The 36th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 23, 1984. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. 26 awards were presented.
The top shows of the night were Cheers and Hill Street Blues. Cheers won its second straight Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Hill Street Blues made history. It became the first show to win the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four times. This record has been tied by L.A. Law, The West Wing, Mad Men and Game of Thrones, but still stands. Hill Street Blues also added to another streak. It received at least 14 major nominations for the fourth straight year, winning four. Cheers received the most nominations on the comedy side (10), winning three.
Sir Laurence Olivier won the last of his five career Emmys this evening. His win was also the last time a non-Network Syndicated performance won an Acting Award.
Winners and nominees Emmys.com list of 1984 Nominees & Winners
Programs + Cheers (NBC) Buffalo Bill (NBC) Family Ties (NBC) Kate & Allie (CBS) Newhart (CBS) Hill Street Blues (NBC) Cagney & Lacey (CBS) Fame (Syndicated) Magnum, P.I. (CBS) St. Elsewhere (NBC) Something About Amelia (ABC) Adam (NBC) The Day After (ABC) The Dollmaker (ABC) A Streetcar Named Desire (ABC) Concealed Enemies (PBS) Chiefs (CBS) George Washington (CBS) Nancy Astor (PBS) Reilly: Ace of Spies (PBS) The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (CBS) The 38th Annual Tony Awards (CBS) AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Lillian Gish (CBS) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC)
Acting
Lead performances + John Ritter as Jack Tripper in Three's Company (ABC) (Episode: "Cupid Works Overtime") Dabney Coleman as Bill Bittinger in Buffalo Bill (NBC) Ted Danson as Sam Malone in Cheers (NBC) Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois in Benson (ABC) Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson in The Jeffersons (CBS) Jane Curtin as Allison Lowell in Kate & Allie (CBS) Joanna Cassidy as Jo Jo White in Buffalo Bill (NBC) Shelley Long as Diane Chambers in Cheers (NBC) Susan Saint James as Katherine McArdle in Kate & Allie (CBS) Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson in The Jeffersons (CBS) Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. (CBS) (Episode: "Home From the Sea") William Daniels as Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere (NBC) Ed Flanders as Dr. Donald Westphall in St. Elsewhere (NBC) John Forsythe as Blake Carrington in Dynasty (ABC) Daniel J. Travanti as Capt. Frank Furillo in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey in Cagney & Lacey (CBS) (Episode: "The Baby Broker") Debbie Allen as Lydia Grant in Fame (Syndicated) Joan Collins as Alexis Colby in Dynasty (ABC) Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney in Cagney & Lacey (CBS) Veronica Hamel as Joyce Davenport in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Laurence Olivier as King Lear in King Lear (Syndicated) Ted Danson as Steven Bennett in Something About Amelia (ABC) Louis Gossett Jr. as Anwar al-Sadat in Sadat (Syndicated) Mickey Rooney as Bill Sackter in Bill: On His Own (CBS) Daniel J. Travanti as John Walsh in Adam (NBC) Jane Fonda as Gertie Nevels in The Dollmaker (ABC) Jane Alexander as Calamity Jane in Calamity Jane (CBS) Ann-Margret as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (ABC) Glenn Close as Gail Bennett in Something About Amelia (ABC) JoBeth Williams as Reve Walsh in Adam (NBC)
Supporting performances
Pat Harrington Jr. as Dwayne F. Schneider in One Day at a Time (CBS) René Auberjonois as Clayton Runnymede Endicott III in Benson (ABC) Nicholas Colasanto as Coach Ernie Pantusso in Cheers (NBC) Tom Poston as George Utley in Newhart (CBS) George Wendt as Norm Peterson in Cheers (NBC) Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli in Cheers (NBC) Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen in Newhart (CBS) Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston in The Jeffersons (CBS) Paula Kelly as Liz Williams in Night Court (NBC) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham in Happy Days (ABC) Bruce Weitz as Det. Mick Belker in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Victor Ehrlich in St. Elsewhere (NBC) Michael Conrad as Sgt. Phil Esterhaus in Hill Street Blues (NBC) John Hillerman as Higgins in Magnum, P.I. (CBS) James Sikking as Lt. Howard Hunter in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Alfre Woodard as Doris Robson in Hill Street Blues (NBC) (Episode: "Doris in Wonderland") Barbara Bosson as Fay Furillo in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Piper Laurie as Fran Singleton in St. Elsewhere (NBC) (Episode: "Lust et Veritas") Madge Sinclair as Nurse Ernestine Shoop in Trapper John, M.D. (CBS) Betty Thomas