With the country currently dealing with being on fire and under water in the midst of a pandemic and the lead up to a presidential election, things like awards shows may (understandably) not be on our radar. But it’s September, and the 72nd Emmy Awards are coming up—tonight, to be exact. Here’s what to know about this year’s event, including how to watch it.
What’s going on with the Emmys this year?
Like many events during the pandemic, there will be no audience at the 2020 Emmy Awards. That means there won’t be the traditional red carpet coverage, although nominees may provide us with a glimpse at their at-home Emmy ensemble via social media. Given that they were not provided with a dress code, this could mean seeing anything from the gowns they would have worn to the event in person, to pajamas and sweats.
How to watch the ceremony
The 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC at 8 pm EST. Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting the three-hour event. The show also will streaming on ABC.com, and available on-demand on ABC.com and the ABC app for seven days, but both require a cable account login to gain access. While there won’t be any free livestreams of the ceremony, it will air on on services like Hulu + Live TV and YouTubeTV, both of which have free trials, if you absolutely cannot live without seeing three hours involving Kimmel.
What might make the Emmys interesting to watch, though, is that the production sounds like a logistical nightmare, which naturally, could make for great TV. Per CNBC:
Instead of pre-taping segments, the primetime Emmys have opted to ship out 130 cameras to nominees in 20 cities and 10 countries...Nominees were sent a ring light, a laptop, a boom mic and a camera as part of the package. Winners will give their acceptance speeches and then be transferred over to a virtual press room to conduct quick press conferences with reporters.
What could go wrong?