I stopped expecting anything groundbreaking or influential from MTV decades ago. To that point, the MTV TV and Movie Awards have been something of a joke for the last few years. However, Sunday night’s show, where the network decided to add reality programming to the mix, while almost completely ignoring the contributions of Black artists, was a new low point.
Per Variety, Zendaya won Best Performance in a Show for Euphoria, with the HBO drama also receiving Best Show honors and the actress’ blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, winning Best Movie. I love Zendaya, she’s amazingly talented, but she would probably be the first to tell you she’s not the only Black artist whose work is worth honoring.
The Best Show category included Squid Game, Ted Lasso, Inventing Anna, Loki and Yellowstone. All good shows, but what about the Power franchise, Reservation Dogs, The Equalizer, Harlem, Insecure, or Bel-Air? Ted Lasso and Yellowstone would’ve been fine to miss this one awards show.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was always going to win Best Movie because the biggest blockbusters always do. However, how about a nomination for Summer of Soul or Candyman? I know MTV doesn’t focus on music anymore, but Summer of Soul is right there.
I’m a huge fan of a lot of the shows and actors that won. But I’m also a huge fan of Black representation and this show just didn’t even try. No offense to Daniel Radcliffe, an extremely talented actor, but his turn in the awful The Lost City was in no way the Best Villain. First of all, Michael Myers was nominated, so that seems like a no-brainer right there. But how about a nod for Yahya Abdul Mateen II for Candyman? The dude had a face made of bees!
I also understand that MTV is producing a show, so part of its decisions are based on who will make an appearance at the ceremony. While they probably can’t get Kevin Hart, social media family the D’Amelios are definitely available.
At the end of the day, it’s MTV’s show and they can reward whoever they want. However, don’t present your show as the one for real fans, then leave out a whole chunk of the population. It’s disingenuous and insulting.