The music of 'Prehistoric Planet 2' earned the series its first Emmy nomination

I'm continuing my examination of Emmy nominees by recycling my awards prognostication from 'Prehistoric Planet 2' explores ancient biodiversity on International Day for Biological Diversity.

While I raved about the trailer and previews for season 1, my prediction that the series would receive multiple Emmy nominations still hasn't come true. Hans Zimmer took home two awards for its music at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards and it earned nominations at the Cinema Eye Honors Awards, Annie Awards, Visual Effects Society Awards, Television Critics Association Awards, and Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards, but no Emmy nominations. I hope that was because Apple TV+ decided to submit it to the News & Documentary Emmy Awards instead of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. If so, I'll be looking for those nominations in a couple of months.

I don't know if Apple TV+ submitted season one of the series to the News & Documentary Emmy Awards — my readers and I will find out on the 27th, when the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announces those nominations — but "Prehistoric Planet 2" earned one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special for episode 2, "Badlands."* I'm pleased, as music is the one facet of the show that has been winning awards, yet still disappointed, as the Emmys haven't recognized the series itself or its other components, like narration, writing, and special effects. On the other hand, the Hollywood Critics Association nominated season two for Best Streaming Nonfiction Series, just as it did season one.


That's a worthy set of nominees, only one of which, "The 1619 Project," also earned Emmy nominations.  I'll get to it in a future installment, along with the other nominees for Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special. In the meantime, enjoy 1. Prehistoric Planet Suite (Prehistoric Planet 2 OST).


*ETA: I got a very nice request from Anže Rozman on Twitter after he read this post.

Thank you for sharing! But it would be appreciated if you would mention all the authors of the music in your blog post :)....

— Anže Rozman (@ARozmanComposer) July 29, 2023

Since he asked so nicely, I'm adding the alt-text for the image that opened this entry.

Text: 2023 Emmys Nominee Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Prehistoric Planet • Badlands • Apple TV+ • BBC Studios in association with Apple
Hans Zimmer, Composer
Anže Rozman, Composer
Kara Talve, Composer
Image: photos of composers and promotional image for "Prehistoric Planet 2."

I'll be sure to list all the composers when I examine the nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 2023 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' the sole PSA among the 2023 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial
• 'The Territory' leads nominees for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking at the 2023 Emmy Awards
• Barack Obama defends his Emmy against Hollywood all-stars narrating nature and science documentaries