40th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 40th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on August 28, 1988. The ceremony was broadcast on Fox, from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California. The ceremony was pushed back from its newly established September date because of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Outstanding Comedy Series

• The Wonder Years
  • Cheers
  • Frank's Place
  • The Golden Girls
  • Night Court

Outstanding Drama Series

• Thirtysomething
  • Beauty and the Beast
  • L.A. Law
  • Rumpole of the Bailey, Mystery!
  • St. Elsewhere

Rumpole was originally nominated in miniseries but was ruled inelgible and moved to the Drama series category.^[1][2][3]

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Michael J. Fox for playing "Alex P. Keaton" in Family Ties
  • Dabney Coleman for playing "Slap Maxwell" in The Slap Maxwell Story
  • Ted Danson for playing "Sam Malone" in Cheers
  • Tim Reid for playing "Frank Paris" in Frank's Place
  • John Ritter for playing "Harry Hooperman" in Hooperman

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Richard Kiley for playing "Joe Gardner" in A Year in the Life
  • Corbin Bernsen for playing "Arnie Becker" in L.A. Law
  • Ron Perlman for playing "Vincent" in Beauty and the Beast
  • Michael Tucker for playing "Stuart Markowitz" in L.A. Law
  • Edward Woodward for playing "Robert McCall" in The Equalizer

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Bea Arthur for playing "Dorothy Zbornak" in The Golden Girls
  • Kirstie Alley for playing "Rebecca Howe" in Cheers
  • Blair Brown for playing "Molly Dodd" in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
  • Rue McClanahan for playing "Blanche Devereaux" in The Golden Girls
  • Betty White for playing "Rose Nylund" in The Golden Girls

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Tyne Daly for playing "Mary Beth Lacey" in Cagney & Lacey
  • Susan Dey for playing "Grace Van Owen" in L.A. Law
  • Jill Eikenberry for playing "Ann Kelsey" in L.A. Law
  • Sharon Gless for playing "Christine Cagney" in Cagney & Lacey
  • Angela Lansbury for playing "Jessica Fletcher" in Murder, She Wrote

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• John Larroquette for playing "Dan Fielding" in Night Court
  • Kelsey Grammer for playing "Dr. Frasier Crane" in Cheers
  • Woody Harrelson for playing "Woody Boyd" in Cheers
  • Peter Scolari for playing "Michael Harris" in Newhart
  • George Wendt for playing "Norm Peterson" in Cheers

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Larry Drake for playing "Benny Stulwicz" in L.A. Law
  • Ed Begley Jr. for playing "Dr. Victor Ehrlich" in St. Elsewhere
  • Timothy Busfield for playing "Elliot Weston" in Thirtysomething
  • Alan Rachins for playing "Douglas Brackman, Jr." in L.A. Law
  • Jimmy Smits for playing "Victor Sifuentes" in L.A. Law

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Estelle Getty for playing "Sophia Petrillo" in The Golden Girls
  • Julia Duffy for playing "Stephanie Vanderkellen" in Newhart
  • Jackée Harry for playing "Sandra Clark" in 227
  • Katherine Helmond for playing "Mona Robinson" in Who's the Boss?
  • Rhea Perlman for playing "Carla Tortelli" in Cheers

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Patricia Wettig for playing "Nancy Krieger Weston" in Thirtysomething
  • Bonnie Bartlett for playing "Ellen Craig" in St. Elsewhere
  • Polly Draper for playing "Ellyn Warren" in Thirtysomething
  • Christina Pickles for playing "Helen Rosenthal" in St. Elsewhere
  • Susan Ruttan for playing "Roxanne Melman" in L.A. Law

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

• Thirtysomething (Paul Haggis, Marshall Herskovitz)
  • Beauty and the Beast (Ron Koslow)
  • China Beach (John Sacret Young)
  • L.A. Law (Terry Louise Fisher, David E. Kelley)
  • L.A. Law (Steven Bochco, Terry Louise Fisher, David E. Kelley)
  • St. Elsewhere (Tom Fontana, Channing Gibson, Bruce Paltrow, John Tinker, Mark Tinker)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

• St. Elsewhere (Mark Tinker)
  • China Beach (Rod Holcomb)
  • L.A. Law (Kim Friedman)
  • L.A. Law (Gregory Hoblit)
  • L.A. Law (Win Phelps)
  • L.A. Law (Sam Weisman)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

• Frank's Place (Hugh Wilson)
  • Cheers (Glen Charles, Les Charles)
  • Designing Women (Linda Bloodworth-Thomason)
  • It's Garry Shandling's Show (Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Sam Simon)
  • It's Garry Shandling's Show (Garry Shandling, Alan Zweibel)
  • The Wonder Years (Carol Black, Neal Marlens)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

• Hooperman (Gregory Hoblit)
  • Cheers (James Burrows)
  • The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (Jay Tarses)
  • The Golden Girls (Terry Hughes)
  • It's Garry Shandling's Show (Alan Rafkin)

References

• Emmy Awards on imdb