Photo by FA2010, altered by Aubrie Johnson, public domain/CC0.
Wikipedia editors will be updating articles on Emmy categories and nominees in real time, from Game of Thrones and Mr. Robot to Sherlock. You can watch the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards with them this Sunday to get the full rundown on your favorite programs, ad-free and in real-time.
CAWylie, a Wikipedian who edits many Emmy-related articles, says that Wikipedians have a formula for updating quickly and accurately. “The main advantage Wikipedia has in updating current events is it seems more streamlined. Usually we have templates in place wherein the nominees are already listed, so updating it live is simply a formatting move or boldfacing the winner.”
That means that if a show you haven’t watched yet or a person you haven’t seen before wins, you’ll be able to jump on a second screen to a Wikipedia article and learn about them, even as they’re being edited.
You can find almost anything Emmy-related on Wikipedia, including records from every category. Last year, for example, Game of Thrones broke the record for most wins garnered by a single season, and Saturday Night Live has been nominated 209 times in its lifetime.
Most of the ceremony’s hundreds of categories have detailed Wikipedia pages dating back to the birth of the Emmys in 1949. Learn more about nominations for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance and Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series, or dig up retired categories like the Super Emmy Award!
CAWylie added, “Emmy articles are an ebb and flow type that require a WikiProject to monitor and follow continuity year to year. That’s where the aforementioned formula works best.”
And it’s this constant ebb and flow that makes Wikipedia a valuable second screen. No matter who wins in the actual program, it’s almost as if Wikipedia is running a competition of its own. Check out the pageview standings below to find out which film or series is Wikipedia’s most popular.
Have fun watching the Emmy Awards, and don’t forget to take us with you.
Photo from the/altered by White House staff, public domain/CC0.
Drama holds Wikipedia’s Iron Throne
If Wikipedia views are a viable metric, Game of Thrones will run away with an Emmy.
With over twelve million pageviews from July 2015 to May 2016, which roughly equates to the period during which an Emmy-nominated show must air,* Game of Thrones is far ahead of the other programs. It’s part of a wealth of riches in the drama category, as Mr. Robot and House of Cards—sitting behind Game of Thrones with seven and six million pageviews, respectively—have more pageviews than any program in the other categories.
Other Emmy wiki-winners include Fargo, Modern Family, and, with the lowest total of any first-place finisher, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Modern Family: 3,552,759
Silicon Valley: 2,448,528
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: 2,296,114
Master of None: 1,734,987
Transparent: 1,350,759
Veep: 1,310,872
Black-ish: 857,052
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones: 12,515,992
Mr. Robot: 7,125,310
House of Cards: 6,175,630
Better Call Saul: 4,835,770
Downton Abbey: 4,549,164
Homeland: 3,731,915
The Americans: 1,991,590
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: 892,225
The Late Late Show with James Corden: 678,439
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 564,653
Jimmy Kimmel Live!: 436,162
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: 432,823
Real Time with Bill Maher: 202,884
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Saturday Night Live: 2,150,568
Key & Peele: 1,074,838
Drunk History: 736,562
Portlandia: 704,956
Inside Amy Schumer: 538,476
Documentary Now!: 371,930
Outstanding Limited Series
Fargo: 5,011,284
The Night Manager: 2,570,953
American Crime: 1,378,060
The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story: 294,137
Roots (2016 miniseries): 257,956
Outstanding Television Movie
Luther: 2,243,733
“The Abominable Bride” (Sherlock): 831,843
A Very Murray Christmas: 656,858
All the Way: 318,800
Confirmation: 304,215
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Voice: 2,887,390
Dancing with the Stars: 2,259,556
American Ninja Warrior: 1,028,929
Project Runway: 739,489
The Amazing Race: 688,460
Top Chef: 424,176
*Statistics here are derived from Pageviews Analysis and run from July 2015 to May 2016, which roughly corresponds with the Emmy eligibility criteria (June 2015 to May 2016); reliable and accurate data is not available for June and earlier. The time period does rob some articles of views—Roots, for example, started airing at the end of May 2016 and is possibly the most heavily affected article, with several hundred thousand views lost. Statistics for The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story were affected by a page move that added a space between “O” and “J”; the numbers, however, should still be accurate.
Aubrie Johnson, Social Media Associate
Ed Erhart, Editorial Associate
Wikimedia Foundation