Primetime Emmy Award Explained
| Primetime Emmy Award |
| Current Awards: | 60th Primetime Emmy Awards |
| Description: | Excellence in primetime television |
| Presenter: | ATAS |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1949 |
| Website: | http://www.emmys.org/ |
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. First awarded in 1949, they were originally referred to as just the "Emmy Awards" until the first Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies were held in the 1970s, and the word "primetime" was added to disambiguate between the two.
The Primetime Emmys generally air in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season. They are currently seen in rotation among the four major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX). However, the 2006 Primetime Emmys (broadcast on NBC) aired a few weeks early, on Sunday, August 27, 2006, in order to accommodate NBC's coverage of Sunday Night NFL Football beginning in September.
Award categories
Current awards
Primetime Emmys are currently awarded in the following categories:
- Lead Role
- Supporting Role
- Guest Role
- Outstanding Special Class Program
Creative Arts Primetime Emmys
Creative Arts Emmys are awarded in the following categories (some of which separately recognize work based on whether a single-camera and multi-camera setup was used):
- Animation
- Art Direction
- Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series
- Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series
- Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program
- Casting
- Choreography
- Cinematography
- Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
- Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
- Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming
- Outstanding Commercial
- Costumes
- Outstanding Costumes for a Series
- Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Directing for Nonfiction Programming
- Picture Editing
- Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
- Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
- Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series
- Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming
- Hairstyling
- Hairstyling for a Series
- Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Interactive Television
- Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television, Program-Specific
- Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television, Non-Program-Specific
- Outstanding Lighting Direction
- Outstanding Main Title Design
- Makeup
- Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Prosthetic)
- Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)
- Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic)
- Music
- Outstanding Children's Program
- Nonfiction
- Outstanding Nonfiction Special
- Outstanding Nonfiction Series
- Sound Editing
- Sound Editing for a Series
- Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming
- Sound Mixing
- Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series
- Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie
- Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special
- Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special
- Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming
- Visual Effects
- Stunt Coordination
- Technical Direction
- Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series
- Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special
- Writing for Nonfiction Programming
Retired awards
A number of awards have been retired throughout the years, including some that have been replaced by similar award categories in the Daytime Emmys, Sports Emmys, and other areas of recognition.
- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- Best Kinescope Show
- Best Live Show
- Best New Program
- Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality
- Most Outstanding Live Personality
- Outstanding Live Sports Special †
- Outstanding Sports Personality †
- Outstanding Program Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama ‡
- Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama ‡
- Best Sports Coverage†
- Best Western Series (1958-1959 only)
† Replaced by a similar category in the Sports Emmy Awards
‡ Replaced by a similar category in the Daytime Emmy Awards
Leading Nominees
- Most Emmy nominations for an individual:
57 nominations
- Most Emmy nominations for a television program:
122 nominations
117 nominations
- Most Emmy nominations for a comedy series
- Most Emmy nominations for a drama series
- Most Emmy nominations for a miniseries:
- Roots (1977): 37 nominations
- Most Emmy nominations for a television movie
- Most Emmy nominations for a variety series
- Motown Returns To The Apollo (1985): 11 nominations
Leading Winners
- Most Emmy wins by individuals:
20
19
18
- Most Emmy wins for a television program:
37
- Most Emmy wins for a comedy series
5
5
- Most Emmy wins for a drama series
4
4
4
- Most Emmy wins for an animated series
10
- Most Emmy wins for a miniseries:
- Most Emmy wins for a television movie:
- Most Emmy wins in a single year for a network:
Performers with the most Primetime Emmys
- Carl Reiner won a total of nine Primetime Emmy Awards, five of which were for his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show (Outstanding Comedy Series, Program Achievement, Writing in a Comedy series and Writing in a Comedy/Variety/Music series). He also won the award for Outstanding Guest Actor for his performance on Mad About You, and two Emmys for his performance on Caesar's Hour. In 1967, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy/Variety/Music series, for The Sid Ceasar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special.
- Cloris Leachman's eighth Emmy made her the "winningest" female performer in Emmy history. Previously, she had been tied with Mary Tyler Moore and Tracey Ullman (although afterward, in the press room, Leachman correctly pointed that not all of Ullman's Emmys are for performing).
- Don Knotts won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show (1961-1963, 1966-1967).
- Kelsey Grammer has won five Emmy Awards: four for his portrayal of Frasier Crane on Frasier (1994-1995, 1998, 2004) and one for his voice-over work as Sideshow Bob on the series The Simpsons (2006). He has several other nominations as Frasier on that series as well as on Cheers and Wings (for a 1992 guest appearance). This makes him the only actor to earn Emmy nominations for portraying the same character on three different programs.
- John Laroquette also won five Emmy Awards; four (in a row) for his portrayal of Dan Fielding on Night Court and one for his guest role on The Practice.
See also
External links
