LOS ANGELES — A role in three episodes of HBO’s Watchmen has changed Jovan Adepo’s life, landing him his first Emmy nom. As 2020 would have it, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

“I’ve been here watching from home. It’s always been fun to watch from home, and I guess this year it’s kind of the same thing except I’m dressed a little nicer,” he said.

He still plans to get dressed up, and Dior sent him some great options because it’s a historic day for his career. It’s also a historic day for ABC, Emmys Executive Producer Reginald Hudlin said.

What You Need To Know

  • The 72nd annual Emmys are Sunday, September 20 at 5 p.m.

  • Cameras were sent out to 138 celebrities all over the world to 114 locations and 10 countries

  • Jimmy Kimmel is set to host from the Staples Center

  • Some presenters will also be located at the Staples Center

“We’ve done the biggest shows in entertainment, but no one’s done this,” Hudlin said.

Yes, we’ve seen virtual award shows amid the pandemic, most recently the Academy of Country Music Awards. As Hudlin points out, although, those shows are mainly performance-based, which can be easier to record live.

“We are an awards show," Hudlin said. “The heart of the show is when you say someone’s name and you find out they’re the winner, that 'ahh' moment, we have to preserve that."

So cameras were sent out to 138 celebrities all over the world, from L.A. to New York, to London, to Tel Aviv. They were sent to 114 locations and 10 countries, with all the feeds coming into the Staples Center, where host Jimmy Kimmel will be located. 

Winners will give live acceptance speeches from their couches. Planning a virtual Emmys is an undertaking, to say the least, but ABC worked with each nominee’s team to explain the concept of the show, the logistics, and of course the technology.

“They’ve been working with my manager and publicists so I’m sure on the day it’ll be seamless because they’ve been doing all they can,” Adepo said, adding no matter if he wins or not, Jovan finally gets to watch the Emmys — as a nominee.

Hudlin said the ABC team knows it’s going to be entertaining no matter what it ends up looking like as it’ll be a celebration of this special medium, television, that got so many through the pandemic.

“We are entertained by the parts we can control, we’ve embraced the things we can’t control, and we can’t wait to see the show,” Hudlin said.