56th Primetime Emmy Awards

56th Primetime Emmy Awards
Title card
Date
  • September 19, 2004
    (Ceremony)
  • September 12, 2004
    (Creative Arts Awards)
LocationShrine Auditorium,
Los Angeles, California
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted byGarry Shandling
Highlights
Most awardsAngels in America (7)
Most nominationsThe Sopranos (12)
Outstanding Comedy SeriesArrested Development
Outstanding Drama SeriesThe Sopranos
Outstanding MiniseriesAngels in America
Outstanding Reality-Competition ProgramThe Amazing Race
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Television/radio coverage
NetworkABC
Produced byDon Mischer
Directed byLouis J. Horvitz
← 55th · Primetime Emmy Awards · 57th →

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:

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

Programs

Acting

Lead performances

Lead performances

Supporting performances

Supporting performances

Directing

Directing

Writing

Writing

Most major nominations

Networks with multiple major nominations
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
Network No. of
Awards
HBO 16
ABC 4
NBC 3
Fox
Comedy Central 2
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
  1. ^ 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:

Presenter(s) Role(s)
Sarah Jessica Parker
Chris Noth
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Heather Locklear
Blair Underwood
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Simon Cowell
Donald Trump
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Linney
John Turturro
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Jim Belushi
Teri Hatcher
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Amber Tamblyn
Zach Braff
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Mischa Barton
Adam Brody
Ben McKenzie
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Debra Messing
Eric McCormack
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Jimmy Kimmel
Ty Pennington
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Jon Stewart Presented the award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Mos Def
Tony Shalhoub
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Sharon Stone
William Shatner
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
William Petersen
Dennis Franz
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
George Lopez Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Kathryn Morris
Anthony LaPaglia
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Two unnamed individuals Presented the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Joely Richardson
Kiefer Sutherland
Presented the award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Edie Falco
James Gandolfini
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Anjelica Huston
James Spader
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Victor Garber
Taye Diggs
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jon Cryer
Charlie Sheen
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Conan O'Brien Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Gary Sinise
Melina Kanakeredes
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Treat Williams
William H. Macy
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Barbara Walters Presented the award for Outstanding Miniseries
Ellen DeGeneres Presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series
Glenn Close Presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series

In Memoriam


This page was last updated at 2024-03-23 11:38 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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