41st Primetime Emmy Awards

The 41st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 17, 1989. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The ceremony saw the guest acting categories double, as they were now based on gender as well as genre. Two networks, Lifetime and USA Network, received their first major nominations this year.

41st Primetime Emmy Awards
Date
  • September 17, 1989
    (Ceremony)
  • September 16, 1989
    (Creative Arts Awards)
LocationPasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted byJohn Larroquette
Highlights
Most awardsCheers (3)
Most nominationsL.A. Law (15)
Outstanding Comedy SeriesCheers
Outstanding Drama SeriesL.A. Law
Outstanding MiniseriesWar and Remembrance
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy ProgramThe Tracey Ullman Show
Television/radio coverage
NetworkFox
← 40th · Primetime Emmy Awards · 42nd →

After being nominated and losing for the previous four years, Cheers regained the title of Outstanding Comedy Series. L.A. Law also won Outstanding Drama Series after losing the previous year. For the second straight year, L.A. Law received 15 major nominations, making it the first show ever to receive more than 14 major nominations multiple times. With nine main cast acting nominations, L.A. Law tied the record set by Hill Street Blues in 1982.

Winners and nominees

edit

[1]

Programs

edit
 
Richard Mulligan, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Candice Bergen, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
Carroll O'Connor, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Dana Delany, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
James Woods, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special winner
 
Holly Hunter, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special winner
 
Woody Harrelson, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Rhea Perlman, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
Larry Drake, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Melanie Mayron, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
Derek Jacobi, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special winner
 
Colleen Dewhurst, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special winner
 
Linda Ronstadt, Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program winner
 
Peter Baldwin (right), Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series winner
 
Robert Altman, Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series winner
 
Jim Henson, Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program winner
 
Simon Wincer, Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special winner
 
Diane English, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series winner
Programs

Acting

edit

Lead performances

edit
Acting

Supporting performances

edit
  • Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli in Cheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Swear to God" + "Those Lips, Those Ice" + "I Kid You Not")
    • Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen in Newhart (CBS)
    • Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood in Murphy Brown (CBS) (Episodes: "Devil with a Blue Dress On" + "It's How You Play the Game" + "The Morning Show")
    • Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in The Golden Girls (NBC) (Episodes: "The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo" + "Sophia's Wedding" + "Two Rode Together")
    • Katherine Helmond as Mona Robinson in Who's the Boss? (ABC) (Episodes: "Double Dump" + "Your Grandmother's a Bimbo" + "Party Double")
  • Larry Drake as Benny Stulwicz in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Hey, Lick Me Over" + "I'm in the Nude for Love" + "America the Beautiful")
  • Melanie Mayron as Melissa Steadman in Thirtysomething (ABC) (Episodes: "Trust Me" + "Success" + "Be a Good Girl")
    • Michele Greene as Abby Perkins in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Sperminator" + "Victor/Victorious" + "America the Beautiful")
    • Lois Nettleton as Joanne St. John in In the Heat of the Night (NBC) (Episodes: "Stranger in Town" + "Tear Down the Walls" + "A.K.A. Kelly Kay")
    • Amanda Plummer as Alice Hackett in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "America the Beautiful" + "Urine Trouble Now" + "Consumed Innocent")
    • Susan Ruttan as Roxanne Melman in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Romancing the Drone" + "Izzy Ackerman or Is He Not?" + "Urine Trouble Now")

Individual performances

edit

Directing

edit
Directing

Writing

edit
Writing
  • Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (HBO) – Abby Mann, Robin Vote and Ron Hutchinson
    • I Know My First Name Is Steven (NBC) – Story by : JP Miller
      Teleplay by : JP Miller and Cynthia Whitcomb
    • Lonesome Dove (CBS): "Part I" – Bill Wyttliff
    • My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) – William G. Borchert
    • Roe vs. Wade (NBC) – Alison Cross

Most major nominations

edit
Networks with multiple major nominations[note 1]
Network Number of
Nominations
NBC 57
ABC 40
CBS 35
Programs with multiple major nominations
Program Category Network Number of
Nominations
L.A. Law Drama NBC 15
Lonesome Dove Miniseries CBS 9
The Wonder Years Comedy ABC 9
Cheers NBC 6
The Golden Girls
Murphy Brown CBS
Thirtysomething Drama ABC
My Name Is Bill W. Special 5
Roe vs. Wade NBC
War of Remembrance Miniseries ABC
I Know My First Name Is Steven NBC 4
The Tracey Ullman Show Variety Fox
Beauty and the Beast Drama CBS 3
Late Night with David Letterman Variety NBC
Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story Special HBO
Saturday Night Live Variety NBC
Wiseguy Drama CBS
China Beach ABC 2
D.C. Follies Variety Syndicated
Designing Women Comedy CBS
In the Heat of the Night Drama NBC
Newhart Comedy CBS
A Perfect Spy Miniseries PBS
Tap Dance in America Variety
The Women of Brewster Place Miniseries ABC

Most major awards

edit
Networks with multiple major awards[note 1]
Network Number of
Awards
NBC 15
ABC 7
CBS 5
Programs with multiple major awards
Program Category Network Number of
Awards
Cheers Comedy NBC 3
Murphy Brown CBS 2
L.A. Law Drama NBC
Roe vs. Wade Special
Thirtysomething Drama ABC
Notes
  1. ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Emmys.com list of 1989 Nominees & Winners". Archived from the original on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
edit