Bo Burnham: Inside earns six Emmy nominations: What that means and how to watch

On April 26, 2021, Bo Burnham posted an ambiguous photo to his Instagram. Two days later, he made another post and explained that he had been working on Inside, a brand new special for Netflix, and his first collaboration with the streaming service since 2016’s Make Happy.

The special was set to be released by Netflix on May 30, 20211, one day before the Emmy eligibility window closed. By that date, most people felt like they had a good understanding of what was going to happen at the Emmy’s, and Bo’s special wasn’t on anyone’s radars.

However, upon release, the special opened up to very impressive reviews, and Netflix decided to take a chance on Bo’s “one-man-show.”

Honestly, that’s the best way to describe Inside, a “one-man-show” that is about as auteur as auteur can be. The title, Inside, is quite literally what you get from the special, as you watch Bo take an existential journey as he writes, records, edits, directs, and performs this entire special from the confinement of the indoors over the course of 2020.

Bo Burnham: Inside Emmy nominations

Netflix took this opportunity and ran with it, promoting Bo in every single category they could. The gamble paid off for Netflix as Emmy nomination morning we found out that Bo Burnham: Inside picked up six nominations, including Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) alongside the likes of Hamilton and Friends: The Reunion.

Along with the nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Bo himself received 5 individual nominations for:

• Outstanding Directing For a Variety Special
• Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programing
• Outstanding Music Direction
• Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
• Outstanding Writing For a Variety Special

These six nominations led the way among the entire Emmy field for the most nominations for an individual.

Bo, who really burst onto the scene with his 2018 hit film Eighth Grade, has yet to garner any major awards steam, and his 2021 Emmy Nominations mark the first Emmy nominations of his young career.

Can Bo win some of these awards? I really hope so. Inside is one of my favorite projects released in some time, and I think every aspect of the film is excellent on Bo’s part. It will be tough for him to take down some of these giants, but I will be rooting for him until the very end.

Where to watch Bo Burnham: Inside

If you want to check out this special, you can find it in its entirety on Netflix now. You can also stream all of the songs, which have brought in over 225 million plays on Spotify alone, on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

However, if you’re like me and have watched and listened to this special countless amounts of times, the next logical option is to try to see it in theaters. Bo Burnham recently announced that Inside will also be shown in limited theaters around the country for one day only on July 22, 2021.

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will air Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, at 7 p.m. CST on CBS.