Apple TV execs can’t help crowing at their Emmy nomination batting average: 87 nominations (the platform’s best showing yet) across 15 programs — out of just 31 titles that were submitted for voter consideration, less than half of what its competitors submitted.
“This just reinforces our strategy, the ‘quality over quantity’ approach to programming that continues to reward us,” says Apple TV programming head Matt Cherniss. “It certainly rewards the talent who decide to come hee and make shows for our service.”
Leading the pack for Apple TV is the horror comedy “Widow’s Bay,” which premiered late in the Emmy eligibility cycle yet took hold with voters, landing 19 nominations (including for comedy series) — the third most of any show. Freshman drama “Pluribus” also scored big for Apple TV, with 18 noms, including best drama. Also landing multiple nods: “Shrinking” (10), “Slow Horses” (9), “Palm Royale” (8), “Murderbot” (3), “Mr. Scorsese” (3),” “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy” (2) and “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” (2).
Apple TV pulled off its biggest year even without some of its previous major Emmy contenders, like “Severance,” “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” which weren’t in contention this year but will be back — some sooner than others.
Variety spoke with Cherniss about the surprise success of “Widow’s Bay,” when shows like “Severance” and “Pluribus” might be back and more.
Let’s talk “Widow’s Bay.” The show came on late in the season, which generally makes it difficult to get any sort of Emmys traction. What were your expectations? Was its success a huge shock?
I think from the start, we all knew that there was something special in “Widow’s Bay.” You never know how long it will take for the audience to find something or to embrace it, so the speed of it was was really great to see. When we’re looking to where to launch a show, I think first and foremost we’re looking for where is that spot that gives the show the opportunity for us to support it, and to find an audience. Sometimes that doesn’t line up right with awards deadlines. So it was great to see that even though this did come late in the year, that it got to sort of have its cake and eat it too.
We were able to launch, and find a really big audience. It was great to feel the momentum of both over this early part of the summer, and you really felt like people were watching it and talking about the show at just the right time as it relates to the awards perspective. My hope is that it continues to supercharge the audience in the way that we’ve seen over the past couple months.
Three episodes didn’t even make it in time for submission deadline, yet it still worked out. How did those three episodes end up dangling outside of the submission deadline?
I think it was more about where we felt we had a slot to position and launch the show successfully. It came late in the year, and it did result in three episodes crossing the Emmy deadline. But ultimately, I think we felt the most important thing was to get the biggest audience possible to the show, and that the rest of this stuff would take care of itself. In this case I feel like it did. Certainly there are performances and directors, and a lot of work in those last three episodes that also deserve to be acknowledged. I think there’ll be time for that as the year goes on.
It took a while for you to renew it. Was there any reason that that you waited a beat?
Did it take a while to renew it? I felt like we moved pretty quickly. I mean, we certainly tried to time the announcement a little more toward as the season was building, so that there was a little momentum. But I think there was no question in any of our minds that we wanted the show back for multiple seasons.
So what’s the timing on when we might see Season 2?
Well, Varietyschneider Katie [Dippold] is going to take the day off, I hope. I know she’s already thinking about Season 2 and going to jump into it as quickly as she can. We’re on it, and we know the audience is is hungering for more episodes, so we’re going to try and move as quickly as we can. The show is a labor of love. It’s shot in a location [in Massachusetts] that isn’t always the easiest to shoot in. So there are some elements that do sort of dictate turnaround a little bit, but everyone’s working as quickly as they can.
Do you think there’s a chance you might have it in time for the next Emmy cycle?
That’s going to be tough, but we’ve got other good stuff for next year!
Speaking of Season 2, when do we think we’ll get more Pluribus? Is there a chance it might return for next Emmy cycle? I know Vince Gilligan is hard at work.
I think that’s going to be tough too. Vince is really ambitious with Season 2, and really taking time to make sure that the show lives up to everyone’s expectations. It too is a very complicated show when it comes to executing and shooting, so I think that that would be tough for us to to fit into that next cycle. But we’re starting to see early drafts, and everyone’s moving at a good pace. So excited to see that one come back.
Does 2028 sound reasonable?
I don’t have a date for you yet on that one.
What’s the latest on when we might see more “Severance”?
Don’t have set dates yet for the show, but we’re moving along really well, and we’re nearing production on that. We’ve seen most of the material, and I think it totally delivers for the audience. With a show like “Severance,” the most important thing is that we deliver on sort of what those epic first two seasons delivered, and then it even gets bigger from there.
With both “Pluribus” and “Severance,” those take around 10 to 11 months to produce a season, right?
Yeah, they definitely take a while. And when you look at the complexities around the production, the writing of it, it just takes some time.
We’ve been hearing Ben Stiller is more involved than he had planned to be this season.
Ben is incredibly involved in the show. You know, there are a lot of different things that Ben’s doing now. He’s acting in the show [“The Off Weeks”] for us, he has movies coming out. I’ve never met anyone that works the hours that he works, and constantly involved in the show. I don’t think that neither was there an expectation from us that that would change, nor was there a desire for that to change for us. I think that everything he puts into the show is additive, and as much time as he’ll give us we’ll take.
Next year in comedy you’re going to have an embarrassment of riches with the return of “Ted Lasso,” “The Studio” and “Shrinking” all in contention. How much do you know about the new storyline and direction for “Shrinking” in Season 4?
I definitely think it’s a refresh, but it’s still the characters you love. I think it’s more about how those characters grow and change than you’ll feel like you’re watching a different show. The show continues to deliver, and I actually think that the choices they’re making are really inspired, and I think the audience will really feel excited when the time comes.
“Your Friends & Neighbors” got a a nomination, but yet no acting nominations. Were you a little surprised we didn’t see Jon Hamm in there?
They certainly deserve acting nominations. I think that cast is incredible, and it’s a bit disappointing that they weren’t acknowledged as individuals. But I think the show being acknowledged as one of the best dramas on TV is a huge win, and deservedly so. The fact that everyone will be able to celebrate that nomination together, I think it is rewarding. I know that everyone in the cast, and talking to Jonathan Trapper, is really excited for the nomination, and to be sort of part of that conversation.
“The Morning Show” also just got one nomination. We’ve got another season coming — will this be the final season?
There’s been no announcement to that. Obviously, ongoing conversations with Jen [Aniston] and Reese [Witherspoon] and the entire team about the future of the show. They’re still in production right on this season, so I think everyone is pretty focused on that at the moment.
Any status update on “The Savant”?
[Apple TV communications head Rita Cooper Lee jumps in: “You’ll be the first to know, Mr. Schneider. No news to report on that.”]
We haven’t talked about “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” yet. How’s Season 2 looking?
Working with David E. Kelley is so much fun. As a fan of his work, it’s just such a pleasure. And the whole team, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer. I mean, it is such a great cast. Not easy for shows to get acknowledged in their first season. I think we did a pretty good job of that, but that show in particular has such a great spirit to it. David’s in the room right now, and the whole team is cracking Season 2. It definitely takes on more scope as the as the seasons go on. I think the audience will be really excited about that.
I mentioned “The Studio” earlier. Ike Barinholtz said in an interview that it might be back in March. Does that sound about right?
It’s definitely coming back next year. I don’t know that we’ve locked down a specific date yet. But it will be back next year!
This interview has been edited and condensed.