Emmys preview: ‘SNL’ 50th anniversary celebration, ‘Happy Days’ reunion, ‘a big surprise’ …
After the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards went reunion crazy in January with cast reunitings for such classic series as “Cheers,” “The Sopranos,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “All in the Family,” the producers of Sunday’s 76th show have decided to continue on with the theme, celebrating the 50th anniversaries of “Saturday Night Live” (not actually until 2025) and “Happy Days” along with appearances from an assortment of iconic TV characters. In a virtual press conference with reporters on Thursday, the producing team for the ceremony (airing live at 5 p.m. PT and 8 p.m. ET on ABC from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles) also confirmed that the music superstar Jelly Roll will perform during the In Memoriam segment.
Discussing the “Happy Days” reunion, Emmy executive producer Dionne Harmon said, “We’ll have Ron Howard and Henry Winkler,” which fellow EP Jeannae Rouzan-Clay confirmed, “The Fonz will be on that stage.” Harmon went on, “We built a beautiful recreation of the set for that moment. And regarding ‘SNL,’ we have a great cast coming together for that. And a big surprise.”
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Big surprise?
“I’m going to say TV villains because I’m super-excited about that,” chimed in director Alex Rudzinski. “We have 9 or 10 worlds that we’re going to recreate. It’s a really creepy, scary environment. (Production designer Brian Stonestreet) has done this incredible work.”
EP Jesse Collins added that there will also be salutes to mother and other beloved characters from throughout television history. “With the moms on the screens, you’re seeing some of your favorite TV moms from today and from yesterday. Tracee Ellis Ross and Marge Simpson and different moms are all across the stage.” Noted Harmon: “Who are the TV moms that we’ve known and love? Who are the cops, who are the lawyers, who are the villains? You’ll see all of these names, and it’s not easy to guess because some people have played multiple things, but we’re bringing together groups of characters from over the years to be a part of our presentation moments.”
There have been a lot of discussions among the Emmy production brain trust as to which TV moms and TV dads and precisely which villains are essential to emphasize. “We have this amazing group who will represent the archetypes of television,” offered Rouzan-Clay.
Further explaining the planned conceit, Harmon said, “We loved the nostalgia of January’s show, and we wanted to bring that spirit to the show on Sunday without doing the exact same thing. It truly is a celebration of television, a love letter to television. You’ll get both the nostalgia and the current characters of today.”
Father and son Eugene Levy and Dan Levy of “Schitt’s Creek” fame are hosting, and the producers are excited to have them.
“We feel like they’ve been working on this monologue since, I’m going to say literally day one,” Collins said. “You feel the chemistry. They can finish each other’s sentences. They know where the other is going. They have a brilliant writing team and they’ve been working hard every day for the last month. But it’s like I’ve been saying, the TelePrompTer could go out and it’s going to be fine. Because they’ve got it.”
Added Rouzan-Clay: “They are going to give you constant relatable comedy, because they’re father and son. So, even if you’re (one of the four people) who didn’t watch ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ you’re still going to tune in and relate to their relationship as father and son – and it’s just so much fun to watch.”
In terms of Jelly Roll anchoring the In Memoriam segment, music director Rickey Minor said, “He’s going to deliver big. He says hello and you feel a vibration just waving over you. The team…gave me room to make (the song) be be what I think would touch everyone. And I cry every time I hear it. So, everyone at home, make sure you have tons of tissue around.”
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