It was the last year to date that the Big Four Networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) won the major 14 Emmy Awards — Best Comedy and Drama Series, Lead and Supporting Actor and Actress in Comedy and Drama, and Writing and Directing for Comedy and Drama. However, the love was spread across several different series, and HBO was well-represented among the movie and miniseries categories. Bryant Gumbel hosted the 49th Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS on September 14, 1997. Read on for our Emmys flashback 25 years ago to 1997.
“Frasier” became the first series to hold on to its title as Best Comedy Series for four consecutive years; “Hill Street Blues” had achieved this record on the drama side in 1984. Also nominated in this category was “The Larry Sanders Show,” which earned the unfortunate distinction of being the comedy series with most nominations and no wins at 16. While “Frasier” also took home the Best Directing Comedy statue, the other three contenders — “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “Mad About You” and “Seinfeld” — dominated the acting categories.
John Lithgow (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) retained his title as Best Comedy Actor for the second year in a row, besting two-time-winner “Frasier” himself, Kelsey Grammer; one of these two men captured this award every year between 1994 and 1999. This year the other nominees were Michael J. Fox for “Spin City,” Garry Shandling for “The Larry Sanders Show” and Paul Reiser for “Mad About You.”
Reiser never won an Emmy despite six nominations; however, his onscreen wife fared better. Helen Hunt received her second of four consecutive Best Comedy Actress trophies in this ceremony. None of her fellow nominees ever won an acting Emmy, despite numerous bids for their successful series: Ellen DeGeneres (“Ellen”), Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), Patricia Richardson (“Home Improvement”) and Cybill Shepherd (“Cybill”). DeGeneres was a triple nominee this year, also losing for Comedy Guest Actress (“The Larry Sanders Show”), but winning for her writing on “Ellen.”
For supporting performances in a comedy, Lithgow’s “3rd Rock” costar Kristen Johnston claimed her first of two Emmys for this series, prevailing over Christine Baranski (“Cybill”), Janeane Garofalo (“The Larry Sanders Show”), Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Seinfeld”). Meanwhile, Michael Richards won his third and final Supporting Actor Emmy for “Seinfeld,” beating out his costar Jason Alexander, who never claimed a victory despite eight nominations between 1992 and 1998. Also nominated were David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”) and “The Larry Sanders Show” costars Jeffrey Tambor and Rip Torn (who had won the year before).
Although the comedy side saw some repeat winners, the drama side had several first-timers. Long-running audience favorite “Law & Order” achieved its only Best Drama Series Emmy for it seventh season. It’s the only non-serialized drama winner since “Hill Street Blues” won Best Drama Series in 1981, and popularized the continuing-story-arc formula. Between 1995 and 1997, the same five shows were nominated in this category. “ER” had won Best Drama the year before, but lost all 14 of its major nominations this year, including 11 bids across all drama acting categories (lead, supporting and guest actor and actress). “NYPD Blue,” which had won in 1995, and “Chicago Hope” and “The X-Files,” neither of which ever won in this category, made up for the Drama Series loss in other categories, with “NYPD Blue” claiming both directing and writing honors and “The X-Files” providing a milestone for its network, Fox.
Gillian Anderson scored the first major acting award for Fox with her victory for Best Drama Actress for her performance in “The X-files.” Her competitors were “ER” favorites Sherry Springfield, who never won on any of her three nominations, and Julianna Margulies, who had won in supporting in 1995 but did not win any of her four lead nominations for “ER”; however, she would go on to win twice for “The Good Wife” over a decade later. Roma Downey (“Touched By an Angel”) and Christine Lahti (“Chicago Hope”) also lost in this category, but Lahti would claim victory the next year.
Dennis Franz was the only repeat winner on the drama side, claiming his third of four Best Drama Actor Emmys for his role on “NYPD Blue.” Despite numerous bids, none of his fellow nominees would ever win for their series: David Duchovny (“The X-Files”), who also lost for Comedy Guest Actor for “The Larry Sanders Show;” Anthony Edwards (“ER”) and Sam Waterston (“Law & Order”), who have each won an Emmy for producing other projects; and Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue”), who has accumulated 12 acting nominations over his career, winning once in supporting for “L.A. Law” in 1990.
SEE Emmys flashback 20 years ago to 2002, when ‘Friends’ finally won and ‘The West Wing’ dominated
“NYPD Blue” claimed a second acting victory, with Kim Delaney earning a statue for Drama Supporting Actress. Three of her rivals came from “E.R.” — Laura Innes, C.C.H. Pounder and Gloria Reuben — while Della Reese (“Touched by an Angel”) rounded out the category. All five of these actresses were first-time nominees in a major acting category (Pounder had a previous bid for a guest role); this has been Delaney’s only win and none of the others have ever won.
Similarly, on the Drama Supporting Actor side, Hector Elizondo claimed his only Emmy, winning for “Chicago Hope” on his third nomination for that series. Two contenders came from “ER,” with Noah Wyle claiming his third of five nominations and Eriq LaSalle his second of three; neither ever won. Adam Arkin (“Chicago Hope”) and Nicholas Turturro (“NYPD Blue”) filled the last two slots.
Despite the numerous losses for its series “The Larry Sanders Show,” HBO racked up in other categories. That network claimed victories in both Variety, Music or Comedy Series (“Tracey Takes On…”) and Special (“Chris Rock: Bring the Pain”), as well as Made for TV Movie for “Miss Evers’ Boys,” which won four of its 11 nominations, including Best Miniseries/Movie Actress for Alfre Woodard. Best Miniseries/Movie Actor went to Armand Assante (“Gotti”) and Supporting Actor to Beau Bridges (“The Second Civil War”), both for HBO. PBS claimed the other two major awards, for Best Miniseries (“Prime Suspect V: Errors of Judgment”) and Supporting Actress (Diana Rigg, “Rebecca”).
Two comedy legends earned Emmys for Guest Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, with Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett awarded for their performances on “Mad About You.” However, another legend, James Burrows, failed to earn a nomination; in fact it’s the only year between 1980 and 2005 he was not in contention.
The director and producer’s 17-year nomination streak ended in 1997, but he had another eight-year streak between 1998 and 2005, and has received nominations every year since 2019. Out of an outstanding 45 competitive nominations for directing and producing, Burrows has won 10, for such series as “Taxi, “Cheers,” “Will & Grace” and, most recently (2020), for producing “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Good Times."”
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