(NoHo Arts District, Calif. — March 9, 2017) — With hit comedies like HBO's Divorce and Amazon's Catastrophe, Sharon Horgan has emerged as one of the most dynamic forces in the television industry. In the latest issue of emmy magazine, the Emmy-nominated British import discusses her journey to the top and shares how rejecting a network deal was a turning point in her career. The award-winning official publication of the Television Academy hits newsstands March 21.
From her breakthrough as co-writer and star of the BBC's cult comedy series Pulling, to her more recent success as co-creator and star of the British comedy Catastrophe — which begins its third season on Amazon on April 28 — and creator of HBO's Divorce, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Horgan has brought identifiable characters to a global television audience. "I do use myself as material a lot, and what I think and see around me. For me, though, the only fear is not wanting to repeat myself. That would keep me up at night, if all I was doing was saying the same things in a slightly different way," Horgan tells emmy.
Horgan's fearless and relentless pursuit of great stories has guided much of her career, and she has consequently grown accustomed to hearing the words "raunchy," "real" or "relatable" used to describe her work. It was this commitment to creating funny but often dark characters that led her to turn down a two-project network deal. "I was on holiday with my family, and it was a real fork-in-the-road kind of situation," she said. "I thought, 'That's quite a lot of money … but if I do that, it could be the end." The end, that is, of making the sort of shows she wanted to do — the funny, real, dark ones about people failing. The decision sent her career in an upward trajectory as networks and studios took notice.
"Whether it's Donna in Pulling, Sharon in Catastrophe, or Frances in Divorce — her characters have made a terrible decision; and we're just watching the fallout," said Amy Gravitt, HBO's executive vice president of programming. "Pulling was almost revolutionary at the time. There were so few female writer performers willing to make themselves look ridiculous for a laugh — a trait Sharon has in spades."
Even with her full schedule, Horgan continuously plans for her next project. "I've always liked finding other people's work and in some way getting involved because when I see good stuff on TV, I get a bit jealous," she said to emmy. "It's partly that; it's part that I like working with new writers. I just like being around people who are talented and clever — it's hard to then just say, 'See ya,' at the end. I always end up saying, 'We should do something together.'"
Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:
As Pierce Brosnan returns to television in AMC's upcoming American western drama The Son, emmy speaks with the actor about his enduring career, providing exclusive insights and personal stories that have shaped his body of work.
In an era in which networks and streaming services are producing nearly 500 scripted original series a year, it can be challenging for television critics to keep up. In "Peak Technique" emmy speaks with five of the most notable critics about the effects of the evolving television landscape.
Behind every show featuring superheroes, there is another team of superheroes working to make them come to life. Creative masterminds from stunt coordinators to costume designers share their experiences working within the interconnected worlds of the CW's DC Comics-based shows that have attracted legions of loyal fans.
Readers can catch behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot with Sharon Horgan on TelevisionAcademy.com.
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the stunning scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 49 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single-print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.
Download the press release here.
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