Most Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
1980 - Cathryn Damon
Soap
1981 - Isabel Sanford
The Jeffersons
1982 - Carol Kane
Taxi
1983 - Shelley Long
Cheers
1984 - Jane Curtin
Kate & Allie
1985 - Jane Curtin
Kate & Allie
1986 - Betty White
Golden Girls
1987 - Rue McClanahan
Golden Girls
1988 - Beu Arthur
Golden Girls
1989 - Candice Bergen
Murphy Brown
Fun Fact!
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has the Record With 7 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in Comedy Series
* Also Holds the Record With 12 Nominations
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Most Outstanding Drama
1980 - Lou Grant
1981 - Hill Street Blues
1982 - Hill Street Blues
1983 - Hill Street Blues
1984 - Hill Street Blues
1985 - Cagney & Lacey
1986 - Cagney & Lacey
1987 - L.A. Law
1988 - Thirtysomething
1989 - L.A. Law
Fun Fact!
Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Mad Men, The West Wing and Game of Thrones Have the Record with 4 Most Outstanding Drama Wins
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Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
1980 - Ed Asner
Lou Grant
1981 - Daniel J. Travanti
Hill Street Blues
1982 - Daniel J. Travanti
Hill Street Blues
1983 - Ed Flanders
St. Elsewhere
1984 - Tom Selleck
Magnum, P.I
1985 - William Daniels
St. Elsewhere
1986 - William Daniels
St. Elsewhere
1987 - Bruce Willis
Moonlighting
1988 - Richard Kiley
A Year in the Life
1989 - Carroll O'Connor
In the Heat of the Night
Fun Fact!
Bryan Cranston and Dennis Franz Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama
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Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
1980 - Barbara Bel Geddes
Dallas
1981 - Barbara Babcock
Hill Street Blues
1982 - Michael Learned
Nurse
1983 - Tyne Daly
Cagney & Lacey
1984 - Tyne Daly
Cagney & Lacey
1985 - Tyne Daly
Cagney & Lacey
1986 - Sharon Gless
Cagney & Lacey
1987 - Sharon Gless
Cagney & Lacey
1988 - Tyne Daly
Cagney & Lacey
1989 - Dana Delany
China Beach
Fun Fact!
Tyne Daly and Michael Learned Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama
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Other Notable TV Facts
HBO
Launched on November 8th 1972 Making it the Oldest and Longest Continuously Subscription Television Service
Mary Kay and Johnny
The First American Sitcom to be Broadcast on Network Television
First Color Television
The First Color Television went on Sale on March 25, 1954 by RCA
* Sold for $1,000
The Original SNL Cast
Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase
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1980-81 TV Ratings
1 . 60 Minutes CBS
2 . Three's Company ABC
3 . That's Incredible ABC
T4 Alice CBS
T4 M*A*S*H CBS
6. Dallas CBS
7. Flo CBS
8. The Jeffersons CBS
9. The Dukes of Hazzard CBS
10. One Day at a Time CBS
11 . Archie Bunker's Place CBS
12. Eight Is Enough ABC
13. Taxi ABC
T14 House Calls CBS
T14 Real People NBC
16. Little House on the Prairie NBC
17. Happy Days ABC
18. CHiPs NBC
19. Trapper John, M.D. CBS
T20. Charlie's Angels ABC
T20 Barney Miller ABC
22. WKRP in Cincinnati CBS
T23 Benson ABC
T23 The Love Boat ABC
25. Soap ABC
On November 17, 1981 30 Million Viewers Tuned Into General Hospital to Witness the Wedding of Luke and Laura
* The Highest Rated Daytime Soap Opera Episode in History
Did You Know?
TV Guide Ranked it as the Greatest Soap Opera Moment of All-Time
Bob Barker's New Hair
Michael J. Fox
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MTV
Most Outstanding Sitcom
(Emmy Awards)
1980 - Taxi
1981 - Taxi
1982 - Barney Miller
1983 - Cheers
1984 - Cheers
1985 - The Cosby Show
1986 - The Golden Girls
1987 - The Golden Girls
1988 - The Wonder Years
1989 - Cheers
* Cheers Also Won in 1990
Did You Know?
The First Season of Cheers Was the 4th lowest Ranked Show in America and About to be Cancelled, Being Ranked 74 Out of 77
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Richard Mulligan Won 2 Emmy Awards in the 80s For Most Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series On 2 Different Shows
Highest Rated TV Shows
1980 - 60 Minutes
Rating: 28.4
1981 - Dallas
Rating: 34.5
1982 - Dallas
Rating: 28.4
1983 - 60 Minutes
Rating: 25.5
1984 - Dallas
Rating: 25.7
1985 - Dynasty
Rating: 25.0
1986 - The Cosby Show
Rating: 33.7
1987 - The Cosby Show
Rating: 34.9
1988 - The Cosby Show
Rating: 27.8
1989 - The Cosby Show
Cagney & Lacey
On October 19, 1987 Bob Barker Appeared on The Price is Right For the First Time Without His Dyed Brown Hair
* Was Given a Standing Ovation by the Audience
MTV Launched on August 1, 1981 at 12:01 AM Eastern Time
* The Original MTV VJ's Were Martha Quinn, John Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Nina Blackwood
Luke and Laura's Wedding
On March 6, 1981 Walter Cronkite Signed Off For the Final Time as Main Anchorman of The CBS Evening News
* Succeeded by Dan Rather
M*A*S*H Finale
Fun Fact!
Frasier and Modern Family Have the Record With 5 Emmy's Awards For Most Outstanding Comedy
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
1980 - Richard Mulligan
Soap
1981 - Judd Hirsch
Taxi
1982 - Alan Alda
M*A*S*H
1983 - Judd Hirsch
Taxi
1984 - John Ritter
Threes Company
1985 - Robert Guillaume
Benson
1986 - Michael J. Fox
Family Ties
1987 - Michael J. Fox
Family Ties
1988 - Michael J. Fox
Family Ties
1989 - Richard Mulligan
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On February 28, 1983 the Final Episode of M*A*S*H Aired
* The Most Watched Non Sporting Event of All-Time With Over 105 Million Viewers
Richard Mulligan
On November 21, 1980 the Global Phenomenon of Who shot J.R. Was Revealed on the Hit TV Series, Dallas
Over 83 Million Viewers
* The Highest-Rated Television Episode in U.S. History at the Time
Walter Cronkite Signs Off
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Fun Fact!
Carroll O'Connor, Michael J. Fox, Kelsey Grammer and Jim Parsons Have the Record With 4 Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actor in Comedy Series
* Ted Dansen Has the Record With 14 Nominees
Lisa Kudrow on Cheers
On November 23, 1989 Friends Star, Lisa Kudrow Appeared on an Episode of Cheers
* She Played Woody's Drama Partner
Cagney & Lacey Stars, Tyne Daly (4) and Sharon Gless (2) Won 6 Consecutive Emmy Awards For Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series From 1983 to 1988
Who Shot J.R.?
Michael J. Fox Won 3 Consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards From 1986 to 1988 For His Role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties
* Don Adams Was the First to Win 3 in a Row (1967, 1968, 1969) For His Role as Maxwell Smart in the TV Series, Get Smart