Voter Tune-Up: Charting the Emmy Nominees in the Music Races

This year’s Emmy music races are chock-full of first-timers, surprising choices and maddening statistics.

For example: Thomas and Julia Newman, who scored “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” are father and daughter, an Emmy first for a composing duo. Mick Giacchino, nominated for “The Penguin,” is the son of Emmy-winning “Lost” composer Michael Giacchino.

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Film-scoring legend Hans Zimmer, who already has two Oscars and four Grammys, could finally win an Emmy (in his seventh time at bat) for his music for the documentary “The Americas.” Also, longtime “Cobra Kai” composers Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson are finally nominated for the series’ sixth and final season.

“Saturday Night Live” veterans Adam Sandler and Kristen Wiig could finally win an Emmy for songs they’ve co-written. And “White Lotus” composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer was nominated twice more in the aftermath of a very public spat with showrunner Mike White over how his music was treated.

Despite progress in many other show-biz arenas, women constituted only nine (or 16%) of the 55 composers nominated in Emmy’s seven music categories (down from 12 last year). Thirteen, or 24%, however, are people of color, up from nine last year.

Nearly one-third, or 18 of the 55, are first-timers to the competition. But an almost identical number, 17, have won before.

The Television Academy’s Music Peer Group now numbers approximately 750, and many lament the impossibility of watching the hundreds of shows entered (this year, 480 scores, songs, themes, music direction and music supervision entries).

That may account for the fact that of the 21 nominees in the four music composition categories, more than half were scores or themes from shows that were also nominated for outstanding drama, comedy, limited series or documentary—in other words, popular programs seen by most voters.

But there were exceptions: the music nominations for “Based on a True Story,” “Dept. Q,” “Lazarus,” “Leonardo Da Vinci,” “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” and “Your Friends & Neighbors” constituted the only Emmy Awards attention received by those programs.

Final round voting takes place Aug. 18-27, and the winners will be announced during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 6 and 7.

Following is a rundown of all the nominees, including the Primetime Emmy record of each nominee and a brief comment about the style, content or vibe of the music.

Music Composition for a Series

Andor (Disney+)
Brandon Roberts
One Emmy
episode “Who Are You”
Elegiac orchestra and choir for Ghorman massacre

Based on a True Story (Peacock)
Sherri Chung
First nomination
episode “Relapse”
Strings and percussion balance comedic with suspense

Cobra Kai (Netflix)
Leo Birenberg, Zach Robinson
One Emmy for each
episode “Blood In Blood Out”
High-energy orchestra, Asian percussion, synths

Severance (Apple TV+)
Theodore Shapiro
One win, two nominations
episode “Cold Harbor”
Mix of atmospheric and dissonant piano and strings

The Studio (Apple TV+)
Antonio Sánchez
First nomination
episode “The Missing Reel”
Drums-percussion-piano based music for noir sendup

The White Lotus (HBO)
Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Three wins, one more nomination
episode “Amor Fati”
Evocative voices and percussion for Thailand setting

Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special

Black Mirror (Netflix)
Ariel Marx
One nomination
episode “Hotel Reverie”
1940s orchestral noir for classic-thriller remake

Black Mirror (Netflix)
Daniel Pemberton
Two nominations
episode “USS Callister: Into Infinity”
Massive orchestra, electronics for complex cloning tale

Dying for Sex (FX)
Ariel Marx
One nomination
episode “It’s Not That Serious”
Unusual collection of sounds for Molly’s death

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Thomas Newman, Julia Newman
One win for Thomas, first nomination for Julia
episode “Spree”
Eerie voices, piano, synth sounds for murder scene

The Penguin (HBO)
Mick Giacchino
First nomination
episode “After Hours”
Intense passages for strings, “trash-can” percussion

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (Hulu)
Kathryn Bostic
One nomination
Best friends weather life’s storms together
Warm piano and strings for enduring friendships

Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special

The Americas (NBC)
Hans Zimmer, Anze Rožman, Kara Talve
Six noms for Zimmer, two for Rožman, three for Talve
episode “Andes”
Detailed orchestral writing for family-oriented nature doc

Chef’s Table (Netflix)
Duncan Thum, David Bertok
Two noms for Thum, first for Bertok
Profile of innovative Spanish chef Jose Andres
Strings, guitar, piano gently convey Spanish flavors

Leonardo Da Vinci (PBS)
Caroline Shaw
First nomination
Ken Burns film on 15th-century genius
Classically styled string quartet, percussion, vocal ensemble

