2023 Emmy Predictions: Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

The writing categories can be a toss up, whether it’s comedy, drama, or limited series/movies. Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is always an interesting category since the pool of nominees is different every year, offering the TV Academy something novel to look at. The other two, drama and comedy, offer solid submissions every year but some series can be found on ballots for years. Limited Series writing, mostly, has to be tight and grab audiences within a set amount of episodes; television movies are competing against full series! Previous winners include series like The White Lotus and I May Destroy You, so the bar is high when it comes to securing a nomination.

A difference in this writing category from the other two is if one writer wrote an entire limited series, that is their submission: the entire show. In the case where a limited series has different credited writers across episodes, those episodes will be chosen to be submitted individually. In some cases, a limited series will only have one submission, while others will find different series with two or more. It seems this year that most of these limited series have multiple submissions, or only submitted one episode versus the entire season. Television movies are also submitted, this year’s big contender being last year’s hit romcom Fire Island, written by Joel Kim Booster. With 111 submissions total, that will only (probably) take up one space out of six total slots. 

Netflix’s Beef has only submitted its premiere episode for contention and, with so much love for the series, it’s likely to grab that nomination. Daisy Jones and the Six will only submit one episode as well, its fifth, for consideration. Dahmer is another series that isn’t written by a sole writer, but will submit two episodes rather than one. Ryan Murphy’s shows have historically done well at the Emmys to varying degrees, but this one has been hotly discussed since the day it premiered. While the series has a good chance at its performers landing nominations, the writing might find itself fighting off to many other series. Mrs. Davis submitted five episodes, but will likely find its greatest chances in creator/previous Emmy winner Damon Lindelof (he’s been submitted for writing both the premiere and finale). 

AppleTV+’s Black Bird will be in contention, and has been since it premiered last July. Though it’s been almost a year since its release, the series was well-liked by critics and could have a chance at receiving a nomination here. George and Tammy made small waves when it was released on Showtime in December (winning Jessica Chastain a surprise SAG Award), but will it be able to parlay that into a nomination with one submission in the writing category? HBO’s Love & Death has been submitted in its entirety for consideration, but Candy didn’t fare well at the Emmys last year, and this looks to be no different for this story. FX’s The Patient has been submitted in its entirety as well for consideration, but with a lackluster reception last August, it seems unlikely it will be nominated in this category.

My predictions for Writing in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie:

• Beef – “The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain” (Netflix)
• Black Bird – “The Place I Lie” (AppleTV+)
• Fire Island (Hulu)
• Fleishman is in Trouble – “Me-Time” (FX)
• Mrs. Davis – “Mother of Mercy: The Call of the Horse” (Peacock)
• Mrs. Davis (Peacock) – “The Final Intercut: So I’m Your Horse”

Other contenders: Reality (HBO), Mrs. Davis – “A Great Place to Drink to Gain Control of Your Drink”  (Peacock), Swarm – “Stung” (Prime Video)

Photo: Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures