host Kenan Thompson and the ceremony鈥檚 producers are promising a feel-good event 鈥� a phrase not applicable to several of the top nominated shows.

The best drama contenders include the violently dystopian 鈥淪quid Game,鈥� bleak workplace satire 鈥淪everance鈥� and 鈥淪uccession,鈥� about a powerful and cutthroat family. Even comedy nominee 鈥淭ed Lasso,鈥� the defending champ, took a storytelling dark turn.

But after several pandemic-constrained awards seasons, (airing 8 p.m. EDT on NBC, streaming on Peacock) will be big and festive, executive producers Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart said.

They鈥檙e actually taking a page from and its club-style table seating for nominees.

鈥淭hey had a ball. They had a party. They celebrated themselves,鈥� Stewart said, recalling a comment made by actor Sophia Bush at the evening鈥檚 end: 鈥淥h, my God, I actually had fun at the Emmys.鈥�

The tables will be back and again reserved for nominees 鈥� and their 鈥渟ignificants,鈥� Stewart said 鈥� but there will be some 3,000 other guests seated traditionally in the temporarily reconfigured 7,000-seat Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

鈥淲hen the nominees are having a great time that translates on screen,鈥� Hudlin said, citing the

Thompson, the veteran 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� cast member , said he wants to enjoy the ceremony and make sure others do.

鈥淭his should be a night of appreciating artistry and creativity and removing the stress of it all out. I get it 鈥� it sucks to lose, and everybody鈥檚 picking outfits and trying to do the red carpet thing,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, it鈥檚 an awesome thing to be in the room on Emmys night, and I don鈥檛 want that to get lost in the stress.鈥�

He doesn鈥檛 expect anything mirroring the that cast a shadow over the Oscars earlier this year, Thompson said.

Although HBO鈥檚 鈥淪uccession,鈥� which won the best drama series award in 2020, and 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� from Apple TV+ are considered the frontrunners for top series honors, Netflix鈥檚 鈥淪quid Game,鈥� a global sensation, would be the first non-English language drama series to win an Emmy.

On the comedy side, could become the first broadcast show to win the best comedy award since the network鈥檚 鈥淢odern Family鈥� in 2014. It鈥檚 also among the few contenders this year, along with 鈥淪quid Game,鈥� to field a substantial number of nominees of color.

At the held earlier this month, the mockumentary-style show about educators in an underfunded Philadelphia school, won the trophy for outstanding comedy series casting. 鈥淪uccession鈥� won the drama series casting award.

鈥淭he Crown,鈥� last year鈥檚 big winner, wasn鈥檛 in the running this time because it sat out the Emmys eligibility period. The dramatized account of Queen Elizabeth鈥檚 reign and family life will return for its fifth season in November, as Britain who died Thursday at age 96.