SO HULK RARELY USES THIS PLATFORM TO BE ALL INSIDER-Y, BUT EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE IT SEEMS RIGHT. SO LET'S TALK EMMYS.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE PEOPLE WHO VOTE IN THE EMMYS ARE ALL APPROVED INDUSTRY PEOPLE. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? WELL, HULK FOR ONE. BUT THE BIGGEST BLOC OF EMMY VOTERS BY FAR ARE PEOPLE WORKING FOR SPECIFIC NETWORKS (AND PLEASE KEEP IN MIND YOU HAVE TO PAY TO BE IN THE ACADEMY AND THE GREAT THING IS THAT NETWORKS WILL OFTEN PAY YOUR FEE). THE NEXT BIGGEST GROUP OF PEOPLE WOULD BE THOSE WHO WORK FOR SPECIFIC SHOWS. AND GUESS WHAT IS TRUE FOR BOTH OF THESE BLOCS OF PEOPLE?

YOU GET TO VOTE FOR YOUR OWN SHOWS.

YUP. THAT'S RIGHT. NO BIAS THERE AT ALL, BUT THERE'S A DETAIL WHICH IS MORE PROBLEMATIC: THE NETWORKS / SHOWS WITH THE BIGGEST STAFFS / CREWS, ETC. HAVE A HUGE, HUGE ADVANTAGE WHEN IT COMES TO EMMY VOTING. THEY SIMPLY HAVE THE MOST PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR THEIR STUFF.

FOR INSTANCE, WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT HBO PUTS OUT SOME TRULY WONDERFUL TELEVISION, BUT DID YOU KNOW THEY EMPLOY THE MOST PEOPLE BY FAR? THEIR NUMBERS QUADRUPLE OTHER NETWORKS BECAUSE OF THEIR UNIQUE MODEL. SO, YES, THEY HAVE THE BIGGEST SINGLE CHUNK OF EMMY VOTERS TOO. WHICH MEANS IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT WHEN JEFF DANIELS (AN INCREDIBLE ACTOR OF COURSE) WALKS AWAY WITH EMMY GOLD INSTEAD OF BRYAN CRANSTON OR JON HAMM. THE NEXT BIGGEST GROUP OF VOTERS IS THOSE WHO WORK FOR THE MAJOR BROADCAST NETWORKS, WHICH OFTEN MAKE A DECENT SHOWING, ESPECIALLY IN COMEDY CATEGORIES. AND WHEN YOU COMPARE THE AMOUNT OF THESE VOTERS TO THE STAFFS AT, SAY, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX OR FX OR AMC (WHO RUN LEAN STAFFS PER CORPORATE MANDATE). THIS DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T WIN. BUT IT DOES MEAN THEY ARE AT A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE WHEN IT COMES TO A "BASE VOTE" LIKE THE OTHERS. THEY ONLY GOT A PUNCHER'S CHANCE.

OF COURSE, IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT THAT EVERY YEAR ALL THESE NETWORKS ARE IN A RACE TO GET THE MOST NEW PEOPLE APPROVED FOR EMMY VOTING. AT TIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT GETS DOWNRIGHT CROOKED (HULK'S SEEN ENOUGH LIES ON APPLICATIONS TO MAKE YOUR JAW DROP). AND IT ALL MATTERS SO MUCH BECAUSE THERE AREN'T A HUGE TOTAL AMOUNT OF VOTERS. AND UNLIKE THE OSCARS, THERE IS A MUCH SMALLER ELDERLY VOTING BLOC (PER THE RULES ABOUT FEES AND INDUSTRY APPROVAL). PLUS, ALL VOTERS ARE ON THE HONOR SYSTEM ABOUT ACTUALLY WATCHING THESE SHOWS AND HULK KNOWS MOST VOTERS DON'T WATCH EVERYTHING. COUPLE THIS WITH THE FACT THAT YOU NEED TO PAY FEES IN ORDER TO NOMINATE PEOPLE / SHOWS / GROUPS OF PEOPLE AND THEN THE RESULTS MAKE EVEN MORE SENSE.

AND YES, THIS SYSTEM CAN ACCOUNT FOR YOUR PERSONAL TASTE AND YOU CAN TOTALLY VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE, BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF THEIR WORK SO MOST EVERYONE WILL VOTE FOR THE PERSON IN THEIR NETWORK / SHOW.

BUT REALLY, THE WHOLE THING IS NOT MEANT TO REFLECT ANY KIND OF ACCURATE APPRAISAL.

IT IS MEANT TO REFLECT THOSE THAT HAVE THE MOST SUPPORT.

* * *

BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T MEANT TO KNOCK THOSE WHO WIN EMMYS. WINNING THE AWARD IS GREAT HONOR. WINNING AN EMMY, OR BEING NOMINATED, OR EVEN BEING IN THE POSITION TO BE NOMINATED TAKES AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK. HULK CANNOT TELL YOU HOW AMAZING AT YOUR CRAFT YOU HAVE TO BE TO BE THROWN INTO THAT CONVERSATION. FORGET THE BIG CATEGORIES, IT'S TRUE OF EVERY LEVEL (THE NON-BIG AWARDS ARE MUCH MORE SPECIALIZED FOR ALLOWED VOTERS AND OFTEN FAR LESS BIASED). SO IT'S ALL AN AMAZING THING AND SOMETHING TO IMMENSELY BE PROUD OF.

BUT AS VIEWERS, SITTING AT HOME, WHAT WE CAN'T DO IS GET ALL BENT OUT OF SHAPE ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS SO OBVIOUSLY RIDICULOUSLY SKEWED. WE JUST HAVE TO BE HAPPY FOR THOSE WE LIKE AND ALSO BE HAPPY FOR THOSE WE DON'T LIKE AS MUCH.

BECAUSE THERE IS NO ONE GETTING ROBBED. THERE IS NO ONE WHO IS A VICTIM OF INJUSTICE. THERE IS JUST A FLAWED VOTING SYSTEM THAT YOU CAN'T HELP. SO LET US JUST APPRECIATE THOSE WHO ARE HONORED AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT.

HAPPY VIEWING.

<3 HULK