What Time Are the 2021 Emmy Awards?

The 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are finally here and hundreds of TV stars are wondering who will take home the coveted trophies at this year's award show. The nomination list is stacked with heavy-hitters, with Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso expected to make a big splash in the comedy categories. Outstanding Drama is still a question mark, though, as The Crown, Bridgerton, The Boys, This Is Us, and more have the potential to win big. Netflix has yet to win in the Outstanding Drama Series category; will this be the year? Everything will be revealed on Sunday. 

Here's what we know so far about this year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

When Are the Emmys?

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will take place Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The event will be held in Los Angeles. 

How to Watch?

The 2021 Emmy Awards show will be broadcast in the U.S. on your local CBS channel and will stream live on Paramount+. 

E! will begin its annual red carpet coverage at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. CBS's red carpet coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, though the red carpet will be a lot smaller this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Who won?

TV Guide will be updating the winners' list as the show progresses. Follow along here.

Emmy nominations were announced July 13, 2021 by Emmy-winning father-daughter duo Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones. Among the comedy nominees this year are The Flight Attendant, which earned a Comedy Lead Actress nod for Kaley Cuoco, and Ted Lasso, earning a Comedy Lead Actor nod for series co-creator Jason Sudeikis. Surprisingly, Netflix's Emily in Paris and Cobra Kai also received nominations in the comedy category, joining the likes of black-ish, PEN15, and Hacks. 

On the drama side, Pose star Mj Rodriguez made history as the first trans woman to be nominated in the Drama Lead Actress category. Other drama nominees included The Crown, Bridgerton, The Mandalorian, and Lovecraft Country.

For limited series, Marvel Studios' first Disney+ show, WandaVision, was recognized in multiple categories, alongside Mare of Easttown, I May Destroy You, The Queen's Gambit, and The Underground Railroad.

Who's Hosting?

CBS has tapped Cedric the Entertainer to host the 2021 Emmy Awards. The comedian made the announcement on Twitter and joked that he gets to host even though he's not a Jimmy (both Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have hosted the show in the past, as well as Late Late Show host James Corden)

Who's Presenting?

The extensive list of Emmy presenters includes Paulina Alexis, Anthony Anderson, Angela Bassett, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Coolidge, Kaley Cuoco, Lane Factor, Beanie Feldstein, Allyson Felix, America Ferrera, Sterlin Harjo, Devery Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Mindy Kaling, Vanessa Lachey, Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, Jessica Long, Annie Murphy, Catherine O'Hara, Sarah Paulson, Amy Poehler, Billy Porter, Michaela Jaé (Mj) Rodriguez, Seth Rogen, Tracee Ellis Ross, Hailee Steinfeld, Patrick Stewart, Wilmer Valderrama, Kerry Washington, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Bowen Yang.

Annaleigh Ashford, Awkwafina, Misty Copeland, Michael Douglas, Ava DuVernay, Taraji P. Henson, Gayle King, LL COOL J, Dolly Parton, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Ellen Pompeo, Yara Shahidi, Rita Wilson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones have also been added to the lineup. Leon Bridges and Jon Baptiste will perform the In Memoriam song and Reggie Watts will be DJ'ing throughout the show.

What Are the 2021 Rule Changes?

There are a few major rule changes for this year's Emmys ceremony. The Variety Talk and Variety Sketch Series categories have merged into one category: Outstanding Variety Series. Short Form Variety series has also been rolled into a combined Outstanding Short Form Series, Comedy/Drama/Variety Series category. Meanwhile, the Academy voted to have Anthology Series compete under an Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category. In previous years, anthology series were allowed to compete in Comedy or Drama categories, or entrants could submit individual pieces as TV movies.

As we move deeper into the streaming era, the Academy has had to constantly define what constitutes a TV movie, and new rules have been put in place as more and more studios deploy would-be theatrical releases on their streaming platforms. Any non-documentary films that are put on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences website for viewing will be considered theatrical releases and therefore ineligible for Emmy consideration. Likewise, any programs that are nominated for Oscars will not be considered for Emmy nominations. 

All children's programming has been relegated to the Daytime Emmy Awards for Emmy consideration.

Finally, a new category was added: Outstanding Performance by an Individual or Team in a Drama, Comedy, or Limited Series was added to the Creative Arts Emmys agenda for the first time this year.

How Will COVID Affect the Emmys?

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will feature a very limited red carpet, with only 12 media outlets allowed to interview talent in person. All attendees at the awards show must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and provide a negative COVID-19 test taken on or after Friday, Sept. 17, as part of an effort to keep staff, talent, and press safe during Sunday's show. 

The ceremony has also been moved outdoors. This year's Emmys will take place at the Event Deck at L.A. LIVE, behind the Microsoft Theater.