| 60th Primetime Emmy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Date |
|
| Location | Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, California |
| Presented by | Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |
| Hosted by | Tom Bergeron Heidi Klum Howie Mandel Jeff Probst Ryan Seacrest |
| Highlights | |
| Most awards | John Adams (5) |
| Most nominations | John Adams Recount (8) |
| Outstanding Comedy Series | 30 Rock |
| Outstanding Drama Series | Mad Men |
| Outstanding Miniseries | John Adams |
| Outstanding Reality-Competition Program | The Amazing Race |
| Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart |
| Website | http://www.emmys.com/  |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | ABC |
| Produced by | Ken Ehrlich |
| Directed by | Louis J. Horvitz |
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California to honor the best in U.S. prime time television.[1] The ceremony was hosted by Tom Bergeron (who was also hosting America's Funniest Home Videos and Dancing with the Stars, both on ABC, at the time), Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest (all were nominated in the debut category—Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program) and televised in the United States on ABC.
The nominations were announced on July 17 by Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris.[2] The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held eight days earlier (September 13) at the same venue. The ceremony was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and Sarah Chalke.
The telecast was viewed by 12.20 million with a household rating of 8.86/12.79 making it the lowest rated and least viewed ceremony in its televised history.[3][4] Many critics cited lackluster performances from the five hosts as a reason for the huge decline.[5] Others pointed to the field of nominees which were dominated by low-rated and sparsely viewed programs, thus making the Emmys widely considered as a bust, which was panned by critics as "... the worst ever, laid a big, fat ratings egg as well ..."[6][7]
In 2011, when TV Guide Network re-did their list of "25 Biggest TV Blunders", this ceremony was included.
For the first time in a decade, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series was won by the defending champion. 30 Rock
Outstanding Drama Series went to AMC freshmen series Mad Men. This marked the first series award for a program on a basic cable station. Mad Men led all dramas with six major nominations.
This would be the final ceremony to have five nominees per category, most major categories (acting and programs) were expanded to include at least six slots the following year.
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