The Emmys are taking a page from its awards show sibling and going host-less for its 2019 ceremony on Fox.
Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier announced today that the 71st Emmy Awards, which will air September 22, will not feature a host for the first time since 2003 (when it also took place on Fox).
The Emmys also went host-less in 1998 (on NBC) and 1975 (on CBS). The Emmys rotate among each of the Big 4 broadcast networks.
Fox does not have a natural host, anyway, since it does not air any late night shows. The last time Fox hosted the Emmys in 2015, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star Andy Samberg hosted.
(At the time, the cop comedy aired on Fox; it has now moved to NBC.)
Collier noted that several longtime, award-winning series have concluded this year, including nominee-leading “Game of Thrones” and “Veep.”
“The Oscars did very well. That was something we paid attention to,” he explained. “This is a unique year for some of America’s favorite shows and producers came to conclusion that spending more time on those was the right thing to do.”
The Television Academy recently disqualified an unspecified number of members for “block voting,” Deadline reports. All of the members in question are actors, but they haven’t been publicly named. The news comes just three days into the first round of Emmy voting.
Block voting is “a direct violation” of the competition’s rules and member code of conduct, according to TV Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma. He spoke out against the members’ alleged actions in a statement on Wednesday.
“This type of activity will not be tolerated,” Scherma said, per Deadline. “The Emmy stands for excellence and the integrity of this award is of paramount importance to the television industry.”
The disqualification means that members will not be able to vote at all in the 2019 Emmy Awards competition. Their ballot entries and any votes they cast will not be counted. On top of that, it’s possible the TV Academy will refer them to the Conduct Review Committee “for further disciplinary action,” Scherma said.
Voting has been interesting this Emmy season already. The “Family Guy” team kicked off its campaign in May by jokingly misdirecting would-be “Game of Thrones” voters. Who knows what else is in store for us?
The first round of voting goes through June 24. The awards show will be held on Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. PT.
20th Century Fox TV has been sending out mailers to Emmy voters, and the one for “Family Guy” capitalizes on “Game of Thrones” mania in a fitting and funny way. It shows Peter Griffin (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), seated on the Iron Throne with a direwolf-like Brian (also voiced by MacFarlane) by his side, under the following message:
Due to a printing error, if you wish to vote for “Game of Thrones,” please check the “Family Guy” box on the animation ballot.
20th Century Fox TV
Of course, voters should know that this doesn’t refer to a real “printing error.” It’s just another case of “Family Guy” campaigning for an Emmy in a creative way — one that HBO approved, as executive producer Rich Appel told Variety. In the past, the show’s mailers have drawn inspiration from other topic issues as well, the publication pointed out. Examples include the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the election of Donald Trump.
“Family Guy” has been nominated for 27 Emmys over the years so far, with eight wins overall. It has never won for outstanding animated program, but with its new mailers, that may soon change. Cersei would be proud.
Instead, “AHS” and “The Sinner” will compete against regular dramas like “Game of Thrones.” “American Vandal” will be going up against its fellow comedies, including “Veep” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
The decision was made because the most recent seasons of all three shows have “continuing story threads, characters and actors reprising those same character roles from previous seasons,” according to the TV academy.
The change might be attributable to the hubbub over “Big Little Lie“s sweeping the “Limited Series” category — and then announcing a second season that picks up where the first left off.
“American Horror Story” had competed as a limited series every season so far. Although it’s an anthology series with standalone seasons, there are recurring characters and plot lines.
Season 2 of “The Sinner,” while dealing with a different case than the first season, brought back Bill Pullman as troubled Detective Harry Ambrose.
After a brief switch to a Monday airdate in 2018, the Emmys will be moving back to their usual Sunday slot for next year’s ceremony
In a joint announcement on Monday, Fox and the Television Academy revealed the date for the 71st Annual Emmy Awards. The show is scheduled for Sunday, September 22, 2019, and will air live coast-to-coast from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST (5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST).
A host (or hosts) and producer for the telecast are set to be announced at a later date. Expect someone from the Fox network family to emcee.
Though the awards are still a long way off, our money is already on “Game of Thrones” to repeat as winners in the Best Drama Series category, after scooping up the trophy at the 2018 Emmys. The series is set to sign off on HBO next year, with its eighth and final season due to debut on the premium cable outlet sometime in April of 2019.
Reigning Best Comedy Series winner “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” could also very well snag a second consecutive statutette. Its sophomore season is slated to hit Amazon Prime on December 5.
Of course, it’s still extremely early to be predicting next year’s awards slate, and plenty may change between now and then. Stay tuned.