Summary
When Emmy season came around last year,I successfully predictedthatHBO’sThe Last of Us, while a great adaptation, didn’t stand a chance against Succession. Out of Succession’s 13 Primetime Emmy Award nominations it won five – out of The Last of Us’ five nominations, it won zero. Succession also beat out The Last of Us at the Golden Globes.
The Last of Us actually outdid Succession at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which mostly lauds the crew. The video game adaptation won awards for its prosthetic makeup and editing, among others, while Storm Reid and Nick Offerman also won for Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series. Succession didn’t win any. But when I talk about major Emmy awards, I’m talking about the Primetime Emmy Awards, which bestows awards for directing, writing, acting (lead and supporting actors), and overall excellence within a genre.
No shade to the Creative Arts Awards – I have immense respect for the artists awarded in that ceremony, it’s just not what I’m talking about here. Unfortunately, when mainstream attention is directed towards the Emmys, it’s never because of the Creative Arts Awards, as much as we should be giving the winners and nominees their flowers.
Does Fallout Have A Better Shot At An Emmy Win?
This year we’re seeing a second video game adaptation recognised by the Emmys in the form ofFallout.Prime’s streaming showhas been nominated for 17 Emmys in 16 categories(alongside Creative Arts Emmys), including the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Walton Goggins, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. The Last of Us was nominated in all those categories and lost, but I think Fallout might have a better shot.
Why? Because Fallout is better. Or, at the very least, it’s far more original – The Last of Us did a great job translating the source material to the small screen, but Fallout managed to pull off creating an entirely compelling, new story within a familiar setting. Fallout succeeded on a level that The Last of Us didn’t even attempt to reach for, and I loved it despite not even being a fan of the games.
Let’s look at the categories, one by one. I doubt that Fallout will win the Drama Series award, since it’s got strong opposition in The Crown, which has already won once and is up for its finale season, and Shogun, which is already racking up awards in other awards shows. Best Actor is a bit of a toss-up – Hiroyuki Sanada has a decent shot for his performance in Shogun, and Dominic West will put up a good fight for his role in The Crown, but I have a feeling Walton Goggins might finally have his versatility recognised on the big stage this year. The Crown already won Best Writing in 2021, so might be ahead of Fallout, but this season is generally considered the weakest so may not be awarded again.
The major thing is that this year, it’s actually a competition. Succession swept last year, winning in all but one major category it was nominated in, as everybody knew it would, because that last season was an absolute doozy, and shows generally win bigger in their final seasons. There isn’t a Succession this year, no immovable object to vainly fight against. Fallout actually has a chance.
What Does This Mean For The Video Game Adaptation?
The Last of Us was the first video game adaptation to ever be nominated for a Golden Globe or a Primetime Emmy, and therefore it’s arguably the first video game adaptation to ever be taken seriously by the mainstream entertainment establishment. There are plenty of other good adaptations, of course, many of which have received awards at other shows, but none have ever received recognition at this scale. Now Fallout is making this a habit.
Arcaneactually won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, but unfortunately, animated shows are also relegated to the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Gamers have known for years that incredible storytelling can thrive within video games, and that the worlds built by development studios are just as compelling as any TV show’s. By expanding these franchises into other mediums, it’s finally gotten Hollywood to acknowledge that too.
I expect to see more adaptations getting greenlit, because Hollywood always takes the wrong lessons when something succeeds beyond expectations, which in this case will be ‘adaptations good’. I’m still iffy about the concept of video game adaptations more generally – as with any source material, an adaptation is only ever as good as the people working on it.
But Fallout’s nominations prove that the success of The Last of Us wasn’t just a fluke, successful because it’s ‘the most cinematic game ever made’ or whatever. The worlds built within games have so much potential for storytelling in many forms, and this particular form happened to be very good. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing if the Emmy judges think it was the best of the year.
