Ron Cephas Jones, who played Randall’s father on This Is Us, has died at age 66. He had been battling a pulmonary issue. 

This Is Us was on NBC from 2016 to 2022. Jones portrayed William “Shakespeare” Hill, a former drug addict with terminal cancer who gets involved in the life of his adult son, Randall, whom he had given up just after the baby’s birth on the steps of a fire station. 

Sterling K. Brown played Randall. 

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman shared on Twitter: “I first got to know Ron at the start of This Is Us, a magical time when it felt like we were all being shot out of a cannon. He was always steady, always grateful — even as the madness swirled around us. He loved actors. He LOVED his daughter. And we loved him. All of Us.”

Jones received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor for his work on This Is Us in 2017 and outstanding guest actor in 2018, 2019 and 2020. He won in 2018 and 2020. 

Jones was also active in theater. He had the lead in Richard III, put on by the Public Theater, in 2012. He was in the Broadway show Clyde’s in 2021 and 2022, playing Montrellous in a drama about a sandwich shop at a truck stop that is staffed by ex-convicts. 

Jones was born in 1957 in Paterson, New Jersey and graduated from Ramapo College in 1978. He battled heroin, and the acting work picked up after he got sober. 

Jones’ daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, played Peggy Schuyler in the original Broadway production of Hamilton. 

His other TV credits include Mr. Robot, Lisey’s Story, Better Things and Luke Cage. 

Freshman comedy series Abbott Elementary climbed to the top of the class at the 38th annual Television Critics Association Awards, winning four awards including Program of the Year.

The series, which follows the exploits of several teachers at an urban public school, also won awards in such categories as Outstanding Comedy, Outstanding New Program and Individual Achievement in Comedy for series star and creator Quinta Brunson, the TCA said.

Abbott Elementary helped ABC lead all networks with four wins, followed by Netflix with two awards. 

The TCA also awarded CBS sitcom I Love Lucy with its Heritage Award, and honored Steve Martin and Martin Short with its Career Achievement Award. 

The TCA Awards winners were announced virtually on Saturday after the organization late last month decided to cancel its in-person TCA Summer Press Tour amid rising cases of the BA.5 COVID-19 variant in the Los Angeles area.

Also: TCA Summer Press Tour Goes Virtual 

“We are proud to announce this year’s roster of talented TCA Award winners,” Melanie McFarland, TCA president and TV critic for Salon, said in a statement. “Each of them played a vital role in making the 2021-2022 television season one of the best in recent memory. We sincerely congratulate all of our honorees, and we look forward to gathering in person once again in 2023.”

Here is the complete list of 2022 TCA Awards winners:

• Individual Achievement In Drama: Mandy Moore (This Is Us), NBC
• Individual Achievement In Comedy: Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), ABC
• Outstanding Achievement In News and Information: The Beatles: Get Back, Disney Plus
• Outstanding Achievement In Reality Programming (tie): The Amazing Race, CBS; Legendary, HBO Max
• Outstanding Achievement In Youth Programming: The Baby-Sitters Club, Netflix
• Outstanding Achievement In Variety, Talk or Sketch: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Netflix
• Outstanding New Program: Abbott Elementary, ABC
• Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries, Or Specials: Dopesick, Hulu
• Outstanding Achievement In Drama: Succession, HBO
• Outstanding Achievement In Comedy: Abbott Elementary, ABC
• Program of the Year: Abbott Elementary, ABC
• Career Achievement Honoree (tie): Ted Danson and Steve Martin
• Heritage Award: I Love Lucy, CBS

The series finale of This Is Us, which was on NBC May 24, scored a 1.27 rating in viewers 18-49, according to NBC, with 6.4 million total viewers. NBC said it was the best demo rating since episode two of This Is Us’s season five in November 2020, and the best total viewer number since episode three of season five. 

The drama lasted for six seasons. It is about the Pearson family, with Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justine Hartley, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz in the cast.  

Dan Fogelman created This Is Us. 

NBC added that the 18-49 rating was the tops for the 2021-2022 season for an entertainment series on broadcast, excluding those with an NFL lead-in. 

Also: NBC Shares Fall Schedule

The finale was No. 2 in terms of social media interactions (1.5 million), the most for any scripted series finale on broadcast or ad-supported cable, according to NBC. 

This Is Us is averaging a 1.54 rating in viewers 18-49 (live plus 7) through 16 episodes. ■

Family drama This Is Us concludes on NBC May 24. The show about the Pearson family, with Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justine Hartley, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz in the cast, is in its sixth season. 

Dan Fogelman created the show, which “reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death,” according to NBC. 

Moore’s character Rebecca died in the penultimate episode. The series finale sees Rebecca’s children, Hartley’s Kevin, Metz’s Kate and Brown’s Randall, attend her funeral. 

“I think that people will be very satisfied with the way that things are wrapped up,” Moore told Today. “It will be with a tearful smile on their face.”

The finale is entitled “Us.” Brown shared on Twitter, “One unforgettable goodbye. Fam, it’s been an incredible journey! 6 seasons & 106 episodes later, we’re at the end…which means it’s time to start over & relive it all over again! Jokes aside, it’s been a dream to be your Randall.”

Fogelman executive produces with Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Ken Olin, Charlie Gogolak, Jess Rosenthal and Steve Beers. The show is produced by 20th Television.

Chris Sullivan and Susan Kelechi Watson are also in the cast. ■ 

The Paley Center for Media has a full lineup for PaleyFest LA, which returns to an in-person event. It happens April 2-10 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. 

Shows to be featured include This Is Us, Black-ish, Ghosts, Hacks, Cobra Kai and Better Call Saul. 

It is the 39th annual PaleyFest LA, and the first in-person one in three years. Tickets go on sale January 21 at 7 a.m. PT. Paley members and Citi cardholders can get tickets January 18 at 7 a.m. PT. 

“We are thrilled to announce the full lineup for the 39th Annual PaleyFest LA, the can’t-miss spring festival celebrating creative excellence in television,” said Maureen J. Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media. “PaleyFest returns in person to the Dolby Theatre for the first time in three years, offering Paley Members and devoted TV fans a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the stars and creative talent behind some of television‘s biggest hits. We thank our friends at Citi, The William S. Paley Foundation, and our studio and network partners, for their continued support in making PaleyFest possible.”

The event kicks off with NBC’s This Is Us April 2, including a preview screening and a Q&A with creator Dan Fogelman, also showrunner and executive producer, and cast members Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan and others. 

The show is in its final season. 

“We are honored to be part of this prestigious festival. Looking forward to talking all things This Is Us with you, one last time," said Fogelman.

Events featuring a preview screening and conversation with producers and cast include The CW’s Superman & Lois and ABC’s Black-ish April 3, CBS comedies Ghosts and The Neighborhood April 6, HBO Max’s Hacks April 7, Netflix’s Cobra Kai April 8, The CW’s Riverdale and AMC’s Better Call Saul April 9, A Salute to the NCIS Universe, celebrating CBS dramas NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i, and Netflix’s Emily in Paris, April 10. 

“We are honored to bring Cobra Kai to PaleyFest 2022 and look forward to connecting with our devoted and badass fans,” said Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, Cobra Kai creators and executive producers. “Living in these interesting times, we’ve long held one thing paramount — karate will bring us together.” ■

Season six of drama This Is Us begins on NBC January 4. It is the final season for the show, about the Pearson family across the decades. 

Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz and Sterling K. Brown are in the cast. The show features Ventimiglia and Moore as young parents in the ‘80s, with Hartley, Metz and Brown playing their adult children years later. 

“This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death,” according to NBC. 

Chris Sullivan and Beth Susan Kelechi Watson are also in the cast. 

Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Ken Olin, Charlie Gogolak, Jess Rosenthal and Steve Beers executive produce the show, which is produced by 20th Television.

Fogelman created This Is Us. His other shows include former Fox drama Pitch and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. ■

NBC has shared its midseason premiere dates, which sees the sixth and final season of This Is Us starting Jan. 4 and the return of Law & Order Feb. 24. 

Jan. 4 also marks the official premiere of new comedies American Auto and Grand Crew. Justin Spitzer is behind workplace comedy American Auto and Phil Augusta Jackson and Dan Goor are behind Grand Crew, about a group of Black friends navigating life and love in Los Angeles. 

NBC offers a peek at the new comedies in mid December.

Comedy Kenan starts up Jan, 3, with two episodes airing, before That’s My Jam. Jimmy Fallon is host and executive producer of the latter, a comedy variety game show. Susan Rovner, chairman, entertainment content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said That’s My Jam is an ideal format for family viewing. 

NBC has the Winter Olympics starting Feb. 4 and the Super Bowl Feb. 13. 

On Feb. 21, live event series American Song Contest debuts, featuring original musical performances representing all 50 states, five U.S. territories and Washington, DC. One Best Original Song will be named. 

Heist drama The Endgame also premieres February 21 and Law & Order begins February 24. It is season 21 of Law & Order, which was last on in 2010. Rovner called Law & Order “one of the most iconic and enduring dramas” on television. 

The Thing About Pam premieres March 8. A six-episode limited series inspired by episodes of Dateline NBC, the true-crime inspired drama is produced by Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Big Picture Co. Renée Zellweger stars. 

Comedies Young Rock and Mr. Mayor start their second seasons March 15. 

On April 19, New Amsterdam slides into the 10 p.m. time slot. 

“Our goal in the fall was to engage and grow the NBC audience with hallmark dramas, building momentum through the holidays and into the Olympics, all of which will work in concert to provide the best possible launch pads for our new and returning midseason shows,” said Frances Berwick, chairman, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “After a premiere week win and tremendous success this season to-date, we’re well-primed to deliver on that promise and continue this winning trend through the remainder of the season.”

In January, NBC will have Sunday Night Football on Sundays, and Mondays offer two episodes of Kenan, then That’s My Jam and Ordinary Joe. On Tuesdays it’s American Auto, Grand Crew, This Is Us and New Amsterdam. Wednesdays have Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. Thursdays, it’s The Blacklist and Law & Order: SVU, then Law & Order: Organized Crime. Fridays offer Dateline NBC. 

“Following a fall that launched a pair of dramas and saw huge success from so many returning series, we’re excited to really pull back the curtain in January with big swings across genres that provide something for everyone,” Rovner said. “Over the past year, our programming team has been vigorously chasing down the best content out there, and it’s really exciting to start to see some early fruits of our labor join the longtime fan favorites on the NBC schedule.”

Shows that have been ordered to series but don’t have a premiere date include The Wheel, L.A. Fire and Rescue, AGT Extreme and Night Court. NBC has described AGT Extreme as showcasing ‘the most outrageous and jaw-dropping daredevil acts.” The show halted production after an accident on set last month, but Berwick said the plan is to put AGT Extreme on in the midseason. 

NBC won the Tuesday ratings battle, with the This Is Us finale setting a hot pace. NBC scored a 0.7 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 5 share. That just beat CBS at 0.6/4. 

NBC had two hours of The Voice at 0.7 and 0.8, up 50%. This Is Us got a flat 0.8. 

CBS had the season finales for NCIS at 0.7, FBI at 0.6 and FBI: Most Wanted at 0.5. NCIS and FBI: Most Wanted stayed level and FBI lost a tenth. 

ABC scored a 0.5/3. Special Mike Tyson: The Knockout did a 0.5 and 0.6 across two hours. Special After Floyd: The Year That Shook the World scored a 0.3. 

Univision did a 0.4/3 and Telemundo a 0.3/2. Univision had Diseñando Tu Amor at flat 0.4. The Te Acuerdas de Mí finale got a 0.5 and La Hija Del Embajador a 0.4, both up a tenth. 

On Telemundo it was Exatlón Estados Unidos at a flat 0.2 and La Suerte de Loli up 50% to 0.3. The premiere of Café Con Aroma de Mujer got a 0.4. 

Fox posted a 0.2/2. The Game of Talents finale lost 67% without its Masked Singer lead-in for a 0.2 and the season starter for Rob Lowe-hosted Mental Samurai got a 0.2. 

The CW earned a 0.2/1. The Flash lost a tenth for a 0.1 and Superman & Lois gained a tenth for a 0.2.

NBC had the winning score in Tuesday’s prime, with This Is Us leading the way. NBC got a 0.5 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 4 share. Tied for second at 0.4/3 were ABC, CBS, Fox and Univision. 

It was a pretty soft night for ratings. 

NBC had Young Rock up 20% to 0.6. Kenan got a 0.4, This Is Us a 0.7 and New Amsterdam a 0.4, all three level with last week. 

ABC had Pooch Perfect at a flat 0.4 and a double run of Big Sky at 0.5 and 0.4, down from its 0.6 last time out. 

CBS had drama reruns. 

On Fox it was The Resident down a tenth at 0.5 and Prodigal Son up 33% to 0.4.

Univision had La Rosa De Guadalupe up 25% to 0.5 and Te Acuerdas De Mi and La Hija Del Embajador at 0.3 apiece, Te Acuerdas flat and La Hija up a tenth. 

Telemundo scored a 0.3/2. Exatlon Estados Unidos, La Suerte De Loli and Buscando A Frida all scored a 0.3. Exatlon and La Suerte grew a tenth and Buscando lost a tenth.

The CW did a 0.2/1. The Flash earned a 0.3 and Supergirl a 0.1, the pair flat. 

NBC had the winning score in Tuesday ratings with This Is Us leading the way. NBC scored a 0.6 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 4 share. Tied for second were ABC, CBS and Univision, all at 0.4/3. 

Young Rock did a flat 0.6 on NBC and Kenan went up 25% to 0.5. This Is Us got a level 0.8 and New Amsterdam shot up 25% to 0.5. 

On ABC, the season finale of To Tell the Truth earned a 0.5 and Black-ish a 0.4, then Mixed-ish a 0.3. Soul of a Nation scored a 0.2. All four were flat. 

CBS had drama reruns. 

On Univision, Vencer El Desamor got a 0.5. Te Acuerdas De Mi got a 0.4 and La Hija Del Embajador a 0.3. All three were level with last week.

Fox and Telemundo both rated a 0.3/2. Fox had Holmes Family Effect across its prime, the series flat with last week. 

On Telemundo, Exatlon Estados Unidos scored a 0.3, as did La Suerte De Loli and Buscando A Frida. All three stayed flat. 

