2024 Emmys: Category Breakdown for Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy Awards Shows

The Television Academy has revealed the breakdown of the three nights of the upcoming Emmy Awards – the two night of Creative Arts and the Primetime Emmys – with a few differences from last season.

As we all know and remember, since it was only earlier this year, the 2023 Emmy season was thwarted by the ongoing writers and actors strikes that lasted through November last year. This resulted in the regular September airing of all three shows being moved to January 2024, in the thick of Oscar season. Night One of the Creative Arts Emmys this year will be held Saturday, September 7, Night Two on Sunday, September 8 and the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards will be Sunday, September 15 live on ABC.

After a bit of a brouhaha last season when the Television Academy where Outstanding Writing For a Variety Series was been moved to Creative Arts Emmys and Outstanding Variety Special (Live) slotted for the main show, WGA pushback resulted in a swap this year with writing back on the Primetime show and now both variety special categories on night one of the creative arts. Incidentally, Writing for a Variety series and Writing for a Nonfiction Program remain creative arts categories.

Night One of the Creative Arts Emmys will largely feature variety, non-fiction and reality programming awards, as well as Outstanding Animated Program, Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (featuring one of Maya Rudolph’s four individual nominations this year) and Outstanding Narrator (where Angela Bassett will compete for her first Emmy in nine nominations), as well as the primetime game show categories. Night Two will feature technical awards for comedy, drama and limited or anthology series or movie awards, including all four guest acting awards (where Christopher Lloyd could make Emmy history), as well as Outstanding Television Movie, which this year features five nominees whose nod here is their only nomination, a first in Emmy history.

Here is the lineup of the three nights of the 2024 Emmy Awards in alphabetical order.

Saturday, September 7, 2024 – Creative Arts Emmys Night One

Outstanding Animated Program
Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program
Outstanding Commercial
Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
Outstanding Emerging Media Program
Outstanding Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Outstanding Game Show
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation
Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media Programming
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special
Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Underscore)
Outstanding Music Direction
Outstanding Narrator
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)
Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special
Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series
Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series
Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

Sunday, September 8, 2024 – Creative Arts Emmys Night Two

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming
Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-camera Series (Half-Hour)
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-camera Series (Half-Hour)
Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Series
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling
Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Motion Design
Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Outstanding Music Supervision
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling
Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Period Costumes for a Series
Outstanding Period Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series


Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More)
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More)
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming
Outstanding Stunt Performance
Outstanding Television Movie

Sunday, September 15, 2024 – 76th Primetime Emmy Awards

Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Talk Series
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special