Emmy Nominations, but Will There Be A Ceremony?

We saw the Emmy Nominations for the 2023 cycle announced on July 11. However, with SAG-AFTRA heading to the picket line to join the WGA not even twenty-four hours later- and awards ceremony appearances forbidden during the strike- will we even see the planned 75th ceremony take place on September 18, 2023? Entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake, with Blake & Wang P.A, unpacks the thorny issue of starting awards season when actors can’t participate.

                                                                           Brandon Blake

Emmy Delay

For now, the Academy itself seems keen to postpone the planned air date for the ceremony to November. Fox, however, seems keen for a January airdate- a significant delay to the typical award season layout, and notably on top of the beginning of Oscar hype itself. When the nominations were announced last week it was rather obvious, despite attempts to play the confusion down, that no one really knew what date to reference.

What does seem likely, however, is that September will be a no-go. While it was still uncertain when nominations were announced if SAG-AFTRA were going to head to the picket line, we now know they have. And when the high-profile actors walk out, that’s essentially an end to red carpet Hollywood events.

End of July Deadline

This is a particularly unfortunate year for the Academy, too, given that this should be the 75th-anniversary ceremony. Few will want to pull the curtain on that entirely, so for now, it seems a postponement will be inevitable. We’ve been told to look to the end of July for full details on when (and how) the ceremony will take place.

The Academy’s November would be the better option for the Emmys themselves- it keeps the ceremony in the fall and at the head of awards season, as close to its normal place as possible in a disrupted climate. Fox, as this year’s broadcast partner, will have the final say, however. They cite a November full of sports events. No doubt cynics wonder if it's because the major studios have no intent on trying to resolve this strike by November. 

Either way, it would leave the ceremony eying January 21st, 2024, sandwiched between the Golden Globes (7th) and Critics Choice Awards (14th). Of course, the knock-on effects of the strike will affect more than the ceremony- think voting windows and a ton of other things requiring talent participation.

But for now, that’s all idle speculation. As with many things around the current strike climate, we can only wait and see what happens.