Hosted by Garry Shandling Date 19 September 2004 Host Garry Shandling | Network ABC Other ceremonies 2003, 2005 | |
 | ||
Location Shrine Auditorium,
Los Angeles, California | ||
The 56th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 19, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Garry Shandling and was broadcast on ABC.
Contents
The HBO miniseries Angels in America had the most successful night. It became the first, and only, program to sweep every major category, going 7/7, in Emmy history. It also joined Caesar's Hour, in 1957, as the only program to win all four main acting categories.
Upstart comedy series Arrested Development won Outstanding Comedy Series and three major awards overall. Its pilot became the twelfth episode to accomplish the directing/writing double. After years of winning everything but the top prize, The Sopranos finally took home the crown for Outstanding Drama Series, knocking off four-time defending champion The West Wing. It led all dramas with twelve major nominations and four major wins.
Entering its final ceremony, five-time series champion Frasier needed five major wins to tie The Mary Tyler Moore Show's record of 27 major wins. Because it was only nominated in five major categories, breaking the record was not possible. Though it did not tie the record, Frasier finished its Emmy career on a high note, winning three major awards, the most it had won since 1998. Its 25 major wins put it at second of all time. When adding its wins in technical categories, its total rises to 37, the most for any comedy series.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold:
Most major nominations
Most major awards
In Memoriam
Paul Winfield, Alan King, Julia Child, June Taylor, Bob Keeshan, Ethel Winant, Michael Kamen, Jack Elam, Rod Roddy, Jack Paar, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Donald O'Connor, Ronald Reagan, Anna Lee, Gordon Jump, Isabel Sanford, Robert Pastorelli, Daniel Petrie, Mary-Ellis Bunim, Ray Charles, Marlon Brando, Peter Ustinov, Art Carney, Tony Randall, and Alistair Cooke.