Joss Whedon Wins Emmy Award for Dr. Horrible

Emmy-shunned Creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Wins Gold

Sep 15, 2009

Long overlooked, cult TV creator Joss Whedon takes home an Emmy for 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.'

Joss Whedon won an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program at the Creative Arts Emmy awards ceremony on September 12, 2009. Admirers of the cult TV creator have one thing to say: it's about time.

The Redheaded Step-Child: Genre Television

Genre television generally, and science-fiction specifically, is often overlooked by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' annual Emmy Awards. Joss Whedon is one of the marquee names in cult television, creating such fan favorites as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. He's currently in production on Dollhouse. Despite the significant impact Whedon has had on culture and television – Buffy became a break-out hit for The WB – he has been consistently overlooked by mainstream awards.

This is not specific to Whedon, however. The recent Battlestar Galactica TV show, while hailed by critics as one of the best dramas on television, has been generally snubbed from Emmy consideration, except in technical categories like visual effects, editing, and so on. Genre television simply isn't considered as award-worthy by Academy voters.

While it doesn't erase this trend, the win for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a step toward recognizing the merits of cult TV. Notably, Whedon's competition in the category consisted of Internet content related to programs already on air – Battlestar Galactica, The Daily Show, 30 Rock, and Lost, among others. Dr. Horrible was something original and fresh, a step toward working out the logistics of releasing programming on the Internet.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was entirely new, conceived during the 2007-2008 Writers Guild Strike and distributed online. Created by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, it starred Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. Whedon personally funded the project, reportedly spending just over $200,000. The cast and crew were not paid at the time and Whedon vowed to use the proceeds to compensate them. Blogging in November 2008, Whedon stated, "We've been able to pay our crew and all our bills."

The episodes were first distributed online, hosted on Hulu and ad-supported. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was split into three Acts, premiering online every other day starting July 15, 2008. In October of that year, the three episodes became available for purchase on iTunes. The DVD became available in December 2008, exclusively through Amazon. All episodes are currently free on Hulu.

Academy Recognition

The Dr. Horrible Emmy win represents the only real recognition of Whedon's work by the Academy. His sole previous Emmy nomination was for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Hush," which is astounding considering the show ran for seven seasons and had a significant impact on popular culture. Ironically, the episode for which Whedon was nominated has very little dialogue; Whedon wrote it in response to those who repeatedly said his signature witty dialogue was crucial to the series. That's precisely the kind of boldness his fans appreciate. In a medium more known for its formula – especially given TV's ubiquitous police procedurals, where every episode the bad guys are caught and order is restored – Whedon is one of the few voices who dares to mix it up.

Whedon's willingness to be different was never more apparent than in his Firefly TV series. A daring space western that aired on Fox, Firefly was plagued by network interference and ultimately canceled before all the produced episodes even aired. It found a second life on DVD – the Firefly DVDs became a big seller, enough to convince executives to greenlight a movie based on the series.

The Serenity movie, as distinguished from Firefly episode "Serenity," was theatrically released on September 30, 2005, grossing $25.5 million domestic and $13.3 million foreign; it didn't recoup its costs until the DVD release. Critical reception was mostly positive and rumors of a potential sequel abound, though Whedon continues to deny any plans are in the works.

Whedonesque: "The Clearinghouse for All Things Joss"

Whedon inspires adoration among his fans. Devotees of his work congregate at the unofficial fan and informational site, Whedonesque. Though he is unaffiliated with the site, Whedon posts there himself, sometimes breaking news about his various projects. Whedon's longtime collaborator, Tim Minear, also posts there. News outlets and academic papers commonly cite Whedonesque as a source.

"I've heard people say nice things about how we should get an award, and I work so very hard on this show that, of course, in my heart, I believe it, but I never expected that we would. You know, I think the Academy has proved itself kind of stodgy in the last couple of years." Whedon never did get that Emmy for Buffy. The win for Dr. Horrible is a small consolation, long overdue.

E! will air a shortened presentation of the Creative Arts Emmy awards ceremony on September 18, 2009. Read more at Joss Whedon: Master of Cult TV.

Update 11/23/09: Nikki Finke reports that Joss Whedon will be honored by The Producers Guild of America with the 2010 Vanguard Award, which recognizes achievements in new media and technology.

The copyright of the article Joss Whedon Wins Emmy Award for Dr. Horrible in Film/TV Industry is owned by Kimberly Shumway. Permission to republish Joss Whedon Wins Emmy Award for Dr. Horrible in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.