The 39th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on 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, Pasadena, California.
For the second straight year The Golden Girls won Outstanding Comedy Series. The winner for Outstanding Drama Series was L.A. Law, which, in its first season, won four major awards, and led all shows with 13 major nominations. The television movie Promise set a new record with five major wins, this mark still stands for TV movies, though it was tied in 2010 by Temple Grandin. The Tracey Ullman Show received three major nominations on the night, making it the first ceremony in which the Fox Broadcasting Company 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 won, 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
[1]
Programs
Acting
Lead performances
Supporting performances
Guest performances
| Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series |
Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series |
- John Cleese as Dr. Simon Finch-Royce on Cheers, (Episode: "Simon Says"), (NBC)
- Art Carney as James "Weasel" Cavanaugh on The Cavanaughs, (Episode: "He Ain't Heavy"), (CBS)
- Herb Edelman as Stan on The Golden Girls, (Episode: "The Stan Who Came To Diner"), (NBC)
- Lois Nettleton as Jean on The Golden Girls, (Episode: "Isn't It Romantic"), (NBC)
- Nancy Walker as Angela on The Golden Girls, (Episode: "Long Day's Journey Into Marinara"), (NBC)
|
- Alfre Woodard as Adrian Moore on L.A. Law, (Episode: "Pilot"), (NBC)
- Steve Allen as Lech Osoranski on St. Elsewhere, (Episode: "Visiting Daze"), (NBC)
- Jeanne Cooper as Gladys Becker on L.A. Law, (Episode: "Fry Me to the Moon"), (NBC)
- Edward Herrmann as Father Joseph McCabe on St. Elsewhere, (Episode: "Where There's Hope, There's Crosby"), (NBC)
- Jayne Meadows as Holga Oseransky on St. Elsewhere, (Episode: "Visiting Daze"), (NBC)
|
Directing
| Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series |
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series |
- Terry Hughes, for The Golden Girls, (Episode: "Isn't It Romantic"), (NBC)
- James Burrows for Cheers, (Episode: "Chambers vs. Malone"), (NBC)
- Will Mackenzie for Family Ties, (Episode: "A, My Name is Alex"), (NBC)
- Jay Sandrich for The Cosby Show, (Episode: "I Know That You Know"), (NBC)
- Jack Shea, for Designing Women, (Episode: "The Beauty Contest"), (CBS)
|
- Gregory Hoblit for L.A. Law, (Episode: "Pilot"), (NBC)
- Allan Arkush for Moonlighting, (Episode: "I Am Curious... Maddie"), (ABC)
- Will Mackenzie for Moonlighting, (Episode: "Atomic Shakespeare"), (ABC)
- Sharron Miller for Cagney & Lacey, (Episode: "Turn, Turn, Turn, Part II"), (CBS)
- Donald Petrie for L.A. Law, (Episode: "The Venus Butterfly"), (NBC)
|
| Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program |
Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special |
|
|
|
Writing
| Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series |
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series |
- Gary David Goldberg, Alan Uger for Family Ties, (Episode: "A, My Name is Alex"), (NBC)
- Jeffrey Duteil for The Golden Girls, (Episode: "Isn't It Romantic"), (NBC)
- Janet Leahy for Cheers, (Episode: "Abnormal Psychology"), (NBC)
- David Mirkin for Newhart, (Episode: "Co-Hostess Twinkie"), (CBS)
- Jay Tarses for The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, (Episode: "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles"), (NBC)
|
- Steven Bochco, Terry Louise Fisher for L.A. Law, (Episode: "The Venus Butterfly"), (NBC)
- Glenn Gordon Caron, Jeff Reno, Ron Osborn, Karen Hall, Roger Director, Charles H. Eglee for Moonlighting, (Episode: "I Am Curious... Maddie"), (ABC)
- William M. Finkelstein for L.A. Law, (Episode: "Sidney, the Dead-Nosed Reindeer"), (NBC)
- Georgia Jeffries for Cagney & Lacey, (Episode: "Turn, Turn, Turn", Part 1"), (CBS)
- Jeff Lewis, David Milch, John Romano for Hill Street Blues, (Episode: "It Ain't Over Till It's Over"), (NBC)
- Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno for Moonlighting, (Episode: "Atomic Shakespeare"), (ABC)
- John Tinker, Tom Fontana, John Masius for St. Elsewhere, (Episode: "Afterlife"), (NBC)
|
| Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program |
Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special |
- Late Night with David Letterman, (Episode: "Fifth Anniversary Special"), (NBC)
- The 41st Annual Tony Awards, (CBS)
- Saturday Night Live, (NBC)
- The Tracey Ullman Show, (Episode: "Girl on a Ledge"), (Fox)
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, (NBC)
|
|
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 & Murder (NBC) / Promise (CBS) – 6
Most major awards
- By network [note 1]
- By program
- Promise (CBS) – 5
- L.A. Law (NBC) – 4
- The Golden Girls (NBC) – 3
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.
References
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External links
