Soap fans look forward to the Daytime Emmys ceremony every year as a chance to honor the best of daytime dramas and see some gorgeous fashions. It’s always an exciting night and an opportunity for fans to gush over their favorites. Sadly, that won’t be happening in 2020. According to TVLine, the 47th Daytime Emmy Awards show has been cancelled due to COVID-19 aka the coronavirus.
You’ve likely heard about all the soaps suspending production over coronavirus concerns as well. The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives have all gone dark for now. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the Daytime Emmys ceremony means we won’t have that collective experience of watching red-carpet interviews and acceptance speeches either.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic left far too much up in the air for the show’s organizers. They couldn’t put together a proper ceremony and throw funding behind it with so many unknown factors. It’s just too risky, so they had to scrap the idea and are now considering other options.
Terry O’Reilly is the chairman of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In a statement to NATAS members, O’Reilly explained the coronavirus predicament and what they decided to do about it. This certainly isn’t the outcome anyone wanted, but it’s the only one that’s reasonable under the circumstances.
“There are just too many unknowns right now, not the least of which is whether we would actually be permitted to stage an event in June involving more than one thousand live participants,” O’Reilly said. “With deadlines to make significant financial commitments upon us, it seems irresponsible to move forward as we have in the past.”
Of course, that leaves Y&R, B&B, GH and DOOL fans with important questions. The whole point of the Daytime Emmys is to celebrate remarkable performances and talent. What happens now that there’s no ceremony? The Daytime Emmys will still be awarded, but it’d be nice to have some added recognition here. Thankfully, there are people looking into that and seeing what else can be done.
O’Reilly promised that Adam Sharp, the president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, is brainstorming with his team. They’re considering “alternative ideas to celebrate those who would normally have received their Emmys at the Daytime Awards,” O’Reilly said. He suggested that details would be released in the weeks ahead.
This is disappointing for all daytime TV fans, but there’s always next year! Right now, it’s crucial to control the coronavirus and keep everyone safe. We’ll give you updates as more news comes in about those Daytime Emmys ceremony alternatives. Let’s hope they come up with some fun ideas to acknowledge the best of the best. Stick with CDL for the hottest soap spoilers, news and updates.
