2023 Emmy Awards Best Talk Series Predictions

We’ll be updating this article with all of our predictions throughout the season, so be sure to check IndieWire for the latest news on the 2023 Emmys. The nomination round of voting runs from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced on Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10. an edited presentation of the ceremonies that will air on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, September 18 and will air live on FOX at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.

State of the species

The Variety categories for late-night shows were too predictable and arguably favored some shows, so the Television Academy recently decided to change the rules so that “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the winning series for seven years despite being a weekly show without any traditional late-night interviews or panels, in a new category called Scripted Variety.

After two decades, the doors have finally reopened for a network host to win Outstanding Talk Series. Still, if “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” or “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” were to win, we’d likely enter a new decade of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” alum winning the category every year. Colbert has already won the award twice for his Comedy Central series, “The Colbert Report.” This is Noah’s last season, but it could be a home advantage.

But the bigger hope is that the nominees reflect the huge shift in how the late-night talk show landscape has changed over the past 10 years. The TV Academy has already missed out on awarding a female presenter for the first time. The latest stars like Samantha Bee, Robin Thede, Chelsea Handler and Lilly Singh have all been pulled from the show. The series-first nod to “Late Night with Seth Meyers” was a step in the right direction as the show transitions to a more casual late-night talk show model, but it would be especially interesting to see Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live.” It’s finally catching on after 10 years, as its casualness and interactivity have inspired a new generation of variety show hosts like Ziwe.

Current contestants (in alphabetical order):
“Live with Jimmy Kimmel!” (ABC)
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“Hard to the Heart” (Peacock)
“Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God” (Comedy Central)
“The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC)
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO)
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC)
“Watch What Happens Live” (Bravo)

Last year’s winner: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
Still eligible: No.
Hot Streaks: John Oliver’s HBO series won the late-night talk show category seven years ago, even though his show only airs on Thursdays and has no guests. This year’s introduction of the Scripted Variety category changes things, primarily by removing “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” from the category. Still, Outstanding Variety Talk Series/Outstanding Variety Series has gone to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” alums every year since 2003, so Stephen Colbert or Trevor Noah can continue this unprecedented streak.
Notable Non-Eligible Series: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (submitted as a scripted Variety series); “Ziwe” (submitted as a scripted Variety series); Submitted under “My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman” Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special); “The Problem with Jon Stewart” (submitted as a Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special); “Conan” (End); “Desus & Mero” (end); “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (End)

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