Emmys Removes Categories From Telecast, Including Two Limited Acting

UPDATED: The DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and the WGA have jointly expressed dissatisfaction with the TV Academy’s decision to remove five categories from the NBC telecast. They stated, “The Emmys exist to celebrate the best of television and the artists who are central to bringing these stories to life. The decision to eliminate these categories from the prime-time broadcast devalues the contributions of the talented people the Academy is meant to honor. An awards show dedicated to recognizing excellence should not reduce recognition for the artists whose work gives it meaning.”

The Television Academy intends to reduce the number of Emmy categories presented during its primetime telecast on September 14. The Academy’s Board of Governors decided to move five categories to earlier Emmy ceremonies on September 5 and 6. These categories are Writing for a Variety Series, Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie, Directing for a Limited Series/Anthology or Movie, and Writing for a Limited Series/Anthology or Movie.

By decreasing the number of awards presented in primetime to 19 from 26 last year, the organization aims to revitalize the ceremony, which often lacks time for entertainment due to the numerous awards that need to be presented.

TV Academy chair Cris Abrego told Variety that the intention behind moving some awards is to allow more room for musical performances, comedic segments, and unexpected acceptance speeches.

“We’re really excited to flex more creativity into the show,” he said. “This is not new, but the Academy’s always been committed to delivering an Emmy telecast that celebrates television and also creating the best possible viewing experience. But it needs time, and that’s where we really want to find time to create an incredible night of entertainment that celebrates all of the Emmy winners.”

When choosing these five categories to move, Abrego mentioned that the plan was to distribute it across different disciplines, including performers, writers, and directors. “There’s no perfect solution because every category obviously represents extraordinary work, but we really wanted just to take an approach to be as balanced and as equitable as possible,” he said. “So then, what we really did was rather than concentrating on the change in one discipline or one peer group, it’s a small number of categories across the performances, writing, and directing.”

Abrego also noted that the Academy plans to reach out to the guilds for those groups to explain the change, acknowledging that “there’s going to be some upset folks on this for sure. We want to honor respect members across all the professions and all the guilds, which we do across all three nights of the Emmys. This decision, though, was made to protect and enhance the future of the telecast and future of the Academy… the decision is really about ensuring that the Emmy Awards remain the premier celebration of television — not only for today’s industry, but for the future. Audiences are evolving and changing, and so must the show.”

Since the pandemic, the Emmys have experienced fluctuating viewership. The 77th Emmy Awards on CBS drew 7.4 million viewers, an 8% increase from the 2024 show on ABC, which had 6.9 million viewers, marking it the most-watched edition since 2021.

This revamp occurs as the TV Academy evaluates the future of the Emmy telecast, as the traditional network “wheel deal,” where ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox alternately broadcast the ceremony, expires after this year’s NBC edition. Abrego stated that Thursday’s decision was made independently of those negotiations and is focused on this year’s ceremony. However, as the organization negotiates a new deal, this could be seen as an effort to address concerns that awards shows are no longer the audience draw they once were.

With many major awards moving to what was traditionally known as the “Creative Arts Emmys,” the TV Academy is also eliminating the “Creative Arts” distinction for the September 5 and 6 ceremonies, referring to all three events, including the September 14 telecast, simply as the “Emmys.”

“It’s something that I’ve really felt strongly about, every Emmy is incredibly valuable,” Abrego said. “We’re bringing equity to all that part of it. Emmy night one, night two, and night three, they’re all Emmys.”

In recent years, the two nights of the Creative Arts Emmys have been edited into a tape-delayed special on FXX; talks are ongoing to bring that back this year with the first two nights of the Emmys.

Abrego mentioned that the decision to move categories and create more time on the September 14 telecast has been done in cooperation with NBC and producers Jesse Collins Entertainment, who will now be tasked with filling more of that time.

“It’s real time to get real creative to the show that we think is going to give it that juice,” he said. “Having just gone off a creative call with the team, it’s really going to be exciting.”

The Television Academy has made several attempts over the years to streamline the Emmys, often encountering controversy. In 2023, the Writers Guild of America protested a plan to remove the outstanding writing for a variety series or special categories from the Emmy telecast to include the variety special (live) category instead.

In 2009, the Directors’ Guild and the Writers’ Guild opposed a plan to pre-tape award presentations in eight categories before the show. The idea was to show the winners but edit out the time they take to get on and off the stage, thus saving several minutes of the telecast. Another proposal to hand out trophies to winners in their seats was also discarded.

Similar to this year’s strategy, the TV Academy tried to move seven categories to the Creative Arts Emmys in 2005, but the guilds resisted. The idea involved shifting several awards (for writing, directing, and supporting actor and actress in a TV movie/mini, as well as trophies for performing, writing, and directing for variety programs) to make room for other content on the Emmys telecast.

Back then, there was concern over declining ratings and the need to make the Emmys a more vibrant and enticing program for viewers. However, the Academy eventually withdrew that plan after the WGA and DGA raised objections; the Academy’s director and writer peer groups crafted a compromise. Yet, the plan to save time by pre-taping acceptance speeches from several categories did not succeed.

The DGA and WGA have historically been able to halt past plans by withholding waivers that allow the TV Academy to show clips from nominated series for free on the telecast, previously threatening to revoke those waivers when the Academy sought to streamline the show.

Outreach to the guilds is now the next step, Abrego said. “Obviously, this was something that was voted on by our board of governors and approved with some incredibly meaningful, thoughtful discussion,” he said. “This is not an easy decision, because I understand how people are going to feel about this. But when I started this role, I really believed that the responsibility was twofold. First was protecting the integrity of the Emmy awards. Second was, continue evolving the image so they remain culturally meaningful for future generations.”

The Academy stated: “The Television Academy is committed to delivering a fresh new take on the Emmys broadcast, with a focus on entertainment that celebrates television shows, artists, and moments audiences love while honoring excellent work from the past year. Given the extraordinary breadth of work recognized each year and the limited time available within a three-hour broadcast, a select number of categories will be moving to the Emmy ceremonies taking place the week prior to the telecast. This thoughtful evolution ensures this year’s NBC ceremony and future broadcasts remain deeply engaging and tailored to the television audience.”   

“Law & Order: SVU” star and executive producer — and 2006 lead drama actress Emmy winner — Mariska Hargitay (nominated twice this year for the documentary “My Mom Jayne”) will host the 78th Emmys. The telecast, produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, airs Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live, airing live on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The Emmy Awards formerly known as Creative Arts will take place Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6.

Here is the plan for how this year’s three Emmy ceremonies, including the main event on September 14, will be divided by category:

78th Emmy Awards Categories — Saturday, September 5, 2026

78th Emmy Awards Categories — Sunday, September 6, 2026

78th Emmy Awards NBC Telecast Categories — Monday, September 14, 2026