Emmys trims five awards from NBC primetime telecast
The Television Academy is shifting five Primetime Emmy categories to the Creative Arts ceremonies before the Sept. 14 NBC broadcast.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
The Primetime Emmys will hand out fewer trophies on NBC this year, after the Television Academy voted to shift five categories off the Sept. 14 telecast, Deadline reported.
The affected awards will now be presented during the Creative Arts Emmys, which are scheduled for Sept. 5 and 6. The main Primetime Emmys ceremony remains set for Sept. 14 on NBC.
The categories moving out of the televised primetime ceremony are:
- Writing for a Variety Series
- Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Directing for a Limited Series or Movie
- Writing for a Limited Series or Movie
The change means some major limited-series and movie races, including both supporting performer categories, will be decided before the NBC broadcast rather than during it. The Variety Series writing prize is also leaving the primetime show.
In a statement reported by Deadline, the Television Academy said the decision is part of an effort to reshape the broadcast around a tighter entertainment-first format.
“The Television Academy is committed to delivering a fresh new take on the Emmys broadcast, with a focus on entertainment that celebrates television shows, artists and moments audiences love while honoring excellent work from the past year,” the Academy said.
The Academy pointed to the size of the Emmys field and the limits of a three-hour show as the reason for moving some awards to the earlier ceremonies.
“Given the extraordinary breadth of work recognized each year and the limited time available within a three-hour broadcast, a select number of categories will be moving to the Emmy ceremonies taking place the week prior to the telecast,” the Academy said.
The organization added that it sees the change as a way to keep the NBC ceremony and future Emmy broadcasts “deeply engaging and tailored to the television audience.”
Deadline reported that the move is likely to anger industry guilds, including the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. No responses from those groups were included in the report.
The Creative Arts Emmys traditionally cover a wide range of awards outside the main broadcast, while the Primetime Emmys telecast focuses on selected high-profile categories and television moments. This vote pushes several writing, directing and acting honors into that earlier weekend.
The Television Academy’s decision comes as awards shows continue to balance honoring a broad field of nominees with the demands of a network broadcast window. For viewers watching NBC on Sept. 14, the result will be a shorter list of live award presentations and a primetime ceremony built around fewer competitive categories.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.