Apple TV just hit a milestone that most studios spend decades chasing. The Broadway adaptation of Schmigadoon! won four Tony Awards tonight, including Best Musical, and with that single night Apple TV officially became an EGOT winner. Here is what that actually means and why it is a bigger deal than it might first sound.
Schmigadoon! Wins Big at the Tonys
The 79th Tony Awards have wrapped, and the stage version of Apple TV’s Schmigadoon! was one of the night’s standout winners. It went in with 12 nominations and walked away with four wins:
- Best Musical
- Best Book of a Musical
- Best Original Score
- Best Orchestrations
Four from twelve is a strong night by any measure, and taking home Best Musical is the kind of headline win that cements a show’s legacy.
So What Is an EGOT, and Why Does It Matter?
EGOT stands for the four biggest awards in American entertainment: an Emmy for television, a Grammy for music, an Oscar for film, and a Tony for Broadway theater. Winning all four is rare and prestigious, which is exactly why people make such a fuss about it.
With tonight’s Tony wins, Apple TV has now claimed at least one of each, completing the set. That puts it in extremely select company. Until now, Netflix was the only streaming service to pull off the feat.
Apple Got There in Half the Time
Here is the part that should make Apple feel pretty good about itself. Netflix took roughly 12 years to reach EGOT status, starting with its first Emmy wins for House of Cards in 2013 and only completing the run last year with a Tony for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
Apple TV did it in about half that time. The journey started with its first Emmy wins for The Morning Show in 2020, and it closed the loop tonight with Schmigadoon!. For a service that launched relatively recently and was treated by some as a prestige side project, racing to an EGOT this quickly is a genuine flex, and a sign of just how seriously Apple has taken original content.
A Glimmer of Hope for a Revival?
There is a bittersweet wrinkle to all of this. Schmigadoon! premiered on Apple TV in 2021 and ran for two seasons before ending in 2023. In January 2024, show creator Cinco Paul revealed that a third season had actually been written, complete with 25 new songs, but Apple chose not to move forward with it.
The story might not be over, though. Earlier this year, Paul told Entertainment Weekly that there had “been some talks” about bringing the show back. A night like tonight, with four Tonys and a Best Musical trophy on the shelf, can only help that case. If there was ever a moment to revisit a cancellation, it is right after the property proves it can win on Broadway. Fans have every reason to hold out a little hope.
For now, though, the headline is simple: Apple TV is an EGOT winner, and it got there faster than anyone else in the streaming game.
