2004 American television programming awards
The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Garry Shandling and was broadcast on ABC .
The HBO miniseries Angels in America had the most successful night. It became the first program to sweep every major category, going 7/7, in Emmy history, until 2020 when Schitt’s Creek repeated the feat. Along with Schitt’s Creek , Caesar's Hour in 1957 and The Crown in 2021 , it is one of only four programs to win all four main acting categories.
Upstart comedy series Arrested Development won Outstanding Comedy Series (being the second time Fox won that specific award) and two other major awards overall. Its pilot became the twelfth episode to accomplish the directing /writing double.
After years of winning everything but the top prize, The Sopranos finally took home the crown for Outstanding Drama Series , not only knocking off four-time defending champion The West Wing but by being the first cable show , HBO , ever to beat any of the Big Four television networks for that award. It led all dramas with twelve major nominations and four major wins. One of those wins was for Drea de Matteo for Drama Supporting Actress and, too, was the first time that award went to a cable network. Furthermore, the cable network also won for the first times in the Comedy Lead Actress and Comedy Supporting Actress categories (Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon respectively for Sex and the City ).
Entering its final ceremony, five-time series champion Frasier needed five major wins to tie The Mary Tyler Moore Show ' s record of 27 major wins. Because it was only nominated in three major categories, breaking the record was not possible. Though it did not tie the record, Frasier finished its Emmy career on a high note, winning two major awards, the most it had won since 1998 . Its 25 major wins put it at second of all time. When adding its wins in technical categories , its total rises to 37, the most for any comedy series.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold :[ 1]
Kelsey Grammer , Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner
Sarah Jessica Parker , Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner
James Spader , Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner
Allison Janney , Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner
Al Pacino , Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Meryl Streep , Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
David Hyde Pierce , Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner
Cynthia Nixon , Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner
Michael Imperioli , Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner
Drea de Matteo , Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner
Jeffrey Wright , Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Mary-Louise Parker , Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Elaine Stritch , Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program winner
Programs
Acting
Directing
Writing
Most major nominations
Networks with multiple major nominations[ note 1]
Networks
No. of Nominations
HBO
56
NBC
33
CBS
19
ABC
12
Programs with multiple major nominations
Program
Category
Network
No. of Nominations
The Sopranos
Drama
HBO
12
Angels in America
Miniseries
11
Sex and the City
Comedy
8
The West Wing
Drama
NBC
6
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Comedy
HBO
5
Everybody Loves Raymond
CBS
Something the Lord Made
Movie
HBO
Arrested Development
Comedy
Fox
4
Deadwood
Drama
HBO
The Reagans
Movie
Showtime
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
HBO
3
Chappelle's Show
Variety
Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Frasier
Comedy
NBC
Late Show with David Letterman
Variety
CBS
The Lion in Winter
Movie
Showtime
Prime Suspect VI: The Last Witness
Miniseries
PBS
Will & Grace
Comedy
NBC
24
Drama
Fox
2
The 76th Annual Academy Awards
Variety
ABC
Alias
Drama
Elaine Stritch: At Liberty
Variety
HBO
Friends
Comedy
NBC
Ike: Countdown to D-Day
Movie
A&E
Iron Jawed Angels
HBO
Joan of Arcadia
Drama
CBS
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Variety
NBC
Most major awards
Networks with multiple major awards[ note 1]
Network
No. of Awards
HBO
16
Fox
3
NBC
ABC
2
Comedy Central
Programs with multiple major awards
Program
Category
Network
No. of Awards
Angels in America
Miniseries
HBO
7
The Sopranos
Drama
4
Arrested Development
Comedy
Fox
3
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Variety
Comedy Central
2
Frasier
Comedy
NBC
Sex and the City
HBO
Notes
^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.
Presenters
The awards were presented by the following people:[ 2]
In Memoriam
References
External links