55th Primetime Emmy Awards

Last updated
55th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 55th Primetime Emmy Awards Poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Date
  • September 21, 2003
    (Ceremony)
  • September 13, 2003
    (Creative Arts Awards)
Location Shrine Auditorium,
Los Angeles, California
Presented by Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominationsThe Sopranos (10)
Outstanding Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond
Outstanding Drama Series The West Wing
Outstanding Miniseries Taken
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Amazing Race
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Website http://www.emmys.com/   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Television/radio coverage
Network Fox
Produced by Brad Lachman
  54th  ·
·  56th  

The 55th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 21, 2003. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox. The Sci Fi channel received its first major nomination this year for Outstanding Miniseries for Taken ; the series won the award. 28 competitive awards were presented.

Contents

With the win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Debra Messing, Will & Grace became only the third television show to have all credited actors win a Primetime Emmy Award for their respective role, following All in the Family and The Golden Girls (also later tied by The Simpsons ). For its seventh season, Everybody Loves Raymond won its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. It led all comedies with four major wins and ten major nominations. The West Wing won Outstanding Drama Series for the fourth consecutive year, tying the record set by Hill Street Blues (also later tied by Game of Thrones and Mad Men ).

Despite failing to win Outstanding Drama Series, The Sopranos continued to rake in the awards, leading all dramas with four major wins, including James Gandolfini and Edie Falco winning their third and final trophy for their respective category. Also Joe Pantoliano's win for Supporting Actor in a Drama marked the first time HBO had won in this category.

Additionally, for the first time, not only did the Lead Male in a Comedy award go to a show outside the Big Four TV networks, with Tony Shalhoub's win, for Monk on the USA Network, it was that network's first ever Acting win.

For the first time since 1991, the Outstanding Drama Series field did not include Law & Order ; it was nominated 11 times in the category, a record for drama series that still stands. The mark tied the overall record held by comedy series M*A*S*H and Cheers . For the first time since its premiere, Frasier , then in its tenth and penultimate season, didn't win a major award, with its only major nominations going to David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The ceremony featured 11 presenters, which included: Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Garrett, Darrell Hammond, George Lopez, Conan O'Brien, Bernie Mac, Dennis Miller, Garry Shandling (who opened the show with a comedic monologue), Martin Short, Jon Stewart, and Wanda Sykes. [1]

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold: [2]

Tony Shalhoub, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner Tony Shalhoub (1).jpg
Tony Shalhoub, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner
Debra Messing, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner Debra Messing at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
Debra Messing, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner
James Gandolfini, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner James Gandolfini in Kuwait City 2010 (cropped).jpg
James Gandolfini, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner
Edie Falco, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner Edie Falco 2010.jpg
Edie Falco, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner
William H. Macy, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner WilliamHMacyTIFFSept2012.jpg
William H. Macy, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Maggie Smith, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner Dame Maggie Smith-cropped.jpg
Maggie Smith, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Brad Garrett, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner BradGarrettApr2011.jpg
Brad Garrett, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner
Doris Roberts, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner DorisRobertsDec10.jpg
Doris Roberts, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner
Joe Pantoliano, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner JoePantolianoFeb2009 (cropped).jpg
Joe Pantoliano, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner
Tyne Daly, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner Tyne Daly at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.jpg
Tyne Daly, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner
Ben Gazzara, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner Ben Gazarra - still.jpg
Ben Gazzara, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Gena Rowlands, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner Gena Rowlands - 1967.JPG
Gena Rowlands, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
Wayne Brady, Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program winner Wayne Brady 2015.jpg
Wayne Brady, Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program winner

Programs

Programs

Acting

Lead performances

Lead performances

Supporting performances

Supporting performances

Individual performances

Individual performances

Directing

Directing

Writing

Writing

Most major nominations

Networks with multiple major nominations [note 1]
NetworkNo. of
Nominations
HBO53
NBC38
CBS28
Programs with multiple major nominations
ProgramCategoryNetworkNo. of
Nominations
The SopranosDramaHBO10
Everybody Loves RaymondComedyCBS8
The West WingDramaNBC
Curb Your EnthusiasmComedyHBO7
Six Feet UnderDrama
Door to DoorMovieTNT6
Sex and the CityComedyHBO
Will & GraceNBC
My House in UmbriaMovieHBO5
Hysterical Blindness4
Live from Baghdad
Normal
24DramaFox3
AliasABC
The Daily Show with Jon StewartVarietyComedy Central
FriendsComedyNBC
Late Show with David LettermanVarietyCBS
Robin Williams: Live on BroadwayHBO
The Roman Spring of Mrs. StoneMovieShowtime
Saturday Night LiveVarietyNBC
The 75th Annual Academy AwardsABC2
The Bernie Mac ShowComedyFox
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street BandVarietyCBS
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationDrama
FrasierComedyNBC
Hitler: The Rise of EvilMiniseriesCBS
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray StoryMovieLifetime
Late Night with Conan O'BrienVarietyNBC
Malcolm in the MiddleComedyFox
NapoléonMiniseriesA&E

Most major awards

Networks with multiple major awards [note 1]
NetworkNo. of
Awards
HBO8
CBS7
NBC4
TNT
Comedy Central2
Programs with multiple major awards
ProgramCategoryNetworkNo. of
Awards
Door to DoorMovieTNT4
Everybody Loves RaymondComedyCBS
The SopranosDramaHBO
The Daily Show with Jon StewartVarietyComedy Central2
Hysterical BlindnessMovieHBO
The West WingDramaNBC

Presenters

The awards were presented by the following people: [3]

Presenter(s)Role(s)
David Schwimmer
Matt LeBlanc
Matthew Perry
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kiefer Sutherland Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jon Stewart Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony LaPaglia
Poppy Montgomery
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard
Charles S. Dutton
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Conan O'Brien Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Bryan Cranston
Jane Kaczmarek
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Ellen DeGeneres Presented the award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Michael Chiklis Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bernie Mac Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Christina Applegate Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
Alicia Silverstone
Rob Lowe
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Allison Janney Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Eric McCormack
Debra Messing
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Dennis Miller Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
Jeff Probst
Ryan Seacrest
Presented the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special
Bonnie Hunt Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special
Sarah Jessica Parker Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
George Lopez Presented the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Jennifer Garner
Victor Garber
Presented the award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie
Edie Falco
James Gandolfini
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Damon Wayans Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ray Romano Presented the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to Bill Cosby
Martin Short Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Marg Helgenberger
William Petersen
Presented the award for Outstanding Miniseries
Helen Mirren Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Ted Danson Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
William H. Macy Presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series
Mike Myers Presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series

In Memoriam

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

References

  1. "55th Primetime Emmy Awards". Digitalhit.com. Digital Hit Entertainment/ Multiplex Theatre Properties Inc. 2003-09-21. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  2. Emmys.com list of 2003 Nominees & Winners
  3. "55th Primetime Emmy Awards". DigitalHit. Retrieved March 30, 2023.