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With 16 nominations, the second season of Netflix's Beef is the most-nominated limited series of the year. According to Gold Derby's racetrack, it's also the odds-on favorite to win.
Considering that the anthology show's first season took home eight trophies in 2023, you'd think it would enjoy a cakewalk to victory this go-round. But if there's one thing you should know about Emmy voters, it's that they often have... well, beef with returning champions.
Although voters typically love to see repeats among the Best Comedy and Drama Series winners, they tend to be entranced by shiny new objects when it comes to Best Limited Series. In fact, only three shows have seen repeat victories in the top category, even as subsequent seasons rack up tons of nominations.
The most recent double winner was American Crime Story, which took home nine prizes for The People v. O.J. Simpson in 2016 and seven more for The Assassination of Gianni Versace two years later. Ironically enough, one of the shows O.J. beat in 2016 was Season 2 of Fargo, which failed to replicate its Emmy success from two years prior.
Despite those victories, American Crime Story was snubbed for its third installment, Impeachment, stunting its chances of tying the overall wins record that's currently held by Prime Suspect. That Helen Mirren-headlined crime drama won for its second (1993), third (1994), and fifth (1997) installments, which is remarkable considering it received zero Emmy nominations for its first series.
In 1979, Roots: The Next Generations followed in the footsteps of its 1977 predecessor to win Best Limited Series. Technically speaking, this was a sequel series as opposed to a continuation of the same show, but there were likely few Emmy voters who wouldn't have associated The Next Generations with the original Roots.
On the other hand, Fargo prevailed for its first season in 2014, only to come up short for its second (2016), third (2017), and fifth (2024) go-arounds. It was also snubbed altogether for its fourth (2021) installment. Similarly, the first series of ITV's Hornblower - which aired on A&E in the U.S. - prevailed in 1999, but its next chapters had less luck in 2001 and 2004. And that's not even mentioning shows like The Adams Chronicles, American Crime, American Horror Story, Genius, Luther, and Monster, which couldn't catch a break despite multiple times at bat.
In all fairness, many limited series make the jump over to the drama categories once a second season is announced. That's what happened to previous winners The White Lotus, Downton Abbey, and Big Little Lies, which lost their subsequent bids in Best Drama Series.
Meanwhile, previous limited series victors like Upstairs, Downstairs (which won for its fourth season in 1976) and Columbo (which prevailed in 1974 for Season 3) contended in the drama categories both prior to and after those wins, adding to the confusion. In fact, Upstairs, Downstairs won Best Drama Series in 1974, 1975, and 1977, meaning it could have held the record had it started and ended its run in Best Limited Series.
So just how sure are Beef's chances at a second victory? That depends largely on whether or not DTF St. Louis is a serious contender with its 13 nominations, including crucial bids in the acting, writing, and directing categories. That show currently holds second place odds ahead of The Beast in Me, All Her Fault, and Love Story, which received nine, seven, and six noms, respectively.
So while history isn't on Beef's side, the numbers just might be.
