This year, the Primetime Emmy Awards are going host-less for the first time in 16 years, per Deadline.
The rationale behind Fox and the Television Academy’s decision was to carve out more time to honor the nominated series and hugely popular television shows ending their runs, including Game of Thrones, Veep and The Big Bang Theory.
“Our job is to assess as to how to elevate the program in the year that we have it,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told Deadline, noting the network had “a lot of names on board” for a potential host before the decision was drawn. “If you have a host and an opening, that’s 15 or 20 minutes you can‘t have to salute the shows.”
When you get down to it, there’s really no need for a single host to guide an awards ceremony, anyway: A rotating roster of presenters and performers is enough to tie the show together without fear of awkwardly delivered monologues and poorly landed bits. Though not explicitly addressed by the network, the ratings bump that resulted from this year’s Academy Awards going host-less might’ve also been a key factor in making the decision (especially when considering that last season’s Michael Che- and Colin Jost-hosted ceremony averaged out as the least-watched Emmys on record).
This season will mark the fourth time the Emmys have been broadcast without a host, the latest of which occurred in 2003.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will air Sept. 22 on FOX. You can revisit the list of nominees here and Paste’s list of snubs and surprises here.