37th Primetime Emmy Awards

37th Primetime Emmy Awards
37th Primetime Emmy Awards
Date	September 22, 1985 ; (Ceremony); September 21, 1985 ; (Creative Arts Awards);
Location	Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted by	John Forsythe
Highlights
Most awards	Cagney & Lacey (4)
Most nominations	Cheers (11)
Outstanding Comedy Series	The Cosby Show
Outstanding Drama Series	Cagney & Lacey
Outstanding Limited Series	The Jewel in the Crown
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program	Motown Returns to the Apollo
Television/radio coverage
Network	ABC

Last updated May 25, 2025

The 37th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 22, 1985. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California.

The Cosby Show defeated two-time reigning champion Cheers to win Outstanding Comedy Series, one of three major awards it won. Although it only took home one major award, Cheers did tie the then-record for most major nominations by a comedy series (11), set by The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1977. In the drama field Cagney & Lacey , en route to winning four major awards on the night, defeated presumed favorite Miami Vice to win Outstanding Drama Series, four-time defending champion Hill Street Blues still received nine major nominations, but only won one award. This was Hill Street Blues 18th and final major award, setting an Emmy record for a drama series that still stands and was later achieved by The Sopranos .

The ceremony also had a memorable unscripted moment involving the arrest of impersonator Barry Bremen for grand theft while attempting to accept the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award on behalf of Betty Thomas, who would show up on the auditorium stage a few minutes late.

Winners and nominees

^[1]

Programs

Programs
Outstanding Comedy Series The Cosby Show (NBC) Cheers (NBC) Family Ties (NBC) Kate & Allie (CBS) Night Court (NBC)	Outstanding Drama Series Cagney & Lacey (CBS) Hill Street Blues (NBC) Miami Vice (NBC) Murder, She Wrote (CBS) St. Elsewhere (NBC)
Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special Do You Remember Love (CBS) The Burning Bed (NBC) Fatal Vision (NBC) Heartsounds (ABC) Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (NBC)	Outstanding Limited Series The Jewel in the Crown (PBS) Ellis Island (CBS) Robert Kennedy & His Times (CBS) Space (CBS) A Woman of Substance (Syndicated)
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program Motown Returns to the Apollo (NBC) AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gene Kelly (CBS) Great Performances : "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" (PBS) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC)

Acting

Lead performances

Acting
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series *Robert Guillaume as Benson DuBois in Benson* (ABC)** Harry Anderson as Judge Harry T. Stone in Night Court (NBC) Ted Danson as Sam Malone in Cheers (NBC) Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon in Newhart (CBS) Jack Warden as Harrison Fox Sr. in Crazy Like a Fox (CBS)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series *Jane Curtin as Allison Lowell in Kate & Allie* (CBS)** Shelley Long as Diane Chambers in Cheers (NBC) Phylicia Rashad as Clair Huxtable in The Cosby Show (NBC) Susan Saint James as Katherine McArdle in Kate & Allie (CBS) Isabel Sanford as Louise Jefferson in The Jeffersons (CBS)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series *William Daniels as Dr. Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere* (NBC)** Ed Flanders as Dr. Donald Westphall in St. Elsewhere (NBC) Don Johnson as Det. James Crockett in Miami Vice (NBC) Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum in Magnum, P.I. (CBS) Daniel J. Travanti as Capt. Frank Furillo in Hill Street Blues (NBC)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series *Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey in Cagney & Lacey* (CBS) (Episode: "Who Said It's Fair?")** Debbie Allen as Lydia Grant in Fame (Syndicated) Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney in Cagney & Lacey (CBS) Veronica Hamel as Joyce Davenport in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote (CBS)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special *Richard Crenna as Richard Beck in The Rape of Richard Beck* (ABC)** Richard Chamberlain as Raoul Wallenberg in Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (NBC) James Garner as Harold Lear in Heartsounds (ABC) Richard Kiley as George Hollis in Do You Remember Love (CBS) George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (CBS)	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special *Joanne Woodward as Barbara Wyatt-Hollis in Do You Remember Love* (CBS)** Jane Alexander as Hedda Hopper in Malice in Wonderland (CBS) Peggy Ashcroft as Barbie Batchelor in The Jewel in the Crown (PBS) Farrah Fawcett as Francine Hughes in The Burning Bed (NBC) Mary Tyler Moore as Martha Weinman Lear in Heartsounds (ABC)

