The 45th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 1993. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC and was hosted by Angela Lansbury. MTV received its first major nomination at this ceremony.
On the drama side, Northern Exposure was the defending champion and was seen heavily as the favorite coming into the ceremony being the most nominated show with 11 major nominations—but in a major upset, Picket Fences took home Outstanding Drama Series. Northern Exposure set the dubious record for the largest shutout of all time, as it lost all 11 major nominations, including its Creative Arts Emmy Awards nominations; the record increases to 0/16. Both of these records were later broken by Mad Men (0/17) in 2012.
Chad Lowe as Jesse McKenna on Life Goes On (Episodes: "Lost Weekend" + "Bedfellows"), (ABC)
Barry Corbin as Maurice J. Minnifield on Northern Exposure (Episodes: "The Big Feast" + "Sleeping with the Enemy"), (CBS)
John Cullum as Holling Vincoeur on Northern Exposure (Episodes: "Learning Curve" + "Mud and Blood"), (CBS)
Fyvush Finkel as Douglas Wambaugh on Picket Fences (Episodes: "Thanksgiving" + "The Body Politic"), (CBS)
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci on Quantum Leap (Episodes: "Lee Harvey Oswald: October 5,1957 – November 22, 1963" + "Killin' Time: June 18, 1958"), (NBC)
Mary Alice as Marguerite Peck on I'll Fly Away (Episodes: "Ruler of My Heart" + "The Third Man"), (NBC)
Cynthia Geary as Shelly Tambo on Northern Exposure (Episodes: "Kaddish for Uncle Manny" + "Mud and Blood"), (CBS)
Kay Lenz as Maggie Zombro on Reasonable Doubts (Episodes: "Two Women" + "Wish You Were Here"), (NBC)
Kellie Martin as Becca Thatcher on Life Goes On (Episodes: "Visions" + "Last Wish"), (ABC)
Peg Phillips as Ruth Anne on Northern Exposure (Episodes: "Blowing Bubbles" + "Revelations"), (CBS)