The Emmys seem to be catching up with how people consume content. Three popular YouTube series “Hot Ones,” “Good Mythical Morning,” and “Chicken Shop Date” have been added to the award’s short-form ballots.
“Hot Ones“
Hosted by Sean Evans, “Hot Ones” is an interview series where the guests eat increasingly spicy chicken wings during the conversation. The show has successfully petitioned to be included in the outstanding talk series category. Putting it against more traditional late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert.
The series was created by Chris Schonberger, and is produced by First We Feast. Since its debut in 2015, “Hot Ones” has amassed over three billion views. The show’s format has it airing three seasons, or 36 episodes, per calendar year. This means seasons 21-23 all fall within the Emmy eligibility window from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024.
This isn’t “Hot Ones” first brush with the awards. In 2022, it was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding talk show entertainment. Evans even received a talk show host nomination the previous year.
“Good Mythical Morning“
The YouTube series “Good Mythical Morning,” is created by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, better known as Rhett & Link. This series previously petitioned for Emmy inclusion in 2018 but was denied. Now, they will be included in the award’s outstanding short form comedy, drama or variety series category. This has them squaring off against 2022’s winner “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” from Apple and “Very Important People” from Dropout.
“Good Mythical Morning,” centers around the hosts playing various games and doing taste tests. Like “Hot Ones” its format puts three seasons, 23-25, in the window for Emmy eligibility. Out of that, four episodes are available on the TV Academy’s viewing platform “International Late Night Snacks,” “Are These Bad Valentine’s Gifts,” “Biggest Stadium Foods in America,” and “How Does This Product Work.” So it seems that these episodes are what jury members will be considering.
“Chicken Shop Date“
Also in the short form category is the Amelia Dimoldenberg hosted “Chicken Shop Date.” The series has Dimoldenberg meeting with various celebrity guests at a local chicken shop for a date. These conversations can range from casual, to awkward, to downright flirty.
Nine episodes of “Chicken Shop Date” fall within the eligibility window. These include her talks with Cher, Paul Mescal, and Evans from “Hot Ones.” Thankfully they aren’t in the same category otherwise that would have been awkward.
YouTube at the Emmys
While rare this isn’t the first time a YouTube series has crossed over into the Emmys. In 2013, the award for outstanding creative achievement in interactive media (original interactive program) went to “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” It was a short-form adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, “Pride & Prejudice.”
Since then, the YouTube series “Emma Approved,” “NASA JPL: Cassini’s Grand Finale,” “NASA and SpaceX: The Interactive Demo-1 Launch,” and “Create Together” have all earned Emmys. Given the gravitas of all three series, this may normalize YouTube content being considered for the prestigious honor.
We’ll keep you posted on Emmy updates as they become available.
