This year’s Emmy race features some of the most explosive factual content in recent years: documentaries about the fate of a popular talk show host, a vulnerable young woman who fell victim to Munchausen syndrome, the Nickelodeon children’s show scandal and a revealing look at one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports.
The virtual event Deadline’s Contenders TV: Documentary + Unscripted — your essential guide to TV awards season — goes into detail on Saturday in a showcase starting at 9 a.m. PT.
Click here to register and watch the live stream.
The panelists joining today include key talent behind Lifetime Where is Wendy Williams?Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Children’s Television, And The Dynasty: New England Patriots from Apple TV+. Gypsy Rose Blanchard herself joins us to talk about her shocking story on Lifetime’s The prison confessions of the gypsy Rose Blanchard. And thats just the beginning.
Ken Jeong, EP and host of I can see your voice, joins us to share insight into his Fox music quiz series. Another innovative unscripted competition show, Peacock’s The traitors, is represented on Contenders by host and producer Alan Cumming as well as EP Sam Rees-Jones and two of the show’s “traitors”. We have the team from Squid Game: The Challenge, the hit Netflix reality competition series inspired by the hugely successful Korean drama. And JoJo Siwa and other celebrity “recruits” will share secrets from their experiences on the unscripted Fox series Special Forces: The Toughest Test in the World.
While Special forces brings the dark, glamor is served The supermodels, the Apple TV+ series about how Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista ruled the runways in the 1990s. The makers of the four-part documentary, including Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams, join Contenders to discuss their intimate look at these beauty icons.
No show has been a bigger hit with Television Academy voters in recent years than RuPaul’s Drag Racethe cultural phenomenon from MTV Entertainment Studios, which has won more than 30 Primetime Emmys since 2016. Contenders welcomes four royal contestants from the series, including Sapphira Cristál and Nymphia Wind.
Queens – the species that rule the animal world – get their money’s worth in the National Geographic documentaries narrated by Angela Bassett. We hear from the creative team behind the series featuring orcas, elephants, lions and more. Music royalty is now coming into focus Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story. Darryl “DMC” McDaniels takes part in a panel discussion about the Peacock three-parter.
Click here to learn more about Saturday’s candidates
We are covered in panels until late at night The Daily Show And Jimmy Kimmel Live! And we look back at the Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel again this year, with the awards show’s Emmy-winning EPs and more.
Ron Howard stops by Contenders to talk about it Jim Henson, idea creator, his Disney+ film about the genius who created the Muppets. Contenders continues to explore the premium documentary space with panels on Prime Video Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story And For Love and Life: No ordinary campaignAnd Girl statethe Apple TV+ film directed by Emmy winners Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss.
Follow the livestream throughout the day on the website and via #DeadlineContenders. Keep checking back with Deadline for full panel coverage. On Monday we will launch the event streaming site with the full panel videos.
Check out today’s lineup, schedule and panelists below.
Contenders TV: Documents + Unscripted
All times PT
9 a.m. – Livestream begins
LIFESPAN
The prison confessions of the gypsy Rose Blanchard
Gypsy Rose Blanchard (subject)
Nicole Vogel (EP)
Laura Fleury (EP)
Melissa Moore (EP)
Where is Wendy Williams?
Mark Ford (EP)
Erica Hanson (EP)
DISNEY+
Jim Henson, idea creator
Ron Howard (director)
ABC
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Molly McNearney (co-lead writer/EP)
Danny Ricker (Co-Head Writer/Supervising Producer)
Gary Greenberg (Writer/Supervising Producer)
The Oscars
Raj Kapoor (EP)
Katy Mullan (EP)
Molly McNearney (Writer/EP)
Hamish Hamilton (director)
PRIME VIDEO
For Love and Life: No ordinary campaign
Christopher Burke (director)
Tim Rummel (producer)
Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story
Gelila Bekele (writer/director/producer)
Armani Ortiz (director/producer)
MTV ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Sapphira Cristál (candidate)
Q (competition)
Wind nymph (candidate)
Xunami Muse (candidate)
APPLE TV+
Girl state
Jesse Moss (co-director/co-producer)
Amanda McBaine (co-director/co-producer)
The Dynasty: New England Patriots
Matthew Hamachek (Director/EP)
The supermodels
Roger Ross Williams (Director/EP)
Larissa Bills (Director/Producer)
Steve! (Martin) A documentary in 2 parts
Morgan Neville (director/producer)
PEACOCK
Kings From Queens: The RUN DMC Story
William H. Masterson III (Producer/EP)
Kirk Fraser (director)
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Talent/EP)
The traitors
Alan Cumming (Producer/Host)
Sam Rees Jones (EP)
Parvati Shallow (traitor)
Kate Chastain (Traitor)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Queens
Chloe Sarash (Showrunner/Writer)
Vanessa Berlowitz (EP)
Faith Musembi (Director/Producer)
FOX
Special Forces: The Toughest Test in the World
Tyler Cameron (recruit)
Erin Jackson (recruit)
JoJo Siwa (recruit)
Nick Viall (recruit)
I can see your voice
Ken Jeong (EP/Host)
NETFLIX
Squid Game: The Challenge
Toni Ireland (EP)
John Hay (EP)
Erika Dobrin (Casting Director)
Mathieu Weekes (production designer)
COMEDY CENTRAL
The Daily Show
Zhubin Parang (Author/Co-EP)
Jen Flanz (Showrunner/Writer/EP)
Josh Johnson (correspondent)
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY
Quiet on the set: The dark side of children’s television
Mary Robertson (Director/EP)
Emma Schwartz (Director/Co-EP)
Giovonnie Samuels (former actor – All That)
Bryan Hearne (former actor – All That)