Emmys 2021: What to Expect, Red Carpet and the Latest

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Sept. 19, 2021, 6:36 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:36 p.m. ET

Chief fashion critic

The host of the night, Cedric the Entertainer, is in a celadon-green tux. The men are, once again, making statements.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:29 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:29 p.m. ET

Styles reporter

We’re seeing more cast members of “The Crown” trickle onto the carpet. Gillian Anderson is wearing a white gown by Chloé (no surprise there — she wore a black gown by Chloé to the Met Gala) with a little midriff and a lot of tassel action.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:37 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:37 p.m. ET

Styles reporter

Update! It turns out some of the cast (including Anderson and Olivia Colman) is walking the red carpet from an Emmys event in London. Not Josh O’Connor, though! Prince Charles is in Los Angeles.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:26 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:26 p.m. ETCredit…HBO, via Associated Press

Michael K. Williams, the beloved star of “The Wire” who was found dead on Sept. 6, is nominated for best supporting actor in a drama for the recently canceled HBO series “Lovecraft Country.” If he does win — and he is a slight favorite over Tobias Menzies from “The Crown” — it will not be because Emmys voters wanted to give him the award posthumously. The Emmy voting period ended before Williams’s death.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:26 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:26 p.m. ET

Chief fashion critic

OK: Billy Porter is here. And he has … wings? Now things are taking off.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:19 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:19 p.m. ET

Chief fashion critic

And Josh O’Connor, a.k.a. Prince Charles, is making an entrance in Loewe, with a big black flower at his neck instead of the traditional black tie. He pretty much always wears Jonathan Anderson, the Irish designer behind Loewe, on the red carpet, though their relationship seems less like the modern pay-to-play arrangement, and more like a meeting of creative minds.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:00 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:00 p.m. ET

Chief fashion critic

The Emmys red carpet is about to start, but I have to say, after the pageantry of the Met red carpet, the kookiness of the VMAs and the glamour of the Venice Film Festival, it’s hard to imagine there are any dresses left. Is this Emmys going to be anticlimactic? Or are actors like Anya Taylor-Joy — who is a face of Dior — Billy Porter, Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin going to try to top what’s come before? What do you think, Jess?

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:04 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:04 p.m. ET

Styles reporter

Hi Vanessa! I’m usually in favor of red-carpet weirdness, but I don’t think I can handle any more swords, robot babies, or horse heads as accessories (all of which made appearances at the Met on Monday). So yes, right now the Emmys red carpet is seeming pretty low stakes. But I bet there will be a few surprises. I think we’re long past the days of Jason Sudeikis wearing a tie-dye hoodie while Zooming from a living room (into the Golden Globes, to be fair). There will be some glitz. There must be some glitz! I see Dolly Parton was already named an Emmy winner for her Netflix Christmas special. Maybe the “Bridgerton” cast will come in costume.

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:10 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 6:10 p.m. ET

Chief fashion critic

That would be something to see. One thing that seems clear, though, is that all those predictions about people wanting to go all out with color and sparkles and feathers and express themselves post-isolation is definitely coming true on the red carpet.

Sept. 19, 2021, 5:55 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 5:55 p.m. ETCredit…Apple TV Plus, via Associated Press

It appears that Apple’s streaming service, not quite two years old, is on the verge of getting its first major Emmys win, thanks to an aphorism-spouting, fish-out-of-water soccer coach.

The feel-good Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso” is the favorite in the comedy category. Nominated for its rookie season, which had its premiere in August 2020, the show already won best cast in a comedy last weekend. The winner of that award has gone on to win best comedy six years in a row. “Ted Lasso” also cleaned up at the Television Critics Association Awards earlier this month, winning best new series, best comedy and best overall show.

Jason Sudeikis, the former “Saturday Night Live” stalwart, is poised to win multiple Emmys, including for best writing and best actor in a comedy series. Those would be his first Emmy wins.

A long shot competitor for best comedy is the HBO Max series “Hacks,” starring Jean Smart, who is also likely to win her fourth acting Emmy, for her role as a Joan Rivers-like stand-up comic.

When it comes to comedy this year, the broadcast and cable networks are on the outside looking in: They earned only one nomination in the category, from ABC’s “black-ish,” its lowest combined total in the history of the Emmys.

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Sept. 19, 2021, 5:26 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 5:26 p.m. ETCredit…Des Willie/Netflix

At long last, it should be the year that a streaming platform is triumphant at the Emmys.

The tech companies upended the entertainment industry years ago, but they’ve had mixed results breaking through with members of the Television Academy, who vote on the winners. That will likely come to an end on Sunday when the envelopes are unsealed at the 73rd Emmy Awards.

