32nd Primetime Emmy Awards


The 32nd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 7, 1980, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The awards show was hosted by Steve Allen and Dick Clark and broadcast on NBC. For the second year in a row, the top series awards went to the same shows, Taxi and Lou Grant. Lou Grant was the most successful show of the night winning five major awards. It also received 14 major nominations, tying the record for most major nominations by a drama series, set by Playhouse 90 in 11th [Primetime Emmy Awards|1959].
The ceremony was held in the midst of a strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild; in a show of support for their union, 51 of the 52 nominated performers boycotted the event. Powers Boothe was the only nominated actor to attend; acknowledging his presence in his acceptance speech, he remarked, "This is either the most courageous moment of my career or the stupidest."

Winners and nominees


Most major nominations

ProgramCategoryNetworkNumber of
Nominations
Lou GrantDramaCBS14
M*A*S*HComedyCBS10
The Rockford FilesDramaNBC6
MoviolaLimitedNBC6
Barney MillerComedyABC5
All Quiet on the Western FrontSpecialCBS4
Amber WavesSpecialABC4
SoapComedyABC4
TaxiComedyABC4
AtticaSpecialABC3
DallasDramaCBS3
FamilyDramaABC3
Gideon's TrumpetSpecialCBS3
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim JonesSpecialCBS3
The Miracle WorkerSpecialNBC3
The Muppet ShowVarietySyndicated3
WKRP in CincinnatiComedyCBS3
The AssociatesComedyABC2
Baryshnikov on BroadwayVarietyABC2
BensonComedyABC2
F.D.R.: The Last YearSpecialNBC2
Goldie and Liza TogetherVarietyCBS2
Shirley MacLaine... 'Every Little MovementVarietyCBS2
SkagDramaNBC2

Most major awards

ProgramCategoryNetworkNumber of
Awards
Lou GrantDramaCBS5
Baryshnikov on BroadwayVarietyABC2
M*A*S*HComedyCBS2
The Miracle WorkerSpecialNBC2
SoapComedyABC2
TaxiComedyABC2

;Notes