When HBO made the decision to submit True Detective as a Drama Series, and not a Miniseries as expected, at the Emmys, they made themselves vulnerable to criticism for those who care way too much about award shows. One such person is John Landgraf, who at least has the excuse of, y’know, being the CEO of FX Networks and all. He had some not-so-nice, won’t-somebody-please-think-of-the-Matthew-Rhys things to say about HBO at FX’s upfront presentation earlier today.
“I don’t think it’s cynical to enter AHS as a miniseries,” [Landgraf] said. “I don’t look at it that way. The definition should be a miniseries has a story that ends, a series has a story that continues on.”
Landgraf argued that limited series have the advantage to attract bigger-caliber actors, like True Detective‘s Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, as well as Billy Bob Thornton who toplines FX’s limited series Fargo. “It’s unfair for HBO to get actors that you can’t normally get to do a series who would do a close-ended show and pack the (drama actor) category. That is patently unfair to people like (The Americans’) Matthew Rhys who signed for seven years.” Right now, TV Academy defines shows like AHS and True Detective as having “dual eligibility,” with the series producers left to decide in which of the two categories they are eligible for they would compete. (Via)
HBO’s response:
My advice to Landgraf: worry about it next year, when Breaking Bad doesn’t win every award, anyway.
