48th Primetime Emmy Awards
Date
  • September 8, 1996
    (Ceremony)
  • September 7, 1996
    (Creative Arts Awards)
LocationPasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted byMichael J. Fox
Paul Reiser
Oprah Winfrey
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominations
Outstanding Comedy SeriesFrasier
Outstanding Drama SeriesER
Outstanding MiniseriesGulliver's Travels
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesDennis Miller Live
Television/radio coverage
NetworkABC
Produced byAl Schwartz [1]
Directed byLouis J. Horvitz [1]
← 47th · Primetime Emmy Awards · 49th →

The 48th Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The awards were presented over two ceremonies, one untelevised on September 7, 1996, and other televised on September 8, 1996. It was hosted by Michael J. Fox, Paul Reiser, and Oprah Winfrey. Two networks, A&E and AMC, received their first major nominations this year.

Frasier took home Outstanding Comedy Series for the third straight year, and won two major awards overall. In the drama field, ER came into the ceremony as the most nominated drama for the second straight year with eleven major nominations, it defeated defending champion NYPD Blue to win Outstanding Drama Series. This turned out to be the only major award ER won. No show won more than two major awards.

The HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show made Emmy history when it became the first show outside the Big Three television networks to receive the most major nominations (12). Furthermore, Rip Torn won the Supporting Comedy actor award, the first for HBO.

Another first came with Amanda Plummer for Showtime's The Outer Limits. Not only was it the first time a cable network won in her category (Guest Actress, Drama) but was Showtime's first ever Acting Emmy win.

For the twelfth and final season of Murder, She Wrote, Angela Lansbury was once again nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, she had been nominated for every season of the show, but she was defeated once again. In the process she set records for being the most nominated actress in the category (18), as well as the most nominated actress without winning. Both of these records still stand.

Winners and nominees

[2]

Programs

Acting

Lead performances

Supporting performances

  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes in Seinfeld (NBC) (Episodes: "The Soup Nazi" + "The Wait Out")
    • Christine Baranski as Maryann Thorpe in Cybill (CBS) (Episodes: "A Who's Who for What's His Name" + "Wedding Bell Blues")
    • Janeane Garofalo as Paula in The Larry Sanders Show (HBO) (Episodes: "Conflict of Interest" + "I Was a Teenage Lesbian")
    • Jayne Meadows as Alice Morgan-DuPont-Sutting-Cushing-Ferruke in High Society (CBS) (Episodes: "Family Val's" + "Alice Doesn't Pump Here Anymore")
    • Renée Taylor as Sylvia Fine in The Nanny (CBS) (Episodes: "Where's the Pearls?" + "The Cantor Show")
  • Ray Walston as Henry Bone in Picket Fences (CBS) (Episodes: "Witness for the Prosecution" + "My Romance")

Directing

  • The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (CBS) – Louis J. Horvitz
    • The 68th Annual Academy Awards (ABC) – Jeff Margolis
    • Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) – Jerry Foley
    • Marsalis on Music (PBS): "Sousa to Satchmo" – Michael Lindsay-Hogg
    • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) – Ellen Brown

Writing

Most major nominations

Networks with multiple major nominations[note 1]
Network No. of
Nominations
NBC 45
HBO 35
CBS 27
ABC 19
Programs with multiple major nominations
Program Category Network No. of
Nominations
ER Drama NBC 10
The Larry Sanders Show Comedy HBO
NYPD Blue Drama ABC 8
Seinfeld Comedy NBC 7
The Late Shift Movie HBO 5
Chicago Hope Drama CBS 4
Frasier Comedy NBC
Gulliver's Travels Miniseries
Murder One Drama ABC
Truman Movie HBO
The Tuskegee Airmen
The 68th Annual Academy Awards Variety ABC 3
Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story Movie Lifetime
The Heidi Chronicles TNT
Mad About You Comedy NBC
Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny Movie HBO
A Streetcar Named Desire CBS
The X-Files Drama Fox
3rd Rock from the Sun Comedy NBC 2
Andersonville Miniseries TNT
The Best of Tracey Takes On... Variety HBO
Cybill Comedy CBS
Dennis Miller Live Variety HBO
Friends Comedy NBC
The Kennedy Center Honors Variety CBS
Late Show with David Letterman
The Nanny Comedy
Norma Jean & Marilyn Movie HBO
Picket Fences Drama CBS
Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher Variety Comedy Central
Pride and Prejudice Miniseries A&E
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Variety NBC

Most major awards

Networks with multiple major awards[note 1]
Network No. of
Awards
NBC 10
CBS 6
HBO
ABC 2
Fox
TNT
Programs with multiple major awards
Program Category Network No. of
Awards
Dennis Miller Live Variety HBO 2
Frasier Comedy NBC
Gulliver's Travels Miniseries
The Kennedy Center Honors Variety CBS
Picket Fences Drama
Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny Movie HBO
Notes
  1. ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

In Memoriam

References

  1. ^ a b Archerd, Army (14 August 1996). "Slew of award shows continues". Variety.
  2. ^ "Nominees/Winners 1996". Television Academy.

External links

Emmy Awards
Categories