both have single Emmys, aka half of a bookend).

The question remains: Are John Oliver’s Web Exclusives OSFCDOVS eligible? And if so, will his Emmy streak carry over to the Short Form genre?

The short answer: Yes…

Probably.

Lemme check.

Technically, Is it Tea ?!

Let’s dive in shall we (to the 21-22 Primetime Emmy Awards Rules and Procedures1)?!!

Category 88 OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM COMEDY, DRAMA OR VARIETY SERIES2
…
This category is open to original short form primetime programming with an average episode running time of two minutes to 20 minutes and recognizes entries from over-the-air, cable, satellite, and internet exhibition. A minimum of six episodes must air within the current eligibility year to qualify as a short form series. All content must be original.
Eligibility is for a series which may have an ongoing theme, storyline, main characters, discrete scenes, musical numbers, comedy stand-ups, sketches, audience, or guest participation and are presented under the same title and have continuity of production supervision.
NOTE: All content must be original and reflect comedy, drama or variety series primetime programming.
Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety series can also enter individual achievements in:
Outstanding Main Title Design, Outstanding Motion Design, Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics, Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music, Outstanding Actor In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series, Outstanding Actress In A Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series, Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Or in girly terms:

Eligibility Period: June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022 (todayyyy)

Entry Deadline: May 12, 2022

According to the official Last Week Tonight YouTube page, the weekly HBO show is no stranger to the “Short Form” game, having posted “Web Exclusive” content since 2014. In fact, their “Web Exclusives” playlist includes 49 tightly shot videos. However, IF the folks at LWT are vying for more hardware via Category 88, only the most recent seven3 “episodes” are eligible. Seven puts LWT over the mark…but is that enough in OSFCDVS-game?

I’m not going to show my work but “Web Exclusives” average out to about 11 minutes (well within the requirements).

Original content **check**

Deep dives into random cultural institutions, creations, and phenomena pretty accurately reflects the comedy or drama of the series. **check**

The next part is a little more subjective: While CORRECTIONS’ ongoing theme (or storyline) is Seth reading and responding to YouTube comments (probably also counts as “audience participation”), I assume “Web Exclusives” will have to do a little more creative word-smithing in their FYC paperwork. Some possible ongoing themes: Bizarre Parts of American Culture, Late Stage Capitalism Makes People Do/Say Crazy Things, Dang…I Forgot About That, HUhhh?, Weird Things You May or May Not Remember But Happened/Continue to Happen Nonetheless, Topics That Aren’t Urgent But Are Fun to Write Comedy About. The theme is probably best summed up in a line from the Air Bud episode: “I’m not talking about Air Bud [insert episode title] because I have to, I’m talking about Air Bud [insert episode title] because I want to.”. I’m sure there is a precise term for the theme of “Web Exclusives,” but we here at missing f are confident that the John Oliver/HBO-FYC Industrial Complex are burning that new Discovery midnight-oil to rake in as many Emmys as possible. **unofficial check**

Presented under the same title: (Web Exclusive) **check**

Continuity of production supervision…that’s a head scratcher because neither the LWT YouTube or HBO “About” page list producers. However, based on the Da Vinci Code episode, it’s fair to assume these are generally shot after LWT tapes in front of an audience and production is at least attributed to the Executive Producers (John Oliver, Tim Carvell, Liz Stanton, James Taylor, and Jon Thoday ). **unofficial check**

Or, in girly terms:

Red text: I can’t say for sureeee but methinks it qualifies

Corrections vs. Exclusives

vs. Tooning

vs. Carpool

The drama. (jk no one else cares and that’s understandable)

Let it be known, we here at missing f are not neutral actors in all of this. Do we have any say in the matter? no. But we are invested, as a publication, in the growth and success of Corrections. Any tough love is a product of our belief that LNSM is moving late-night comedy forward in a special way. Also, we think if Corrections wins an Emmy there is a chance that someone will try to watch it, get confused, and stumble onto our work…getting us more exposure…and maybe (dream scenario) someone will pay us to write…fulfilling the promise we made ourself, allowing our gorgeous and talented editor to get her f-key/entire keyboard replaced.

Trouble.

Corrections has a wildly dedicated audience. However…I’m not sure we, the people, can count on they, the Emmy voters, to watch the THIRTY-SEVEN Corrections episodes that count towards eligibility. Just an idea @Sethmaker Shoemeyers Productions, add the Masterdoc as an addendum to Corrections’ FYC paperwork, or tweet it out, or HIRE ME. Just a suggestion.

Basically, Corrections, as compared to all the other potential Short Form nominees, is really a series as compared to similarly themed episodes. It’s basically a soap-opera and although it would ruin every joke, every measured instance of tension and release, it would probably benefit from a dramatic “Last Time on…” to catch non-dedicated viewers up (@LNSM if you take this advice, please also allow a skip feature for people who…I don’t know…care about being truly blind sided by a months long call back (see Masterdoc keyword: Chris Angel) ).

Not to keep referring to the crown jewel of this publication, but Corrections does feel like the OSFCDVS underdog as this Emmy FYC season gets underway. Especially as it compares to individually consumable episodes, namely Oliver’s, that also capture the show’s comedic sensibility while getting to cover new material.

@LastWeekTonight, good game, my friends. The Da Vinci Code episode was absolutely genius. As we barrel through the twenty year trend cycle, I look forward to many more take-downs of post-9/11 American pop-culture. @LNSM (Seth and Mike), I want you both to have a full set of Emmy bookends. You deserved them (Emmy bookends) for J’acuzzi, you deserved them for the Sea Captain Cinematic Universe, but you really deserve them now. I have a few ideas that I will work on, produce, and send via our usual channel (me DMing links, photos, and musings to LNSM via Facebook…LNSM’s social media manager, not responding).

2021-2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Rules and Procedures PDF

2021-2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Rules and Procedures PDF, p. 52