The 41st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 17, 1989. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, where 26 awards were presented. The ceremony saw the guest acting categories double, as they were now based on gender as well as genre. Two networks, Lifetime and USA Network, received their first major nominations this year.
After being nominated and losing for the previous four years, Cheers regained the title of Outstanding Comedy Series. L.A. Law also won Outstanding Drama Series after losing the previous year. For the second straight year, L.A. Law received 15 major nominations, making it the first show ever to receive more than 14 major nominations multiple times. With nine main cast acting nominations, L.A. Law tied the record set by Hill Street Blues in 1982.
Winners and nominees
Programs + Cheers (NBC) Designing Women (CBS) The Golden Girls (NBC) Murphy Brown (CBS) The Wonder Years (ABC) L.A. Law (NBC) Beauty and the Beast (CBS) China Beach (ABC) Thirtysomething (ABC) Wiseguy (CBS) Day One (CBS) Roe vs. Wade (NBC) David (ABC) Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (HBO) My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) War and Remembrance (ABC) I Know My First Name Is Steven (NBC) Lonesome Dove (CBS) A Perfect Spy (PBS) The Women of Brewster Place (ABC) The Tracey Ullman Show (Fox) The Arsenio Hall Show (Syndicated) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Tap Dance in America (PBS)
Acting Lead performances + Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston in Empty Nest (NBC) (Episode: "Pilot") Ted Danson as Sam Malone in Cheers (NBC) (Episode: "Swear to God") Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties (NBC) (Episode: "Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore") John Goodman as Dan Conner in Roseanne (ABC) (Episode: "Dan's Birthday Bash") Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold in The Wonder Years (ABC) (Episode: "Birthday Boy") Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown in Murphy Brown (CBS) (Episode: "Respect") Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak in The Golden Girls (NBC) (Episode: "Love Me Tender") Blair Brown as Molly Dodd in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (Lifetime) Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in The Golden Girls (NBC) (Episode: "Yes, We Have No Havanas") Betty White as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls (NBC) (Episode: "High Anxiety") Carroll O'Connor as Chief Bill Gillespie in In the Heat of the Night (NBC) (Episode: "A Trip Upstate") Ron Perlman as Vincent in Beauty and the Beast (CBS) Michael Tucker as Stuart Markowitz in L.A. Law (NBC) Ken Wahl as Vincent Terranova in Wiseguy (CBS) Edward Woodward as Robert McCall in The Equalizer (CBS) Dana Delany as Nurse Colleen McMurphy in China Beach (ABC) (Episode: "The World") Susan Dey as Grace Van Owen in L.A. Law (NBC) Jill Eikenberry as Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law (NBC) Linda Hamilton as Asst. DA Catherine Chandler in Beauty and the Beast (CBS) Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote (CBS) James Woods as Bill Wilson in My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) Robert Duvall as Augustus "Gus" McCrae in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part II") John Gielgud as Aaron Jastrow in War and Remembrance (ABC) (Episode: "Part VIII") Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow F. Call in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part IV") Ben Kingsley as Simon Wiesenthal in Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (HBO) Holly Hunter as Ellen Russell in Roe vs. Wade (NBC) Anjelica Huston as Clara Allen in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part III") Diane Lane as Lorena Wood in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part IV") Amy Madigan as Sarah Weddington in Roe vs. Wade (NBC) Jane Seymour as Natalie Henry in War and Remembrance (ABC) (Episode: "Part XI")
Supporting performances
Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd in Cheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Golden Boyd" + "The Gift of the Woodi" + "Call Me Irresponsible") Joe Regalbuto as Frank Fontana in Murphy Brown (CBS) (Episodes: "Baby Love" + "It's How You Play the Game" + "The Summer of '77") Peter Scolari as Michael Harris in Newhart (CBS) Meshach Taylor as Anthony Bouvier in Designing Women (CBS) (Episodes: "Hard Hats and Lovers" + "Tyrone" + "One Sees, the Other Doesn't") George Wendt as Norm Peterson in Cheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Norm, Is That You?" + "Jumping Jerks" + "Don't Paint Your Chickens") Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli in Cheers (NBC) (Episodes: "Swear to God" + "Those Lips, Those Ice" + "I Kid You Not") Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen in Newhart (CBS) Faith Ford as Corky Sherwood in Murphy Brown (CBS) (Episodes: "Devil with a Blue Dress On" + "It's How You Play the Game" + "The Morning Show") Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo in The Golden Girls (NBC) (Episodes: "The Days and Nights of Sophia Petrillo" + "Sophia's Wedding" + "Two Rode Together") Katherine Helmond as Mona Robinson in Who's the Boss? (ABC) (Episodes: "Double Dump" + "Your Grandmother's a Bimbo" + "Party Double") Larry Drake as Benny Stulwicz in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Hey, Lick Me Over" + "I'm in the Nude for Love" + "America the Beautiful") Jonathan Banks as Frank McPike in Wiseguy (CBS) Timothy Busfield as Elliot Weston in Thirtysomething (ABC) Richard Dysart as Leland McKenzie Jr. in L.A. Law (NBC) Jimmy Smits