The CW posted a 0.2/2. The Flash and Superman & Lois both tallied a level 0.2.  

NBC had the winning score in Tuesday ratings, with This Is Us leading the way. NBC tallied a 0.6 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 4 share. In second was ABC at 0.5/3. 

NBC had Young Rock, which fell 22% from premiere to 0.7, and Kenan was down 38% to 0.5. This Is Us lost 18% for a 0.9 and the Nurses season ender scored a flat 0.3. 

The week before, NBC posted a 0.8/5. 

ABC had To Tell the Truth down 17% for a 0.5 and Black-ish at a 0.5, then Mixed-ish at 0.4, the comedies level with last week. Another To Tell the Truth got a 0.4. 

CBS scored a 0.4/3 with reruns. 

The CW, Telemundo and Univision all posted a 0.3/2. The CW had the series premiere of Superman & Lois at 0.3 and special Superman & Lois: Legacy of Hope at 0.3. 

Telemundo had Exatlon Estados Unidos, La Suerte de Loli and Buscando A Frida all at a level 0.3.

On Univision it was Vencer El Desamor off 20% for a 0.4 and Te Acuerdas de Mi and Dulce Ambicion at 0.3, Te Acuerdas flat and Dulce down a tenth. 

Fox got a 0.2/1 with reruns. 

NBC got the win in Tuesday ratings on a soft night for broadcast. Thanks to This Is Us, NBC got a 0.6 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, ahead of the 0.5/3s put up by ABC, CBS and Fox. 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist did a 0.4 on NBC and This Is Us a 0.9, both down a tenth of a point. Nurses gained a tenth for a 0.4. 

ABC had the movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

CBS had reruns. 

On Fox it was the season premieres of The Resident at 0.6 and Prodigal Son at 0.5. 

Telemundo and Univision both got a 0.3/2. Telemundo had El Domo del Dinero at a flat 0.2 and Todo Por Mi Hija shot up 33% for a 0.4. Falsa Identidad got a level 0.3. 

On Univision it was Vencer El Desamor up 25% to 0.5. Imperio de Mentiras got a 0.3 and Dulce Ambicion a 0.2, the pair flat. 

The CW posted a 0.1/1. The premieres of Two-Sentence Horror Stories and Canadian drama Tricksters both got a 0.1. 

Hit drama This Is Us returns Oct. 27 with a two-hour season premiere on NBC. It will be season five. Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz and Sterling K. Brown star. 

The drama is about the Pearson family across the decades. Ventimiglia’s Jack and Moore’s Rebecca are young parents of three in the 1980s, and Hartley, Metz and Brown play the adult children in the current era. 

“This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death,” according to NBC. 

Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Sullivan are also in the cast. 

Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Ken Olin, Charlie Gogolak and Jess Rosenthal executive produce This Is Us. 20th Century Television produces the show.

Fox Entertainment said it signed a first-look deal with John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, writers, directors and producers of shows including Next and This is Us.

Requa and Ficarra will develop series and direct pilots for Fox. Programs that get greenlit will be owned by Fox Entertainment and Requa and Ficarra will serve as executive producers for their Zaftig Films production company.

Charlie Gogolak, production partners with Requa and Ficarra, will also executive produce projects developed between Fox Entertainment and Zaftig Films.

Most recently, Requa and Ficarra directed the pilot of Fox’s Next. They also are executive producers of the series, which stars John Slattery and will have its premiere Tuesday.

“Having had the privilege to witness first-hand John and Glenn’s brilliant approach to harnessing the creative process and bringing compelling television to life on This Is Us and, most recently, our new drama, Next, Charlie Collier and I always kept our eyes on the opportunity to build on our budding relationship with them,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment from Fox Entertainment. “John and Glenn joining Fox Entertainment’s growing portfolio of talent further illustrates the value of our strategy to create innovative models that highlight our independent position in the market and empower our partners to do their best work.”

Fox also recently signed deals with Denis Leary. Dan Harmon, Jeff Davis, Kyle Killen, Jermaine Fowler and Sara Watson.

Ficarra and Requa worked as as screen writers on Bad Santa and Jungle Cruise; directed Crazy, Stupid Love and Whisky Tango Foxtrot, and serve as directors for This Is Us and Next.

“We are over the moon to be in business with Charlie Collier, Michael Thorn and Charlie Andrews in this latest iteration of our continuing creative partnership,” Ficarra and Requa said in a statement. “Their encouragement, support and trust have inspired us as writers and producers, and we thank them for the chance to work in an entirely new way - directly with the network and with an incredible amount of artistic freedom. Unfortunately, along with our producing partner Charlie Gogolak, emails will be eternally confusing with too many Charlies...”

There has never been a year like 2020 and there’s never been an upfront like 2020’s.

At this point they’re not saying it out loud, but buyers and sellers say the 2020-21 upfront auction of ad sales has concluded, just in time for the start of the fall season. Network executives said it wasn’t as bad as it could have been and professed to be pleased about how resilient the TV advertising market was during a pandemic. 

“We got all the deals done. Most of them came in very late,” said one network advertising sales executive. “It’s been a long process, but it ended well for us.”

This optimism is hard to quantify, and comparisons to previous years are difficult to make, because of big changes in the market. Ratings this year include out-of-home viewing and the networks were selling tons of new digital inventory, which makes past pricing and volume numbers irrelevant.

“The numbers are very muddy this year, not just because of out-of-home but because the digital side of the business has expanded a lot,” said a sales executive who, like several individuals quoted in this story, asked not to be identified by name because of company policies against commenting on contract negotiations.

Of course, even in a “normal” year, the smoke-and-mirrors numbers that surface after the upfront aren’t predictive of what media companies will report as advertising revenue when their earnings reports come out.

All Sides Sought Flexibility

“The big push and pull was around flexibility, and of course price,” an agency media buyer said. “Agencies wanted much greater flexibility. The networks came back and said, ‘What’s the point of upfront then?’ So I think there were definitely some concessions on flexibilities overall, but not as much as requested.”

“To get the market moving, the networks needed to incent our client to put budgets together with all the uncertainty they were facing,” another agency buyer said. Options moved from 60 days to 45 days. Some upfront buys moved from 25% cancelable to 50%. And while fourth-quarter orders were firmed up, some clients have until October to lock in exactly what they’re paying for during Q1 through Q3. 

“There was definitely pressure to make TV more digital in terms of flexibility and option terms,” A+E Networks president, ad sales Peter Olsen said. “There was a blending of digital terms and TV terms.” 

The bottom line, according to people engaged in the market, is that volume in the upfront finished down about 10% to 15% for linear TV, while prices on a cost-per-thousand viewers (CPM) basis again managed to increase, disappointing some buyers and clients. Last year, $23.9 billion was spent in the upfront auction of ad sales, including $10.2 billion on broadcast ads and $11.7 billion on cable, according to Media Dynamics.

”It was probably the equivalent of a low- to mid-singles market, which is not disastrous in an economy like this,” A+E’s Olsen said.

“In all of our key categories, in entertainment, and sports and news, we’ve achieved, depending on the client, low to mid single-digit price increases across the board,” Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch boasted at the Bank of America investor conference earlier this month. “That’s a tremendous result.”

