OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)

The Trevor Noah-hosted celebration of music aired April 3 (more recently than any rival), featured performances from winners Silk Sonic and Olivia Rodrigo, and landed five Emmy nominations (tied for category best). But only the 2021 Grammys telecast attracted fewer viewers, and no Grammys telecast has ever won this award.

The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back! (CBS) This commemoration of Broadway’s rebound from COVID aired in September (another Tonys has aired since), was hosted by Tony winners Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr. and featured musical performances and award presentations. But with just two noms, it’s tied for a category low, and a Tonys telecast hasn’t won this prize since 2017.

The Oscars (ABC)

March’s telecast will forever be remembered for the moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. It also controversially pretaped and then aired condensed versions of winners’ acceptance speeches for eight crafts awards (including, ironically, film editing), yet still ran 40 minutes long and was the second-lowest-rated Oscars yet. Plus, the Oscars has never won this award.

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes (ABC) Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear’s third re-creation of Lear classics was packed with A-listers (Kevin Hart! Jennifer Aniston! Jon Stewart! Snoop Dogg!) and could win like the previous two. But, on the other hand, the December telecast’s ratings were the lowest yet, and it’s up for just one other award.

The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show (NBC) Hip-hop icons Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed a 15-minute set that was watched by more people than the game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the hometown L.A. Rams. It garnered five nominations, but no halftime show has ever won — not even Prince’s in 2007, widely regarded as the greatest.