35th Primetime Emmy Awards explained
The 35th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 25, 1983. The ceremony was broadcast on NBC, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. It is remembered for the vulgar language during the ceremony, much of it from Joan Rivers who cohosted the ceremony with Eddie Murphy. Rivers also wore nine dresses throughout the ceremony.
Despite being one of the lowest-rated shows of the season, the critically acclaimed first season of Cheers won Outstanding Comedy Series as well as three other major awards. For the third straight year, Hill Street Blues won Outstanding Drama Series, it received at least 14 major nominations for the third straight year, unprecedented at the time, and also received every nomination in the Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series field. Second City Television also garnered every nomination in a category, for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program. NBC dominated the night, on the strength of the shows mentioned, it received 71 of the 128 major nominations, and won 19 of 25 major categories.
In its final ceremony, M*A*S*H was once again nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. M*A*S*H was nominated every year it was on the air, 11/11, winning once in 1974, this record would be tied by Cheers a decade later when it too went 11/11, finishing with four victories.
Winners and nominees
[1]
Programs
Acting
Lead performances
- Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger in Taxi (NBC) (Episode: "Alex's Old Buddy")
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- Ed Flanders as Dr. Donald Westphall in St. Elsewhere (NBC)
| - Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey in Cagney & Lacey (CBS) (Episode: "Burn Out")
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| - Barbara Stanwyck as Mary Carson in The Thorn Birds (ABC) (Episode: "Part 1")
- Ann-Margret as Lucile Fray in Who Will Love My Children? (ABC)
- Rosanna Arquette as Nicole Baker in The Executioner's Song (NBC)
- Mariette Hartley as Candy Lightner in M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (NBC)
- Angela Lansbury as Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in Little Gloria... Happy at Last (NBC)
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Supporting performances
| - Carol Kane as Simka Dahblitz-Gravas in Taxi (NBC) (Episode: "Scenkees From a Marriage")
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- James Coco as Arnie in St. Elsewhere (NBC) (Episode: "Cora and Arnie")
- Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Victor Ehrlich in St. Elsewhere (NBC)
- Michael Conrad as Sgt. Phil Esterhaus in Hill Street Blues (NBC)
- Joe Spano as Det. Henry Goldblume in Hill Street Blues (NBC)
- Bruce Weitz as Det. Mick Belker in Hill Street Blues (NBC)
| - Doris Roberts as Cora in St. Elsewhere (NBC) (Episode: "Cora and Arnie")
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- Richard Kiley as Paddy Cleary in The Thorn Birds (ABC) (Episode: "Part I")
| - Jean Simmons as Fiona 'Fee' Cleary in The Thorn Birds (ABC)
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Individual performances
Directing
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| " (PBS) – Emile Ardolino- Live from Lincoln Center: "Zubin Mehta Conducts Beethoven's Ninth with the New York Philharmonic" (PBS) – Kirk Browning
- Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (NBC) – Don Mischer
- Second City Television (NBC): "Sweeps Week" – John Blanchard and John Bell
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Writing
| - Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Trial by Fury" – David Milch
- Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Eugene's Comedy Empire Strikes Back" –
- Hill Street Blues (NBC): "A Hair of the Dog" – Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Jeffrey Lewis
- Hill Street Blues (NBC): "No Body's Perfect" –
- Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Officer of the Year" – Karen Hall
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- Second City Television (NBC): "Sweeps Week"
- Second City Television (NBC): "Christmas Show"
- Second City Television (NBC): "Joe Walsh"
- Second City Television (NBC): "Robin Williams"
- Second City Television (NBC): "Towering Inferno"
| - Special Bulletin (NBC) –
- The Executioner's Song (NBC) – Norman Mailer
- The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Syndicated): "Part IV" – David Edgar
- Little Gloria... Happy at Last (NBC) – William Hanley
- Who Will Love My Children? (ABC) – Michael Bortman
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Most major nominations
Networks with multiple major nominations[2] Network | Number of Nominations |
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NBC | 71 |
ABC | 23 |
CBS | 22 | |
Programs with multiple major nominationsProgram | Category | Network | Number of Nominations |
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Hill Street Blues | Drama | NBC | 14 |
Cheers | Comedy | 9 |
The Thorn Birds | Limited | ABC |
Second City Television | Variety | NBC | 7 |
St. Elsewhere | Drama |
M*A*S*H | Comedy | CBS | 6 |
Taxi | NBC |
Buffalo Bill | 5 |
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Limited | Syndicated | 4 |
Little Gloria... Happy at Last | Special | NBC |
Live from Lincoln Center | Variety | PBS |
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | NBC |
Who Will Love My Children? | Special | ABC |
The Winds of War | Limited |
Cagney & Lacey | Drama | CBS | 3 |
The Executioner's Song | Special | NBC |
Smiley's People | Limited | Syndicated |
Special Bulletin | Special | NBC |
Dynasty | Drama | ABC | 2 |
The Jeffersons | Comedy | CBS |
M.A.D.D.: Mother's Against Drunk Drivers | Special | NBC |
Magnum, P.I. | Drama | CBS | |
Most major awards
Networks with multiple major awards[3] Network | Number of Awards |
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NBC | 19 |
ABC | 4 | |
Programs with multiple major awardsPrograms | Category | Network | Number of Awards |
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Cheers | Comedy | NBC | 4 |
Hill Street Blues | Drama | 3 |
St. Elsewhere |
Taxi | Comedy |
The Thorn Birds | Limited | ABC |
Special Bulletin | Special | NBC | 2 | |
- Notes
External links
Notes and References
- http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1983 Emmys.com list of 1983 Nominees & Winners
- "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.
- "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.