The Television Academy is once again changing how late-night and variety programming is honored at the Emmys, according to Deadline, stating that the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories will mix beginning this year.The Academy’s Board of Governors accepted the decision, which establishes a new voting system that may result in many late-night shows receiving Emmys in the same category a rare and unprecedented event.
Under the revised system, heavyweights like Jimmy Kimmel Live! (hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, The Man Show, Live in Front of Studio Audience), Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (John Oliver, Community, The Daily Show), Saturday Night Live (created by Lorne Michaels, 30 Rock, Late Night), The Daily Show (formerly hosted by Jon Stewart, Rosewater, Irresistible), and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Strangers with Candy) could all theoretically take home Emmy trophies in September, per Deadline.
As outlined by Deadline, The Academy cited a declining number of submissions as the reason for merging the categories, noting that Outstanding Talk Series only drew 13 submissions last year, according to Deadline. That limited pool resulted in a narrow lineup dominated by The Daily Show, The Late Show, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, while SNL faced off against Last Week Tonight in the scripted variety field under a jury-based system that many found confusing.
The Emmys have already experimented with category reorganization. Before being divided into separate sketch and talk categories in 2015, the talk and variety disciplines were mixed. Moroever, Deadline, mentionned that the Academy is now partially reversing this decision. The combined category will be “tracked” starting in 2026, which means that nominations will be based on the proportion of talk vs written variety show submissions.
According to Deadline, the Academy claims this tracking system allows for an automatic split if both formats rebound creatively and logistically, with each reaching 20 submissions in a given year. However, that scenario seems increasingly unlikely as the late-night landscape continues to shrink, especially following the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which will not be eligible in future cycles.
The most eyebrow-raising change comes from reclassifying the category as an “area award,” a format that allows for multiple winners, reported by Deadline. Instead of choosing a single victor, Emmy voters will decide whether each nominee individually “merits” an Emmy. Any show that reaches a 90% approval threshold receives an award, potentially resulting in several winners sharing the spotlight.
How this will play out on Emmy night remains to be seen, especially with perennial favorites like Last Week Tonight, SNL, and The Daily Show all boasting strong recent track records, according to Deadline. Jimmy Kimmel whose recent hosting stints and political commentary have drawn renewed attention could also be a frontrunner, making the possibility of multiple wins less far-fetched than it sounds.
The late-night community has long expressed frustration with Emmy voting structures. In 2022, a group led by producer Ben Winston (The Late Late Show with James Corden, One Direction: This Is Us) successfully pushed for expanded nominations, while James Corden (Cats, Into the Woods) himself became a central figure in debates about category fairness, per Deadline. Subsequent years saw Last Week Tonight shifted into a separate category and talk nominations reduced yet again.
It’s still uncertain if these adjustments will ultimately improve or worsen the Emmys’ connection with late-night television. According to Deadline, it is evident that the Academy is still experimenting while the genre changes, shrinks, and looks for its next pivotal period.