Deals were made much later in the process — closer to Labor Day than to the Fourth of July, when media buyers start to begin their summer vacations because the upfront is wrapped up. One big reason for the delay was buyers waiting to see if sports, particularly NFL football, would be played. One network finished a deal on Sept. 18, just two weeks before the commercials are scheduled to air. Details are still being ironed out as the new terms both sides agreed to get parsed.

There is still money waiting to be spent. Ad executives expect this year’s calendar upfront — ads bought for the year starting in January — to be significantly larger this year and to be negotiated in October, a month earlier than usual.

“A large percentage of that 15% [decline in volume] are advertisers who moved to calendar, or scatter, and just needed more time, as opposed to stopped buying TV,” an agency media buyer said. “So at the end of the year, it won’t be down 15%, I don’t think.”

On top of that, prices are still hovering 10% to 20% above upfront in the scatter market for ad inventory not committed during the upfront auction.

“We’ve withheld; we’ve probably sold about 5% less volume than we would otherwise have done, say, last year and we’re comfortable doing that because of the strength in the scatter market,” Murdoch said.

None of that could have been predicted earlier this year.

Upfront’s Obit Was Premature

People were just learning about COVID-19 on March 3, when Fox News Channel canceled an upfront event scheduled for March 24. A week later, when NBCUniversal, Fox, ViacomCBS and The Walt Disney Co. canceled their lavish annual May upfront presentations and parties, it was clear the coronavirus would have a huge impact on the TV advertising business.

For a time, there were questions about whether or not there would even be an upfront — or a new television season to run commercials in. There were surveys and estimates that predicted ad spending could plunge by 30%, which in fact did happen in the early days of the recession caused by a virus that kept people at home and shut down businesses. 

“The prognostication in April that there’s never going to be another upfront, that this is going to be the end of buying and selling as we know it, that didn’t really come to fruition,” John Halley, chief operating officer of advertising revenue at ViacomCBS, said at Future’s Advanced Advertising Summit.

Procter & Gamble made a big stink about it being time to change the upfront and shift to a calendar upfront. But the packaged-goods giant quietly went to the networks and cut early deals, looking to get better pricing. 

“I’m surprised they didn’t get called out for that,” a network executive said.

Media agencies saw an opportunity to reset the market and get lower prices. “There was this narrative early on the minds of clients,” a network executive said. “They were thinking there was going to be a rollback. You were hearing 20%, ridiculous numbers.” 

Most of the networks dug in their heels and eventually, buyers had to put their money down and get their clients on the air. One buyer said the turning point was when COVID shut down television production. “In our models, supply went from being down 15% to being down 18%, 22%, 25%,” an agency media buyer said. “All of a sudden, it became a seller’s market.” 

“Yes, there were concessions made around flexibility,” Halley said. “It had to be done.” But in the end, the market “landed in a place that supported the model that we work under,” he said. Pricing moved in a positive direction and, “depending on what parts of the business you’re talking about, the volume was also there.”

On top of pricing, some agency executives were annoyed the networks waited until after many deals were struck to announce when they would start to air big hits, like NBC’s This Is Us. 

Nielsen threw a brief monkey wrench into the market when it said it wouldn’t be adding out-of-home viewers to its 2020-21 ratings as planned, a move that would lift audiences of entertainment programming by anywhere from 3% to 6%, network executives said. The networks erupted and Nielsen quickly reversed its course.

Digital inventory was also a big factor with ViacomCBS owning Pluto TV, Fox buying Tubi and The Walt Disney Co. taking control of Hulu.

One market participant estimated that linear volume was down 15%, while nonlinear revenue rose 50%. That leaves overall revenue down about 10% because, last year, media companies got 90% of their revenue from linear and 10% from nonlinear. This year it will be 80%-20%. “Advertisers are following the audience,” the participant said.

With their new OTT services, the networks can also offer buyers top shows like Fox’s The Masked Singer at better prices when they stream and attract a younger audience than when they appear on broadcast.

They could also offer buyers better pricing on broadcast if they agree to increase the dollars they’re spending on their streaming platforms.

“The nonlinear space is creating a lot of discounts,” a network executive said. “The dream that these companies have is that the streaming services are going to take off. And then you can reconfigure what the business really is.”

Talks Get Personal

Negotiating an upfront during a pandemic turned out to be a more personalized experience, some executives said. While the big presentations and parties were replaced by Zoom calls, negotiations tended to be more one on one with senior execs as the stakes grew and deadlines neared.

“A lot of times our negotiations are done with a group of us in one room and a group from the agency in another room, but this was a lot more one-on-one discussions than large group with large group,” one network executive said.

Where does this upfront market leave the business? 

“Well, we all had had to be flexible,” a network executive said. “But we also have to manage our business, and I think we’re going to learn whether we can live with what we’ve agreed to.”

One buyer said he remains concerned that the networks can’t do anything to keep ratings from continuing to fall. “Our retail clients don’t want their fourth quarter schedule to underdeliver and to get make-goods on some digital channel in January,” the buyer said.  λ

NBC shared its fall programming plans, with This Is Us starting Nov. 10. It’s season five and a two-hour premiere gets the season going. The three Chicago series, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., have their season premieres a day later. Law & Order: SVU begins season 22 Nov. 12 and season eight of The Blacklist starts Nov. 13. 

Every network has had to deal with production delays due to COVID. 

Sunday Night Football starts Sept. 10, a Thursday, with the Houston Texans versus the Kansas City Chiefs. On Sunday in prime, it’s the Dallas Cowboys versus Los Angeles Rams. 

Dateline NBC begins Sept. 25. 

Weakest Link, hosted by Jane Lynch, debuts Sept. 28. NBC calls it “a hybrid game show.” New comedy Connecting…, from Martin Gero and about a group of friends trying to stay close through video chats during these challenging times, premieres Oct. 1. 

Ellen’s Game of Games, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, premieres Oct. 6. 

The Voice debuts Oct. 19. Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are the coaches and Carson Daly the host.  

Season six of Superstore begins Oct. 22. 

Previously announced are the start of Canadian drama Transplant Sept. 1 and American Ninja Warrior Sept. 7. 

Returning series set to debut in 2021 include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, Making It, Manifest, New Amsterdam and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.

New series to launch in 2021 include Kenan, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Mr. Mayor, That’s My Jam, Small Fortune, True Story, Who Do You Think You Are? and Young Rock.

CBS announced earlier in the week that it aims to roll out many fall series in November. 

On this season of HBO’s Insecure, Molly (Yvonne Orji) gets angry when she goes to get a towel at an exclusive Mexican resort and is asked to show her room key when a white woman who just did the same thing is handed a towel without question. When Molly returns, pissed off, to her Asian-American boyfriend and his brother, they write her off as an angry Black woman. Which just makes her all the angrier. 

That particular episode aired the night before George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers. Soon after, protests against police brutality and systemic racism erupted across the country. It was in the middle of that charged environment that the TV Academy announced the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy nominations, on July 28. And for once in the difficult year that’s been 2020, there was some good news. 

