Most Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series


1980  - Cathryn Damon

Soap

1981  - Isabel Sanford

The Jeffersons

1982  - Carol Kane

Taxi

1983  - Shelley Long

Cheers

1984  - Jane Curtin

Kate & Allie

1985  - Jane Curtin

Kate & Allie

1986  - Betty White

Golden Girls

1987  - Rue McClanahan

Golden Girls

1988  - Beu Arthur

Golden Girls

1989  - Candice Bergen

Murphy Brown


Fun Fact!

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has the Record With 7 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in Comedy Series

* Also Holds the Record With 12 Nominations


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Most Outstanding Drama

1980 - Lou Grant
1981 - Hill Street Blues
1982 - Hill Street Blues 
1983 - Hill Street Blues
1984 - Hill Street Blues  
1985 - Cagney & Lacey
1986 - Cagney & Lacey 
1987 - L.A. Law 
1988 - Thirtysomething 
​1989 - L.A. Law


Fun Fact!

Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Mad Men, The West Wing and Game of Thrones Have the Record with 4 Most Outstanding Drama Wins


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Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

1980 - Ed Asner

Lou Grant

1981 - Daniel J. Travanti

Hill Street Blues

1982 - Daniel J. Travanti

Hill Street Blues

1983 - Ed Flanders

St. Elsewhere

1984 - Tom Selleck

Magnum, P.I

1985 - William Daniels

St. Elsewhere

1986 - William Daniels

St. Elsewhere

1987 - Bruce Willis

Moonlighting

1988 - Richard Kiley

A Year in the Life

1989 - Carroll O'Connor

In the Heat of the Night


Fun Fact!

Bryan Cranston and Dennis Franz Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama


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Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series


1980 - Barbara Bel Geddes 

Dallas

1981 - Barbara Babcock

Hill Street Blues

1982 - Michael Learned

Nurse

1983 - Tyne Daly

Cagney & Lacey

1984 - Tyne Daly

Cagney & Lacey

1985 - Tyne Daly

Cagney & Lacey

1986 - Sharon Gless

Cagney & Lacey

1987 - Sharon Gless

Cagney & Lacey

1988 - Tyne Daly

Cagney & Lacey

1989 - Dana Delany

China Beach


​Fun Fact!

Tyne Daly and Michael Learned Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama


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Other Notable TV Facts


HBO

Launched on November 8th 1972 Making it the Oldest and Longest Continuously Subscription Television Service


Mary Kay and Johnny

The First American Sitcom to be Broadcast on Network Television


First Color Television

The First Color Television went on Sale on March 25, 1954 by RCA

* Sold for $1,000


The Original SNL Cast

Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase


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1980-81 TV Ratings


1 .       60 Minutes    CBS
2 .        Three's Company    ABC
3 .        That's Incredible    ABC
T4      Alice    CBS
T4      M*A*S*H    CBS
6.        Dallas    CBS
7.        Flo    CBS
8.        The Jeffersons    CBS
9.        The Dukes of Hazzard    CBS
10.      One Day at a Time    CBS
11 .      Archie Bunker's Place    CBS
12.      Eight Is Enough    ABC
13.      Taxi    ABC
T14    House Calls    CBS
T14    Real People    NBC
16.      Little House on the Prairie    NBC
17.      Happy Days    ABC
18.      CHiPs    NBC
19.      Trapper John, M.D.    CBS
T20.   Charlie's Angels    ABC
T20     Barney Miller    ABC
22.       WKRP in Cincinnati    CBS
T23     Benson    ABC
T23     The Love Boat    ABC
25.       Soap    ABC


Continue to 1981-82

Bob Barker's New Hair

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Michael J. Fox Won 3 Consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards From 1986 to 1988 For His Role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties

​* Don Adams Was the First to Win 3 in a Row (1967, 1968, 1969) For His Role as Maxwell Smart in the TV Series, Get Smart

Fun Fact!

Carroll O'Connor, Michael J. Fox, Kelsey Grammer and Jim Parsons Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actor in Comedy Series
* Ted Dansen Has the Record With 14 Nominees

Lisa Kudrow on Cheers

Richard Mulligan

On March 6, 1981 Walter Cronkite Signed Off For the Final Time as Main Anchorman of The CBS Evening News

* Succeeded by Dan Rather

Fun Fact!

​Frasier and Modern Family Have the Record With 5 Emmy's Awards For Most Outstanding Comedy

Cagney & Lacey

On November 17, 1981 30 Million Viewers Tuned Into General Hospital to Witness the Wedding of Luke and Laura

* The Highest Rated Daytime Soap Opera Episode in History


Did You Know?

TV Guide Ranked it as the Greatest Soap Opera Moment of All-Time

Michael J. Fox

Cagney & Lacey Stars, Tyne Daly (4) and Sharon Gless (2) Won 6 Consecutive Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series From 1983 to 1988

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On October 19, 1987 Bob Barker Appeared on The Price is Right For the First Time Without His Dyed Brown Hair

* Was Given a Standing Ovation by the Audience

Did You Know?

Bill Cosby Had the #1 Non-Fiction Bestseller in 1986 (Fatherhood) and 1987 (Time Flies)


Fun Fact!

The Bible is the Best Selling Book of All-Time With Over 5 Billion Copies Sold 

On February 28, 1983 the Final Episode of M*A*S*H Aired

* The Most Watched Non Sporting Event of All-Time With Over 105 Million Viewers

On November 21, 1980 the Global Phenomenon of Who shot J.R. Was Revealed on the Hit TV Series, Dallas

Over 83 Million Viewers

* The Highest-Rated Television Episode in U.S. History at the Time

MTV

M*A*S*H Finale

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Richard Mulligan Won 2 Emmy Awards in the 80s For Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series On 2 Different Shows

Who Shot J.R.?

MTV Launched on August 1, 1981 at 12:01 AM Eastern Time​

* The Original MTV VJ's Were Martha Quinn, John Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Nina Blackwood​

Luke and Laura's Wedding

On November 23, 1989 Friends Star, Lisa Kudrow Appeared on an Episode of Cheers

* She Played Woody's Drama Partner

Walter Cronkite Signs Off

Most Outstanding Sitcom

(Emmy Awards)


1980 - Taxi
1981  - Taxi
1982  - Barney Miller
1983  - Cheers
1984  - Cheers
1985  - The Cosby Show
1986  - The Golden Girls
1987  - The Golden Girls
1988  - The Wonder Years

1989  - Cheers​

​* Cheers Also Won in 1990


Did You Know?

The First Season of Cheers Was the 4th lowest Ranked Show in America and About to be Cancelled​, Being Ranked 74 Out of 77

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series


1980  - Richard Mulligan

Soap

1981  - Judd Hirsch

Taxi

1982  - Alan Alda

M*A*S*H

1983  - Judd Hirsch

Taxi

1984  - John Ritter

Threes Company

1985  - Robert Guillaume

Benson

1986  - Michael J. Fox

Family Ties

1987  - Michael J. Fox

Family Ties

1988  - Michael J. Fox

Family Ties

1989  - Richard Mulligan

Empty Nest

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Highest Rated TV Shows


1980 - 60 Minutes

Rating:  28.4

1981 - Dallas

Rating:  34.5

1982 - Dallas

Rating:  28.4

1983 - 60 Minutes

Rating:  25.5

1984 - Dallas

Rating:  25.7

1985 - Dynasty

Rating:  25.0

1986 - The Cosby Show

Rating:  33.7

1987 - The Cosby Show

Rating:  34.9

1988 - The Cosby Show

Rating:  27.8

1989 - The Cosby Show

Rating:  25.6