When are the Emmys? Everything you need to know before TV's biggest night

The Emmy Awards are known for surprises, from unexpected winners to an acceptance-speech marriage proposal, but a few things are certain about TV's biggest night.

We know when and where the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony can be seen (Fox, Sept. 22, 8 EDT/5 EDT), what show likely will be the most talked about (departing monster hit "Game of Thrones," the show with the most nominations) and who won't be there (a host).

And, based on past performance, there's a decent chance Julia Louis-Dreyfus, six-for-six in best actress Emmy wins for "Veep," will be giving another acceptance speech during the three-hour show.

Read on for what you need to know about the Emmys.

It's the last hurrah for 'Veep,' 'Game of Thrones' and 'Big Bang Theory'

The Primetime Emmy ceremony, held at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, may seem like a big going-away party, with Emmy darlings (HBO's "Veep," nine nominations), top-rated hits (CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," three) and a combination of both (HBO's "Thrones," 32, a record for a series in one season) all making valedictory appearances after their final seasons.

Host-less with the most-less?Emmy Awards will go hostless in 2019, echoing Oscars

Honor roll: Emmys 2019: The nominations list

Which are the top program nominees?

"Thrones," which has won the drama series Emmy the last three times it was nominated (2015, 2016 and 2018), once was considered an overwhelming favorite to win that category again, but the odds may not be so certain in light of a much-criticized final season.

The comedy-series Emmy will feature a matchup of defending champs: 2018 winner "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and the 2017 champ, "Veep," which took a season off as Louis-Dreyfus was treated for breast cancer.

'Veep' blessing: 'It was a lifesaver': Julia Louis-Dreyfus on how 'Veep' helped her through cancer battle

Other top program nominees include: Amazon's "Mrs. Maisel," 20 nominations; HBO's "Chernobyl," 19; NBC's "Saturday Night Live," 18; HBO's "Barry," 17; FX's "Fosse/Verdon," 17; Netflix's "When They See Us," 16; Netflix's "Russian Doll," 13; Showtime's "Escape at Dannemora," 12; and Amazon's "Fleabag," 11.

HBO leads the network pack in nominations, with a record 137, finishing ahead of Netflix (118); NBC (58); Amazon (47); CBS (43); FX (32); ABC (26); Hulu (20); Fox (18); and Showtime (18).

Who's up for the big acting awards?

Past winners, including Dreyfus, Viola Davis (ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder"), Rachel Broshanan ("Mrs. Maisel") and Bill Hader ("Barry"), will be back as nominees, joined by first-timers in the drama and comedy lead-acting categories, including Emilia Clarke ("Thrones"), Kit Harington ("Thrones"), Mandy Moore (NBC's "This Is Us"), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Amazon's "Fleabag"); and Billy Porter (FX's "Pose").

Still an Emmy favorite? Did 'Game of Thrones' really deserve those record-breaking Emmy nominations?

Who will host the Emmys? No one

This year's ceremony will follow in the footsteps of the Academy Awards, which had no host this year. Although the Oscars ended up in that predicament after a controversy with comedian Kevin Hart, Fox chose to go without one.

Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said the decision was based on "tradeoffs," with the time spent on a host's monologue and opening number now available to celebrate series that have finished or that are about to enter their final season, including Fox's "Empire."

"So, we will go hostless this year, and I think it will give us more time to honor those shows," he said.

Who's missing? Emmy snubs: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Emma Stone left out of nominations

At the same time, Fox also doesn't have the kind of late-night performer that in recent years has become the go-to host for the other broadcast networks, which rotate hosting the Emmys. "Saturday Night Live" performers and writers Colin Jost and Michael Che hosted NBC's Emmy turn in 2018, while talk hosts Stephen Colbert of CBS and Jimmy Kimmel of ABC headlined the two previous ceremonies.

Kimmel, who's hosted the Oscars twice in addition to the Emmys, told TV writers earlier this month that hosting an awards show is a "no-win situation" that comes with guaranteed criticism.

"It was a very difficult job," he said. "If you don't care what people say, it's a good gig. But I do, so for me, it's an (expletive) nightmare."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emmys 2019: Game of Thrones, Veep, Big Bang Theory to be celebrated