Of the 102 acting nominations among the series, limited series and TV movie categories, Black performers scored 35 nods or 34.3% of the total acting nominations. (Maya Rudolph earned three nominations, while Sterling K. Brown and Giancarlo Esposito each snapped up two.) That number is the all-time high for Black actors. The previous best was 27.7% in 2018, which fell to 20% in 2019. 

Additionally, three of the six nominees for animation voice-over performance — Big Mouth’s Rudolph, Central Park’s Leslie Odom Jr. and Crank Yankers’ Wanda Sykes — and half of the 10 short-form acting nominees are Black.

Not Overlooked This Year

Asked for immediate reactions, This Is Us’ and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Brown summed it up by saying: “It’s f---ing dope. It’s really f---ing dope.” 

Besides being nominated twice this year, Brown has earned a total of seven Emmy nominations and two wins since his breakout role as Christopher Darden in FX’s The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. When he won the Golden Globe in 2018 for best leading actor in a TV drama for playing Randall Pearson on NBC’s This Is Us, it marked the first time an African-American man had won that award in the Globes’ 75-year history. 

“You cannot deny that … Black Lives Matter and the desire for criminal justice reform has influenced how people have voted for sure,” Brown told B+C. “I think that’s OK. I don’t think any Black folks who are nominated want to be nominated unless they truly deserve to be nominated. I think the Academy has recognized people who are putting in the work. I hope they continue to do that year in and year out.” 

While Brown plays a Black man who was adopted by a white family as a baby and often struggles with his identity and place in the world as a result, The Good Place’s William Jackson Harper’s role as the brilliant but indecisive and anxious Chidi had little to do with race. Still, how race affects the casting process is something Harper constantly considers. 

“There’s a lot of really good work being done by actors of color and when it comes to awards that can get overlooked,” said Harper, who is nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy. “This year, in regard to Black actors, that work is not being overlooked.” 

Another key marker of the moment was that HBO’s limited series Watchmen scored the most nominations this year, with 26, including mentions for outstanding limited series and a lead actress nod for Regina King. Watchmen’s competition among limited series is Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, FX’s Mrs. America and Netflix’s Unbelievable and Unorthodox. Netflix was by far the entity that earned the most nominations this year with a record-setting 160, followed by HBO with 107.

Watchmen’s cast dominated the category of supporting actor in a limited series with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jovan Adepo and Louis Gossett Jr. all nominated. (Tituss Burgess also grabbed a nomination for Netflix’s movie, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend, meaning that four of the category’s six slots were filled by Black men.) 

“I was overjoyed to see the amount of Emmy nominations to Black actors this year,” Lucinda Martinez, executive VP of multi­cultural marketing, brand and inclusion strategy, WarnerMedia Entertainment, said. “To me, it represents excellence that is often overlooked. I hope this isn’t performative, but rather the Television Academy becoming more inclusive and self-aware as an organization of their past exclusionary practices, whether intentional or not.” 

A key part of Watchmen’s storyline, an extension of the story told in the iconic graphic novel of the same name, is the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, in which a wealthy Black neighborhood was firebombed. There’s also a shadowy vigilante group, known as the Seventh Kalvary, that’s influenced by the Klu Klux Klan. The entire series, which premiered in October 2019 and concluded in December, now feels prescient.

“I hope that, at a minimum, these fictional stories raise awareness even if not always intended,” Martinez said. “It was surprising to many of us how the Tulsa Massacre on Watchmen was revelatory to so many viewers. How many people, including Black viewers, were unaware of the history of the Tulsa riots? By simply raising awareness about the injustices that have occurred allows for more enlightened dialogue around the solutions that need to happen if we do want to see systemic change happen.” 

Stories That Relate

Other nominated shows, such as Insecure and ABC’s Black-ish, tell relatable stories that happen to include Black performers and are created and produced by Black creators and showrunners. Both series were nominated outstanding comedy series, along with Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek, NBC’s The Good Place, Netflix’s Dead to Me and The Kominsky Method, Amazon Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. Among critics and experts, Schitt’s Creek, which aired its seventh and final season this year, is the favorite to win.

On the drama side, the outstanding series nominees are notably less diverse: AMC’s Better Call Saul, Netflix’s The Crown, Ozark and Stranger Things, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, BBC America’s Killing Eve, Disney Plus’s The Mandalorian and HBO’s tale of filthy-rich white people and odds-on favorite, Succession. A stark miss in this category is FX’s Pose, although last year’s winner of lead actor in a drama, Billy Porter, is nominated again this year.

“Who is the target demo for any of these shows?” Orji said. “Insecure is for people who enjoy good, well-rounded characters. I watch Succession and I’m like, ‘Yo, these rich people really got a lot of problems.’ You get into shows because you understand the characters’ motivation, drive and humanity.”

To that end, most roles don’t call for an actor of a certain race to play a certain part. Black actors find that to be changing, bit by bit, but there is always room for improvement. In the age of streaming there are far more platforms, creating space to tell more diverse stories. Actors of color look forward to being able to take advantage of that.

“For performers of color, there are just fewer opportunities in general,” Harper said. “It doesn’t feel like people are intentionally trying to keep performers of color out, but there are a dearth of opportunities for them. 

“I do think about it. As a Black actor, you do look at who else is cast, where on that call sheet you are going to be and, if you have a Black lead, will there be another significant Black lead?” he added. “The math of who’s going to be playing what part really figures into how you feel about your chances. I don’t know that a lot of actors have to think about it in that way.” 

When it comes to getting awards recognition, that number shrinks even further for performers of color. “There are only a certain number of roles that mandate the kind of performances that merit awards attention,” Brown said. “You can only get nominated if you have something to do. I’m encouraged by that. There have been times in the past where I’ve seen Hollywood maybe trying to placate Black folks. This [moment] feels different to me.”

While Black actors netted by far the highest number of nominations among groups that are not white, other notable nominations went to Ramy Youssef, star of his eponymous comedy, Ramy, along with two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, a Black performer who was nominated for best supporting actor in a comedy for playing Sheikh Ali Malik. Hulu’s Ramy marks the first time a Muslim-American comedy has earned nominations.

Still Work to Do

While all of the actors were mostly thrilled to be nominated, they noted that there’s more work to do — such as bringing more people of color into the pipeline, developing talent and thinking outside the box when it comes to everything from casting to cinematography to directing. “It’s interesting and a little sad that in 2020 we’re still having these kinds of firsts,” Orji said. “If Joe Biden picks a Black woman as his running mate, really? It’s a big deal, but we’ve been having the civil-rights movement for years now.

“For me, the bigger and larger issue is not to celebrate the most Black performers,” she added. “Where are we in terms of directors, cinematographers, writers — not just the people that we see on-screen, but also the people behind the scenes. What are we doing to circumvent that and not just in the entertainment industry?” 

What that requires is hiring people of color across the board so there is representation in the boardroom as well as on set, Orji said. “I think that true diversity and true progress is when you can have a woke white person as the VP of inclusion and you can have a Black person as the VP of programming,” Orji said. “What you find so often is, you have this Black woman as the head of diversity and inclusion, and you think, ‘That’s great, you want the Black person to patrol Black things.’ We need to have an equal number of people of color on this [project] because it makes the show better, because it makes this organization and company function at a better level. For me, at least, that’s progress.” 

