Music-related films, limited series, specials and documentaries are well-represented in the 2023 Emmy nominations — including projects like “Daisy Jones & the Six” that were shut out by the music branch in actual music categories but did just fine just about everywhere else.
Actors playing famous musicians fared well. Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, who portrayed George Jones and Tammy Wynette in “George & Tammy,” were nominated for best lead actor and actress in a limited series or movie. Also up in those categories, respectively, are Danielle Radcliffe, for his comic turn in the satirical title role of “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” and Riley Keough for her more serious take as a fictional singer-songwriter in “Daisy Jones.”
Two projects about or led by music stars are competing for outstanding television movie: the aforementioned “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and its tonal opposite, “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.”
Among the music specials that got some love were Disney+’s “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium” and Fox’s “The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna,” both of which are nominated for outstanding variety special (live), and HBO Max’s “Lizzo: Live in Concert,” up for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).
The Rihanna halftime presentation is also nominated for three other awards — outstanding music direction, directing for a variety special and production design for a variety special. The Elton special is up for two more — sound mixing and technical direction for a variety special. The Rihanna halftime show special got five in all, including directing, music direction, technical direction/camerawork and production design for a variety special
CBS’ “The 65th Annual Grammy Awards” is up for three awards: outstanding production design, sound mixing and lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special.
“Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl” got four nods, for outstanding choreography, technical direction and camerawork, production design and lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special. “2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony” also picked up two nominations, for music direction and lighting design/direction.
The David Bowie documentary “Moonage Daydream” has six nominations: directing and writing for a documentary/nonfiction program, sound mixing, sound editing and picture editing for a limited or anthology series or movie.
“The Weeknd Live At SoFi Stadium” has two nominations, for technical direction/camerawork and lighting design/direction.
As noted in a previous story about specific music categories, the nominations for music direction are split between “Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song: Joni Mitchell” (Greg Phillinganes), “The Oscars” (Rickey Minor), the Rock Hall induction special (Adam Blackstone), “Saturday Night Live” (with Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis and Eli Brueggemann sharing duties) and the Rihanna halftime special (Omar Edwards).
There was no music-related program that got more love than “Daisy Jones,” with its nine nominations, but surprisingly, for all the attention afforded the soundtrack, none of those included an original song nod.
For a full rundown of who was nominated in the music composing and songwriting categories, click here.
