Picture May 17, 2001. In the final seconds of the season seven finale Jennifer Aniston鈥檚 Rachel reveals she鈥檚 pregnant 鈥� but who鈥檚 the father?
This was a classic May sweeps cliffhanger, luring viewers and reaping advertising dollars for NBC.
Most shows used to kick off in the fall, air big episodes in November and February, and go out with a bang in May. Baby announcements, marriage proposals and sudden deaths were just a few of the popular plot twists used in spring season finales to hook viewers and build anticipation for the fall season.
Network television still largely follows that model, but tend to operate with different goals. Rather than angling for ratings, those companies are releasing new seasons of popular TV shows 鈥� 鈥淭ed Lasso,鈥� 鈥淪uccession,鈥� 鈥淭he Mandalorian,鈥� 鈥� ,鈥� and 鈥� 鈥� 鈥� with an eye to recognition.
Everyone wants to be fresh in the minds of voters, said Joyce Eng, a senior editor of the Hollywood awards-centric website Gold Derby.
鈥淎 lot of networks, streamers and campaigners will capitalize on recency bias,鈥� she said.
For a TV series to be eligible for a Primetime Emmy, it must air between June 1 and May 31 of the following year. Six episodes of a returning season need to air by May 31 to qualify for a series category. The cast and crew then cross their fingers for nominations, which this year will be announced July 12, followed by the Emmy telecast on September 18, when the awards are handed out.
Limited series have to air all their episodes by May 31 in order to be eligible for nomination. In March, Amazon Prime鈥檚 highly anticipated 鈥� 鈥� dropped its 10 episodes in four batches.
It can be a scramble for shows to finish by the end of May: 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� on Apple TV+ drops its final episode of season three, , on May 31. The fifth and final season of 鈥淭he Marvelous Mrs. Maisel鈥� returns on Amazon on April 14 and swiftly wraps by May 26.
If a returning series does not release six episodes of its season by the May 31 deadline, the remaining 鈥渉anging鈥� episodes can be nominated in categories that only require a single episode to enter, such as guest actor.
Season three of premiered June 5, 2019 鈥� which was too late for Emmy eligibility that year. Rather than sit the year out though, 鈥渢hey found a loophole,鈥� Eng said. They submitted three episodes that had aired in 2018 during the previous season and earned 11 nominations.
When it comes to scheduling, network and streamer executives maintain tight control over the release-date calendar.
鈥淭hey choose when we go,鈥� said Rob Eric, chief creative officer and executive producer of Scout Productions, behind the Emmy-winning reality series This year, he has four series premiering right before the deadline.
鈥淲e can make suggestions, but really they鈥檙e in charge of how that rollout looks,鈥� he said of the platforms.
Release dates are not always entirely about potential accolades.
鈥淪ometimes a series is released because it鈥檚 timely and speaks to what鈥檚 happening in the world,鈥� said Tony Phelan, who created 鈥淎 Small Light鈥� with Joan Rater. The NatGeo series tells the story of who helped hide Anne Frank and her family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 in direct response to what鈥檚 happening in the world, specifically in America in terms of division and the rise in nationalism and antisemitism,鈥� Phelan said of the show.
Still, to end the show in time for award eligibility, 鈥� 鈥� will release two episodes each week on National Geographic, premiering May 1 and ending May 31.
鈥淗ow did that happen?鈥� Phelan asked in mock surprise of the reason behind the show鈥檚 timeline.
It should be noted that shows released in late summer and fall can still garner attention from awards committees 鈥� just a little later. Netflix dropped all nine episodes in September 2021 鈥� and it was still nominated for last year鈥檚 Emmy Awards, including best drama series. Lee Jung-jae also won best actor in a drama series, as the first person to win in the drama category for a non-English speaking role.
The critically acclaimed and popular series debuted its first season last June, but it was too late for the . By premiering in the summer though, the Hulu show shined and wasn鈥檛 drowned out by competitors. And the Emmy Awards aren鈥檛 everything: Star Jeremy Allen White cleaned up at the Golden Globes, where he won best actor in a musical or comedy series.
鈥淭here are just so many shows, so many streaming services, and people don鈥檛 have the time,鈥� Eng said. 鈥淔rom the studio and network standpoint, maybe you should pull something like 鈥楾he Bear鈥� and drop it in the summer and build that momentum because that was a word-of-mouth hit.鈥�
Still, some award shows reign supreme.
Eric Korsh, the president of Scout Productions, distilled the value of award recognition: The Emmys, he said, 鈥渁re about defining the best in television.鈥�
鈥擜licia Rancilio, The Associated Press
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