The writing team behind the recently canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert decided to get creative and launch their own For Your Consideration Emmy ad.
The group posted on social media a homemade FYC video (watch it below). “CBS is not doing an Emmys campaign for us, so ‘for strictly financial reasons’ the @colbertlateshow writers made our own For Your Consideration video,” wrote Late Show writer Felipe Torres Medina (as first reported by LateNighter).
The reality is a bit more complicated. CBS has aired FYC ads in New York and Los Angeles supporting the show in general (if not specifically for the outstanding writing for a variety series category). Plus, CBS took out a FYC ad for The Late Show on The Hollywood Reporter‘s site, with a link going to a page that listed all the writers. Sources say that CBS has historically purchased Emmy campaigns for the show, just not specifically for the writing team.
Colbert’s team has been nominated for outstanding writing for a variety series nearly every year of its run, but hasn’t won. The Late Show enjoyed its first outstanding talk series win last year in the wake of CBS announcing the show would end its 10-year run.
As for the impromptu FYC ad, the video reads, “From the writers who brought you The Late Show with Stephen Colbert this summer comes … ‘We’d Love an Emmy.'” The video is styled like the opening credits of a 1980s sitcom and introduces each of the show’s (many) writers one by one. The video concludes with a photo of a young Colbert and the words, “and introducing Stephen T. Colbert as ‘Da Boss.'”
The “strictly financial reasons” phrase noted above is a jab at CBS’ statement last year when the company explained it was canceling the show “for purely financial reasons.” At the time, the line was considered a rather dubious claim given Colbert’s penchant for criticizing the Trump administration and CBS parent company Paramount Global seeking regulatory approval for its merger with Skydance.
The TV Academy will announce the nominees for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on July 8.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day