The award show gap: Critics versus fans

The 2025 Emmy Awards presented a record-breaking year for well-loved shows like Adolescence, The Pitt, and The Studio. Adolescence picked up six Emmys in the limited series, anthology series and movie categories, such as Stephen Graham’s Best Actor Award, Owen Cooper’s Best Supporting Actor Award, and Erin Doherty’s Best Supporting Actress Award, amongst others. Similarly, popular series The Pitt and The Studio picked up numerous awards including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series, respectively.

With the exceptional cinematography of Adolescence, the emotional vulnerability of The Pitt, and the comedic timing of The Studio, it is no surprise that these shows were showered with glory at the 2025 awards. However, like most award ceremonies, this year’s Emmys were not free from controversy. Many fans were unhappy with the award show’s ‘all-in’ approach, with fan-favourites being cast aside. This is evident with the HBO crime-drama miniseries The Penguin picking up just one award at the ceremony despite a 95% Rotten Tomato Rating (the same as The Pitt).

It reduces the validity of award ceremonies like the Emmys

But this is not an anomaly – the BAFTAs, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Academy Awards typically experience many upsets and snubs. Of course, due to the copious number of blockbuster television shows and films released each year, it is no surprise that there are some controversies, but the frequency of these incidents has become all too common. This implores an inspection into why critics and audiences love different shows. The rest of this article will explore the award show gap – in other words, why there is a discrepancy between what critics enjoy and what audiences enjoy.

One of the clearest ways to show the discrepancy between what critics enjoy and what audiences enjoy is through television ratings. A few notable examples of this include the 1998 sitcom The King of Queens, which received a 33% critic rating whilst having a 73% audience rating. Similarly, popular crime-drama Stalker (2014) held an 81% audience rating but was snubbed by critics with a 20% rating. These are just a few examples, but the pattern is evident: critics judge television shows more harshly. Yes, this is hardly unexpected, but it reduces the validity of award ceremonies like the Emmys in rewarding the best actors, actresses, directors, writers, films, and television shows when it is not the fans or the public who are voting.

There are numerous television series that critics love but fans loathe

On the flip side, there are numerous television series that critics love but fans loathe; these include series 14 of Doctor Who, which received a 96% critic rating and a 44% audience rating, and The Witcher’s third season, with its 19% audience rating and 79% critic rating. These examples further the idea that critics and audiences are worlds apart in their opinions on television.

However, the reasons why critics and audiences love different shows should not just be put down to Rotten Tomato statistics, but also to the criteria that determine their opinions. Critics, as the word suggests, are a lot more critical of the shows and films they partake in watching. Critics often judge the show on its merits, such as the cinematography, as evidenced by Adolescence’s one-shot takes, similar to the style of the British World War I film 1917 (2019). Critics also take the technical aspects and novel concepts into consideration. These merits were seen in the winners of the 2025 Emmys. Although these shows were popular with fans, given voting power, audiences would almost definitely have voted in a different way. On the flip side, fans typically shape their opinions based on the entertainment value, i.e., do they enjoy watching the show or not.

What constitutes a ‘good’ television show is strikingly divergent between critics and audiences

Television continues to evolve and innovate, even in the era of social media, which has significantly reduced its relevance as a form of entertainment. However, what constitutes a ‘good’ television show is strikingly divergent between critics and audiences worldwide. The 2025 Emmys were a strong example of how critics and fans do not think alike. As we approach the beginning of the 2025-2026 awards season, we will see whether critics and fans will bridge the gap in their appreciation of the great television series of our age.