38th Primetime Emmy Awards


The 38th Primetime Emmy Awards were presented on September 21, 1986, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The Emmy ceremony was cohosted by David Letterman and Shelley Long. During the ceremony, Letterman saluted Grant Tinker, who had stepped down as chairman of NBC due to its parent company, RCA, having been acquired by General Electric. The ceremony was also memorable for the presentation of the Governors' Award to Red Skelton, presented by comedy legend Lucille Ball, who in his acceptance speech said he had missed being on TV for the previous 16 years.
This year's ceremony saw the return of the guest acting category. The top shows of the night were The Golden Girls which won Primetime [Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Outstanding Comedy Series] and two other major awards. The Golden Girls became the first series to gain three nominations in a lead acting category, they would repeat this feat multiple times. For the second straight year Cagney & Lacey won for Outstanding Drama Series, and led all shows with four major wins. With help from the guest acting category, The Cosby Show with 13 nominations broke the record for most major nominations by a comedy series of 11 set by The [Mary Tyler Moore Show] in 1977. This record has since been surpassed.

Winners and nominees


Most major nominations

ProgramCategoryNetworkNumber of
Nominations
The Cosby ShowComedyNBC13
St. ElsewhereDramaNBC9
The Golden GirlsComedyNBC9
MoonlightingDramaABC9
CheersComedyNBC8
An Early FrostSpecialNBC8
Cagney & LaceyDramaCBS7
Death of a SalesmanSpecialCBS5
Hill Street BluesDramaNBC5
Love Is Never SilentSpecialNBC5
AmosSpecialCBS4
Family TiesComedyNBC4
Mrs. Delafield Wants to MarrySpecialCBS3
NewhartComedyCBS3
The 28th Annual Grammy AwardsVarietyCBS2
The 40th Annual Tony AwardsVarietyCBS2
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Billy WilderVarietyNBC2
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.VarietyNBC2
Amazing StoriesDramaNBC2
Dress GrayMiniseriesNBC2
Great Performances: "Sylvia Fine Kaye's Musical Comedy Tonight III"VarietyPBS2
Kate & AllieComedyCBS2
Lord Mountbatten: The Last ViceroyMiniseriesPBS2
Magnum, P.I.DramaCBS2
Murder, She WroteDramaCBS2
Night CourtComedyNBC2
Peter the GreatMiniseriesNBC2
Resting PlaceSpecialCBS2
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonVarietyNBC2

Most major awards

ProgramCategoryNetworkNumber of
Awards
Cagney & LaceyDramaCBS4
The Golden GirlsComedyNBC3
St. ElsewhereDramaNBC3
The Cosby ShowComedyNBC2
Death of a SalesmanSpecialCBS2
Love Is Never SilentSpecialNBC2

;Notes