Here’s everything we know about 2021 Emmy Awards

If you thought that the Academy Awards would be the standard-bearer for award shows in the future, you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. Well, maybe not that serious, but the Emmys will not be doing the old Steven Soderbergh route and setting the ceremony in a train station. We also assume the award for Best Actor won’t be the show’s finale, and you can pretty much guarantee Anthony Hopkins won’t be winning—unless he’s nominated for those delightful Instagram posts, which he isn’t.

This year, it sounds like the Emmys won’t doing the whole Zoom-based ceremony, so don’t expect to see Jason Sudekis in a hoodie like the Golden Globes. Instead, they’re moving the ceremony outside, keeping a tight lid on the guest list, and hoping to keep its star-studded presenters and hard-working crew that puts the show together safe from the ongoing pandemic.

Where can I watch it?

The Emmy awards are again changing networks. Last year, the show happened on ABC, the year before Fox. This year, CBS and everybody’s favorite streamer Paramount+ have the honors. The show will air on Sunday, September 19, at 8 PM EST. Viewers will have the option of watching the show live on CBS, streaming it on Paramount+, or both—we’d hate to deny anyone of a dual-screen experience.

Who’s Hosting?

Say goodbye to ABC golden boy Jimmy Kimmel. Instead, this year CBS is bringing in a company man: Cedric the Entertainer. The star of CBS’ The Neighborhood and one of The Original Kings Of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer is a first-time presenter but a long-time Emmy watcher. He said in a statement, “Since I was a little boy huddled up next to my grandmother, television has always been my reliable friend, so it is an enormous honor for me to host this year’s Emmy Awards.”

Where is the ceremony taking place?

Unlike last year, the ceremony will be in person, which saw Kimmel trapped in the Staples Center as celebrities imprisoned in Zoom screens like an E! channel version of the Phantom Zone. But it will be happening outside at the Event Deck at L.A. Live with a limited audience. The space will allow for “an opportunity to utilize an ‘indoor/outdoor’ setting and more socially distanced audience seating.” Per Variety, the Television Academy continues:

“Although invitations have just been mailed out, nominated teams of three or more will now be limited to no more than four tickets per nomination. Unfortunately, this means not all nominees will be able to attend this year’s awards. We recommend those on nominated teams coordinate between themselves and identify how they will allot their four tickets before they RSVP.”

Has the Television Academy announced this year’s roster of presenters and performers yet?

Not yet. We’ll keep you in the loop, though. In the meantime, maybe imagine an Emmy ceremony in which Jennifer Coolidge presents all the awards.

Who’s nominated?

We have a full list of the nominees right over here, which you can peruse at your leisure.

Watch along with The A.V. Club

You didn’t think we’d leave you to watch this thing alone, did you? The A.V. Club cordially invites you to join our staff for a live blog of the ceremony. But that’s not all. And on Emmy night, we’ll be talking winners and losers, writing up the breakout stories, and chronicling the big moments on Newswire and Twitter. We’re talking snubs, flubs, cheers, and jeers as only The A.V. Club can.

Update, 9/8/2021:

How are the Creative Arts Emmys running this year?

The TV Academy has now released some fresh info on this year’s Emmy ceremonies—specifically, the Creative Arts Emmys, typically focused on animation, variety shows, reality programs, and other slightly less eye-catching content that nevertheless demands celebration every year. Last year’s CAE’s were cut into five virtual shows, the better to not get anyone killed over Outstanding Animated Program. This year’s show, though, will be back in a mostly live set-up, with producer Bob Bain dismissing last year’s production as “when it was all virtual and Zooms that no one really wants to watch.”

Instead, the program has been cut into three live events, spaced out across Saturday and Sunday on the 11th and 12th of September. Said events—which will go hostless, although Bain did promise some big name talent to kick off each show—will then be condensed down into a single telecast that will air on FXX on September 18, the day before the Primetime Emmys.