Emmys cuts five awards from NBC telecast to free up show time
The Television Academy will move five categories to earlier Emmy nights as it tries to make the Sept. 14 NBC ceremony more entertainment-focused.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
The Emmys are making room for more showbiz sparkle by taking five awards out of the Sept. 14 NBC broadcast.
The Television Academy’s Board of Governors voted Thursday to move the categories to the two earlier Emmy ceremonies on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, Variety reported. The shift leaves 19 awards for the primetime telecast, down from 26 presented during last year’s ceremony.
The categories leaving the NBC show are writing for a variety series, supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie, supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie, directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, and writing for a limited or anthology series or movie.
TV Academy chair Cris Abrego told Variety the decision is meant to create space for musical numbers, comedy pieces and more spontaneous moments from winners during the three-hour broadcast.
Abrego said the Academy wanted to spread the change across acting, writing and directing rather than remove awards from just one craft area. He acknowledged to Variety that some members are likely to be unhappy with the move.
“There’s going to be some upset folks on this for sure,” Abrego told Variety, adding that the Academy plans to speak with the affected guilds about the decision.
Three Emmy nights, one name
The Academy is also retiring the “Creative Arts Emmys” label for the Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 ceremonies, Variety reported. All three events will now be referred to as the Emmys, with the earlier nights treated as part of the same awards run rather than a separate side event.
Abrego told Variety that “every Emmy is incredibly valuable” and said the organization wants to put all three nights on more equal footing.
The first two ceremonies have recently been edited into a delayed special on FXX. Variety reported that talks are continuing about bringing that format back this year.
The Sept. 14 ceremony will still carry many of the most watched categories, including comedy series, drama series, limited or anthology series, lead acting races, supporting comedy and drama acting races, variety series, reality competition program, and writing and directing awards for comedy and drama.
Mariska Hargitay, the “Law & Order: SVU” star and executive producer who won the lead drama actress Emmy in 2006, will host the 78th Emmys. Variety reported she is also nominated twice this year for the documentary “My Mom Jayne.”
The NBC telecast will air live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT, with streaming on Peacock. Jesse Collins Entertainment is producing the show.
Old fight, new round
The Academy has tried before to slim down the Emmys telecast, and those efforts have run into resistance.
Variety noted that the Writers Guild of America objected in 2023 when writing for a variety series or special was considered for removal from the main telecast. The Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild also pushed back in 2009 against a proposal to pre-tape several awards, according to Variety.
A similar 2005 plan to move several writing, directing and supporting acting awards to the earlier ceremonies was dropped after guild objections, Variety reported.
The latest move comes as the Academy’s long-running network rotation deal with ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox expires after this year’s NBC show. Abrego told Variety the category decision was separate from those talks and focused on this year’s ceremony.
Last year’s CBS telecast averaged 7.4 million viewers, up 8% from the 2024 ABC broadcast’s 6.9 million, according to figures cited by Variety.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.