It illustrated how the Emmy Awards are becoming a boutique event
By David Bauder ••
Holy, Schitt! The beloved Pop TV sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” which wrapped its sixth and final season this year, had a night to remember when the show swept the 2020 Emmy Awards, winning a total of seven trophies, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The novelty of television stars getting Emmy Awards delivered to their homes wasn't enough to keep the annual show from slipping further in popularity.
The Nielsen company said 6.1 million people watched the Emmys on Sunday night, down from 6.9 million in 2019 and the third straight year of record low viewership.
The Emmys faced competition from both NFL football and the NBA Western Conference finals. The coronavirus pandemic eliminated any chance fans had of seeing stars on a red carpet, although host Jimmy Kimmel gamely tried to make do in a mostly empty auditorium with actors accepting awards remotely.
Still, it illustrated how the Emmy Awards are becoming a boutique event. Last year was the first time viewership slipped under 10 million people. As recently as 2013, the Emmys had 17.6 million viewers.
The Emmys were once a celebration of all things television timed for the beginning of a new fall season. Yet the pandemic has delayed the return of many favorite shows.
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Emmy Awards host Jimmy Kimmel stands in front of a screen with many of the 2020 nominees. The show was mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel sits with cutouts as audience members during the 72nd Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 2020.
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Julia Garner wins an Emmy for her role in “Ozark.”
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“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” star John Oliver wins an Emmy for outstanding variety talk series.
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Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, co-stars of “Little Fires Everywhere,” hold a viewing party during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
Some Emmy Award nominees were sent an intern in a hazmat-style suit to hand deliver their award. Nominee Ramy Youssef shared this behind-the-scenes photo of the delivery person on social media.
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Billy Porter, nominated for his role in “Pose,” watches the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Jennifer Aniston and Jimmy Kimmel sanitize a card and then set it on fire during the show.
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Sandra Oh, nominated for her performance in "Killing Eve," makes a virtual appearance at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Jason Sudeikis gets a coronavirus test done during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
"I Know This Much Is True" actor Mark Ruffalo wins an Emmy for lead actor in a limited series or movie.
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Annie Murphy wins an Emmy for her role in “Schitt’s Creek.”
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Tyler Perry accepts the Governors Award during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Catherine O’Hara accepts an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy for her role in “Schitt’s Creek.”
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Yahya Abdul Mateen II wins an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in “Watchmen.”
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Former "Friends" stars Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, call in to the broadcast, joking that they've been roommates since 1994.
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The Emmy Awards honored those working during the coronavirus pandemic by inviting UPS worker Tim Lloyd to present an award during the ceremony.
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Issa Rae, nominated for her role in “Insecure,” joins the 72nd Emmy Awards virtually.
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Uzo Aduba accepts the award for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie for “Mrs. America.” The actress wore a "Breonna Taylor" shirt for the 26-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by police this spring.
Lin-Manuel Miranda appears alongside Count Von Count during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Regina King wins an Emmy for lead actress in a limited series or movie for her role in “Watchmen” at the 72nd Emmy Awards. King wore a shirt with Breonna Taylor's face that said "Say Her Name."
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NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy speaks from the International Space Station during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast.
Morgan Freeman speaks at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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“Succession” star Sarah Snook appears with a homemade award during the 72nd Emmy Awards.
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Host Jimmy Kimmel stands next to a photo of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Sept. 18, 2020, of complications from cancer.
H.E.R. performs during the "in memoriam" portion of the Emmy Awards.
Eugene and Dan Levy receive their Emmy from a person in a hazmat suit.
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Father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy accept an Emmy Award for their show “Schitt’s Creek."
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Essential workers and doctors Kevin Tsai, left, and Karen Tsai present the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.
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Jeremy Strong receives an award for his performance in “Succession.”
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At 24 years old, Zendaya becomes the youngest woman to ever win best actress in a drama at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
Viewership is also fragmented across many different networks and streaming services, and several shows don't have a wide audience. Of the 128 Emmys awarded before and during Sunday's show, 18 went to the Big Four broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
HBO dominated with 30 awards and Netflix had 21.
Reginald Hudlin, an executive producer of the Emmys telecast, said Monday that it has been hard for all of the major awards shows to get the audiences that they had been used to.
“We’re not three networks anymore,” Hudlin said. “We went from three networks to 60 with cable, and with streaming services there’s just endless choice.
“So people are now used to watching a show that’s specifically for them,” Hudlin told a webinar organized by the law firm Fox Rothschild on Monday. “No matter how narrow that audience is, there’s a show that speaks to, ‘I’m a left-handed person who loves fishing’ ... And the challenge is there’s not a thing that connects to everybody.”
The Canadian comedy “Schitt's Creek,” which was once shown on Netflix but has since been airing on the little-known Pop TV network, swept the comedy awards. It won seven trophies during Sunday's show and 10 overall.
Since the show was structured to frontload the comedy awards, the Emmys were on the air for an hour Sunday before any show other than “Schitt's Creek” won an award.
ABC and Kimmel, mindful of being accused of airing an obscenity, flashed the show's name on the screen every time the title was mentioned.
Associated Press Television Writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this story.
