The Mandalorian has only been live for a few days on Disney+, and already, there’s awards talk happening. It’s not wholly surprising given critics and audiences have been showering the premiere with praise, though it should be noted this early award talk isn’t specifically for the merits of the show’s plot. Instead, The Mandalorian and others were announced as nominees for the The Maxwell Weinberg Publicist Showmanship Award.
The award is meant to highlight the achievements and campaigns of those working in the publicity and promotion industry from the previous calendar year. The Maxwell Weinberg Publicist Showmanship Award has been awarded to various campaigns in the world of movies and television throughout the decades, and is an honor given during the International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards. Considering The Mandalorian is a 2019 release, it will be the 2020 recipient of the award if chosen.
Which is not a guarantee, as there are 5 other notable shows up for the award that may stand just as good a chance of snagging the award. Variety reported The Mandalorian is up against Hulu original Catch 22, FX’s Fosse/Verdon and Pose, and Netflix’s Stranger Things and When They See Us. The winner of the award will be announced Friday, February 7 at the 57th annual ICG Publicists Awards.
The Maxwell Weinberg Publicist Showmanship Award has been given to several notable shows in the past, with the latest recipient being The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Stranger Things has actually won the award before, with Season 2 of the Netflix original capturing the award back in 2018. Other winners include the NBC tear-jerker This Is Us, Fox’s always dramatic Empire, and ABC’s award-winning juggernaut Modern Family. Will The Mandalorian be the next to win?
While it may not be awards recognition directly related to the quality of the show, the nomination may be a sign that The Mandalorian (which non-Disney+ subscribers can check out with a free 7 day trial) will be a strong contender for awards for Season 1. Although the Maxwell Weinberg Publicist Showmanship Award is not connected to the content of the show, the fact that the publicity of The Mandalorian is up there with several contenders that premiered earlier in the year is a strong demonstration of just how anticipated this series was.
If not, surely there will be other opportunities for the Star Wars drama to capture awards with its stellar cast and directors, mind-bending reveals, and a pretty penny dropped on its budget and special effects. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where The Mandalorian won’t nab an Emmy sooner or later, not to mention the scores of other sci-fi genre awards that are handed out yearly.
