58th Primetime Emmy Awards


The 58th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, August 27, 2006, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET with Conan O'Brien hosting the show. The ceremony attracted 16.2 million viewers, 2.5 million fewer than the previous year's ceremony, but still the ratings winner for the week. The Discovery Channel received its first major nomination this year. 27 awards were presented.
This awards show was the first in fourteen years to be held in August because of NBC's request; because of NBC Sunday Night Football, the ceremony moved to accommodate NFL Kickoff Weekend.
A new voting system determined nominees in particular categories by a "blue ribbon" panel of judges, which resulted in the exclusion of popular shows such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, and actors like James Gandolfini and Edie Falco from The Sopranos and Hugh Laurie from House. Losts exclusion was mocked during the opening sequence, when O'Brien, accompanied by Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, headed down a hatch to get to the Emmys. O'Brien asked Reyes if he wanted to come; Reyes says coyly, "Well, we weren't exactly invited", to which O'Brien replies "But you won last year!"
For its second season, The Office won Primetime [Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series|Outstanding Comedy Series]; this was its only major award. No comedy series won more than two major awards this year. In the drama field, 24 won Outstanding Drama Series for its fifth season, after being nominated and losing the previous four years. It was also the first time [Fox Broadcasting Company|the Fox Network] won this award. Its three major awards topped all drama series. Its Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama award was also the first time Fox had won this award.
Ellen Burstyn was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for [Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie|Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie] for her role in Mrs. Harris, even though she was onscreen for only fourteen seconds, which caused controversy.
The show that received the most major nominations was Mrs. Harris, with seven. The top-nominated show had not received so few nominations since 1970, when Marcus Welby, M.D. received six. However, there were far fewer nominations back then, with most categories having three slots making this ceremony unique.
The pilot episode of My Name Is Earl joined a select group of TV episodes to win for both directing and writing.

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold:

Programs


  • 24
  • * Grey's Anatomy
  • * House
  • * The Sopranos
  • * The West Wing
  • The Girl in the Café
  • * Flight 93
  • * The Flight That Fought Back
  • * Mrs. Harris
  • * Yesterday
  • Elizabeth I
  • * House (2005 TV serial)|Bleak House]
  • * Into the West
  • * Sleeper Cell
  • The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
  • * The Colbert Report
  • * Late Night with Conan O'Brien
  • * Late Show with David Letterman
  • * Real Time with Bill Maher
  • The Amazing Race
  • * American Idol
  • * Dancing with the Stars
  • * Project Runway
  • * Survivor

    • Most major nominations

    ProgramCategoryNetworkNo. of
    Nominations
    Mrs. HarrisMovieHBO7
    Bleak HouseMiniseriesPBS6
    Elizabeth IMiniseriesHBO6
    24DramaFox5
    Grey's AnatomyDramaABC5
    The SopranosDramaHBO5
    The West WingDramaNBC5
    The Colbert ReportVarietyComedy Central4
    Curb Your EnthusiasmComedyHBO4
    EntourageComedyHBO4
    The Girl in the CaféMovieHBO4
    Six Feet UnderDramaHBO4
    Arrested DevelopmentComedyFox3
    The Daily Show with Jon StewartVarietyComedy Central3
    Flight 93MovieA&E3
    Late Show with David LettermanVarietyCBS3
    My Name Is EarlComedyNBC3
    The OfficeComedyNBC3
    Two and a Half MenComedyCBS3
    Will & GraceComedyNBC3
    American IdolCompetitionFox2
    Boston LegalDramaABC2
    The ComebackComedyHBO2
    HuffDramaShowtime2
    Human TraffickingMiniseriesLifetime2
    Late Night with Conan O'BrienVarietyNBC2
    Law & Order: Special Victims UnitDramaNBC2
    LostDramaABC2
    Malcolm in the MiddleComedyFox2
    Real Time with Bill MaherVarietyHBO2
    ThiefMiniseriesFX2
    WeedsComedyShowtime2

    Most major awards

    ProgramCategoryNetworkNo. of Awards
    Elizabeth IMiniseriesHBO4
    24DramaFox3
    The Girl in the CaféMovieHBO3
    The Daily Show with Jon StewartVarietyComedy Central2
    My Name Is EarlComedyNBC2

    ;Notes

    Presenters and performers

    Presenters

    The awards were presented by the following people:
    NameRole

    		Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
    Presented the award for Primetime Emmy Award for [Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series]
    Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
    Introduced Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series winner Leslie Jordan and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series winner Cloris Leachman
    Presented the awards for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
    Presented of a special presentation paying tribute to Dick Clark
    Presented the award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
    Introduced Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series winner Christian Clemenson and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series winner Patricia Clarkson
    Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
    Presented the awards for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
    Introduced the chairman of Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Dick Askin
    Presented of a special presentation paying tribute to Aaron Spelling
    Presented the award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie
    Presented the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
    Presented the awards for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
    Presented the award for Outstanding Miniseries
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series
    Presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series

    Opening sequence and subsequent controversy

    The plane crash ''Lost'' parody

    The opening sequence of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards show depicted host Conan O'Brien wearing a tuxedo, sitting in luxury on a plane, sipping champagne and mentioning to the flight attendant that this would be the second Emmy's ceremony that he would be hosting. O'Brien then rhetorically asked the flight attendant, "What could possibly go wrong?" Immediately after that, the plane began to experience turbulence and then was portrayed as having crashed on an island. O'Brien is then seen walking ashore on the beach and onto the island still wearing his tuxedo. Hurley appears and then follows O'Brien to a hatch. When O'Brien asks if he wants to come along, Hurley says that they "weren't exactly invited". O'Brien enters the hatch and arrives on the set of The Office.
    The intention of this opening sequence was to parody the premise of the ABC series Lost. However, the sequence reportedly disturbed some viewers because of the Comair Flight 5191 disaster that had occurred earlier in the day. Cincinnati NBC affiliate WLWT-TV had the unfortunate coincidence of running a "Breaking News" scroll about the crash at the same time as the scene was airing.
    Entertainment industry critics, such as LA Weekly columnist Nikki Finke, lambasted NBC's decision to not pull the plane crash portion of the opening sequence, in light of the aforementioned crash earlier that day. Finke stated that she believed NBC could have—with relative ease—instructed their writers to come up with a different sketch at the last minute, which could have been used as a substitute.

    Other parodies

    The skit also parodied shows such as The Office, 24, House, South Park, and Dateline NBC. An animated Tom Cruise from the South Park episode "Trapped [in the Closet (South Park)|Trapped in the Closet]" appears in a skit where an animated O'Brien hides in Stan Marsh's closet, only to run away when he discovers Cruise has already occupied the closet.

    Tributes

    The show featured tributes to two TV legends: Dick Clark, and Aaron Spelling, producer of such classic TV shows as Dynasty and Beverly Hills, 90210. The former tribute was presented by Simon Cowell, American Idol judge, with a performance by Barry Manilow, who won a Primetime Emmy Award later that evening. Joan Collins, Heather Locklear, and Stephen Collins, along with the original three Charlie's Angels, gave the tribute for Spelling.

    In Memoriam

    Actors from [Dynasty (1981 TV series)| Dynasty ] Joan Collins and Heather Locklear, Actor from 7th Heaven Stephen Collins and Three Original Cast of Charlie’s Angels Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith Pays Tribute To Aaron Spelling