November or January? The Television Academy and Fox have been locked in a debate over when to air this year’s 75.e Annual Emmy Awards in the likely event that they have to postpone the ceremony. The Academy would like to move the show to November (which it also did in 2001), while Fox seems set on a January air date.
When the Television Academy announces this year’s Emmy nominations on Wednesday, it will downplay — but still reference — the show’s September 18 air date. Nevertheless, almost everyone involved in both the network and the organization knows that this date is extremely unlikely to hold any longer.
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According to insiders, the Academy and Fox are waiting to see for sure if SAG-AFTRA goes on strike this week, joining the WGA in shutting down essentially all major Hollywood events. After that, a decision should be finalized by the end of July on when and how to hold this year’s Emmys.
Canceling the show is not an option, especially given the history of the 75 Emmyse anniversary. Instead, the Academy and Fox have agreed that a postponement makes more sense – but the two sides differ on when they think the show should now take place. The Academy’s favorite November date represents a two-month shift that would keep the ceremony in the fall and make it the first major awards show to take place after (hopefully) the strikes have been settled and Hollywood back to work.
That’s ultimately Fox’s call, as they’re this year’s broadcast partner in the four-network “wheel deal.” And Fox seems pretty committed to a January date, arguing that its November schedule is already packed with NFL football and other events. A January date would likely put it on January 21, 2024, however, as the Golden Globes are scheduled for January 7 and the Critics Choice Awards on January 14.
This all assumes the Emmys would stay on a Sunday — but as many have noted, the show really could take place any day of the week (and has in the past). And keep in mind that nothing is set in stone yet, which means all options are still on the table. (Including the possibility that the strike or strikes will be resolved and the date of September 18 may be recorded.)
As Variety previously wrote, there is precedent for moving the Emmys to November: In 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks pushed back the date of the Emmys, the initial military action in Afghanistan pushed the telecast back, to November. At that time, a moderate Emmy TV show took place in a smaller venue (the now-demolished Schubert Theater in Century City).
Waiting until January, on the other hand, risks upsetting an outdated Emmy race — with an eligibility window that ended six months prior — amid more updated TV competition at the Globes, Critics Choice and SAG Awards. The Emmys would also likely be overshadowed by those movie season awards shows (not to mention the NFL playoffs).
On the other hand, it would give Fox a chance to promote its midseason shows, and the Emmys could benefit from the promotional attention it gets during those aforementioned NFL playoff games. It would also take the Emmys back to where it all began: the first three Emmys (in 1949, 1950, and 1951) all took place in January. The kudocast then started creeping into the spring and didn’t actually become a permanent September event until 1977.
Besides the Primetime Emmys, there’s also the question of when the Creative Arts Emmy Awards (currently scheduled for September 9-10) would take place. And a move would also impact the schedule for Jesse Collins Entertainment, which produces this year’s Emmys. (A move from the Emmys to January would make it difficult for the busy company to produce any of the winter awards season shows, for example).
Meanwhile, as the Primetime Emmys ponder a move, remember that the Daytime Emmys must also determine when and where they will air on CBS, having been postponed from their original June date.
As a move to the Primetime Emmys currently seems likely, the TV Academy will also have to consider whether or not to move the Phase 2 voting window, scheduled for August 17-28, to a later date. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Phase 2 voting dates were pushed back, with Phase 1 voting being moved to July; this time around, it’s unclear how or when the campaign might resume – or if it will have to take place without the participation of talent.
Insiders expect the Academy to keep the Phase 2 schedule as is, rather than risk complaining that a move could give some suitors an unfair advantage over others. There’s also the argument, made by some, that the Phase 2 campaign was never as robust as Phase 1 (when FYC events and pop-up installs are common), and could continue without the talent participation.
If that were the case, and voting continued into August as scheduled, then the Television Academy would simply sit on the results until the Emmy telecast finally took place. More, of course, to come as news travels fast and pivots are inevitable in these unprecedented times.
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