The Emmys 2023 to take place in 2024, cue the confusion

Daniel Dae Kim and Sophia Bush present an Emmy
Daniel Dae Kim and Sophia Bush present an Emmy (Image credit: Invision/AP)

The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and The Crown are among the shows up for Emmys this year, but because of a shifting schedule with the awards show it may get a bit confusing remembering what season of these shows we're honoring. That's because the Emmys 2023, the 75th year of the TV awards ceremony, is now officially taking place in January 2024.

Originally scheduled to take place on September 18, the Emmys 2023 were postponed because of the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes with studios for new labor agreements that are greatly impacting Hollywood. On August 10, the Emmys announced that the awards ceremony would now take place Monday, January 15, 2024, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US. The ceremony will air live on Fox at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

The reason this move is going to cause some confusion is that the Emmys 2023 aren't just honoring shows that aired in 2023, but 2022 as well. Shows eligible for the 75th Emmys had to air between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, with some of the official Emmy nominees split amongst shows airing as far back as 18 months from the January 15, 2024, ceremony date.

In some cases, Emmy 2023 nominated shows have or will have aired completely new seasons by the time 2024 rolls around. This includes The Bear, with The Bear season 1 being the one nominated for Emmys but The Bear season 2 already aired in summer 2023; Only Murders in the Building season 2 is up for Emmys this year, but we'll know who killed Ben Glenroy in season 3 of the show currently airing; and The Crown season 6, which is widely expected to air sometime before 2023 ends, is not the one that'll be competing for another batch of Emmy trophies in January.

Adding to all the confusion is now the Emmys 2023 are going to air in close proximity to winter awards shows like the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards and more. All of these awards recognize shows that aired between January 1 and December 31, 2023. That means, for example, The Bear season 2 could win a Golden Globe for Best Comedy on January 7, and then a week later The Bear season 1 could win the Emmy equivalent.

Sure, it's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but something to try and remember if you're a fan of award shows.

75th Emmys logo

75th Emmys (Image credit: Emmys)
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.