'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' leads variety talk shows at the Primetime Emmy Awards

I ended "House of Cards" leads contemporary American political dramas with six nominations by telling my readers to "at least one post about variety shows later this week."  Today, I offer the first installment on that promise by looking at the Emmy-nominated talk variety shows that discuss politics.  Given the times, that's all of them.

From The Entertainment Factor blog.

Variety Talk Series

“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)
“The Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS)
“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)

The returning winner is "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which won three Emmy Awards, Outstanding Talk Variety Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Variety Series.*  He's the favorite.  Who could upset him?  My friend Elisabeth Parker passed along the odds in the Inquisitor last month.*

Gold Derby says the odds for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee are 4-6. Although that puts her in second place behind last year’s winner John Oliver, these awards prediction experts also see a strong contender for Best Variety Special in her “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” episode.

“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” is in second place among talk variety shows with four nominations.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees, which include "Stephen Colbert's Live Election Night Democracy's Series Finale: Who's Going to Clean Up This Sh*t?" which is the main competition for the "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" with three nominations, and the rest -- Conan ("Conan in Berlin"), "Late Night with Seth Meyers," "The Daily Show," and "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" -- with one nomination each.

I'll start the listing with the categories in which "Last Night With John Oliver" is nominated.

Directing for a Variety Series

Derek Waters & Jeremy Konner (“Drunk History”)
Andy Fisher (Jimmy Kimmel Live”)
Paul Pennolino (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”)
Jim Hoskinson (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”)
Don Roy King (“Saturday Night Live”)

As much as I'd like one of the late night talk shows to win, especially either "Last Week Tonight" or "The Late Show," I think "Saturday Night Live" will win for no other reason that it's the only show from this field to win before -- five times from 2010 to 2014.  In addition, it looks like this is a great year for them with 22 nominations.  I've been running into the show's nominations all throughout this series except in non-fiction and drama.

Writing for a Variety Series

Jo Miller, Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Eric Drysdae, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Melinda Taub & Jason Reich (“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”)
Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss & Juli Weiner (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”)
Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Seth Reiss, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker & Ben Warheit (“Late Night with Seth Meyers”)
Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi, Stephen Colbert, Tom Purcell, Matt Lappin, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Daniel Kibblesmith, Michael Pielocik, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack & John Thibodeaux (“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”)
Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker, Pete Schultz, James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Jeremy Beiler, Zach Bornstein, Joanna Bradley, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Drew Michael, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Streeter Seidell, Will Stephen & Julio Torres (“Saturday Night Live”)

This is another category that John Oliver won last year, so I'd call him the favorite.  However, it was also the only category Samantha Bee was nominated for, so it might be her strongest, at least for her regular show.  I wouldn't put money on either, as it might just be the year for "Saturday Night Live."

Picture Editing for Variety Program

Robert James Ashe, Christopher Heller, Meaghan Wilbur & David Grecu (“Conan In Berlin”)
Aaron Morris (“Drunk History”)
Ryan Barger (“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”)
Anthony Miale (“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”)
Adam Epstein (“Saturday Night Live”)

Again, "Last Week Tonight" is the returning winner.  On the other hand, it's up against "Saturday Night Live," so I'm not confident in its favorite status.

Interactive Program

Carol Ray Hartsell, Kim Burdges, Ana Breton, Caroline Schaper & Brittany Van Horne (“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Online”)
Partially Important Productions (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”)
James Corden, Ben Winston, Rob Crabbe & Adam Abramson (“The Late Late Show with James Corden”)
NBC (“Saturday Night Live Multiplatform Experience”)
Jimmy Fallon, Marina Cockenberg, Felicia Daniels & Tonight Show Social Team (“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”)

"The Late Late Show with James Corden" is the returning winner, so I'd say it's the favorite.  However, "Saturday Night Live" is a returning nominee, and an SNL sweep could put it over the top.

Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series

John D. O’Brien, John Pierre Dechene, Richard G. Price, James L. Hitchcock, Brian Wayne Armstrong, Nick Gomez (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Charles Cuip, Chris Hill, Ed Moore, Brian Reason, Ron Lehman, Nathanial Havholm, Bettina Levesque, Bert Atkinson, Daryl Studebaker, Adam Margolis, Damien Tuffereau, Andy Waruszewski, Mike Malone, Mike Carr, Rob Palmer, Keith Dicker, Freddy Frederick, Ed Horton, Helena Jackson (“Dancing with the Stars”)
Dave Saretsky, Augie Yuson, Dante Pagano, John Harrison, Rob Balton, Jeff Latonero, Jerry Cancel (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” — “Gerrymandering”)
Steven Cimino, John Pinto, Paul Cangialosi, Len Wechsler, Eric Eisenstein, Dave Driscoll, Susan Noll, Frank Grisanti, Jeff Latonero, Ann Bergstrom, Randy Bittle (“Saturday Night Live” — “Host: Jimmy Fallon”)
Allan Wells, Terrance Ho, Diane Biederbeck, Danny Bonilla, Suzanne Ebner, Gudio Frenzel, Alex Hernandez, Dave Hilmer, Marc Hunter, Scott Hylton, Katherine Iacofono, Scott Kaye, Ron Lehman, Steve Martynuk, John Perry, Jofre Rosero, Steve Simmons (“The Voice” — “Live Finale (Part 2)”)

The returning winner is "Dancing with the Stars," so I'd say it's the favorite.  However, SNL is also a previous winner, so a sweep could but it over the top. Too bad, as I've blogged about the gerrymandering episode and would like it to win.

Now for the last category in which "Last Week Tonight" is nominated.

Sound Mixing For a Variety Special Series or Special

Josh Morton, Thomas Holmes, Mikael Stewart, Eric Schilling, John Harris, Ron Reaves, Thomas Pesa, Michael Parker, Eric Johnston, Pablo Munguia, Bob LaMasney (“59th Grammy Awards”)
Steve Watson, Charlie Jones, Steve Lettie, Jonathan Herrera (“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” — “Sub-Prime Auto Loans”)
Kristian Pedregon, Paul Sandweiss, Tommy Vicari, Pablo Munguia, Pat Baltzell, Michael Parker, Bob LaMasney, John Perez, Tom Pesa, Brian Flanzbaum (“The Oscars”)
Al Centrella, Susan Pelino, Jay Vicari, Dave Natale, Erik Von Ranson, Simon Welch (“2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony”)
Paul Sandweiss, Christian Schrader, Alex Guessard, Simon Higgs, Tom Pesa, Paul Ramsay, Pablo Munguia, Andre Bowman (“Super Bowl LI Halftime Show Starring Lady Gaga”)
Ryan Young, Brian Riordan, Michael Abbott, Eric White, Tim Hatayama, Randy Faustino, Kenyata Westbrook, Sterling Cross, Robert P. Matthews Jr., John Koster, Andrew Fletcher, Christian Schrader, Carlos Torres, William Dietzman, Michael Bernard (“The Voice” — “Season Finale”)

John Oliver is the odd man out here, as most of the rest are awards shows or big entertainment events (even "The Voice," after a fashion).  Looking at the history of the award, I'd say the Grammy Awards would be favored.  However, I wouldn't put it past Lady Gaga to pull it out.

Next, the nominations for "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner."

Variety Special

“Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2017” (CBS)
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner (TBS)
“Louis C.K. 2017” (Netflix)
“Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust” (Netflix)
“Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going to Clean Up This Sh*t?” (Showtime)

This is the one Elisabeth Parker thinks Samantha Bee is favored.  As long as it's better than Stephen Colbert, she's probably right.

Directing for a Variety Special

Paul Pennolino (“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner”)
Glenn Weiss (“The Oscars”)
Jim Hoskinson (“Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going to Clean Up This Sh*t?”)
Jerry Foley (“Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best is Yet to Come”)

I hope it's Bee or Colbert, but The Oscars might pull an upset.

