50th Primetime Emmy Awards
| 50th Primetime Emmy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date |
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| Location | Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California |
| Presented by | Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |
| Most awards | |
| Most nominations | ER (9) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | NBC |
| Produced by | Don Mischer |
The 50th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 13, 1998. It was broadcast on NBC.
When Frasier was announced as the winner of Outstanding Comedy Series, Emmy history was made. The NBC sitcom became the first show to win one of the two main series prizes five consecutive years. This record has since been passed by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, whose winning streak was ten years, but for the main two genres, it was not matched until 2014, when the ABC sitcom Modern Family won its fifth consecutive award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The Practice won Outstanding Drama Series and tied for the most major wins overall with three. For the second straight year, medical drama ER came into the night as the most nominated program, but once again walked away empty handed, going 0/9 in major categories.
Ally McBeal became the first hour-long series to be nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series since Love, American Style in 1971.
This year saw the Emmys move to a new venue, the Shrine Auditorium, marking the return of the award ceremony to Los Angeles for the first time since the 1976 Emmy Awards, following a 20-year residency at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium outside L.A. in Pasadena.
As of the 2018 Emmy ceremony, this is the last year where all the nominees for Best Drama Series were from the broadcast networks.
Winners and nominees
Programs
| Outstanding Comedy Series | Outstanding Drama Series |
|---|---|
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| Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series | Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special |
|
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| Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Outstanding Miniseries |
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Acting
Lead performances
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |
|---|---|
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| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
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| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie |
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Supporting performances
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |
|---|---|
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| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
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| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie |
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Guest performances
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
|---|---|
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| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
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Directing
| Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series |
|---|---|
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| Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie |
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Writing
Most major nominations
- By network [note 1]
- NBC – 49
- HBO – 29
- ABC – 25
- CBS – 19
- Fox – 13
- By program
- ER (NBC) – 9
- NYPD Blue (ABC) – 8
- The Larry Sanders Show (HBO) / The X-Files (Fox) – 7
- 3rd Rock from the Sun (NBC) / Frasier (NBC) / Mad About You (NBC) / Merlin (NBC) – 6
Most major awards
- By network [note 1]
- ABC – 9
- NBC – 7
- HBO – 7
- CBS – 5
- TNT – 2
- By program
- Frasier (NBC) / George Wallace (TNT) / NYPD Blue (ABC) / The Practice (ABC) – 3
- Don King: Only in America (HBO) / The Larry Sanders Show (HBO) / Mad About You (NBC) – 2
- Notes
- ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.
In Memoriam
Patrick Stewart presented a clip tribute to the TV actors who had died: Red Skelton, Shari Lewis, Lloyd Bridges, Roy Rogers, singer John Denver, Robert Young, dancer Jerome Robbins, sports narrator Harry Caray, Frank Sinatra, singer Buffalo Bob, E. G. Marshall, J. T. Walsh, Sonny Bono, Phil Hartman, and Chris Farley. As an interesting note, Gary Sinise won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his portrayal of George Wallace on the day that the latter died.
