The Television Academy revealed Tuesday that “following discussions with health and safety experts” for L.A. County, the organization is limiting the number of nominees who will be allowed to attend the Emmy Awards on Sept. 19 as well as the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 11 and 12.
Though invitations have just gone out, the scaling back of ticketed attendees will mean that nominated teams consisting of three or more will 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,” the Academy states in their announcement. But officials won’t be the ones cutting down the list. The statement goes on to note that the nominated teams will be charged with doling out the tickets and determining who makes the cut.
The decision will impact shows with the most nominations spread across a variety of categories, shows like The Crown, The Mandalorian, WandaVision, The Handmaid’s Tale, Saturday Night Live and Ted Lasso, all shows that have 20 or more nods. It will also impact writing staffs as well as late-night series as those shows typically see huge groups of nominated talent attending.
Also revealed today, the TV Academy has opted to move all ceremonies to the event deck at L.A. Live, located directly behind the Microsoft Theater, as a way to utilize an “indoor/outdoor” setting that can accommodate more socially distanced seating. The space is what the TV Academy typically used for its post-show Governors Ball celebrations but those after parties have been scrapped this year due to the ongoing pandemic. The indoor/outdoor vibe is similar to what the Recording Academy pulled off for this year’s Grammy Awards telecast.
The move comes amid rising COVID-19 concerns and infections due to the delta variant, which was cited as part of Tuesday’s release. “The health and safety of our nominees is of paramount importance,” the TV Academy continued in its statement. “Conversations are ongoing, and we will provide further information as it is available.”
Last week, the TV Academy noted that a “very limited” red carpet will greet attendees when they arrive to the show with approximately a dozen or so outlets credentialed to cover talent arrivals and interview nominees on-site. It’s unclear what outlets will be selected as the application process will happen in the coming days. A virtual media center will be mounted in partnership with broadcast partner CBS as a way to include more outlets and give them the opportunity to connect with winners during the show, similar to what they successfully pulled off last year.