Last year's Emmy Awards were a satisfyingly well-made TV spectacle. Fans of Game of Thrones, TV's signature hit, got to see their favorite stars celebrating the show's first Best Drama win. Acting winners Viola Davis, who gave a moving speech about the dearth of opportunities for black actresses, and Frances McDormand, who praised the power of literature, created striking TV moments by speaking from the heart.
None of it registered. The Emmys scored their lowest ever recorded rating, with just 11.9 million viewers. (Last season's Big Bang Theory episodes, by comparison, averaged 15 million; the 2016 Oscars, seen as low-rated by Oscars standards, got 34.4 million.) ABC, broadcasting this year's ceremony Sept. 18, is surely hoping for a different result, but it's hard to imagine how different a show they…