as Victor Sifuentes in L.A. Law (NBC) Melanie Mayron as Melissa Steadman in Thirtysomething (ABC) (Episodes: "Trust Me" + "Success" + "Be a Good Girl") Michele Greene as Abby Perkins in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Sperminator" + "Victor/Victorious" + "America the Beautiful") Lois Nettleton as Joanne St. John in In the Heat of the Night (NBC) (Episodes: "Stranger in Town" + "Tear Down the Walls" + "A.K.A. Kelly Kay") Amanda Plummer as Alice Hackett in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "America the Beautiful" + "Urine Trouble Now" + "Consumed Innocent") Susan Ruttan as Roxanne Melman in L.A. Law (NBC) (Episodes: "Romancing the Drone" + "Izzy Ackerman or Is He Not?" + "Urine Trouble Now") Derek Jacobi as The Imposter in The Tenth Man (CBS) Armand Assante as Richard Mansfield in Jack the Ripper (CBS) James Garner as Dr. Bob Holbrook Smith in My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) Danny Glover as Joshua Deets in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part II") Corin Nemec as Steven Stayner in I Know My First Name Is Steven (NBC) (Episode: "Part I") Colleen Dewhurst as Margaret Page in Those She Left Behind (NBC) Peggy Ashcroft as Miss Dubber in A Perfect Spy (PBS) (Episode: "Part V") Polly Bergen as Rhoda Henry in War and Remembrance (ABC) (Episode: "Part XII") Glenne Headly as Elmira Boot Johnson in Lonesome Dove (CBS) (Episode: "Part II") Paula Kelly as Theresa in The Women of Brewster Place (ABC)
Individual performances
Linda Ronstadt – Great Performances: "Canciones de Mi Padre" (PBS) Dana Carvey – Saturday Night Live (NBC) Julie Kavner – The Tracey Ullman Show (Fox) The cast of Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies Episode 202 (Syndicated) The cast of Sid and Marty Krofft's D.C. Follies Episode 211 (Syndicated)
Directing + The Wonder Years (ABC): "Our Miss White" – Peter Baldwin Cheers (NBC): "The Visiting Lecher" – James Burrows The Golden Girls (NBC): "Brother Can You Spare That Jacket" – Terry Hughes Murphy Brown (CBS): "Pilot" – Barnet Kellman The Wonder Years (ABC): "Birthday Boy" – Steve Miner The Wonder Years (ABC): "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation" – Michael Dinner Tanner '88 (HBO): "The Boiler Room" – Robert Altman L.A. Law (NBC): "I'm in the Nude for Love" – Eric Laneuville L.A. Law (NBC): "To Live and Diet in L.A." – John Pasquin Midnight Caller (NBC): "Pilot" – Thomas Carter Thirtysomething (ABC): "We'll Meet Again" – Scott Winant The Jim Henson Hour (NBC): "Dog City" – Jim Henson The Debbie Allen Special (ABC) – Debbie Allen Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "In Chicago" – Hal Gurnee Tap Dance in America (PBS) – Don Mischer The Tracey Ullman Show (Fox): "Family Therapy" – Ted Bessell Lonesome Dove (CBS): "Part IV" – Simon Wincer I Know My First Name Is Steven (NBC) – Larry Elikann My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) – Daniel Petrie Roe vs. Wade (NBC) – Gregory Hoblit War and Remembrance (ABC): "Part XII" – Dan Curtis
Writing + Murphy Brown (CBS): "Respect" – Diane English The Wonder Years (ABC): "Coda" – Todd W. Langen The Wonder Years (ABC): "Loosiers" – David M. Stern The Wonder Years (ABC): "Our Miss White" – Michael J. Weithorn The Wonder Years (ABC): "Pottery Will Get You Nowhere" – Matthew Carlson Thirtysomething (ABC): "First Day / Last Day" – Joseph Dougherty L.A. Law (NBC): "His Suit Is Hirsute" – Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Michele Gallery and William M. Finkelstein L.A. Law (NBC): "I'm in the Nude for Love" – David E. Kelley L.A. Law (NBC): "Urine Trouble Now" – David E. Kelley, William M. Finkelstein, Michele Gallery and Judith Parker Thirtysomething (ABC): "The Mike Van Dyke Show" – Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick Saturday Night Live (NBC) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Seventh Anniversary Special" Not Necessarily the News (HBO) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC) The Tracey Ullman Show (Fox) Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (HBO) – Abby Mann, Robin Vote and Ron Hutchinson I Know My First Name Is Steven (NBC) – Lonesome Dove (CBS): "Part I" – Bill Wyttliff My Name Is Bill W. (ABC) – William G. Borchert Roe vs. Wade (NBC) – Alison Cross
Most major nominations +Networks with multiple major nominations"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network Number ofNominations NBC 57 ABC 40 CBS 35
+Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network Number ofNominations L.A. Law Drama NBC 15 Lonesome Dove Miniseries CBS 9 The Wonder Years Comedy ABC 9 Cheers NBC 6 The Golden Girls Murphy Brown CBS Thirtysomething Drama ABC My Name Is Bill W. Special 5 Roe vs. Wade NBC War and Remembrance Miniseries ABC I Know My First Name Is Steven NBC 4 The Tracey Ullman Show Variety Fox Beauty and the Beast Drama CBS 3 Late Night with David Letterman Variety NBC Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story Special HBO Saturday Night Live Variety NBC Wiseguy Drama CBS China Beach ABC 2 D.C. Follies Variety Syndicated Designing Women Comedy CBS In the Heat of the Night Drama NBC Newhart Comedy CBS A Perfect Spy Miniseries PBS Tap Dance in America Variety The Women of Brewster Place Miniseries ABC
Most major awards +Networks with multiple major awards"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network Number ofAwards NBC 12 ABC 6 CBS 5 HBO 2
+Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network Number ofAwards Cheers Comedy NBC 3 Murphy Brown CBS 2 L.A. Law Drama NBC Roe vs. Wade Special Thirtysomething Drama ABC
Notes
References
External links Emmys.com list of 1989 Nominees & Winners