The Emmys will return to TV with fewer awards this year

Sorry, Fargo, the Emmys for limited series/anthology or movie are no longer fit for broadcast.

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  July 17, 2026 | 7:21pm
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
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The Emmys will return to TV with fewer awards this year

In what’s becoming routine for awards bodies looking to spice up their shows by handing out fewer awards, the Television Academy announced this year’s Emmys will feature the fewest awards since the ’50s. Per Variety, the Academy is cutting seven awards from the broadcast, reducing the number of gold statues from 26 to 19, because audiences apparently don’t tune into awards shows to see awards. They tune into them to watch the hosts mock recipients for delivering thank-you speeches. Stranger still, the awards being cut for time this year are among the show’s most competitive fields: Writing for a variety series, supporting actor and actress in a limited/anthology series or movie, directing for a limited/anthology series or movie, and writing for a limited/anthology series or movie. To put that in context, had this happened last year, Owen Cooper, Jack Thorne, and Philip Barantini’s wins for Adolescence would’ve been nixed. A year earlier, Lamorne Morris’ long-overdue win for Fargo and Jessica Gunn’s for Baby Reindeer wouldn’t make it to air under these restrictions.

Speaking to Variety, Television Academy chair Chris Abrego says he hopes that the extra time will create more space for musical performances, comedy, and unexpected acceptance speeches. While there’s “no perfect solution” to the age-old problem of there not being enough time on Earth to give everyone a golden-winged woman, Abrego says the Academy is trying to be “as balanced and as equitable as possible.” 

The affected categories will be moving to the Emmy ceremonies on September 5 and 6, when the awards that are too hot for TV name their winners. For the record, the Emmys held a week before the ceremony used to be called the Creative Arts Emmys, but seeing as the ceremony is filling up with mainline categories, it’s only right that the Academy give it an updated, confusing title. They’re now known as the “Emmy Awards.” 

This is hardly the first time the Academy has cut back on awards to fight flailing ratings—though it’s a testament to how much people like watching celebrities win trophies that the ceremony still nets somewhere around 7 million viewers. In 2023, the WGA planned to protest the ceremony when the Academy threatened to move the outstanding writing for a variety series off the telecast. In general, the unions, whether the WGA or DGA, hate when the Emmys cut back on categories because it’s the one time a year its members get some televised recognition. In an attempt to get ahead of the controversy, the Academy released the following statement: 

“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.” 

The Emmys return to TV with less gold than ever on September 14 with host Mariska Hargitay.

 

 
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