The three most nominated programs at the Emmys this year, Shōgun (25 nominations), The Bear (23) and Only Murders In the Building (21), are all labeled differently — as FX, FX on Hulu and Hulu Originals series, respectively. But they have something in common — they all stream on Hulu.
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As Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden oversees FX, Hulu as well as ABC, whose Abbott Elementary continued to carry the flag for broadcast series with 9 Emmy nominations, and various other television divisions of the company. Speaking with Deadline after the Emmy nominations were announced today, Walden was asked about surprises and disappointments on the list.
“Well, I would say there were not many disappointments. It’s an incredible day for the Walt Disney Company,” she said. “When I think about what all of us have worked together to do over the past five years as we integrated the Fox businesses into the Walt Disney Co., the result has been a combined total today of 183 nominations, more than any other company. So I really think today about having enormous gratitude for [CEO] Bob [Iger] and his strategy of how to turbocharge the streaming platforms of The Walt Disney Co., Hulu and Disney+, with best in class content that’s recognized across the industry and by consumers.”
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FX was probably the story of the day, almost doubling its previous record to amass 93 nominations and edge out HBO/Max to rank second to Netflix (107). And that is with a fraction of Netflix’s budget and output volume.
Walden took a subtle jab at the way Emmy nominations are tallied, since HBO and Max consolidated their awards presence years ago, and Netflix, along with most of the other streamers with tech pedigree, put all of their shows on a single platform. Meanwhile, Disney is represented by a number of brands, such as FX, Hulu, Disney+, ABC and Nat Geo.
“Clearly, we have a different strategy than some of our competitors. We look to brands to curate smaller numbers of shows that combined led to more nominations than any other company,” Walden said. “All of that work accrues to the benefit mostly today of Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ because 152 of those nominations are on display on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ right now so I am enormously proud and feel great about the combined efforts of these brands.”
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She acknowledged FX’s record Emmy nominations showing but, like any proud parent, she was quick to also recognize another strong performer under her purview.
“Clearly, it is a phenomenal day for FX. But the third most nominated show was also our show, Only Murders In The Building, ” she said. “So it’s a collective effort that drives what our strategy is, which is that all of our platforms feed our streaming strategy, and many of those shows are Hulu exclusives.”
Shōgun is FX’s most ambitious (and expensive) production to date, and ahead of its launch, FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf had said that he would like to take more shots at big-budget productions of that scope should Shōgun be a success. The latter is now undisputed, with FX planning two more seasons after the original installment became its most-watched show ever based on global hours streamed.
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With 25 Emmy nominations to add to that, would Walden consider FX getting a larger budget for more shots at epic series like Shōgun and Noah Hawley’s upcoming Alien amid other possible strategy tweaks going forward?
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“I don’t think the strategy needs to be tweaked,” she said. “I think what John demonstrated was similarly apparent in our strategy with Percy Jackson , which also was a big shot, big budget and high risk high reward. Similarly with Alien with John, and we’ve got a big show coming up from Dan Fogelman [to Hulu] with Paradise. ”
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Added Walden, “I would say that we don’t really look at how many of those big shots we want to take. We look at how many projects we believe in, and what is a budget that is going to help a creator realize the best version of that show. I’ve never found a sort of retrofitting approach to be a winning approach. We looked at Shōgun and not a really expensive show. It was, we want to make Shōgun , and this is what it’s going to take for John to get the version that he believes in to our platforms.”
Unlike pure streamers, a legacy media company like Disney also has linear assets which have undergone the biggest contraction as viewing has migrated to digital platforms. We asked Walden about the company’s commitment to linear and will it continue to invest in high-end shows on linear networks, like ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
“Of course,” she said. “I think we’ve demonstrated a huge faith in our ecosystem of platforms, how they are integrated and how our linear strategy is embedded in our streaming strategy, but it starts with programming best in class content on our linear channels.
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“ Shōgun was on FX linear channel, it’s then windowed to Hulu. When you look at moving 9-1-1 from Fox over to ABC, 9-1-1 is a remarkable asset, it is a meaningful budget and it’s delivering a meaningful lead for us with the audience that wants to watch it in time period on ABC. Our marketing has created an event for that show, for Will Trent.
“You look at the growth of The Rookie over the past several years where the ability to watch past seasons on Hulu has done nothing but boost our linear ratings on that show and create an ecosystem of viewership where viewers on the broadcast network are getting a first look. And then our subscribers are getting the flexibility of watching it on a streaming platform and all of the benefits that that entails.”
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9-1-1 comes from Ryan Murphy, who is back in the Disney fold and already working on several new series in addition to proven existing franchises like American Crime Story , whose original installment fueled FX’s previous record of 56 Emmy nominations in 2016, and Feud , whose latest installment, Capote Vs. The Swans , was a major contributor to the network’s tally this year with 10 noms.
Murphy will be among the top talent Disney will rely on for the company’s Emmy showing next year.
“Quinta Brunson, Ryan Murphy, Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Brooks and the team at The Simpsons, we have longtime partners and partners who we are developing longstanding relationships with who continue to fuel our business, our objectives, which include highest quality stories,” she said.
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