It also requires getting people of color in the writers’ room and behind the camera, said Brown, who has his own production company, Indian Meadows Productions. One of the company’s chief mandates is to ensure diversity and inclusion across all of its projects. “In terms of championing marginalized voices, there’s a specific pipeline to get to be a showrunner,” Brown said. “It’s not an easy thing to get into. And then you are trying to make sure that you have women, people of color, gay, lesbian and trans representation. Executives will say, ‘these people don’t have enough experience,’ but at some point in time, someone has to say, ‘we believe in this idea’ and take a chance.” 

HBO’s Martinez concurred that breaking into the system remains difficult: “There is still a lot of existing inherent systemic bias in how we greenlight our shows, who decides what stories get told and which stories get supported with marketing dollars and promotion. We have to pay attention to the areas where we may be inadvertently participating in rigging it to exclude others. It’s time to come together as an industry and collectively decide we can and should do better.”  

 The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday, Sept. 20, on ABC in a virtual ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. 

NBC has shared its fall schedule. The Voice and Manifest go on Mondays. The Voice, This Is Us and New Amsterdam are on Tuesdays. Wednesdays, it’s Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. Thursdays have Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Law & Order: SVU and new show Law & Order: Organized Crime. Fridays have The Blacklist and Dateline NBC. On Saturdays, it’s Dateline Saturday Night Mystery and Saturday Night Live reruns in prime. Sundays it’s Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football. 

Gwen Stefani returns to The Voice as a judge. 

Law & Order: Organized Crime has Christopher Meloni reprising the Elliot Stabler role he plays on SVU. He “returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. However, the city and police department have changed dramatically in the decade he’s been away, and he must adapt to a criminal justice system in the midst of its own moment of reckoning,” according to NBC. 

NBC touted the stability of its new schedule. “Thanks to the ingenuity of our creative teams and our partner studios, NBC has assembled a remarkably stable schedule at a time when stability is called for,” said Paul Telegdy, chairman, NBC Entertainment. “With the reopening of the Universal lot for select productions this week, we are confident that our schedule will premiere intact later this fall. We design shows for longevity and this schedule remains a powerful propulsive force for shows to start here and carry on entertaining across generations.”

Telegdy continued, “Our brand has always championed positive programming, and the events of this year have allowed us the time to take pause, examine our business with a new lens and take some immediate action. Since many of our writers’ rooms have not yet opened, we are taking this opportunity to offer all of this season’s showrunners the chance to enrich their team with an additional diverse writer at any level. It is not the solution by any means, but it is something we can do right now to take a positive step.”

The midseason and summer seasons feature the Tina Fey/Robert Carlock comedy Mr. Mayor, which stars Ted Danson; Kenan, with Kenan Thompson; and Young Rock, with Dwayne Johnson, and about his childhood. Those seasons will also have Good Girls, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Ellen’s Game of Games, musical game show That’s My Jam, alternative-scripted series True Story and game show Small Fortune. 

Streaming video service Amazon dominated the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night on the strength of its comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Amazon garnered three SAG Awards in the television category, the most of any cable, broadcast network or streaming service, according to the Screen Actors Guild. Streaming video service Netflix was the only other outlet to notch multiple wins with two.

Amazon was led by comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which swept the comedy category with wins for best comedy ensemble; best female actor (Rachel Brosnahan) and best male actor (Tony Shalhoub).

For Brosnahan, it’s the third award she’s won in the past month for her performance as the lead character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, following her Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards in the category.

NBC’s drama series This Is Us repeated as the SAG winner in the outstanding ensemble for a drama series category, while Sandra Oh took home the SAG Award for best female actor in a drama series, following her Critics Choice and Golden Globes wins in the same category for her performance in BBC America’s Killing Eve.

The winners of The 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards in the television category:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel— Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Amazon 

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:

This Is Us — NBC

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve — BBC America

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:

Jason Bateman, Ozark — Netflix

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Darren Criss, Assassination of Gianni Versace — FX

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:

Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora — Showtime

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series:

Glow — Netflix 

HBO won the most Screen Actors Guild Awards during a ceremony that tipped its hat to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

HBO won five SAG Awards, including two each for its limited series Big Little Lies and comedy series Veep, including best comedy ensemble.

NBC was the only other network or streaming service to win multiple awards – two for its series This Is Us, which won for outstanding ensemble for a drama series and outstanding performance by an actor in a drama series for Sterling K. Brown.

Brown, as well as Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard of Big Little Lies, all won recent Emmy, Golden Globe and now SAG Awards in their respective acting categories (see full list below).

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale was shut out of the SAG Awards’ winners circle after winning both Emmy and Golden Globes Awards in the best drama category as well as the best actress in a drama series category for Elisabeth Moss.

Related: HBO, Showtime Dominate Comedy Category at SAG Awards

The 24th Annual SAG Awards, which TBS and TNT aired live, was highlighted by its first ever female host, Kristen Bell (The Good Place), as well as an ensemble of female presenters, including actress Rita Moreno, who presented SAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Morgan Freeman.

A full list of Screen Actor Guild Awards winners in the television category:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

NICOLE KIDMAN / Celeste Wright – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD / Perry Wright – “BIG LITTLE LIES” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

CLAIRE FOY / Queen Elizabeth II – “THE CROWN” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

STERLING K. BROWN / Randall Pearson – “THIS IS US” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank Gallagher – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THIS IS US (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

VEEP (HBO)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

Game Of Thrones (HBO)

This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown continued his strong TV awards performance with a SAG Awards win in the outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series category, while the series took home the award for outstanding drama series.

Brown beat out Jason Bateman (Netflix’s Ozark), Peter Dinklage (HBO’s Game of Thrones), David Harbour (Netflix’s Stranger Things), and Bob Odenkirk (AMC’s Better Call Saul) for top honors, matching his recent Emmy and Golden Globe wins in the category.

This Is Us also beat out Netflix's The Crown and Stranger Things, HBO's Game Of Thrones and Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale for the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.

The Crown’s Claire Foy won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for the second straight year, beating out category favorite -- recent Emmy and Golden Globes Award winner Elisabeth Moss (Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) -- as well as Millie Bobby Brown (Netflix’s Stranger Things), Laura Linney (Netflix’s Ozark), and Robin Wright (Netflix’s House of Cards).

BET’s telecast of its 2017 Hip-Hop Awards turned up a lot of social media noise last night, according to Nielsen.

The special generated 5.8 million social media interactions from 2.5 million unique Twitter and Facebook accounts, according to Nielsen’s Daily Top Five report.

NBC’s This Is Us finished a distant second with 288,000 interactions, followed by USA’s WWE SmackDown!, CW’s The Flash and FX’s American Horror Story:Cult, said Nielsen.

On the live sports front, BeIN Sports’ coverage of the Trinidad and Tobago-United States FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifying soccer match drew 1.7 million social media interactions to top all events. The US team lost that game, officially eliminating them from 2018 World Cup competition.

HBO generated the most hardware during Sunday’s 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, but it was Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale that made the most noise during the live ceremony.

Read More: Complete coverage of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards

The Handmaid’s Tale won five awards during the CBS telecast – tying HBO’s limited series Big Little Lies for the most primetime Emmy wins -- including best drama series honors and a best drama actress statuette for series star Elisabeth Moss. The Handmaid's Tale became the first series from a streaming service to win an Emmy for Best Drama Series.