Planet Earth: Asia (BBC America)
Jacob Shea, Laurentia Editha
Two noms for Shea, first for Editha
episode “Beneath the Waves”
Unique Asian colors and orchestra for David Attenborough doc

Super / Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (HBO Max)
Ilan Eshkeri
First nomination
Profile of “Superman” star, later paralyzed
Inspirational themes played by London orchestra

Music Direction

The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show (Fox)
Kendrick Lamar, Tony Russell
One win for Lamar, first nom for Russell
Most-viewed halftime show in TV history
Lamar, SZA, Serena Williams, Mustard among performers

The Kennedy Center Honors
Rickey Minor
Three winds, 14 other noms
Bonnie Raitt, Francis Ford Coppola, Arturo Sandoval among honorees
Emmylou Harris, Savion Glover, Sheryl Crow among performers

The Oscars (ABC)
Michael Bearden
Two nominations
97th annual Academy Awards ceremony
Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo sing opening “Wicked” number

SNL 50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann
One win for Brueggemann, six noms each for Pickett, Pendarvis
“Saturday Night Live” 50th season celebration
Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus, Adam Sandler, Paul McCartney perform

SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)
James Poyser, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
First nomination for each
“Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary music special
Jack White, Cher, Jelly Roll, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga perform

Music and Lyrics

Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
One win for each; four other noms for Robert, three for Kristen
Song “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road”
Witches’ chant recurs in multiple forms throughout miniseries

Andor (Disney+)
Nicholas Britell, Tony Gilroy
One win for Britell, one nom for Gilroy
Song “We Are the Ghor”
Anthem for planet Ghorman, under siege by Empire

The Boys (Prime Video)
Christopher Lennertz
Two nominations
Song “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas”
Satirical holiday-on-ice song mocks fake morality

SNL 50: The Anniversary Special
Adam Sandler, Dan Bulla
Five noms each for Sandler, Bulla
Song “Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years”
Sandler reviews half-century of “SNL” follies

Will & Harper (Netflix)
Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig, Josh Greenbaum
12 noms for Wiig, first noms for Douglas and Greenbaum
Song “Harper and Will Go West”
Wiig sings lighthearted ballad for cross-country road trip

Main Title Theme Music

Dept. Q (Netflix)
Carlos Rafael Rivera, Scott Frank
Three wins for Rivera, two wins for Frank
Emotionally scarred detective heads cold-case unit
Muscular theme for guitars with subtle Scottish colors

Dune: Prophecy (HBO)
Volker Bertelmann
First nomination
Prequel series focuses on origins of Bene Gesserit
Moody mix of ancient and modern musical sounds

Lazarus (Adult Swim)
Kamasi Washington
One nomination
Futuristic Japanese anime thriller
Upbeat jazz track features saxophone, strings, choir

The Residence (Netflix)
Mark Mothersbaugh
Two nominations
Detective probes murder at White House dinner
Ominous piano and strings for brief animated opening

The White Lotus (HBO)
Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Three wins, one additional nomination
Third season visits Thailand wellness resort
Dance-like piece for voices, accordion, saw u (Thai violin)

Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV+)
Dominic Lewis, Hamilton Leithauser
First nomination for both
Fired financier struggles to maintain rich lifestyle
Leithauser sings about “keeping up with the Joneses”

Music Supervision

Hacks (HBO Max)
Matt Biffa
One win
episode “I Love L.A.”
Queen on soundtrack; Randy Newman guests

The Last of Us (HBO)
Evyen Klean, Ian Broucek, Scott Hanau
One win for Klean, one nom each for Broucek, Hanau
episode “The Price”
Joel assembles a guitar for Ellie, sings “Future Days”

The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)
DeVoe Yates, Gabe Hilfer
One win for Hilfer, first nom for Yates
episode “You Hurled Me into the Depths…”
Megan Mullally, as Lori Milsap, performs at telethon

Severance (Apple TV+)
George Drakoulias
First nomination
episode “Cold Harbor”
Songs by Alan Parsons Project, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé

The Studio (Apple TV+)
Gabe Hilfer
One win, one other nomination
episode “The Promotion”
Tommy Dorsey, Dave Brubeck tracks punctuate humor

The White Lotus (HBO)
Gabe Hilfer
One win, one other nomination
episode “Same Spirits, New Forms”
Thai songs by Carabao, Charan Manophet set mood

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