39th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 39th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 20, 1987. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox for the first time as the network premiered a year earlier from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California.
39th Primetime Emmy Awards | |
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Date |
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Location | Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California |
Presented by | Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |
Hosted by | Bruce Willis |
Television/radio coverage | |
Network | Fox |
For the second straight year, The Golden Girls won Outstanding Comedy Series. The winner for Outstanding Drama Series was L.A. Law, which, for its first season, won four major awards, and led all shows with 13 major nominations. The winner for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special, Promise, set a new record with five major wins. This record still stands for TV movies, though it was tied by Temple Grandin in 2010. The Tracey Ullman Show received three major nominations on the night, making it the first ceremony in which the network Fox received a major nomination. This was the only time that Hill Street Blues wasn't nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in its seventh and last season, also no males actors of Hill Street Blues were nominated (even with 20 previous nominations), only Betty Thomas for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series was nominated and did not win, making her the only one in the cast to be nominated in all seasons.
NBC continued its dominance of the field, becoming the first network to gain over eighty major nominations (82). Its résumé was highlighted by gaining all five nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, this had been done only once before (in 1977, but with a field of only four shows) and has not been matched in either field since.
Winners and nominees
Programs
Outstanding Comedy Series | Outstanding Drama Series |
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Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program | Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special |
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Outstanding Miniseries | |
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Lead performances
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |
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Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
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Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special |
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Supporting performances
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |
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Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
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Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special |
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Guest performances
Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series |
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Directing
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series |
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Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program | Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special |
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Writing
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series |
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Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program | Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special |
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Most major nominations
- By network [note 1]
- NBC – 82
- CBS – 36
- ABC – 15
- By program
- L.A. Law (NBC) – 13
- The Golden Girls (NBC) / St. Elsewhere (NBC) – 10
- Cheers (NBC) – 8
- Moonlighting (ABC) – 7
- Cagney & Lacey (CBS) / Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder (NBC) / Promise (CBS) – 6
Most major awards
- By network [note 1]
- NBC – 15
- CBS – 9
- ABC – 3
- By program
- Promise (CBS) – 5
- L.A. Law (NBC) – 4
- The Golden Girls (NBC) – 3
- Notes
- "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.