Electoral College supporters, take a note from Hollywood.
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POP(D) AND VOTED: I love a well-deserved annual Emmys sweep more than anyone (get yours, Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Breaking Bad!), but if you aren’t all that into seeing the same shows accept the same statues on auto-pilot with the inevitable, lurching force of undead White Walkers heading for the Wall, you might finally be in luck.
Here’s why it’s almost guaranteed that at least a few of the old tried-and-true stalwarts stay uncomfortably in their seats when the envelopes are opened on Sunday night.
CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CHECK-OFF YOUR BALLOT: As out-of-the-box as the 2017 nominations are with the volume of newcomers, Emmy voters are notorious for rubber stamping their final picks from year-to-year, whether seemingly out of habit (Modern Family, you’re about two Best Series Emmys too deep in the history books), or based on the merit of continued awesomeness (I’ve got your back on this one, Veep). Awards season after awards season, it’s been the biggest threat to one of your new faves not going all the way. Le sigh.
If only there was a change in the voting rules to pump the brakes on the boringness of it all…
GUYS, THERE’S A CHANGE IN THE VOTING RULES THIS YEAR!: Too many shows ended with epic cliffhangers last season, so I only wanted to leave you hanging for a single-spaced line (we can only take so much). Here’s the (new) deal: Last year, Emmy voters watched the nominees’ submitted episodes and ranked them from first to last on a preferential ballot, where the rankings were averaged to get the winner. This year, though, the script has been flipped: Voters now only pick the one nominee they think is best. That’s it. And the nominee who gets the most votes wins. Simple, simply savage and so totally Hollywood. This is awards show Darwinism at its finest, folks.
THE HUNGRY-FOR-A-CHANGE GAMES: With the odds now ever in their favor, at least some of the freshman class is bound to benefit from the new system in a slew of surprises that will likely leave you humming the Full House theme song as you watch the Emmys and ponder, “What ever happened to predictability?” (The jury is still out on the milkman, the paperboy and evening TV, but one thing at a time.)
?????????????? just perfect.