The Apple TV+ production Severance surprised television lovers everywhere with the impressive amount of Emmy nominations that it received after just one season. Though the number of nominations were unexpected, viewer responses to the series indicate that the accolades are well deserved.

Of course, these numbers contributed to Apple’s record-breaking amount of nominations, which certainly speaks to their success considering how tough the competition was this year. With so many great shows having released impressive seasons, for Severance to have been picked so often was quite a feat — especially with genre fiction such as sci-fi and fantasy having struggled in the past to gain recognition from prestegious awards.

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In fact, that’s another reason that viewers were surprised that Severance accumulated so many. An abundance of this year's shows, including other fantastic sci-fi series, were also worthy. Based on internet hype and viewer response, many sci-fi fans anticipated shows like Stranger Things to have been the science fiction star. Beyond having several more seasons than Severance, it released a particularly impressive season this year, and so did a lot of other shows.

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Nonetheless, the one-season series proved to have more sway and impact. Between the show’s unique and intriguing premise and the compelling performances of the cast, it proved its immediate worth. While sci-fi fans were pleased that the show got the credit it deserved, many hoped that there would be even more of a science fiction presence in this year’s award show. Certainly, in a time when science fiction shows have developed such an impact and the concepts feel especially relevant as the future of humanity seems to loom in uncertainty, science fiction will continue to grow in popularity.

As genre blending becomes more popular and as more streaming companies are focusing their attention on sci-fi storylines, the genre is likely to gain even more attention. As a result, more science fiction shows are likely to be made, along with the pre-existing ones, and the genre is likely to become even more of a force in the industry. Easily part of what allowed Severance to be eligible for so many nominations is its genre-blending factor; it's appealing as a drama as well as science fiction. After the show’s clear success with that approach this year, it’s likely that other future series will follow a similar structure to better their chances. This means that the odds of genre fiction shows being nominated are likely to grow even further.

Considering the success of the genre in previous decades, it’s not a stretch to assume that it has the potential to find that success yet again. Just within the last few years, we have seen science fiction storylines appear among more and more category nominations. With science, space, and technology becoming a regular part of everyday reality and necessity, it only makes sense that the stories in media will reflect that. Particularly, because of the complicated views of humanity’s relationship with technology, it’s becoming more of a common theme in television and film. Looking at all of this, the sci-fi genre has the ability to become a pop culture and award show power house, despite having been snubbed in the past.

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The more series that continue to be created in the genre, and the more popular those shows become among viewers, the more probable it becomes that award shows will have to acknowledge the impact of the genre. As Severance has proven, the many concepts that fall under the sci-fi label make for an ideal medium for which to create a story to evaluate some aspect of human life. Of course, such themes are commonly used in television and film, which is what makes the sci-fi genre so popular among screen mediums. In a reality where the habits of human life could be harming the planet and nearly our entire lives are stored in screens, science is at the forefront of the minds of many, including creatives.

Aside from the science fiction genre’s relevance to human life, it also simply creates the perfect structure to explore concepts that are shrouded in uncertainty. In other words, it’s difficult to create inaccuracies in a story that is rooted in factual science and theoreticals.

Given the relevance of science fiction and its continual growth in popularity, it seems inevitable that its impact on award shows will also grow. Further, again, it’s likely that genre-blending will play a substantial role in that. It’s quite possible that award shows will have to evolve to acknowledge television shows that blend multiple genres in a way that each involved genre has a noticeable significance to the overall story. It’s even possible that all television will eventually lean toward genre-blending as a new means of achieving unique yet familiar stories. This all goes to suggest that shows like Severance are paving the way for more recognition and praise of science fiction storylines, worlds, and characters in award shows that often overlooked the genre before.

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