2020 Emmy nominations reveal the other side of the streaming revolution

An Emmy award.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

Looking back, the 71st Primetime Emmys were the quiet before the storm. "[I]t feels like something is ending," The AV Club's Erik Adams wrote after the ceremony last September, noting that the "72nd edition of the awards will be the first that has to contend with the original programming of the Pluses and the Maxes and the Peacocks."

On Tuesday, the shift was confirmed: Of the 16 networks that notched more than 10 nominations for the 72nd ceremony, six were exclusively streaming services — an Emmy first — while Netflix topped the overall nominations for only the second time, with a record 160 nominations. There's no doubt that it's a streamer's world now, but with the 2020 Emmys' surprising contenders, improved diversity, and refreshingly competitive categories, if this is the new, then good riddance to the old.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.