Supporting performances

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series *John Larroquette as Dan Fielding in Night Court* (NBC) (Episode: "Dan's Parents or Married Alive")** Nicholas Colasanto (posthumously) as Coach Ernie Pantusso in Cheers (NBC) Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties (NBC) John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin in Cheers (NBC) George Wendt as Norm Peterson in Cheers (NBC)	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series *Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli in Cheers* (NBC)** Selma Diamond (posthumously) as Selma Hacker in Night Court (NBC) Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen in Newhart (CBS) Marla Gibbs as Florence Johnston in The Jeffersons (CBS) Inga Swenson as Gretchen Wilomena Kraus in Benson (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series *Edward James Olmos as Martin Castillo in Miami Vice* (NBC) (Episode: "Golden Triangle")** Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Victor Ehrlich in St. Elsewhere (NBC) John Hillerman as Higgins in Magnum, P.I. (CBS) John Karlen as Harvey Lacey in Cagney & Lacey (CBS) Bruce Weitz as Det. Mick Belker in Hill Street Blues (NBC)	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series *Betty Thomas as Sgt. Lucille Bates in Hill Street Blues* (NBC)** Barbara Bosson as Fay Furillo in Hill Street Blues (NBC) Christina Pickles as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in St. Elsewhere (NBC) Doris Roberts as Mildred Krebs in Remington Steele (NBC) Madge Sinclair as Nurse Ernestine Shoop in Trapper John, M.D. (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special *Karl Malden as Freddy Kassab in Fatal Vision* (NBC)** Richard Burton (posthumously) as Sen. Phipps Ogden in Ellis Island (CBS) John Gielgud as Theodore Woodward in Romance on the Orient Express (NBC) Richard Masur as Aryon Greydanus in The Burning Bed (NBC) Rip Torn as Lewis Slaton in The Atlanta Child Murders (CBS)	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special *Kim Stanley as Big Mama in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof* (PBS)** Penny Fuller as Mae in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (PBS) Ann Jillian as Nellie Byfield in Ellis Island (CBS) Deborah Kerr as Emma Harte in A Woman of Substance (Syndicated) Alfre Woodard as Claudie Sills in Words by Heart (PBS)

Individual performances

Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program *George Hearn – Great Performances: "Sweeney Todd" (PBS)* Billy Crystal – Saturday Night Live (NBC) Gregory Hines – Motown Returns to the Apollo (NBC) Patti LaBelle – Motown Returns to the Apollo (NBC) Angela Lansbury – Great Performances: "Sweeney Todd" (PBS)

Directing

Directing
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series The Cosby Show (NBC): "The Younger Woman" – Jay Sandrich Alice (CBS): "Tommy's Lost Weekend" – Marc Daniels Cheers (NBC): "Cheerio" – James Burrows Kate & Allie (CBS): "Landlady" – Bill Persky Moonlighting (ABC): "Pilot" – Robert Butler	Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Cagney & Lacey (CBS): "Heat" – Karen Arthur Hill Street Blues (NBC): "El Capitan" – Georg Stanford Brown Hill Street Blues (NBC): "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall" – Thomas Carter Miami Vice (NBC): "Cool Runnin" – Lee H. Katzin Miami Vice (NBC): "Smuggler's Blues" – Paul Michael Glaser
Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program Great Performances: "Sweeney Todd" (PBS) – Terry Hughes Late Night with David Letterman 3rd Anniversary Special (NBC) – Hal Gurnee Motown Returns to the Apollo (PBS) – Don Mischer Night of 100 Stars II (ABC) – Clark Jones	Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or a Special Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (NBC) – Lamont Johnson The Burning Bed (NBC) – Robert Greenwald Consenting Adult (ABC) – Gilbert Cates Do You Remember Love (CBS) – Jeff Bleckner Fatal Vision (NBC) – David Greene The Jewel in the Crown (PBS): "Crossing the River" – Christopher Morahan and Jim O'Brien