as Sgt. Lucille Bates in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Art Carney as Tony in Terrible Joe Moran (CBS) Keith Carradine as Foxy Funderburke in Chiefs (CBS) John Gielgud as Lord Durrisdeer in The Master of Ballantrae (CBS) John Lithgow as Joe Huxley in The Day After (ABC) Randy Quaid as Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell in A Streetcar Named Desire (ABC) David Ogden Stiers as Dr. William Milligan Sloane in The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (NBC) Roxana Zal as Amelia Bennett in Something About Amelia (ABC) Beverly D'Angelo as Stella DuBois Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (ABC) Patty Duke as Martha Washington in George Washington (CBS) Cloris Leachman as Mary Kovacs in Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (ABC) Tuesday Weld as Margie Young-Hunt in The Winter of Our Discontent (CBS)
Individual performances
Cloris Leachman – The Screen Actors Guild 50th Anniversary Celebration (CBS) Debbie Allen – Live...And in Person (NBC) George Burns – George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business (NBC) Eddie Murphy – Saturday Night Live (NBC) Joe Piscopo – Saturday Night Live (NBC) Lily Tomlin – Live...And in Person (NBC)
Directing + Kate & Allie (CBS): "The Very Loud Family" – Bill Persky AfterMASH (CBS): "Fall Out" – Larry Gelbart Buffalo Bill (NBC): "Jo-Jo's Problem, Part 2" – Ellen Falcon Cheers (NBC): "Old Flames" – James Burrows Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Goodbye, Mr. Scripps" – Corey Allen Fame (Syndicated): "Sheer Will" – Robert Scheerer Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Doris in Wonderland" – Arthur Allan Seidelman Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Midway to What?" – Thomas Carter Here's Television Entertainment (NBC) – Dwight Hemion The 38th Annual Tony Awards (CBS) – Clark Jones Burnett Discovers Domingo (CBS) – Marty Pasetta The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (CBS) – Don Mischer Concealed Enemies (PBS): "Part III" – Jeff Bleckner The Day After (ABC) – Nicholas Meyer Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (ABC) – Lamont Johnson Something About Amelia (ABC) – Randa Haines A Streetcar Named Desire (ABC) – John Erman
Writing + Cheers (NBC): "Old Flames" – David Angell Buffalo Bill (NBC): "Jo-Jo's Problem, Part 2" – Jay Tarses Buffalo Bill (NBC): "Wilkinson's Sword" – Tom Patchett Cheers (NBC): "Homicidal Ham" – David Lloyd Cheers (NBC): "Power Play" – Glen Charles and Les Charles St. Elsewhere (NBC): "The Women" – Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Doris in Wonderland" – Hill Street Blues (NBC): "Grace Under Pressure" – St. Elsewhere (NBC): "All About Eve" – John Masius and Tom Fontana St. Elsewhere (NBC): "Newheart" – John Masius, Tom Fontana, Garn Stephens and Emilie R. Small St. Elsewhere (NBC): "Qui Transulit Sustinet" – Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Episode 312" The 38th Annual Tony Awards (CBS) AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Lillian Gish (CBS) The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (CBS) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Episode 285" Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Episode 291" Saturday Night Live (NBC): "Billy Crystal, Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Don Novello and Betty Thomas" Something About Amelia (ABC) – William Hanley Adam (NBC) – Allan Leicht The Day After (ABC) – Edward Hume The Dollmaker (ABC) – Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (ABC) – April Smith
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 53 CBS 37 ABC 27
+Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network Number ofNominations Hill Street Blues Drama NBC 14 Cheers Comedy 10 St. Elsewhere Drama 9 Buffalo Bill Comedy 6 Something About Amelia Special ABC A Streetcar Named Desire 5 Adam NBC 4 The Day After ABC Kate & Allie Comedy CBS Late Night with David Letterman Variety NBC The 38th Annual Tony Awards CBS 3 Cagney & Lacey Drama The Dollmaker Special ABC Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter Fame Drama Syndicated The Jeffersons Comedy CBS The Kennedy Center Honors Variety Magnum, P.I. Drama Newhart Comedy Saturday Night Live Variety NBC AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Lillian Gish CBS 2 Benson Comedy ABC Chiefs Limited CBS Concealed Enemies PBS Dynasty Drama ABC George Washington CBS Live...And in Person Variety NBC
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 10 CBS 8 ABC 5 PBS 2
+Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network Number ofAwards Hill Street Blues Drama NBC 4 Cheers Comedy 3 Something About Amelia Special ABC Concealed Enemies Miniseries PBS 2 Kate & Allie Comedy CBS
Notes
References
External links Emmys.com list of 1984 Nominees & Winners