1990 American television programming awards
The42nd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 16, 1990. The ceremony was broadcast onFox from thePasadena Civic Auditorium inPasadena, California . Two networks,The Family Channel andThe Disney Channel , received their first major nominations.
For its second season,Murphy Brown Outstanding Comedy Series and one other major award. Defending championCheers Newhart L.A. Law Outstanding Drama Series for the third time in four years and also won three major awards, receiving the most major nominations for a drama series with 11. This became the first year that every cast member ofThe Golden Girls
This ceremony was remembered for the circumstance that three major categories resulted in ties, the most ever for one ceremony.
A clip ofThe Simpsons Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series can be seen on the DVD boxset of thesecond season as a special feature.
Winners and nominees [ edit ] [ 1]
Programs Sammy Davis Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration (ABC)
Acting Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown inMurphy Brown (CBS) (Episode: "Brown Like Me")Patricia Wettig as Nancy Krieger Weston inThirtysomething (ABC) (Episode: "The Other Shoe")
Supporting performances [ edit ] Alex Rocco as Al Floss inThe Famous Teddy Z Kelsey Grammer asDr. Frasier Crane inCheers (NBC) (Episodes: "The Stork Brings a Crane" + "Severe Crane Damage" + "The Ghost and Mrs. Lebec")Woody Harrelson asWoody Boyd inCheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Woody or Won't He" + "50–50 Carla" + "Loverboyd")Charles Kimbrough as Jim Dial inMurphy Brown (CBS) (Episodes: "Anchors Away" + "Roasted" + "On the Road Again")Jerry Van Dyke as Luther Van Dam inCoach (ABC) (Episodes: "If a Coach Falls in the Woods" + "Coaches Conference" + "Homewreckers")Bebe Neuwirth asLilith Crane inCheers (NBC) (Episodes: "The Stork Brings a Crane" + "Severe Crane Damage" + "The Ghost and Mrs. Lebec")Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen inNewhart Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood inMurphy Brown (CBS) (Episodes: "And the Whiner Is..." + "Bad Girls" + "Going to the Chapel")Estelle Getty asSophia Petrillo inThe Golden Girls (NBC) (Episodes: "Sick and Tired" + "Not Another Monday" + "Clinton Avenue Memoirs")Rhea Perlman asCarla Tortelli inCheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Death Takes a Holiday on Ice" + "50–50 Carla" + "The Ghost and Mrs. Lebec")Jimmy Smits as Victor Sifuentes inL.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "The Unsterile Cuckoo" + "Blood, Sweat and Fears")Marg Helgenberger as KC Kolowski inChina Beach (ABC) (Episodes: "The Unquiet Earth" + "Skin Deep" + "Nightfall")Sherilyn Fenn asAudrey Horne inTwin Peaks (ABC) (Episodes: "Pilot " + "Episode 2 " + "Episode 6 ")Melanie Mayron as Melissa Steadman inThirtysomething (ABC) (Episodes: "Mr. Right" + "Strangers " + "Good Sex, Bad Sex, What Sex, No Sex")Diana Muldaur as Rosalind Shays inL.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "The Pay's Lousy, But the Tips Are Great" + "Whatever Happened to Hannah?" + "Watts a Matter?")Susan Ruttan as Roxanne Melman inL.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "The Good Human Bar" + "Bang... Zoom... Zap" + "Forgive Me Father, For I Have Sued")
Individual performances [ edit ] Writing The Wonder Years (ABC): "Good-bye" —Bob Brush Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow (HBO)The Tracey Ullman Show (Fox): "I Hate Paris"In Living Color (Fox): "Pilot"Late Night with David Letterman : "8th Anniversary Special" (NBC)Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Most major nominations [ edit ] Networks with multiple major nominations[ note 1] Network Number of NBC 47 ABC CBS 35 HBO 11
Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network Number of L.A. Law Drama NBC 11 Cheers Comedy 9 Twin Peaks Drama ABC 7 Murphy Brown Comedy CBS 6 Thirtysomething Drama ABC Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow Variety HBO 4 The Golden Girls Comedy NBC The Kennedys of Massachusetts Miniseries ABC A Killing in a Small Town Special CBS The Wonder Years Comedy ABC Caroline? Special CBS 3 China Beach Drama ABC Designing Women Comedy CBS The Famous Teddy Z The Final Days Special ABC Quantum Leap Drama NBC Saturday Night Live Variety The Tracey Ullman Show Fox The 43rd Annual Tony Awards CBS 2 The 62nd Academy Awards ABC Age-Old Friends Special HBO The Best of 'The Tracey Ullman Show' Variety Fox Coach Comedy ABC Family of Spies Miniseries CBS The Image Special HBO In Living Color Variety Fox The Incident Special CBS Murder in Mississippi NBC Newhart Comedy CBS Sammy Davis Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration Variety ABC Small Sacrifices Miniseries
Networks with multiple major awards[ note 1] Network Number of ABC 10 CBS 9 NBC 8 HBO 3 Fox 2
Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network Number of L.A. Law Drama NBC 3 Age-Old Friends Special HBO 2 Caroline? CBS Cheers Comedy NBC Murphy Brown CBS Thirtysomething Drama ABC The Wonder Years Comedy
Notes ^a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include thetechnical categories.
