55th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 55th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 21, 2003. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox. The Sci Fi channel received its first major nomination this year for Outstanding Miniseries for Taken; the series won the award.

55th Primetime Emmy Awards
Promotional poster
Date
  • September 21, 2003
    (Ceremony)
  • September 13, 2003
    (Creative Arts Awards)
LocationShrine Auditorium,
Los Angeles, California
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominationsThe Sopranos (10)
Outstanding Comedy SeriesEverybody Loves Raymond
Outstanding Drama SeriesThe West Wing
Outstanding MiniseriesTaken
Outstanding Reality-Competition ProgramThe Amazing Race
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Websitehttp://www.emmys.com/ Edit this on Wikidata
Television/radio coverage
NetworkFox
← 54th · Primetime Emmy Awards · 56th →

With the win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Debra Messing, Will & Grace became only the third television show to have all credited actors win a Primetime Emmy Award for their respective role, following All in the Family and The Golden Girls (also later tied by The Simpsons). For its seventh season, Everybody Loves Raymond won its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. It led all comedies with four major wins and ten major nominations. The West Wing won Outstanding Drama Series for the fourth consecutive year, tying the record set by Hill Street Blues (also later tied by Game of Thrones and Mad Men).

Despite failing to win Outstanding Drama Series, The Sopranos continued to rake in the awards, leading all dramas with four major wins, including James Gandolfini and Edie Falco winning their third and final trophy for their respective category. Also Joe Pantoliano's win for Supporting Actor in a Drama marked the first time HBO had won in this category.

Additionally, for the first time, not only did the Lead Male in a Comedy award go to a show outside the Big Four TV networks, with Tony Shalhoub's win, for Monk on the USA Network, it was that network's first ever Acting win.

For the first time since 1991, the Outstanding Drama Series field did not include Law & Order; it was nominated 11 times in the category, a record for drama series that still stands. The mark tied the overall record held by comedy series M*A*S*H and Cheers. For the first time since its premiere, Frasier, then in its tenth and penultimate season, didn't win a major award, with its only major nominations going to David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The ceremony featured 11 presenters, which included: Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Garrett, Darrell Hammond, George Lopez, Conan O'Brien, Bernie Mac, Dennis Miller, Garry Shandling (who opened the show with a comedic monologue), Martin Short, Jon Stewart, and Wanda Sykes.[1]

Winners and nominees

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Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold:[2]

 
Tony Shalhoub, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Debra Messing, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
James Gandolfini, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Edie Falco, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
William H. Macy, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Maggie Smith, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Brad Garrett, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Doris Roberts, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
Joe Pantoliano, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Tyne Daly, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
Ben Gazzara, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Gena Rowlands, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Wayne Brady, Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program winner

Programs

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Programs

Acting

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Lead performances

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Lead performances

Supporting performances

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Supporting performances

Individual performances

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Individual performances

Directing

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Directing

Writing

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Writing

Most major nominations

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Networks with multiple major nominations[note 1]
Network No. of
Nominations
HBO 53
NBC 38
CBS 28
Programs with multiple major nominations
Program Category Network No. of
Nominations
The Sopranos Drama HBO 10
Everybody Loves Raymond Comedy CBS 8
The West Wing Drama NBC
Curb Your Enthusiasm Comedy HBO 7
Six Feet Under Drama
Door to Door Movie TNT 6
Sex and the City Comedy HBO
Will & Grace NBC
My House in Umbria Movie HBO 5
Hysterical Blindness 4
Live from Baghdad
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24 Drama Fox 3
Alias ABC
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Variety Comedy Central
Friends Comedy NBC
Late Show with David Letterman Variety CBS
Robin Williams: Live on Broadway HBO
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone Movie Showtime
Saturday Night Live Variety NBC
The 75th Annual Academy Awards ABC 2
The Bernie Mac Show Comedy Fox
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Variety CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Drama
Frasier Comedy NBC
Hitler: The Rise of Evil Miniseries CBS
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story Movie Lifetime
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Variety NBC
Malcolm in the Middle Comedy Fox
Napoléon Miniseries A&E

Most major awards

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Networks with multiple major awards[note 1]
Network No. of
Awards
HBO 8
CBS 7
NBC 4
TNT
Comedy Central 2
Programs with multiple major awards
Program Category Network No. of
Awards
Door to Door Movie TNT 4
Everybody Loves Raymond Comedy CBS
The Sopranos Drama HBO
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Variety Comedy Central 2
Hysterical Blindness Movie HBO
The West Wing Drama NBC

Presenters

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The awards were presented by the following people:[3]

Presenter(s) Role(s)
David Schwimmer
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Perry
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kiefer Sutherland Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jon Stewart Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony LaPaglia
Poppy Montgomery
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard
Charles S. Dutton
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Conan O'Brien Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Bryan Cranston
Jane Kaczmarek
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Ellen DeGeneres Presented the award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Michael Chiklis Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bernie Mac Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Christina Applegate Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Alicia Silverstone
Rob Lowe
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Allison Janney Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Eric McCormack
Debra Messing
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Dennis Miller Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Jeff Probst
Ryan Seacrest
Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special
Bonnie Hunt Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Sarah Jessica Parker Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
George Lopez Presented the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Jennifer Garner
Victor Garber
Presented the award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Edie Falco
James Gandolfini
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Damon Wayans Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ray Romano Presented the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to Bill Cosby
Martin Short Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Marg Helgenberger
William Petersen
Presented the award for Outstanding Miniseries
Helen Mirren Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Ted Danson Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
William H. Macy Presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series
Mike Myers Presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series

In Memoriam

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Notes
  1. ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

References

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  1. ^ "55th Primetime Emmy Awards". Digitalhit.com. Digital Hit Entertainment/ Multiplex Theatre Properties Inc. 2003-09-21. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  2. ^ Emmys.com list of 2003 Nominees & Winners
  3. ^ "55th Primetime Emmy Awards". DigitalHit. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
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