--- title: Emmys 2014: Data Suggests the Award Show Doesn't Matter description: A new study claims fewer than one in 10 Americans are more inclined to watch a series because it has won an Emmy Award canonical: https://time.com/3182259/emmys-2014-data-relevance/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-26T21:24:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:49.261Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Emmys 2014: Data Suggests the Award Show Doesn't Matter og:description: A new study claims fewer than one in 10 Americans are more inclined to watch a series because it has won an Emmy Award og:url: https://time.com/3182259/emmys-2014-data-relevance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82d7c046baddd8f4/6986a106810bbbadebc932cc/jim-parsons-emmys-2014.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Jim Parsons accepts his trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Emmys 2014: Data Suggests the Award Show Doesn't Matter twitter:description: A new study claims fewer than one in 10 Americans are more inclined to watch a series because it has won an Emmy Award twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82d7c046baddd8f4/6986a106810bbbadebc932cc/jim-parsons-emmys-2014.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Data Suggests That the Emmys Actually Don't Matter At All > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: The 2014 Emmys in 75 Seconds [Watch (HLS stream): The 2014 Emmys in 75 Seconds](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dzhliUjO.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2014-08-26. The 2014 Emmys in 75 Seconds_ by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 26, 2014 9:24 PM UTC  A familiar—if unwelcome—sight for Emmys viewers. A familiar—if unwelcome—sight for Emmys viewers.Michael Tran—FilmMagic by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 26, 2014 9:24 PM UTC On Monday night’s Emmy Awards, _The Big Bang Theory_‘s Jim Parsons won his fourth Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Seeing as Parsons wins that award pretty much _always_ (four times in the last five years, interrupted only by Jon Cryer’s nod for _Two and a Half Men_ in 2012), this wasn’t much of a surprise. What may shock you, however, is that if Parsons wins again next year, he’ll have more Best Actor Emmy awards than anyone else in the history of television. More than _Breaking Bad_‘s Bryan Cranston, more than _Frasier_‘s Kelsey Grammar — even more than _The Sopranos_‘ James Gandolfini. _The Big Bang Theory_ is a wildly popular show (just ask your mom/uncle/grandparents for their thoughts), with nearly 20 million viewers tuning in every week. Parsons and co-stars Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and Johnny Galecki were just given [approximately $1 million per episode](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/business/media/big-bang-theory-stars-renew-their-contracts.html?%5Fr=0) for its upcoming eighth season. But in terms of critical acclaim, the CBS comedy sits comfortably at the bottom of the barrel. So when Parsons won his fourth Emmy, people were understandably confused, and more than a little upset. Many of those people felt similarly when _Modern Family_ — a show whose best days may be three or four years behind it — won awards for Outstanding Comedy Series (its fifth), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Ty Burrell’s second) and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Gail Mancuso’s second). Knowing this, it’s little surprise that a recent study by USC professor Jeetendr Sehdev found that over 82% of Americans believe that the Emmys are less significant than the Oscars, 73% say they’re not “overly excited” by the award show and fewer than one in 10 are more inclined to watch a series because it has won an Emmy. Those are some pretty stunning numbers (maybe not as much so as the Parsons figure above, but still surprising). For a show like _Breaking Bad_, which cleaned up at Monday night’s ceremony, entirely disregarding a show’s Emmy success might be a mistake, but the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is far better known for its misses than its hits. People should feel free to watch whatever they choose, but the fact that _Modern Family_ is completely bulletproof at the Emmys doesn’t mean viewers should choose it over _Veep_ — and Parsons’ reign doesn’t make _Theory_ any more worthy of its lofty Nielsen ranking. Though the Academy has been criticized for its comedy choices in recent years, it’s had its fair share of drama-related foibles as well. _The Wire_ was never nominated for Best Drama. Neither was _Deadwood_. Jon Hamm has never won a Best Actor award for playing one of the most iconic television characters of the 21st century — or any other — on _Mad Men_. Point being, it can be difficult to get people to care about your awards when they don’t consistently award true excellence. This isn’t to say that the Oscars are flawless either — or that poor selections are the Emmys’ only problem (last night’s show featured way too many awards and didn’t bring quite enough funny to sustain a three-hour ceremony), but it’s as good a place as any to start. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3182259/emmys-2014-data-relevance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3182259/emmys-2014-data-relevance/"},"headline":"New Data Suggests That the Emmys Actually Don't Matter At All","datePublished":"2014-08-26T21:24:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:49.261Z","description":"Just ask Jon Hamm. Or Amy Poehler. 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