Starz CEO Talks ‘Outlander,’ Calls Emmy Snub ‘Silly,’ Claims It Is ‘Not A Level Playing Field’
Chris Albrecht, the CEO of Starz, isn’t happy with Outlander’s lack of Emmy nominations. Aside from nominations for the show’s costume designer, Terry Dresbach, Outlander was snubbed in every main category, including best actor and actress for a television drama.
While fans believed Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan deserved nominations, Entertainment Weekly reports that Albrecht is certain that will never happen.
“I don’t think we’ll ever break through with those people on those shows,” Albrecht revealed, referencing the group that selects Emmy nominations.
Albrecht believes Outlander will never land an Emmy nomination because the process is slanted towards shows that work actively to get the award.
“I was part of the team that invented how to campaign for Emmy awards. Trust me, it’s not a level playing field,” Albrecht stated. “I spent years inside the TV Academy working it, and it took a lot of money and there’s a certain momentum that goes along with that.”
Albrecht also thinks that the entire process for awarding television shows needs to be revamped for modern times.
“It’s a very distinct group of people, no matter how they try to expand their membership base. I think the TV Academy should be celebrating… an unprecedented time in our industry,” he added. “They should be finding a way to platform the diversity.”
This isn’t the first time Albrecht thinks Outlander deserved an award for its brilliance. The Starz CEO also believes that the hit show should have taken home a Golden Globe a few months ago.
“I was really surprised,” he shared. “This is all silly.”
Although Outlander hasn’t won many awards yet, the show has been one of the most popular ones on the network. In fact, Starz has greenlit the series for an additional two seasons.
Despite the snubs, the Wrap is reporting that Albrecht is very proud of Outlander and its cast and crew. At the same time, Albrecht assured fans that the Emmy snubs will not affect the future of the series.
According to E! Online, Albrecht explained that Outlander will be around for a long time, which is definitely good news for fans.
“Having said that, we couldn’t be more proud of the work that is being done by the people on those shows,” he finished. “It is award-worthy. Whether it’s an Emmy award or not is not the point.”
The sad part is that the cast of Outlander may never get the praise they deserve, especially if Albrecht is right and they never win any major awards.
That being said, Carter Matt reports that it sometimes takes years for a show to get noticed by the Academy.
Apart from a few exceptions, like Game of Thrones, it generally takes years for a television series to obtain an Emmy nomination. The Americans is a great example. The show is only now getting recognized by critics, and it is already passed the four-season mark.
Of course, Outlander was nominated for a number of Golden Globes this year, so there is a possibility that it will win a few in the coming years. However, Golden Globes are a little bit easier to secure than Emmys, especially for shows that are not on major networks.
Whatever happens in Outlander’s Emmy future, fans can rest assured that the series will get plenty of opportunities to land a nomination. Hopefully, the Academy proves Albrecht wrong and nominates Outlander for at least one major category next year.
In the meantime, Season 3 of Outlander is currently in production and is expected to return to Starz sometime this coming spring, though an official premiere date has not been set in stone.
[Image via Starz]