Overall, HBO won 10 awards to lead all networks – including a historic win for Julie Louis-Dreyfus, who earned a record sixth straight Emmy statuette in the best actress in a comedy series category for her role as Selina Meyer in the network’s series Veep. The series also won its third consecutive Emmy in the best comedy series category.

NBC won six Primetime Emmy Awards – paced by four wins for Saturday Night Live -- followed by Hulu (five awards), Netflix (four awards) and FX Networks (two awards).

Shows winning two primetime Emmy Awards include FX’s Atlanta, which won two awards for series star Donald Glover (Outstanding Actor in A Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series). HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, which was a repeat winner in the Variety Talk Series category; and Netflix’s Black Mirror: San Junipero, which won for Outstanding Television Movie.

Three of the top five Emmy-nominated series – HBO’s Westworld, Fx’s FEUD: Bette And Joan, and Netflix’s Stranger Things – failed to win Primetime Emmy Awards.

List Of Primetime Emmy Awards Winners

Best Comedy:Veep (HBO)

Best Actor, Comedy: Donald Glover, Atlanta (FX)

Best Actress, Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep(HBO)

Supporting Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Supporting Actress, Comedy: Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Directing for a Comedy Series: Donald Glover, Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) (FX)

Writing for a Comedy Series:Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe, Master of None (“Thanksgiving”) (Netflix) 

Best Drama:The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Best Actress, Drama: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Best Actor, Drama: Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (NBC)

Supporting Actor, Drama: John Lithgow, The Crown (Netflix) 

Supporting Actress, Drama: Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Writing for a Drama Series: Bruce Miller, The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred (Pilot)”) (Hulu)

Directing for a Drama Series: Reed Morano, The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred (Pilot)”) (Hulu)

Best Limited Series: Big Little Lies (HBO)

Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies (HBO)

Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie: Riz Ahmed, The Night Of (HBO)

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies (HBO)

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or a Movie: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies (HBO)

Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama: Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror: San Junipero (Netflix)

Directing For a Limited Series: Jean-Marc Vallée, Big Little Lies (HBO)

Reality Competition Program: The Voice (NBC)

Television Movie: Black Mirror: San Junipero (Netflix)

Variety Talk Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO) 

Variety Sketch Series: Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Directing for a Variety Series: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live (“Host: Jimmy Fallon”) 

Writing for a Variety Series: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)

 Source: New York Times

Sterling K. Brown was a surprise winner for Lead Actor In a Drama Series for his role in the Emmy nominated drama This Is Us.

Read More: Complete coverage of the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards

Brown, who won an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In Limited Series for his portrayal as Christopher Darden in FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, beat out fellow This Is Us actor Milo Ventimiglia, Anthony Hopkins (HBO's Westworld), Bob Odenkirk (AMC's Better Call Saul), Matthew Rhys (FX's The Americans), Liev Sherieber (Showtime’s Ray Donovan) and Kevin Spacey (Netflix's House Of Cards) for the statuette. 

Brown is the first African-American to win an Emmy in the category since Andre Braugher won in 1998 for his role in Homicide: Life on the Street. 

The big winners of the 2017 Emmy Awards nominations were HBO and Netflix with their combined 200+ nominations, along with shows like This Is Us, Westworld and Saturday Night Live.

Diversity also took center stage in Los Angeles during Thursday’s Emmy’s nominations program as a record number of actors of color received nominations for their outstanding performances on the small screen, from Emmy veterans like Viola Davis, Regina King and Anthony Anderson to newcomers like Snoop Dogg and Donald Glover.

Some of the top Emmy nominated shows also featured multiple nominations for actors of color. HBO’s Westworld drew a scripted series-high 22 nominations, including nominations for Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright for best supporting actress and actor in a drama, respectively.

Sterling K. Brown – who won an Emmy last year for his role in FX’s People v. O.J. Simpson – was nominated in the lead actor in a drama series category along with Ron Cephas Jones for best supporting actor in a drama and Brian Tyree Henry for guest drama actor for their roles in the 11-time Emmy nominated drama This Is Us.

Both Westworld and This Is Us were also nominated for best drama series.

Related: Strong Rookie Class Vies for Emmy Nods

The record number of Emmy nominations for actors of color comes despite some arguably glaring Emmy snubs. Voters for the major series and acting categories showed no love for HBO’s Insecure and its star Issa Rae or Oprah Winfrey’s performance in the pay service’s original movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – although the series is nominated in the best TV movie category. Also, last year’s Emmy winner in the best actor in a drama series category Rami Malek won’t be back to defend his title after not getting nominated for his starring role in USA’s Mr. Robot.

Still, there’s a lot for diversity champions to cheer about, even as a noticeable number of shows with lead actors of color are no longer on the air. Shows like Netflix’s The Get Down and Sense8, Fox’s Pitch, Hulu’s East Los High, WGN’s Underground, ABC’s American Crime and most recently NBC’s The Carmichael Show have all left broadcast, cable network and video streaming service lineups, taking with them some of the momentum the industry had been building with regards to showcasing diverse images and stories on screen.

As long as the industry continues to keep its focus on the inclusion of images and stories derived from a wide and diverse source of talented individuals, there will continue to be a large pool of deserving performances from which the TV academy can choose its best and brightest to honor.

Last night’s tearjerker episode of NBC’s freshman series This Is Us was a big hit on social media, generating more than 1.3 million interactions on Twitter and Facebook from more than 800,000 unique accounts, according to Nielsen’s daily social content ratings.

USA’s WWE SmackDown! series finished second with nearly 200,000 social media interactions, followed by MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, Fox News Channel’s Hannity and The CW’s The Flash, according to Nielsen.

NBCSN’s live coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks/Minnesota Wild National Hockey League game was the most social live sports telecast for the evening, generating more than 109,000 Facebook/Twitter interactions, said Nielsen.

RELATED: How 'Peak TV' is giving African-Americans more opportunities to be seen and heard on both sides of the camera

Scripted shows with predominately African-American casts are appealing to a wide range of viewers, according to a new Nielsen study.

Shows like ABC’s Black-ish, HBO’s Insecure and FX’s Atlanta and are all averaging more than 50% non-black viewership, according to Nielsen’s The 2016 Diverse Intelligence Series Report. Nearly 80% of comedy series Black-ish'saudience are viewers that are not African-American, while 61% of the Issa Rae-created comedy series Insecure’s audience represents non-black audienes, according to Nielsen.

Shows with ensemble casts also perform extremely well across audience groups including NBC’s freshman hit This Is Us, for which 89% of its audience is non-black, according to Nielsen. The series stars African-American actor Sterling K. Brown, who this past September won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s The People V. O.J. Simpson.

“Much of the American narrative lately has focused on a growing cultural divide. But Nielsen’s data on television programming show something different,” says Andrew McCaskill, Nielsen's Senior Vice President, Communications and Multicultural Marketing in a statement. “Storylines with a strong black character or identity are crossing cultural boundaries to grab diverse audiences and start conversations. That insight is important for culture and content creators, as well as manufacturers and retailers looking to create engaging, high-impact advertising campaigns.”

Last night’s premiere of BET’s The New Edition Story drew the most interactions on social media for any television show on Tuesday, accoding to Nielsen.

The show, the first of three episodes chronicling the exploits of legendary R&B music group New Edition, drew more than 2.1 million interactions across Facebook and Twitter from 936,000 unique social media accounts to easily top all TV shows airing yesterday, according to Nielsen's daily social content ratings report.

REVIEW: The New Edition Story

The New Edition Story’s final two episodes will air tonight and Thursday, according to BET.

NBC’s This Is Us drew 378,000 social media interactions, followed by USA Network’s WWE SmackDown! (177,000), MTV’s Teen Wolf (84,000) and The CW’s The Flash (67,000).

ESPN2’s live coverage of the Kansas/West Virginia college basketball game was the most social live sports event of the day, averaging 262,000 social media interactions, according to Nielsen.

Cable and streaming services dominated the 2017 Golden Globe Awards nominations announced Monday morning by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

HBO topped all content distributors with 14 nominations, followed by FX with nine. Streaming services Netlfix and Amazon garnered five nominations along with AMC and broadcast network ABC, according to the organization.  

RELATED:FX, HBO dominate Critics Choice Awards for TV

Cable and streaming services all but swept both the best drama and best comedy categories. Netflix’s The Crown and Stranger Things along with HBO’s Game Of Thrones and Westworld will compete against NBC’s freshman hit This Is Us for best drama honors, while FX’s freshman series Atlanta will go head to head in the best comedy category with last year’s winner Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon) as well as Transparent (Amazon) and Veep (HBO). ABC's Black-ish is the lone broadcast network nominee in the category.

Overall, FX’s limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story led all shows with five nominations, followed by AMC’s The Night Manager with four, according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The 2017 Golden Globes ceremony will air live on NBC on Sunday, Jan. 8. 

The Complete list of TV Golden Globe Nominations

Best Television Series – Drama

The Crown – Netflix

Game Of Thrones – HBO

Stranger Things – Netflix

This Is Us – NBC

Westworld – HBO

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) -- USA
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) -- AMC
Matthew Rhys (The Americans) – FX
Liev Scrieibler (Ray Donovan) – Showtime
Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath) -- Amazon

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe (Outlander) -- Starz
Claire Foy (The Crown) – Netflix
Keri Russell (The Americans) – FX
Winona Ryder (Stranger Things) – Netflix
Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) -- HBO

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Atlanta -- FX
Black-ish -- ABC
Mozart In The Jungle -- Amazon
Transparent -- Amazon
Veep – HBO

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) -- ABC
Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart In The Jungle) -- Amazon
Donald Glover (Atlanta) -- FX
Nick Nolte (Graves) – Epix
Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent) – Amazon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Rachel Bloom – (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) -- CW
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) -- HBO
Sarah Jessica Parker (Divorce) – HBO
Issa Rae (Insecure) -- HBO
Gina Rodriguez – (Jane The Virgin) -- CW
Tracy Ellis-Ross (Black-ish) – ABC

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

American Crime -- ABC

The Dresser -- Starz

The Night Manager -- AMC

The Night Of -- HBO

The People V. O.J. Simpson – FX

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Riz Ahmed (The Night Of) -- HBO
Bryan Cranston (All The Way) -- HBO
Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) -- AMC
John Turturro (The Night Of) -- AMC
Courtney B Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson) – FX

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Felicity Huffman (American Crime) – ABC

Riley Keough (The Girlfriend Experience) – Starz

Sarah Paulson (The People v. O.J. Simpson) – FX

Charlotte Rampling (London Spy) -- BBC America 

Kerry Washington (Confirmation) --  HBO

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made For Television

Olivia Colman (The Night Manager) -- AMC
Lena Heady (Game of Thrones) – HBO
Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) -- NBC
Mandy Moore (This Is Us) – NBC
Thandie Newton (Westworld) – HBO

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Sterling K Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson) -- FX
Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager) -- AMC
John Lithgow (The Crown) – Netflix
Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) – USA
John Travolta (The People v. O.J. Simpson) -- FX

The traditional one-hour family drama genre, once a staple of primetime TV lineups but in recent years pushed to the backburner by darker, more provocative drama projects, is once again beginning to find its footing with the recent success of two freshman series.

Hallmark Channel’s Chesapeake Shores finished its inaugural campaign last month as the most-watched original scripted series in the network’s history, while broadcaster NBC’s This Is Us has launched this past September as one of the most watched new series of the 2016-17 television season.

TUGGING AT HEARTS

The two shows, with their heart-tugging optimism and relationship-themed plotlines, are going against the grain of today’s most popular scripted series which offer a darker, more sinister and pessimistic view of human nature. Nevertheless, the shows are tapping into an underserved audience of both older and surprisingly young viewers looking for more positive and uplifting programming options, programming executives said.

“There are a lot of great television shows out there but many are darker and edgier and have a supernatural twist,” Hallmark Channel executive vice president of programming Michelle Vicary said. “That’s a great television experience on other networks, but we found that there’s an audience for family dramas, if you do it right.”

Hallmark’s multigenerational family drama Chesapeake Shores, based on a novel series by Sherryl Woods, averaged 2.7 million viewers on a Nielsen live-plus-3 basis during its 10- episode run that ended last month, making it the most-watched original scripted series in network history.

Chesapeake Shores also finished as one of Hallmark Channel’s youngestskewing series, drawing more 18-49 year old female viewers than its other scripted content. Vicary attributed that youth appeal to the strength of Woods’s book franchise, as well as the well-written characters and storylines.

“Chesapeake Shores has proven to us that there is a bigger audience across the board for family dramas than one might think,” she said.

This Is Us, which follows a family of three kids — two siblings and an adopted child with the same birthday — throughout their childhood and adult lives, is arguably the surprise hit of the new television season. Through five episodes, its installments have posted the five highest ratings number among all telecasts of the Big Four networks’ 10 first-year dramas so far this season, according to network officials. The Oct. 25 episode averaged a season-high 8.7 million viewers.

Amy Winter, executive vice president and general manager of family-targeted network UP, believes that the success of This Is Us shows there is an audience yearning for more family dramas.

UP, which this past summer rebranded its service to focus on family-themed programming and acquired the rights to such family-themed dramas as Parenthood, will debut in 2017 its own one-hour family drama, Date My Dad, about three daughters who look to support their widowed father by searching for a companion for him.

“While they do have a certain soapiness to them, I would say that some of the stickiest plotlines that you ever see out there do relate to love and family and relationships that exist within the family,” Winter said. “Usually at the center of those dramas are people that feel like family to you, and you want to root for, and you end up picking your favorites.”

CO-VIEWING APPEAL

Winter also said that the family-drama genre appeals to viewers at the older end of the millennial demographic, age 25-34, who are settling down with families and seeking programming they can identify with to watch along with their kids.

“Some of these noisier, darker high-concept shows are definitely in the zeitgeist right now, but shows like This Is Us are proof that when you have quality storytelling, word of mouth will travel and people will come to it,” Winter said. “There’s also a misperception that the cooler, edgier and darker you go, the more you capture the younger side of this audience, but the quality storytelling in these one-hour dramas goes beyond something that might be more gimmicky.”