Writing

Writing
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series The Cosby Show (NBC): "Pilot" – Ed. Weinberger and Michael Leeson Cheers (NBC): "I Call Your Name" – Peter Casey and David Lee Cheers (NBC): "Rebound, Part II" – Glen Charles and Les Charles Cheers (NBC): "Sam Turns the Other Cheek" – David Lloyd The Cosby Show (NBC): "Good-Bye Mr. Fish" – Earl Pomerantz	Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series Cagney & Lacey (CBS): "Who Said It's Fair, Part II" – Patricia Green Cagney & Lacey (CBS): "Child Witness" – Deborah Arakelian Hill Street Blues (NBC): "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall" – Story by : Michael Wagner Teleplay by : Jacob Epstein Miami Vice (NBC): "Pilot" – Anthony Yerkovich St. Elsewhere (NBC): "Murder, She Rote" – Tom Fontana, John Masius and Steve Bello St. Elsewhere (NBC): "Sweet Dreams" – John Masius and Tom Fontana
Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Christmas with the Lettermans" AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gene Kelly (CBS) Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "Late Night in Los Angeles" Late Night with David Letterman (NBC): "The Late Night Morning Show" Motown Returns to the Apollo (NBC)	Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or a Special Do You Remember Love (CBS) – Vickie Patik The Burning Bed (NBC) – Rose Leiman Goldemberg Fatal Vision (NBC) – John Gay The Jewel in the Crown (PBS): "Crossing the River" – Ken Taylor Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (NBC) – Gerald Green

Most major nominations

Networks with multiple major nominations^{[note 1]}
Network	Number of Nominations
NBC	66
CBS	37
PBS	10

Programs with multiple major nominations
Program	Category	Network	Number of Nominations
Cheers	Comedy	NBC	11
Hill Street Blues	Drama	NBC	9
Cagney & Lacey		CBS	7
St. Elsewhere		NBC	7
Miami Vice			6
The Burning Bed	Special		5
The Cosby Show	Comedy
Do You Remember Love	Special	CBS
Late Night with David Letterman	Variety	NBC
Motown Returns to the Apollo	Variety
Fatal Vision	Special		4
The Jewel in the Crown	Limited	PBS
Kate & Allie	Comedy	CBS
Night Court	Comedy	NBC
Wallenberg: A Hero's Story	Special	NBC
Ellis Island	Limited	CBS	3
Great Performances: "Sweeney Todd"	Variety	PBS
Heartsounds	Special	ABC
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gene Kelly	Variety	CBS	2
Benson	Comedy	ABC
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	Special	PBS
Family Ties	Comedy	NBC
The Jeffersons	Comedy	CBS
Magnum, P.I.	Drama
Murder, She Wrote	Drama
Newhart	Comedy
A Woman of Substance	Limited	Syndicated

Most major awards

Networks with multiple major awards^{[note 1]}
Network	Number of Awards
NBC	12
CBS	8
PBS	3
ABC	2

Programs with multiple major awards
Program	Category	Network	Number of Awards
Cagney & Lacey	Drama	CBS	4
The Cosby Show	Comedy	NBC	3
Do You Remember Love	Special	CBS	3
Great Performances: "Sweeney Todd"	Variety	PBS	2

Notes

1 2 "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

References

↑ Emmys.com list of 1985 Nominees & Winners

External links

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[MW_Note-2] 1 2 "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

[Winners/Nominees-1] Emmys.com list of 1985 Nominees & Winners

[1]

[note 1]