Casey Bloys found himself in a family position Tuesday after the presentation of the 2022 Emmy nominations: only at the top of the pack of top-selling outlets, as HBO, even without the benefit of HBO Max, surpassed easily Netflix.
HBO had five of the most nominated shows this year, with Succession (25) leading the group that also included The White Lotus (20), Hacks (17), Euphoria (16) and Barry (14). Warner Bros. Discovery, for the first time, led all conglomerates with 155 combined nominations.
The executive, who oversees the originals for the premium cable network and its streaming counterpart, saw a total of 24 HBO / HBO Max shows collect 140 nominations in total, while Netflix saw 35 shows get 105 total nominations.
Bloys is used to having to compete with Netflix’s huge spending on a plethora of content, as the playback giant tries to be a reach for viewers. Instead, the HBO and HBO Max programming teams make mutually compensating whiteboards. (Although HBO has a lot of male show content, HBO Max shows for more female viewers, etc.)
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bloys opens up about the future of Succession and Westworld, as well as what shows might be the ones to talk about the 2023 Emmys, including the long-awaited version of The Last of Us.
HBO surpassed Netflix this year without the benefit of HBO Max. What do you attribute this success to?
It’s the same as every year: talented HBO and HBO Max programming teams working with talented creators and everyone doing their best to make the best exercise in the world. There is no secret other than keeping your head down and trying to do your best in every way.
The TV Academy decided not to hand out nominations by the middle of this year. How do you see this narrative evolving over time?
I think it’s a lot to twist your hands for nothing. We have the same programming management on both HBO and HBO Max. When HBO was only linear, we were still competitive. It is now a more equitable playing field where we also have a streaming service. It makes a lot of sense to combine them. In short, what matters is the recognized shows.
HBO and HBO Max had fewer programs overall with more nominations than Netflix (which had 35 programs nominated) …
It’s always like that. We don’t have the volume they have, so each show has to work harder.
You guys have had some disagreements in The Staircase, Julia, Winning Time, Gilded Age and I Just Like That. How do you feel about these significant rejections?
One day we got 140 nominations … obviously you want all of your shows to be nominated, but I don’t think today is the day to worry or obsess over disdain. We’ll go back to some of them and do our best, but today it’s about celebrating the nominations instead of feeling cheated in any way. This is the game; not everyone can win.
Was there anything that particularly surprised you or that you enjoyed seeing among the nominations?
Since Station Eleven aired in December and we’ve had so many shows aired between January and June, it was nice for people to remember that one. Same with The White Lotus. Staying in people’s minds is a difficult thing to do.
Is there any way to make the Emmy categories more reflective of the nature of the industry? Do you think Julia was hurt because it was just a comedy, while White Lotus didn’t hurt just being a limited series?
What happens to Julia is that this will be back next year. Part of that is that you have to keep going. Julia deserved some names and this cast and her team will be offering an excellent second season. What happens with the Emmys is being consistent, and the whole cast deserved recognition, as well as the writing and directing.
What has changed for you now that David Zaslav of Discovery has taken control of it?
David has only given support to what we are doing creatively. He loves me and the team and makes it clear that he values what we do. It has been nothing more than support. This happened when AT&T took over, many decisions as always were reformulated in the “Well, AT&T has to make them do this” way. Whether it’s Demimonde or a cancellation or renewal of a show, we’re running a scheduling service that has daily needs and decisions to make. There is no scenario where David is looking over my shoulder and wondering if we should renew or cancel something. Everyday decisions have been rejected as a reflection of what the new regime is doing and this is not the case here.
When can viewers expect new seasons of Euphoria, White Lotus and Succession?
We haven’t announced the dates yet, but I imagine White Lotus, Succession, Barry, and Hacks would be within the window of eligibility for next year’s Emmys.
What is the future of Succession beyond the fourth season?
For a decision like this, we take care of the showrunners. It’s up to Jesse Armstrong to decide. They have started filming the fourth season and the broken stories and he wants to go through this process to see if he has more story or themes to explore. It depends on him. If you want to do more, great. If that’s all you have, great.
In a world where hit shows get spin-offs quickly as franchises continue to be incredibly important to streaming platforms, you’ve had conversations with Jesse about a Succession spin-off, especially considering how big it is. this world has been made, as evidenced by the volume of nominations in the series. received this year?
A world like Game of Thrones where George RR Martin has an entire universe and a millennial timeline and multiple families and wars and history, this is not what Jesse has created. There is no scenario where there is a Multiverse Succession in the cards.
Give people what they want: a teaser about the fourth season of Succession.
More family dysfunction! (River.)
HBO is developing a sequel to Game of Thrones Jon Snow. What has changed that you want to revisit at the end of the flagship series?
I have nothing to report on Jon Snow’s development.
What is the future of Westworld beyond the fourth season? The Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan deal includes two more seasons. Is that still the case?
As with any show, we’ll see how it goes. We haven’t talked to them about ideas for the fifth season, but we’re only three chapters into the fourth season and we’ll see how it goes. No decisions have been made.
When should we wait for The Last of Us to arrive?
It is closer to early 2023.
Looking ahead to next year, what’s on the tab that makes you excited that we could talk at this time next year?
At that point, we will have gone through the second season of Sex Lives of College Girls, White Lotus 2, The Idol, Last of Us, Succession, Julia, Hacks, Barry and Righteous Gemstones. It’s a pretty full lineup again. We could be talking about any number of these shows!
Edited interview for length and clarity.