It felt like the moment after “retirement.” That’s how CE-CEOS Chris Rice and Graham Taylor, for their fifth season, woke up to the news in July that the Apple TV+ drama was at the top of the leaderboards for this year’s Emmy Awards Derby.
“It was surreal. It could have felt like a ‘retirement’ moment,” Rice said in the latest episode of the “Daily Variety” podcast. “Obviously we wanted some love, but we didn’t imagine what had happened. 27 (nominations) is an unimaginable number for us. So we were very pleased, very grateful and happy with all the incredible people who made the show.
Taylor adds that the blossoming of “retirement” as a lively show in pop culture paid him a big dividend for the fifth season and personally.
“It’s great to see Chris, me and our colleagues, in a world where we long, strive and pursue original storytelling, being accepted and supported by critics and fans.” “And certainly, my status on the soccer team of my 12-year-old daughter, I definitely have raised one notch. They’ll give me a much fewer tent.”
Rice highlights Taylor’s point by highlighting that more than two dozen Emmy Award nominations offer more than bragging.
“From day one, the fifth season is set to have a truly original story and is trying to create a place where the author has the best creatives at home to create original and unique films and TV shows,” says Rice. “And having that kind of success with one of them clearly helps people to do business with us and create a place where the best people want to come and work. That’s all for us.”
Taylor and Rice have evolved to sell from part of their efforts to CJ ENM in early 2022 on the trajectory of the past eight seasons, giving CO-CEOs a highly experienced producer and seller and plenty of insight into how to build an effective organization.
“Personally, I found myself always annoyed when dealing with studios where they felt very silent because I had experience on the other side. People in the film didn’t talk to people on TV. “It was really important that people are in a very supportive, very entrepreneurial environment where people can be empowered. You have to find great people and you really have to trust and empower them.”
Also in today’s episode, Variety’s TV editor Michael Schneider discusses a recent column where he offers bold proposals to the TV academy as he prepares to negotiate a new Emmy Award TV rights deal. For the past 30 years, the Emmys have revolved annually between ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, and have become known as “The Wheel Deal.” Schneider proposes another approach to the next contract that will take effect in 2027.
“Why not give everyone an Emmy and follow the model that actually took place pretty effectively at charity events,” says Schneider. “Usually, when there is a major disaster, there is a charity event that follows, and every network and every streamer runs that charity event. It’s called a roadblock. Why are you celebrating it on the most important broadcast of the TV year?”
Schneider notes that he ran the idea and gave a thumbs up past Maury McIntyre, president and CEO of the TV Academy.
“I sprinkled some ideas on TV academies, perhaps, would sit down with their network partners and start hashing what this new deal would look like,” Schneider says.
(Photo: “Resignation”)
Listen to variety every day on iHeartPodcasts, Apple Podcasts, Variety’s YouTube Podcast Channel, Amazon Music, Spotify and other podcast platforms.
