In case you’ve been living under that giant rock in your socially-distant basement, this is your reminder that the Primetime Emmys are going virtual this year. But before you start picturing another Brady Bunch-style Zoom screen, or a wine night with celebs and trophies, know that producers are all-in on this thing. Here’s what that means…

This is one of the biggest undertakings in TV history

Olympics aside, a three-hour virtual Emmys might be one of the most ambitious TV projects ever. According to the producers, they are trying to pull in feeds from approximately 10 countries, 125 locations, and 20 cities on September 20. And not only that, but they are shipping out packages to each participant at home that includes a ring light, a boom mic, a high tech camera that you could film a movie on, and a TV set. They don’t want this thing to be “the Zoomies,” they really, truly want it to look the like Emmys.

People are supposed to have fun

Look, 2020 is what it is. So the producers want to embrace that and encourage the participating celebrities to just go with the flow too. On a recent conference call (that etalk Zoomed in for) they revealed that they had conversations with nearly every nominee to try and convey the tone of the night that they’re going for: fun. On that note, they hinted that they heard people are bringing their dogs to the shindig, hosting small viewing parties with family and friends, and even ordering custom Emmy-themed pyjamas.

There’s no red carpet

Everyone knows that one of the most fun parts of any awards show is the red carpet. Sadly, there won’t be one for this virtual Emmys, but the producers absolutely thought about having one. In the end they scrapped the idea because they just didn’t want to add another hour of stress to what has already turned out to be a three-hour live production with about 130 things that could go wrong. But, should everyone be in this situation next year, they say never say never.

There really are about a hundred things that could go wrong

While everyone else involved with this show is going to be appearing from the comfort of their homes (or vacation spots, who knows), host Jimmy Kimmel is setting up at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. The main reason the producers chose that venue is that it’s one of the only locations where they would be able to handle the sheer logistics of feeds coming in and out on the night of. Of course, using all of those feeds also means the potential for error skyrockets. And while the producers are creating contingency plans for pretty much every scenario, they’re also willing to go with the flow. So like, if children take over a mic or a dog knocks over a camera, they plan on airing it in full.

There’s going to be an intimate vibe… and an alpaca

Kimmel is kind of a wiz at helming an interview—it’s something he’s been doing since his radio days, when he also couldn’t rely on a live audience for instant feedback. And he has no problem taking viewers into the homes of celebrities around the world for one special night. After all, viewers invite these people into their living rooms on the regular, so it will be fun to flip that table. As intimate as that makes things though, there will also be some bigger surprises to give the show that extra bit of glitz it deserves. Among them, say producers, will be an alpaca.

Montages and clips will still be a thing

The producers say if they can do it live on Sunday night, they will. But they’ll also give viewers some of that showmanship they’ve grown accustomed to over the awards’ 70-plus year history. According to them, that includes a limited number of montages that they had to film in advance, as well as the nominations packages with clips. As for other surprises, they say viewers will have to wait and see, but they did make a special mention of H.E.R. and the breathtaking In Memoriam song that she is expected to deliver.

All the celebs

In addition to the first wave of nominees and special guests that were announced recently, the producers revealed even more names ready to help Kimmel deliver the best virtual Emmys ever. They include Jason Bateman, Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox, Sesame Street’s The Count (apparently he was a hard one to get), Morgan Freeman, Lin Manuel Miranda, Randall Park, Jason Sudeikis and RuPaul. They also revealed that D-Nice will be spinning, and Sir Patrick Stewart is also stopping by… and he may or may not be bringing the Enterprise. It wasn’t very clear.

This could be a game-changer for future shows

The producers seem to have taken a page from the book of This Is Us, in that they’re making lemonade out of lemons with the 2020 show. Sure, there are fewer celebs because of logistics, no fancy red carpet fashions to fawn over, and none (or perhaps limited) in-person handing off of the trophies. But they’re using the opportunity to experiment with a different way of doing the awards. They want to see what works and what doesn’t, and maybe even reinvigorate the show itself in the years to come.But as for the recurring issue of actually ending the show on time? Yeah, they say maybe don’t bet on that just yet.The 72nd (now virtual!) Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday, September 20 on CTV.[video_embed id='2036580']Before you go: This year's Emmy nominees, presenters and producers represent a diverse group[/video_embed]