Emmys Cut Five Categories From Primetime Telecast
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- Television Academy Board of Governors voted to shift five categories (writing for variety series, supporting actor/actress in a limited series, directing for a limited series, writing for a limited series) from the Sept. 14 primetime NBC telecast to a Sept. 6 ceremony.
- DGA, SAG-AFTRA and WGA issued a joint statement saying the decision "devalues the contributions of the talented people the Academy is meant to honor," arguing an awards show "should not reduce recognition."
- Netflix's Bela Bajaria and HBO's Casey Bloys reportedly made pointed calls to the TV Academy to voice their disdain, as both networks have the most nominees in the affected categories; the Academy is "digging in and moving forward."
- About nine additional nominees — including Jason Bateman, Charles Melton, Lee Sung Jin, Dakota Fanning, David Harbour and Nick Offerman — will now need to attend the first weekend, on top of Martin Short and Conan O'Brien already committed to two weekends.
- The Sept. 6 Creative Arts weekend collides with the Venice and Telluride film festivals, while the Toronto International Film Festival will be in full swing by the Sept. 14 telecast, creating two consecutive weekends of travel and glam for talent and press.
- TV Academy chair Cris Abrego defended the move as spreading the change "across disciplines" for "balance and equity," saying the Academy needs time to "flex more creativity into the show."
- Historic stakes include Charles Melton potentially becoming the first Asian winner of supporting actor (limited series) and Lee Sung Jin competing again in writing after already being one of only a handful of Asian directing Emmy winners.
Why it matters: The Television Academy is overriding objections from Netflix, HBO, and the three major Hollywood guilds to push through a format change that forces A-list talent to attend two straight weekends during Labor Day weekend, overlapping with Venice, Telluride and Toronto. With no confirmed live broadcast for the Sept. 6 ceremony, potentially history-making wins — including Charles Melton's bid to become the first Asian supporting-actor winner in the limited category — risk airing only on a tape-delayed FXX edit.
