*By Max Godnick* Live from Hollywood, it's a scramble for ratings. "Saturday Night Live" cast members Michael Che and Colin Jost on Monday night will trade in their "Weekend Update" suits for tuxedos as co-hosts of the TV industry's big night ー the 70th annual Emmy Awards. They're also joining legendary SNL creator and EP of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Lorne Michaels, in an attempt to revive the show's ailing ratings. Michaels, who has also produced a handful of sleeper-hit comedy films and heads "Late Night with Seth Meyers," will return to the award show for the first time since the late-eighties. "Lorne Michaels has been putting together a live show for an eternity, so he knows what he's doing," managing editor of Cinemablend Sean O'Connell said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar. But even Michaels's golden touch might not be enough. The Emmys are consistently the lowest-rated of the four major awards shows (which include the Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes) and will be coming off the ceremony's second-lowest ratings ever in [2017](https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/2017-emmys-ratings-1202562498/). But the ratings malaise is undiscriminating and near-universal ー all the major industry contests have [struggled](https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/oscars-early-ratings-shape-of-water-down-1202718015/) to sustain viewership in the streaming era. "As a society, we're tired of awards shows," O'Connell said. "It's the same thing year after year after year." In today's so-called golden age of TV, it would be fair to assume that an onslaught of prestige shows would naturally lead to a spike in audiences who want to see the awards fate of their favorites. This year, the top contenders at the Emmys are among the most popular and critically acclaimed programs in the history of the medium. "Game of Thrones," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Atlanta," and "Stranger Things" will be in the lineup of series hoping to hear their names called on Monday; there just may not be many fans tuning in to see that happen. "It's show after show of really popular programming," O'Connell said of the nominees. "Maybe \[the low ratings are\] just because \[audiences\] decided they'd rather go watch some of those episodes." Hemorrhaging ratings aside, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will feature some of the most competitive races in recent memory. Netflix is the most-nominated network, [ending HBO's 17-year streak](https://cheddar.com/videos/netflix-dethrones-hbo-in-most-emmy-nominations) of dominance. But the likeliest recipients of the night's most prestigious award, "Outstanding Drama Series," hail from HBO and Hulu. It's been over a year since viewers last traveled to Westeros, and the final season of "Game of Thrones" will not arrive until 2019. Even still, its seventh season is the Emmys' most-nominated show. It will face off against the season two of the category's defending champion, Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale." O'Connell thinks the long absence will ultimately hurt HBO's flagship series. "'Handmaid's Tale' has stayed really relevant," he said. "It's stayed in the headlines, it's such an incredible program, I could see it dominating on Monday." The competition is also strong in the "Outstanding Comedy" field, where mainstays "Modern Family" and "Veep" are missing for the first time since 2010. That will leave space for newcomers "Barry" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" to emerge as the genre's victor. O'Connell thinks Bill Hader's raved-about portrayal of a hitman-turned-actor will be rewarded. "Sometimes the Emmys like to surprise and get ahead of the curve," he said. "I think that they could make a statement by choosing \['Barry'\] as best comedy." The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards will air Monday night on NBC. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/can-the-emmys-broadcast-fix-its-ratings-problem).

Share:
More In Culture
Women to Watch in 2022 Winter Olympics; 'Jeopardamy' Making History
On this episode of ChedHER: Avery Cyrus, one of TikTok's top LGBTQ creators discusses her partnership with Space Hero to become a citizen astronaut, and how she's using her platform on social media to give back; Boss Women Media Founder breaks down how she's empowering female entrepreneurs with 'Boss Business Showers;' Palmly Co-Founder explains how she's building a social networking app for Christians.
GameStop Meme Stock Home WallStreetBets Loses Momentum One Year Later
A year after the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit drove GameStop and other meme stocks to unprecedented heights, the subreddit seems to be losing its luster among retail investors. Caitlin McCabe, markets and retail trading reporter from The Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to talk about the waning popularity of the group “Users are going on to find the next GameStop, and instead, they're seeing many of the new users who have joined the subreddit still talking about GameStop and AMC," McCabe noted. "And, they've become frustrated as they're ready to move on from those original meme stocks."
Beyond Meat Expands McDonald's Deal As Fast Food Reign Continues
Plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat's reign over the fast food world continues, as McDonald's announced that it is expanding its test of Beyond's McPlant burger, to nearly 600 restaurants, an increase from the eight that it's been testing in since November. This comes less than two weeks after Beyond Fried Chicken made its nationwide debut at KFC restaurants, the first time that plant based chicken has been widely distributed in a fast food capacity. Arun Sundaram, Senior Equity Analyst at CFRA Research explains why these latest collaborations may be proof that Beyond Meat products could slowly be becoming an unlikely staple in the fast food and chain restaurant world as consumers opt for more healthy food options.
Citi Teams Up With Tracy Anderson Method to Get Customers Cash Back on Fitness
Citi recently began collaborating with fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson to promote its Custom Cash Credit card. Pam Habner, CEO of U.S. Branded Cards for Citi, along with Tracy Anderson, creator of The Tracy Anderson Method, joined Cheddar to discuss how health and fitness matched up with a cash back credit card. "The fact that Citi is going 'hey if you lead a healthy lifestyle, we're going to help you out. We understand that it's more expensive and we're going to give you cash back for living your best life,'" Anderson said about the partnership, which also includes a custom promotional Spotify playlist.
Crowdbotics Raises $22M Series A to Enable Anyone to Turn Ideas Into Apps
Low-code app development platform Crowdbotics raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Jackson Square Ventures. Crowdbotics has helped more than 14,000 customers launch apps without having to learn how to code. The company can offer a team of expert developers to help companies launch custom apps, or provide the means for companies to develop apps themselves. Crowdbotics CEO Anand Kulkarni joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Load More