“The Crown,” the lush Netflix drama chronicling the British royal family, is the heavy favorite to win one of the night’s biggest awards — best drama — on the strength of its fourth season, which took viewers into the 1980s as it portrayed the relationship of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

“The Crown” already picked up four Emmys in the first batch of awards handed out during last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which recognizes achievements in technical categories.

Netflix built a considerable lead over its television and streaming rivals at the Creative Arts Emmys, all but guaranteeing that it will win more awards than any other studio, streaming platform or TV network.

A best drama win for “The Crown” would also be a significant first for Netflix. The streaming service has never won a top series award, despite a whopping 30 nominations in best drama, comedy and limited series from 2013 to 2020. Only one streaming service, Hulu, has won best drama, an award that went to “The Handmaid’s Tale” four years ago.

It would be a fitting win in a ceremony that is recognizing the best shows aired or streamed amid the pandemic. During the stay-at-home months last year and early this year, people increasingly turned away from cable and embraced streaming video entertainment, accelerating a trend that was already underway.

While “The Crown” is the favorite, keep an eye out for spoilers in the best drama race. “The Mandalorian,” the Star Wars action adventure show on Disney+, picked up seven technical awards last weekend, and Television Academy voters love themselves some popular, action-packed entertainment, as evinced by the success of “Game of Thrones,” which won best drama a record-tying four times.

A show with an outside shot is “Bridgerton,” the popular Netflix bodice-ripper from the super producer Shonda Rhimes. FX’s “Pose,” nominated for its final, emotional season, has the best chance at an upset of any of the cable or network series nominated.

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Sept. 19, 2021, 5:02 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 5:02 p.m. ETCredit…G L Askew II for The New York Times

Year after year, the Emmy Awards have sought a master of ceremonies who can reverse its declining trends in viewership and bring audiences back to this annual broadcast honoring the television industry. Maybe what the show needs is an all-around entertainer.

So for this Sunday, the Emmys have enlisted Cedric the Entertainer, the veteran stand-up and star of the CBS comedy “The Neighborhood,” to host the show, bucking a recent tradition of drawing from the talent pool of late-night TV.

Cedric, 57, knows he has his work cut out for him: It’s not easy for people to get invested in the Emmys while the pandemic continues and when there is little overlap between the fan bases for nominated shows like “Ted Lasso,” “The Crown” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

But he is hoping that this year’s Emmys — which, unlike last year’s largely virtual event, will have an in-person ceremony at the Event Deck at L.A. Live, in Los Angeles — will encourage viewers to come back by fostering a spirit of inclusivity.

As Cedric said in a video interview last month, “I want to bring a familiarity that comes with my brand of stand-up. I’m somebody you know. I’m your cousin or your uncle, and we’re here to celebrate each other.”

“I’m there to do every job that a host is supposed to do,” he continued. “I may go and kick it with people. You may see me do a food-pass tray — have some crudités, my friend. Please, go in my closet, wear one of my jackets, you’re fine.”

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Sept. 19, 2021, 5:01 p.m. ET

Sept. 19, 2021, 5:01 p.m. ETCredit…Richard Shotwell/Invision, via Richard Shotwell/Invision/Ap

There’s sure to be both drama and comedy at the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be mostly an in-person edition of the show. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, the comedian and star of CBS’s “The Neighborhood,” the awards will be handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles before a limited audience, and will honor the pandemic-era television programs that got us through lockdown.

What time do the festivities start?

The ceremony begins at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific. On television, CBS is the official broadcaster. If you have a cable login, you can watch online via cbs.com, or if you’re a CBS subscriber, via the CBS app.

The show will also air live and on demand on the streaming service Paramount+, which is one of the cheapest options for streaming the Emmys. Paramount+ offers a one-week free trial or is available starting at $5 per month. Other livestreaming services that also offer access to the channel include Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV or FuboTV. All require subscriptions that start at $65 per month, though many are offering free trials.

Is there a red carpet?

This year’s attendees will still have the chance to sashay down a red carpet, albeit a limited one with only about a dozen media outlets. The cable channel E! will have preshow entertainment and then red carpet coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Livestreams from the red carpet will be available on the websites of People and Entertainment Weekly starting at 7 p.m.

Who will be presenting?

Among the approximately 50 stars scheduled to hand out statuettes are Annaleigh Ashford, Awkwafina, Stephen Colbert, Misty Copeland, Michael Douglas, Ava DuVernay, and Taraji P. Henson, Gayle King, Daniel Levy, Eugene Levy, LL Cool J, Annie Murphy, Catherine O’Hara, Dolly Parton, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Patrick Stewart and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Reggie Watts, the band leader on “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” will serve as D.J. for the evening, and the R&B artist Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will perform a special “In Memoriam” song written by Bridges.

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