TV reunions, villains, TV moms and more: Emmys production team spills some tea on Sunday night’s show

Television salutes television on Sunday night with the 76th annual Emmy Awards. And if it seems like we just had an Emmys telecast, you’re right: due to the Hollywood strikes, the 75th ceremony was held in January this year, which made for an interesting challenge for the production team. 

At a press conference Thursday, production designer Brian Stonestreet spoke about how he had “to very quickly turn, pivot to a brand-new look that felt fresh, energetic, exciting, that kind of followed a similar concept, but definitely one that has evolved.”

The last Emmys leaned heavily into the classics, with recreations of TV show sets and cast reunions.

“One of the things that was very successful about January was the nostalgia, and people really connected with seeing those TV show sets and, you know, people from these shows that they watched,” said executive producer Dionne Harmon. “And so we wanted to take that energy into the show on Sunday.”

She continues, “But instead of focusing on TV shows as a whole, we’re focusing on characters. And so you’re going to see your favorite characters from shows of yesterday, today; you might see your favorite TV moms or TV villains all come together to just celebrate the genre.”

Her fellow executive producer Jeannae Rouzan-Clay adds, “I think it was a lot of fun for us because we got to throw out our favorite television characters into the conversation and get to the point where we are today, where we have these amazing groups that are going to represent these archetypes on television.”

There will reportedly be a reunion of the Happy Days cast, and Saturday Night Live‘s 50th birthday will be celebrated, but the producers tease another “big” reunion that you’ll just have to tune in to see on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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