San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
What to expect from this year’s virtual awards show.
As the Primetime Emmy Awards show marks its 72nd year, Hollywood must pull out all the stops and get creative to bring its annual event to the homes of fans across the nation in a virtual way as the country continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, West Coast wildfires and social unrest.
But even as a strippeddown, socially distanced ceremony, the stars are expected to come out of the haze of this weird era with the very best “Let’s put on a show!” spirit they can muster. Here’s what to expect:
The show, broadcast out of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, will air on ABC from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. Viewers can watch it live on TV or online at ABC’s website, abc.com/ shows/emmyawards, Hulu Live or YouTube TV.
Given the virtual setup of this year’s award ceremony, the traditional red carpet, where celebrities make small talk and show off their fancy threads, is a nogo this year — though Oakland’s own Zendaya announced on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that she still plans to “dress up ... and maybe just walk my living room carpet.”
The show was planned to take place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, but it was moved to a virtual format in July when it was clear that the pandemic was going to make large gatherings impossible.
So in lieu of a packed hall full of celebs, the ceremony will be conducted virtually, with the exception of the host, who will be on set at Staples Center.
Still, the show’s producers have promised to enlist the most cuttingedge technology available, beaming the various nominees and presenters in from their home bases to make for what they hope will be a seamless approximation of the live experience.
Whether this increases the odds of someone reading the wrong winner off the cards is something you’ll just have to tune in to see.
Despite the immense challenges, the show will still air live on Sunday, which means the show’s producers will have to walk a technological tightrope. Hopefully everyone’s internet connection speeds cooperate.
Jimmy Kimmel, who has essentially become the face of ABC between his latenight duties and hosting the annual upfronts, is back in the saddle this year after previously hosting the Emmys in 2012 and again in 2016 (he’s also hosted the Oscars twice). While the Emmys went without a host last year, a skilled master of ceremonies is very much needed this time around, and it’s hard to think of someone who can better navigate impromptu moments than the veteran Kimmel.
HBO’s superhero miniseries “Watchmen” is the show to beat this year with 26 nominations. Streaming services are also hot this award season, with Netflix alone garnering a staggering 160 nominations and Disney Plus earning a best drama series nod for “The Mandalorian,” its very first series.
This is all giving traditional broadcast networks a run for their money —with NBC getting the most nominations among them, a lowly 47 nods.
For a list of the nominees, go to datebook.sfchronicle.com.
Zaki Hasan is a Bay Area writer.