Writing for a Variety Special

Samantha Bee, Jo Miller, Ashley Nicole Black, Patt Cassels, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn & Melinda Taub (“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner”)
Louis C.K. (“Louis C.K. 2017”)
Sarah Silverman (“Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust”)
Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi, Stephen Colbert, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Michael Pielocik, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack & John Thibodeaux (“Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going to Clean Up This Sh*t?”)
Dave Boone, Mike Gibbons, Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel, Ben Winston & Justin Shanes (“70th Annual Tony Awards”)

Again, I'm rooting for Bee or Colbert, but The Tony Awards might sneak by.

Production Design for a Variety Nonfiction, Event or Award Special

John Yeck (“Full Frontal with Samanta Bee Presents Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner”)
Brian Stonestreet & John Zuiker (“74th Annual Golden Globes”)
Derek McLane, Joe Celli & Jason Howard (“Hairspray Live!”)
Derek McLane & Alana Billingsley (“The Oscars”)
Bruce Rodgers, LeRoy Bennett, Shelley Rodgers & Lindsey Breslauer (“Super Bowl LI Halftime Show Starring Lady Gaga”)

Based on the short history of this award, I'd say "Hairspray Live" might be the favorite.  I'm tempted to say Lady Gaga might earn this instead.  I think Bee might have a hard time getting past The Oscars and the Golden Globes to even get into contention.

It's finally time to recycle a category, from an unexpected source, "13th" vs. "O.J.: Made in America" plus other non-fiction political programs nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Original Music and Lyrics

Adam Schlesinger, Rachel Bloom, Jack Dolgen (“Crazy Ex Girlfriend” — “We Tapped That Ass”)
Christopher Willis, Darrick Bachman, Paul Rudish (“Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special” — “Jing-A-Ling-A-Ling”)
Jonathan Kimmel, Gary Greenberg (“Jimmy Kimmel Live” — “The Ballad of Claus Jorstad (Devil Stool)”) Eli Brueggemann, Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, Kenan Thompson, Will Stephen (“Saturday Night Live” — “Last Christmas”)
Common, Robert Glasper, Karriem Riggins (“13th” — “Letter to the Free”)
Jeff Richmond, Tina Fey, Sam Means (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” — “Hell No”)

In its final nominated category, "13th" would be the winner of a game of "One of these things is not like the other" in this field.  All the rest are for comedies.  At least as the most serious, it would stand out.  That written, I'd actually have to listen to all of them to give an informed opinion.

My opinion hasn't changed.

I get to recycle another category, this time from another unexpected source, Star Wars at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Short Form Variety Series

“Behind The Voice”(YouTube)
“The Daily Show – Between the Scenes” (TheDailyShow.com)
“Epic Rap Battles of History” (YouTube)
“Honest Trailers” (YouTube)
“The Star Wars Show” (YouTube)

I am more optimistic about "The Star Wars Show" winning this category than "Star Wars Rebels" winning its.  For starters, only one nominee, "Honest Trailers," is returning.  Second, it has Disney and the power of the Star Wars franchise behind it.

I'm still rooting for "The Star Wars Show," but this is the only nomination for "The Daily Show," so I wouldn't be upset for Trevor Noah to get a statue.

Speaking of "The Daily Show," Colbert held The Reunion: Jon Stewart And The Correspondents (Part One) with him and two other nominees, Oliver and Bee.

They're back like you've never seen them before... on a sectional couch! Everyone gets their own cushion when Stephen sits down with his former colleagues.

There's a part two, too.

They're back like you've never seen them before... on a sectional couch! Everyone gets their own cushion when Stephen sits down with his former colleagues Jon Stewart, Rob Corddry, John Oliver, Samantha Bee and Ed Helms.

That's it for today.  I have one last post about "Saturday Night Live," which will be mostly recycled.  Hey, I'm an environmentalist!

*The post I'm linking to was the top post of  the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News and is currently the top post of all time on this blog.  Mr. Oliver wins more than just Emmys.

**I'm not kidding.  She is my Facebook friend and a fellow editor of the Join the Coffee Party Movement Facebook page.