Home / Arts and Entertainment / Emmys' Best Movie Category Faces Existential Crisis
Emmys' Best Movie Category Faces Existential Crisis
19 Feb
Summary
- Emmy's Best Television Movie category renamed 'Best Movie' for 2026.
- Few qualifying telefilms have emerged for the upcoming Emmy eligibility period.
- Studios face new rules preventing Oscar-nominated films from Emmy consideration.
The Television Academy has renamed the Best Television Movie category to Best Movie, aiming to adapt to the evolving media landscape. However, this rebranding has not yet spurred increased submissions for the 2026 Emmy Awards eligibility period, which runs from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026. Current assessments reveal a limited number of telefilms qualifying, with Netflix appearing to host the majority of these potential contenders.
Stricter eligibility rules now prevent films from competing in both the Oscars and Emmys. Projects that are submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and receive an Oscar nomination are ineligible for Emmy consideration. This policy change, alongside the Academy's established practice of disregarding a project's development history, impacts which films can contend for the Best Movie Emmy.
Historically, the Best Movie category has seen fluctuating interest and rule changes. A minimum running time of 75 minutes was introduced in 2019 after a Black Mirror episode won despite its shorter duration. Recent Emmy winners have sometimes been met with surprise, and many nominees in this category are now sequels or new installments of existing franchises, though these often lose to original stories.
