The Emmy Music Races: Sizing Up the Competition in Seven Categories

This year’s Emmy competition in the music categories is generating more excitement than usual. That’s because the results could yield two new EGOT winners and a first-ever Emmy for veteran film composer Hans Zimmer.

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul—already Oscar winners for “La La Land” and Tony and Grammy winners for “Dear Evan Hansen”—could finally claim the last piece of the EGOT puzzle if their song “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” from “Only Murders in the Building” (co-written with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman) wins for best song.

Zimmer, who already has two Oscars (for “The Lion King” and “Dune”) and four Grammys (for “The Dark Knight,” “Crimson Tide” and two for “Lion King”), could finally nab TV’s top honor for one or more of his nominations, for “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” (score for a limited series and best song, both with Kara Talve) or “Planet Earth III” (documentary score, with Jacob Shea and Sara Barone).

Seventeen nominees, or exactly one-third of the total number of 51, are first-timers to the competition. Nine of those are in the music composition categories, including the composers of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Palm Royale,” “Shogun,” “Silo,” “Slow Horses,” “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” “Beckham” and “Planet Earth III.”

Only 12 of this year’s nominees, however, or less than one-fourth, are women. That includes four in the composition categories, three more in songwriting and five in music supervision.

The Television Academy’s 600-member Music Peer Group continues to wrestle with the impossibly large number of entries, however: this year, 475 in the seven music categories, just too many to view and evaluate during the four-week nomination-round period. So, in many cases, members chose nominees from among the most popular shows.

Of the 22 nominees in the four music composition categories, nearly two-thirds were scores or themes from shows that were also nominated for outstanding comedy, drama, limited series or documentary. But there were exceptions: the music nominations for “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” “Lawmen,” “Rock Hudson” and “The Kennedy Center Honors” were the only ones those programs received.

Nods for traditional broadcast networks continued to decline. Only six of the 38 nominated shows were from NBC, ABC or CBS and curiously, all five nominees in the music direction category aired on the networks. The sixth was for a song on “Saturday Night Live,” the first “SNL” nod in that category since 2019.

Winners will be announced as part of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies on Sept. 7 and 8.

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

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video) David Fleming First nominations (two this year) Episode “First Date” Synths plus unusual instruments including kalimba

Shōgun (FX)
Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba
One win for Atticus Ross; first noms for Leopold, Chuba
Episode “Servants of Two Masters”
Traditional Japanese sounds processed and adapted into score

Silo (Apple TV+)
Atli Örvarsson
First nom
Episode “Freedom Day”
Rare magnetic resonator piano lends ancient-technology feel

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Daniel Pemberton, Toydrum
One prior nom for Pemberton, first for Toydrum
Episode “Strange Games”
Offbeat, wonky sounds propel fast-paced spy series

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

Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+)
Chanda Dancy
First nomination
Episode: Part I
Orchestral backdrop for Arkansas slave-turned-U.S. marshal

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Carlos Rafael Rivera
Two wins, one other nom
Episode “Book of Calvin”
Warm piano and strings for Calvin’s backstory

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Peacock)
Kara Talve, Hans Zimmer
Second nom for Talve, three prior noms for Zimmer
Episode 1
Evocative violin, cello, vintage piano for heart-wrenching drama

Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO Max)
Marc Shaiman
One win, 11 other noms
Profile of respected comedian and filmmaker
Lightly jazzy, retro-sounding small-combo sound

Beckham (Netflix)
Anze Rožman, Camilo Forero
Second nom for Rožman, first for Forero
Episode “Seeing Red”
Neo-classical score frames British football hero

Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
David Fleming
First nominations, two this year
Profile of Muppets creator
Mix of whimsy, warmth, energy reflects Henson’s personality

Planet Earth III (BBC America)
Jacob Shea, Sara Barone, Hans Zimmer
Three previous noms for Zimmer, one for Shea, first for Barone
Episode “Extremes”
Hybrid symphonic-electronic-choral soundscape for nature doc

