Marvel Studios expanded its horizons thanks to its efforts on Disney+ in 2021 and 2022, adding to the MCU's already expansive journey with streaming series like WandaVision and Loki. Last year, these efforts brought the MCU its first critical awards at the TV level with three wins at the 2022 Emmys for WandaVision.
With so many unique properties coming to Disney+ from Marvel Studios, the team decided that there will be some that only last for one season rather than continuing over the next few years. Tom Hiddleston's Loki became the first new series to officially confirm that a second season was on the way as production looks to begin this summer in London.
While this is certainly exciting for Loki's prospects from fans' perspective, it paints a different picture in terms of the show's chances for critical recognition in the world of TV shows. With Marvel confirming that Hiddleston's solo project will continue for another round of episodes in the foreseeable future, recent reports have detailed how this forced Marvel to adjust the way it approaches potential Emmys nominations.
Marvel's Plan for Loki's Emmys Prospects
Variety shared details on Marvel Studios' plans for how to submit Loki for awards nominations at the upcoming Emmys.
While Marvel initially intended to submit Loki as a limited series, the show will move to the Drama categories now that it will continue into a second season. Due to the Television Academy rules stating that limited programs can't "have an ongoing storyline or main characters in subsequent seasons," Loki can't join other shows like WandaVision or Hawkeye by having a Season 2.
Marvel will look to submit Loki in either drama or comedy categories, as it did with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier last year. More likely, Marvel will pick the drama route due to the stiff competition in comedy.
How Will Loki Fare at the Emmys?
Unlike the Academy Awards, which only really separate into full-length movies and shorts, there are infinitely more categories and distinctions between the awards given out at the Emmys. These distinctions mean that there is typically much less competition in the limited series since there are more shows that continue their stories over multiple years.
Now that Loki is set to push its story forward in its own Season 2, Marvel is more or less using the only option it has in order to bring Tom Hiddleston's series the recognition the studio hopes for.
The good thing is that Marvel could utilize either the drama categories or the comedy ones due to the MCU's Disney+ series all falling somewhat into both arenas. Loki straddles that line more so than any of its MCU companions as well, and with Hiddleston's past critical success and recognition in the Marvel role, there's a chance that his series may have a shot at next year's Emmys.
WandaVision already broke the mold for Marvel Studios with its wins, and there are already fan cries to see shows like Moon Knight see even more success. Loki's second season is still some time away, but with everything that's coming story-wise for the God of Mischief in the near future, the show could certainly make its mark from an awards standpoint.
Season 1 of Loki is available to stream on Disney+.
