The best in television, from the shows themselves to the individuals responsible for making them great, will be recognized at the 2021 Primetime Emmys, which will air live Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
If you don’t have cable, here are several different ways you can watch a live stream of the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards online for free:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch a live stream of their local CBS station via the Prime Paramount+ channel (“Premium” plan). You can try both Amazon Prime and the Paramount+ Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Paramount+ Channel, you can watch the 2021 Emmys live on the Amazon Video app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of CBS (live in most markets) and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2021 Emmys live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most shows on-demand within three days (and sometimes longer) of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CBS (live in most markets) is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the 2021 Emmys live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
Paramount+
This is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch on Paramount’s digital platforms instead of Amazon’s. You can watch your local CBS channel live via Paramount+ (“Premium” plan), which comes with a free trial:
Once signed up for Paramount+, you can watch the 2021 Emmys live on the Paramount+ app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Paramount+ website.
Emmy Awards 2021 Preview
Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and featuring presenters Annaleigh Ashford, Awkwafina, Misty Copeland, Michael Douglas, Ava DuVernay, Taraji P. Henson, Gayle King, LL Cool J, Dolly Parton, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Ellen Pompeo, Yara Shahidi, Rita Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones, among many others, the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards honor the best television has to offer from the past year.
The nominees are as follows:
BEST COMEDY SERIES
“black-ish”
“Cobra Kai”
“Emily in Paris”
“Hacks”
“The Flight Attendant”
“The Kominsky Method”
“Pen15”
“Ted Lasso”
BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson (“black-ish”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
Kenan Thompson (“Kenan”)
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Aidy Bryant (“Shrill”)
Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)
Allison Janney (“Mom”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“black-ish”)
Jean Smart (“Hacks”)
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Carl Clemons-Hopkins (“Hacks”)
Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”)
Brendan Hunt (“Ted Lasso”)
Nick Mohammed (“Ted Lasso”)
Paul Reiser (“The Kominsky Method”)
Jeremy Swift (“Ted Lasso”)
Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)
Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”)
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Aidy Bryant (“Saturday Night Live”)
Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”)
Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Rosie Perez (“The Flight Attendant”)
Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”)
Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”)
Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)
BEST DRAMA SERIES
“The Boys”
“Bridgerton”
“The Crown”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Lovecraft Country”
“The Mandalorian”
“Pose”
“This Is Us”
BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)
Jonathan Majors (“Lovecraft Country”)
Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)
Rege-Jean Page (“Bridgerton”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Uzo Aduba (“In Treatment”)
Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
Emma Corrin (“The Crown”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Mj Rodriguez (“Pose”)
Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country”)
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Giancarlo Esposito (“The Mandalorian”)
O-T Fagbenie (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
John Lithgow (“Perry Mason”)
Tobias Menzies (“The Crown”)
Max Minghella (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Chris Sullivan (“This Is Us”)
Bradley Whitford (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”)
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)
Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)
Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“Lovecraft Country”)
Emerald Fennell (“The Crown”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
“I May Destroy You”
“Mare of Easttown”
“The Queen’s Gambit”
“The Underground Railroad”
“WandaVision”
BEST TV MOVIE
“Dolly Parton’s Christmas On The Square”
“Oslo”
“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia”
“Sylvie’s Love”
“Uncle Frank”
BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTOR
Paul Bettany (“WandaVision”)
Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”)
Ewan McGregor (“Halston”)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (“Hamilton”)
BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS
Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You”)
Cynthia Erivo (“Genius: Aretha”)
Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision”)
Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Kate Winslet (“Mare of Easttown”)
BEST MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTOR
Thomas Brodie Sangster (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Daveed Diggs (“Hamilton”)
Paapa Essiedu (“May Destroy You”)
Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton”)
Evan Peters (“Mare Of Easttown”)
Anthony Ramos (“Hamilton”)
BEST MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”)
Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision”)
Moses Ingram (“The Queen’s Gambit”)
Julianne Nicholson (“Mare Of Easttown”)
Jean Smart (“Mare Of Easttown”)
Phillipa Soo (“Hamilton”)
BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
“Saturday Night Live”
BEST VARIETY TALK SERIES
“Conan”
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)
“Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special”
“The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards”
“The Oscars”
“The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd”
“Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020”
BEST VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)
“Bo Burnham: Inside”
“David Byrne’s American Utopia”
“8:46 – Dave Chappelle”
“Friends: The Reunion”
“Hamilton”
“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote”
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
“The Amazing Race”
“Nailed It!”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
The 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards air live Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on CBS.