LOS ANGELES — Last year, when Sheryl Lee Ralph scored the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy for ABC's "Abbott Elementary," the occurrence was unique — and not just because she sang a Dianne Reeves tune from the stage upon accepting it. It was the only acting, directing or series award, in the comedy, drama and limited series/TV movie divisions, won by a network TV show. Streamers — HBO/HBO Max (R.I.P.), Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video — took all the rest. Even the guest actor prizes.
And it's no fluke. No network series has won best comedy since "Modern Family's" last triumph, in 2014. No basic cable show has won drama series since AMC's "Breaking Bad" last did it, in 2014 — and no network show has pulled it off since Fox's "24" in 2006.
Especially in an industry that can be slow to accept change — and which, until 1988, didn't even allow non-network or syndicated programming to compete for Emmys — it represents a staggering shift. In the course of a decade, streaming has remade the ferocious competition for Emmys and Oscars. And as they've come to dominate the nominations and awards, the streamers have done more than transform the nature of awards campaigns. They've shaped what an award-winning film or TV show looks like.
