The 77th Emmys Awards aired Sept. 14, but did anyone at Oak Park High School even notice? While stars were accepting trophies and giving tearful speeches, students were busy doing homework, scrolling on TikTok or watching anything but the acclaimed award show.
There were certainly some huge noteworthy moments, such as Adolescence taking home six wins, and star Owen Cooper becoming the youngest male winner in any acting category in history. The Studio won for being an outstanding comedy series, The Pitt won for being a remarkable drama series, and The Traitors won for their outstanding reality competition program. There was also a mix of surprises, fashion moments and controversial speeches, but none of it seemed to be enough to grab teen attention, especially among students at OPHS.
“Wait, the Emmys were yesterday? I literally had no idea,” junior Belana Belotsky said.
While awards shows like the Emmys are often promoted through traditional media channels such as TV, entertainment press or mainstream media, they seem to have not penetrated teen circles. Many were left completely unbeknownst of the event’s occurrence.
Even for those who were aware, they resorted to recaps and social media instead of taking the time to sit through the live broadcast.
“Three hours just watching an award show is way too much,” freshman Tyler Campbell said.
“I didn’t care who won, but I watched a few clips about it on TikTok,” senior Jaci Chung said.
The drop in interest seems to reflect how teens get their information in our current age. According to World Press Institute, about 51% of Gen-Z teens get their news from social media feeds. Students no longer have the time nor attention span to spend hours watching an award show, especially when it is so easy to find out through short clips online.
Regardless of the apathy around watching the Emmy’s, there were some takeaways that caught teen attention and have caused a spur amongst social media.
Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel, stars of Netflix’s Gilmore Girls, reunited for their 25th anniversary on stage in a Stars Hollow porch set. They presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, making their first public appearance together since 2017.
“I love Gilmore Girls, and seeing them together at the Emmys was pretty special,” junior Carly Hoffman said.
Further, Owen Cooper’s win at only 15-years-old had to have been the biggest talk of the entire night. Seeing how such a young person could win in a competitive category, especially against his own co-star Ashley Walters, inspired young viewers to reach their own goals.
“I was so happy to see that Owen won because I watched a few episodes of Adolescence and to see his talent and gift for acting at such a young age get recognized was so inspiring,” junior Katie Comparato said.
Some students think it possible for the Emmys to win back their viewership, but only if they make some much-needed changes.
“If they made it shorter and more fun, maybe I would watch,” Campbell said.
“I mean I do think it is really cool to see some of my favorite shows highlighted, so yeah I would love if the Emmys could become something more relatable to teens. Then I would watch,” Comparato said.
One thing is clear: The Emmys are losing their teens, and here at OPHS, we don’t even know enough about the award show to care. The Emmys need to work to get teens to tune in, or else it may be time to change the channel.
