(for a full list of SAG film nominees, click here)
Finally — an awards show that’s actually going to try something different.
After the recent Golden Globe Awards was universally panned as a Zoomcast debacle, the Screen Actors Guild announced a dramatic experiment in how they will present their 27th Annual SAG Awards:
The awards gala will be pre-taped, and just one hour long.
That’s the gist of the radical shift, one that looks to dodge the awkward glitches and haphazard flow of the Globes.
Even though last fall’s Emmy Zoomcast was largely a success (and praised), the lesson of the Globes is that trying to Zoom a traditional awards format can teeter on a fragile balance of multiple unknowns, one that can be impossible to control (not the least of which is how seriously — or not — the actual nominees take the proceedings while in the comfort of their homes).
The biggest consequence of the pre-taped, one-hour format: winners will be notified in advance.
On the plus side, this will allow them to pre-tape their acceptance speeches. It also empowers SAG producers to bring the show in at exactly sixty minutes.
The big risk: that winners won’t spoil or leak the news of their victories before awards night.
Further show details include: no host or set, although the show will include comic sketches and other video interludes (like the traditional “I Am An Actor” testimonials by SAG members).
With 13 categories spread across television and film, it will be a jam-packed hour. The pace alone should keep viewers engaged rather than yawning.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards will air Sunday, April 4, at 9 PM EST / 8 PM CST / 6 PM PST on TNT and TBS.
(for a full list of SAG film nominees, click here)