The Emmys usually take place in September way before the thick of awards season – but as Hollywood was in the grips of the writers’ and actors’ strikes in August, the ceremony was pushed back several months to 15 January.
It is the first time the Emmys, the highest honors in television, were postponed since 2001, when the 9/11 terrorist attacks pushed the ceremony to November.
The Creative Arts Emmy awards, which honour artistic and technical achievements in television, were also moved and took place on 6 and 7 January.
The four-month delay of both events reflected the mood in Hollywood last summer that any deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Sag-Aftra actors guild with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) seemed far off. The writers’ strike ended in a deal in September but the actors’ guild did not ratify its deal until December.
The decision to move the awards has, however, landed it in a strange place as it is now happening the week after the Globes, the night after the Critics Choice and the month before the Screen Actors Guild awards.
It means, confusingly for viewers, that The Bear season one is competing for awards on Monday just after The Bear season two swept the comedy categories at the Globes.
It also means, annoyingly for awards publicists, that the next Emmys will take place in the same calendar year.
The delayed show will be hosted by 10-time Emmy nominee Anthony Anderson, best known for his role in Black-ish. He has teased that some famous friends will be joining him throughout the night as well as his mother, whom he has collaborated with before (the pair are currently hosting the game show We Are Family).
Anderson might not have hosted the Emmys before but he has been the emcee of other awards shows such as the NAACP Image awards. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Anderson hinted at a celebratory tone “paying homage” to 75 years of the Emmys but he also was not afraid of taking the odd jab.
