Best Music for Limited Series: Will Emmy go to ‘1883,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ ‘Station Eleven,’ ‘A Very British Scandal’ or ‘The White Lotus’?
Since the TV academy began regularly honoring original music scores in the 1960s, there has essentially always been a clear distinction between compositions for continuing and limited series. The Best Music for Limited Series Emmy category was established early on in order to adequately recognize the music behind single-season or one-off scripted programs apart from traditional comedy and drama series. This year’s five contenders are about as eclectic as can be, with plots that collectively span multiple centuries and continents.
The current Best Music for Limited Series nominees are “1883” (Paramount+), “Moon Knight” (Disney+), “Station Eleven” (HBO Max), “A Very British Scandal” (Prime Video) and “The White Lotus” (HBO). To determine which one is most likely to take the gold, let’s take a look at each score individually. Be sure to make your Emmy predictions in this and 26 other Creative Arts categories by September 3.
“1883” — Music by Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian
Episode: “1883”
Tyler and Vivian have worked together on 10 film and TV projects, including the “1883” parent series “Yellowstone.” The scores of Westerns have long been formulaic, but this one (which accompanies the story of a settler family’s arduous 19th century cross-country journey) is uniquely melancholic and varied. Tyler’s first nomination in this category came for the TV movie “Last Call” in 2002.
“Moon Knight” — Music by Hesham Nazih
Episode: “Asylum”
Emmy newcomer Nazih’s collection of pieces for this Marvel series are quite grand, to say the least. The orchestral soundtrack, which masterfully incorporates choral vocals throughout, elevates the show to a high level of respectability by giving it more artistic merit than it would have otherwise. After all, a series built around the existence of ancient Egyptian gods should pull out all the stops when it comes to maintaining its viewers’ interest and sense of awe.
“Station Eleven” — Music by Dan Romer
Episode: “Unbroken Circle”
This one-season series about a postapocalyptic band of misfits features a score that relies heavily on strings in order to evoke emotions ranging from uneasiness to excitement. Romer’s other TV composing credits include “Ramy,” “Atypical,” “The Good Doctor” and “Superman & Lois.” He was also a 2021 Grammy nominee for “Dear Evan Hansen” and has worked on other feature films like “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and “Luca.”
“A Very British Scandal” — Music by Nathan Barr
Episode: “Episode 1”
Barr was previously nominated here for scoring 2020’s “Hollywood” and brought home an Emmy for writing that show’s theme music. His scoring of this fact-based series makes the recreation of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Argyll’s scandalous divorce especially compelling to watch. Barr also works as a composer on Hulu’s “The Great” and has contributed to such shows as “True Blood” and “The Americans.”
“The White Lotus” — Music by Cristobal Tapia de Veer
Episode: “Mysterious Monkeys”
The strangest of this lineup’s nominated scores is also its most memorable. Tapia de Veer mixes tropical rhythms with eerie vocals to transport viewers to the titular Hawaiian resort, where various guests have less-than-relaxing vacations over the course of one week. His work on the series has also earned him a Best Main Title Theme Music nomination. He was previously recognized in this composing category for “Electric Dreams” (2018).
SEE 2022 Emmy nominations: Complete list of contenders for 74th Primetime Emmys
So, which show will win the 2022 Best Music for Limited Series Emmy? With its super catchy score, “The White Lotus” has the best shot by far, and it is the only show that could follow “Chernobyl,” “Watchmen” and “The Queen’s Gambit” as the fourth consecutive winner of both this and the Best Limited Series awards. One drawback, though, is that those three series also won for their cinematography, while “The White Lotus” was left out of that lineup this year. This constitutes a glimmer of hope for Best Limited Series Cinematography contenders “1883,” “Moon Knight” and “Station Eleven.”
“The White Lotus” does stand as the only one of this year’s nominees that could emulate the category’s last three winners’ average haul of 10 awards. None of its competitors here come close to its bid total of 20, as “Moon Knight” is next in line with eight. Since it is nominated for nothing else, “A Very British Scandal” is in trouble, given that the last limited series or TV movie to win here on a single overall bid was “Eloise at the Plaza” in 2003. There simply isn’t much of a logical case for any show to triumph over “The White Lotus,” but surprises do happen every year.
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