51st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 51st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 12, 1999. The ceremony show was hosted by Jenna Elfman and David Hyde Pierce. It was broadcast on Fox.
The comedy-drama Ally McBeal won Outstanding Comedy Series, which not only dethroned five-time defending champion Frasier but also became the first time Fox won that award. In the drama field The Practice won Outstanding Drama Series for the second straight year, and led all shows with four major wins on the night.
Freshman series The Sopranos led all shows with 11 major nominations. From that show, Edie Falco not only became the first actress from a Cable network to win Lead Actress, Drama series, she became the first person from any Cable TV show series, to win a Major Acting award..
The real winner of the night was television writer David E. Kelley. Kelley was the creator and head writer for both series champions, Ally McBeal and The Practice. This accomplishment has not been matched since.Winners and nominees
Programs
Acting
Lead performances
Supporting performances
Guest performances
Directing
Writing
Most major nominations
;By network
- NBC – 42
- HBO – 32
- CBS – 23
- ABC – 22
- Fox – 10
;By program
- The Sopranos – 11
- The Practice – 9
- Ally McBeal / Frasier – 8
- Law & Order / NYPD Blue – 7
- Dash and Lilly / Everybody Loves Raymond / Joan of Arc – 6
Most major awards
;By network
- ABC – 8
- NBC – 7
- HBO – 6
- CBS – 5
- Fox – 2
;By program
- The Practice – 4
- NYPD Blue – 3
;NotesIn Memoriam
