Despite being forced to switch programming categories ahead of the 2023 Emmys, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver emerged from that ceremony with its eighth consecutive win in the series and screenplay category. Unsurprisingly, the HBO series is widely expected to see similar success this year, with the only difference being that the likely award for new screenplay will be presented at the creative arts event rather than in prime time.
Variety’s 2024 pick for Best Writing in a Series is the third in a row in which “Last Week Tonight” competes against “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” and the first consisting of just those three series. Coincidentally, “Last Week Tonight” is currently on pace to tie “The Daily Show’s” long-standing record for most wins in the category.
To judge whether Last Week Tonight can continue its winning streak, we’re taking a closer look at each nominee. Submit your predictions in this and 30 other Creative Arts Emmy categories by September 7.
“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
The cable series’ 19th award is also the first to be given in recognition of its rotating host format, which was introduced after the star’s departure from 2015 to 2022. Trevor Noah. The iteration of the show hosted for 16 years by the current weekly host and author nominee Jon Stewart The show won this honor nine times between 2001 and 2015, including four wins from its own spin-off, The Colbert Report.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
The show’s reigning champions, the writing team, have only lost the award once before, in their first appearance against Stewart and his team in 2015. During the 10th and 11th seasons of the news recap series, former “Daily Show” correspondent Oliver tackles a wide range of topics, including food safety, book bans and many facets of American politics.
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
This long-running weekly sketch series has competed for this award (or versions of it) 28 times, winning gold in 1976, 1977, 1989 and 2002. The possible fifth win would be for the 49th season, which ran from October 2023 to May 2024 and featured guest appearances from the likes of Emma Stone, Ryan GoslingAnd Timothée Chalamet.
So what will win the 2024 Emmy for Best Writing in a Variety Series? It’s notable that for the first time in nearly a decade, “Last Week Tonight” is absent from the corresponding directing list, which includes both screenplay challengers. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the HBO show is in jeopardy when it comes to its script, as there has only been one case of both awards going to a single program (“The Daily Show,” 2015).
If The Daily Show were the current favorite to direct, Oliver and his writing team could be in danger of losing their winning streak, but the truth is that Saturday Night Live practically has that competition in the bag. Considering that Last Week Tonight already proved its resilience last year, it’s just too risky not to predict a seventh HBO-NBC split.
PREDICTIONS the Creative Arts Emmy winners until September 7
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