Winning an Emmy is basically a curse.
Think about it. You’ve got a show that starts out lean, hungry, and creatively daring. It hits the zeitgeist, the critics start swooning, and suddenly there’s a gold statue on the mantle. But that’s exactly where the trouble starts for an award winning television series. The pressure to maintain that prestige often turns a once-vibrant story into a bloated, self-serious version of itself.
It’s the "prestige trap."
The Myth of the Perfect Run
Most people think a pile of awards guarantees a show's quality stays high until the series finale. Honestly, it’s usually the opposite. Look at The Handmaid’s Tale. The first season was a powerhouse, cleaning up at the Emmys and defining the cultural conversation in 2017. It was tight, terrifying, and closely followed Margaret Atwood’s source material. But then it kept winning. And it kept going. By season four, the narrative had stretched so thin you could see right through it. The stakes felt repetitive.
When a show becomes an "award winner," the network doesn't want to let it go. They want to milk that prestige for a decade.
This leads to what critics call "circular storytelling." You’ve seen it. A character goes through a massive arc, learns a lesson, and then—because the show got renewed for three more seasons after a big win—they have to revert to their old self just to keep the plot moving. It's frustrating. It's also why many of the best shows in history, like The Wire, weren't actually big winners during their original runs. The Wire only ever received two Emmy nominations and zero wins. Yet, today, it’s considered the gold standard of the medium.
Why the "Peak" is Often a Precipice
There is a specific kind of gravity that hits a show after its first major sweep.
Take Schitt’s Creek. It’s a rare exception because they actually chose to end on their own terms right as they swept every major comedy category in 2020. That almost never happens. Usually, a win leads to a bigger budget, which leads to more "spectacle," which often kills the intimacy that made the show great in the first place.
Look at Game of Thrones.
By the time it was drowning in awards for its final seasons, the writing had shifted from intricate political maneuvering to big-budget CGI dragon fights. The awards were for the scale, not the soul. Fans felt the difference. The discrepancy between critical acclaim (awards) and audience satisfaction (Rotten Tomatoes scores) during those final years was staggering.
The Politics of the Trophy Room
We have to talk about how these shows actually get picked. It isn’t just about "the best." It’s about campaigning.
The "For Your Consideration" (FYC) industry is a multi-million dollar machine. Studios spend literal fortunes on billboards in Los Angeles, private screenings, and luxury gift bags for voters. An award winning television series isn't just a triumph of art; it’s a triumph of marketing.
- Voter Fatigue: Members of the Academy often stick with what they know. This is why you see the same five shows nominated for years on end, even when their quality has clearly dipped.
- The "Make-Up" Win: Sometimes a show wins for a mediocre season because the Academy feels guilty about snubbing a masterpiece season three years prior.
- Genre Bias: If you’re a sci-fi or horror show, good luck. Unless you’re The Last of Us or Stranger Things, the "prestige" voters tend to look down on anything with aliens or ghosts, preferring period dramas or gritty family dysfunction.
Breaking Down the "Succession" Effect
Succession is the quintessential modern example of an award winning television series that actually managed to hold onto its integrity. Why? Because Jesse Armstrong, the creator, understood that the show was about a very specific, finite cycle of abuse.
He didn't let the 13 Emmy wins for the final season tempt him into a fifth year.
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The show worked because it was claustrophobic. It was about people trapped in rooms saying horrible things to each other. If they had tried to "expand the universe" or do a spin-off immediately, the brand would have diluted. But that’s the exception. Usually, when a show like Grey’s Anatomy or The Bear starts winning, the pressure to "go big" is immense.
In The Bear's case, the second season actually managed to improve on the first, which is a statistical anomaly in the world of prestige TV. They leaned into character studies (like the "Forks" episode) rather than just more kitchen chaos. But even then, the debate rages: Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? The fact that it wins in the Comedy category at the Emmys while being one of the most stressful dramas on TV shows how broken the award system really is.
The "Discover" Factor: What Makes a Show Stick?
If you’re looking for your next binge, don't just look at the trophy count. Look at the "legs" of the show.
Does people still talk about it six months after the finale?
A true award winning television series should offer something beyond just high production values. It needs a "hook" that stays relevant. For Mad Men, it was the dissection of the American Dream. For The Sopranos, it was the subversion of masculinity.
If a show is winning awards just for "looking expensive," it’s going to be forgotten by the time the next awards cycle rolls around. You can usually tell a show is in trouble when the cinematography gets better but the dialogue gets worse. It’s like the producers are trying to distract you with pretty colors so you don't notice the plot holes.
Practical Advice for Navigating the "Golden Age"
Don't be a prestige snob. Some of the most rewarding television being made right now is happening in the "mid-tier"—shows that get solid reviews and decent viewership but don't necessarily have a shelf full of Emmys.
- Follow the Showrunners, Not the Network: If a writer you love (like Mike White or Phoebe Waller-Bridge) starts a new project, follow them. Their voice is more consistent than a network's "brand."
- Ignore the "Limited Series" Lie: Many shows are billed as limited series to increase their award chances (looking at you, Big Little Lies). If it was meant to be one season and they announce a second, be wary. The story was likely already told.
- Check the International Scene: The Emmys are very US-centric. Some of the best award winning television series are coming out of South Korea, the UK, and France. Squid Game broke through, but there are dozens of others like The Bureau or Extraordinary Attorney Woo that offer fresh perspectives without the Hollywood baggage.
- Watch the Pilot and the Penultimate Episode: If the tone shift is so jarring that it feels like a different show, it’s a sign that the "award winning" status forced the creators to change their DNA to stay relevant.
The Future of Prestige
We’re moving into an era where "awards" matter less than "engagement."
With the streaming wars in full swing, Netflix, HBO, and Apple TV+ are fighting for your eyeballs, not just a statue. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand, we get more experimental content. On the other, we get shows that are "engineered" to win awards—lots of slow-motion shots, acoustic covers of pop songs, and actors doing "transformation" roles where they wear prosthetics.
Don't fall for the bait.
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The best award winning television series are the ones that didn't care about winning in the first place. They were just trying to tell a story that felt true. When Ted Lasso first came out, it was a tiny underdog show about kindness. It won because people needed that. By season three, it felt like it was trying to live up to its "Best Comedy" title, and some of that magic evaporated.
Next Steps for Your Watchlist
To truly find quality, look for shows that ended before they were forced to. Seek out series with high "completion rates"—data usually leaked or reported in trades like Variety or The Hollywood Reporter—which show that audiences actually finished the story. Prioritize creators who have a track record of walking away, like Nathan Fielder or Michaela Coel. Finally, look at the "Technical" Emmy wins; often, the best shows are recognized for their editing or sound design long before the "Lead Actor" or "Best Drama" wins catch up. This is usually the best indicator of a show that is firing on all cylinders.