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (HBO Max)
Laura Karpman
One win, six other noms
Profile of gay movie and TV star
Cool jazz score helps evoke ’50s-’60s period in Hollywood

Music Direction

The 46th Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
Rickey Minor
Two wins, 13 other nominations
Billy Crystal, Dionne Warwick, Queen Latifah among honorees
Cynthia Erivo, Missy Elliott, Little Big Town, Michael Bublé perform

Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC)
Fred Armisen, Eli Janney
14 previous noms for Armisen; first for Janney
Feb. 26 episode celebrating 10th anniversary
Amy Poehler, President Joe Biden guests

The Oscars (ABC)
Rickey Minor
Two wins, 13 other nominations
96th annual Academy Awards ceremony
Billie Eilish, Ryan Gosling, Jon Batiste, Becky G among performers

2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (ABC)
Adam Blackstone, Don Was, Omar Edwards
One win each for Blackstone, Was; one nom for Edwards
George Michael, Spinners, Willie Nelson inducted
Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood among performers

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann
One win for Brueggemann; five noms each for Pickett, Pendarvis
April 13 episode with Ryan Gosling
Gosling sings about Ken; Chris Stapleton performs

Music and Lyrics

Girls5eva (Netflix)
Sara Bareilles
Three prior nominations
Song “The Medium Time”
Reunited girl group performs live at Radio City Music Hall

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
One win for Shaiman; three noms for Wittman; one for Pasek, Paul
Song “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?”
Steve Martin sings clever patter song in Broadway musical

Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Eli Brueggemann, Maya Rudolph, Auguste White, Mike DiCenzo, Jake Nordwind
Five wins for Rudolph, one for Brueggemann; 5 noms for DiCenzo, 2 Nordwind, 1 White
Song “Maya Rudolph’s Mother’s Day Monologue”
Rudolph sings, dances Madonna-style salute to moms

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Peacock)
Kara Talve, Hans Zimmer, Walter Afanasieff, Charlie Midnight
One prior nom for Talve, three for Zimmer; first for Afanasieff, Midnight
Song “Love Will Survive”
Barbra Streisand performs gentle ballad for final episode

True Detective: Night Country (HBO Max)
John Hawkes
First nom
Song “No Use”
Hawkes, as Deputy Hank Prior, sings and plays guitar

Main Title Theme Music

Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
Thomas Newman
One win, two other noms
Writer’s troubled relations with wealthy NYC socialites
Chattering piano, rich strings for Upper East Side setting

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Carlos Rafael Rivera
Two wins, one other nom
Scientist becomes cooking-show host in early ’50s
Warm strings, piano, flute for colorful science-based titles

Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)
Blake Neely
One win, five other noms
World War II Air Force drama
Stirring orchestral and choral Americana for heroic airmen

Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
Jeff Toyne
First noms (two this year)
Social-climber dramedy set in 1969 South Florida
Lighthearted, Latin-flavored orchestra for pastel titles

Shōgun (FX)
Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba
One win for Atticus Ross; first noms for Leopold, Chuba
Shipwrecked sailor tries to survive in 17th-century Japan
Japanese instruments plus synths, big drums introduce feudal setting

Music Supervision

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Catherine Grieves
Second nomination
Episode 4
Songs by Nilsson, Donovan, Jethro Tull

Fallout (Prime Video)
Trygge Toven
First nomination
Episode “The End”
Songs by Nat King Cole, Johnny Cash, Connie Conway

Fargo (FX)
Maggie Phillips
First nomination
Episode “The Tragedy of the Commons”
Songs by Yes, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ralph Stanley

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Jen Malone
Three previous noms
Episode “A Breakup”
Songs by Brittany Howard, Suicide, Bonnie Banane

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Bruce Gilbert, Lauren Marie Mikus
First nom for both
Episode “Grab Your Hankies”
Meryl Streep and cast rehearse Oliver’s musical

True Detective: Night Country (HBO Max)
Susan Jacobs
One win
Episode: Part 4
Songs by Billie Eilish, Mazzy Star, Moby