Andy Samberg to Host This Year’s Emmy Awards on Fox

The Television Academy has found this year’s Emmy host, and he carries the whole package. Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg, who won an Emmy in 2007 for his Saturday Night Live song “Dick in a Box,” will oversee the proceedings on September 20.

Fox will air the 67^th Primetime Emmy Awards live (8/7c/6m/5p) from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The choice of Samberg is an obvious one for Fox: Not only does the actor star in Brooklyn, but Samberg and his Lonely Island comedy troupe partners, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, have a development deal at the network. Their venture, dubbed “Party Over Here,” is tasked with uncovering next-generation comedy series for broadcast, cable and digital platforms.

It’s probably not a stretch to expect The Lonely Island, famous for their SNL digital shorts like “I’m on a Boat,” to open the telecast with an epic number.

“Buckle your seat belts, Emmy viewers,” Samberg said in the official Emmy announcement. “Like, in general you should buckle your seat belts in your car. In fact, even if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should buckle your seat belt. It can be dangerous on the road. Also, if you’re not an Emmy viewer, you should strongly consider becoming one this year, because I’m hosting, and it’s gonna be a wild ride. So buckle your seat belts.”

Television Academy chairman/CEO Bruce Rosenblum says Samberg’s Emmy credentials (“Dick in a Box” won the Emmy for Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics) make him a “fitting” host. “Andy has excelled in all aspects of the television universe, both from behind and in front of the camera. His humor, insights and charisma will be an exciting addition to our annual celebration of television’s best and brightest.”

Fox says it will announce the producers of this year’s telecast shortly. Nominations will be announced the morning of Thursday, July 16.

In a joint statement, Fox chairmen/CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman said Samberg was their first choice to host: “He is fearless, hilarious, an award-winning comedian, singer, writer and actor with incredible live TV experience.”

This year’s Emmy Awards feature several major rules changes, such as redefining “comedy series” as half-hour shows and “drama series” as hour shows. Also, “mini-series,” redubbed “limited series,” are now categorized as programs that tell a complete story, do not have an ongoing storyline and/or main characters in subsequent seasons.

Producers may formally petition a new Academy industry panel to consider their series’ eligibility in the other category. Insiders confirm that the petition process is already underway, and anonymous panels of Academy members are currently considering petitions from shows.

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